Dallas — Syracuse’s defense gave up 24 points in the first half on Saturday against SMU, then turned around and allowed just seven in the second half.
It was a surprising reversal, one that head coach Fran Brown attributed to play-calling.
“I just thought we called the wrong stuff in the first half,” Brown said. “There were things that I put in this week that I wanted to do. And we didn’t do it. And that wasn’t right.”
Brown said the blame for those calls resides with him but, naturally, his play-calling concerns extend to defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson.
The difference when Syracuse’s play-calling was more to Brown’s liking was substantial.
The Orange allowed 24 first-half points and 6.5 yards per run.
In the second half the Mustangs were totaled just seven points and averaged barely more than half a yard per carry.
Behind that improvement, an early blowout turned into a failed comeback. But that fell more on the offense than Syracuse’s defense.
So, what happened?
Syracuse finished Saturday’s game with a Pro Football Focus grade of 66 on defense. The Orange turned in its worst tackling game of the season with a grade of 42.4 and its worst pass-rushing game at 54.3.
Poor tackling led directly to final touchdown of the game as a Syracuse defender dove at wide receiver Jordan Hudson’s feet.
Syracuse’s run defense, however, had its best day of the season. PFF gave the Orange a grade of 76.5 in that department, one that resulted in Syracuse’s second-half turnaround.
“They were more comfortable,” Brown said. “A lot of times, coaches like to call the things that look good on the board instead of the things that the players run well. And when you started to call the plays that they run well, you’ve seen different results.”
Brown has not been shy about discussing what he wants to see from his coordinators. He’s publicly challenged offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon to get sophomore running back Yasin Willis the ball twice.
And Saturday wasn’t Brown’s first time expressing frustration with his defense. It was the first time he distinguished his displeasure the defensive performance of the players to, seemingly, the play-calling of Robinson.
The Orange has now given up more than 30 points in all three of its losses this year, including in back-to-back weeks.
“This is a results-based business,” Brown said. “SMU ran the same plays (in the second half). It was just we ran different plays, and it helped us out a little bit in the second half. Those are the calls that I want to run.”
Syracuse’s pass rush continued to be minimal. The Orange had just four defenders with a grade of better than 60 in PFF’s pass rushing category on Saturday.
SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings faced just eight pressures (despite 20 blitzes) and threw for 285 yards and four touchdowns.
Syracuse’s defensive backs, aside from freshman Demetres Samuel Jr.’s coverage grade of 81.6, struggled all day. Georgia transfer Chris Peal was the only other corner to grade in the 60s.
At some point, the front seven and the secondary are going to have to complement each other for Syracuse.
Through half a season, it just hasn’t happened.
“I’ve got to go back and handle some stuff with our staff,” Brown said.
As a team:
The interior of the offensive line did its job keeping Rickie Collins clean Saturday. Center Austin Collins led the Orange with a pass blocking grade of 86.5. Left guard T.J. Ferguson was right after him with an 80.7. Right guard Joe Cruz had a 73.1. The offensive line wasn’t pristine, though. Left tackle Trevion Mack had two holds en route to a 50.3 grade. Freshman Byron Washington, who spells Cruz, finished with a 49.7. Collins and Ferguson have been the consistent anchors for Syracuse.
Syracuse’s offense does not and will not function properly if it cannot run the ball. Willis finished with 41 yards on 2.7 yards per carry. Washington had Syracuse’s best run-blocking grade at 65.7. Outside of that, the Orange was essentially a no-show on the ground. Not only were the run lanes not there, but the Orange had to abandon the run again because they fell behind early in the game. While Rickie Collins’s poor play played a major role in Saturday’s loss, getting Willis going can get the ball out of the young quarterback’s hands.
Syracuse needs some athletic linebackers that can cover or some hybrid safeties. Saturday’s pass coverage from that group was bad. Antoine Deslauriers allowed a 14-yard catch, Gary Bryant III allowed 17.3 yards per catch and Zyian Moultrie-Goddard allowed 21.5 yards per catch. Until the middle of the field is solidified, the Syracuse defense will continue to be handicapped.
Here’s how a look at how Syracuse’s players with more than 20 snaps fared individually according to PFF: