Syracuse football (7-3, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) is back at the Dome on Saturday against UConn (7-3, Independent). Although the Huskies have been a historically poor program, they’ve been rejuvenated this season.
“They’ve played two teams in our conference and only lost by less than a touchdown,” SU head Coach Fran Brown said. “Everybody in our conference always comes down to the 4th quarter, so I would say they're a team that’s just like every other team.”
One of the keys to the Huskies' success has been its defense. UConn allows just under 22 points per game, which would be second best in the ACC. Something that the defense has thrived on is preventing yards through the air. Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord is going to have some work to do because the Huskies have only allowed over 300 passing yards in a contest once this season. That was in the first game of the year against Maryland. The good news for Syracuse is McCord has thrown for over 300 yards in every contest but one this season. One of those trends will break on Saturday, but another big question is if the strong UConn passing defense will cause SU running back LeQuint Allen to be more involved.
Over the entire season fans have expressed their discrepancies about the limited use of the run game. As the season has gone on, the running back has been more and more involved, and that was definitely the case against California. Allen had over 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
The junior now leads the team with 11 rushing touchdowns this season. His momentum could be coming at just the right time because the Huskies allowed over 100 yards and a touchdown on the ground in their last game. Due to UConn's solid passing defense, don't be surprised if SU pounds the rock on Saturday, at least more than it has been.
Normally you expect the coaches to call the plays, but that might not be the case the entire time for Syracuse.
“It’s all about making sure (McCord’s) comfortable,” Brown said. “Making sure he has the plays that he wants and him being able to pick it. [The] other day in the game something came up and I said, 'Yo, why the freak [did] we run that?' and they [said], 'That’s what Kyle likes.' I was like, 'Oh, alright I got you.' So that’s why we ran it.”
With just two contests remaining, Fran Brown’s first year is almost at a close. One thing he’s taken away from the season is how much the team means to him. That something he’ll appreciate on Saturday as it’s senior day for the Orange.
"I love them," Brown said. "I'm so thankful for the ones that came here, the ones that were here, John Wildhack for giving me the opportunity of just, you know coming and being able to coach these kids. These dudes are amazing. They've helped carve me into being a better man already, within less than a year. I'm just very thankful."
To find out if Syracuse gets the job done, tune in to our live broadcast of 'Cuse and UConn. WAER’s coverage starts with Countdown to Kickoff at 11:30.