Here is a scouting report on Syracuse (5-5 overall, 2-4 ACC) who plays at NC State at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Five Syracuse players to watch
Sophomore linebacker Mikel Jones
The 6-foot-1, 220 paces Syracuse in tackles with 83, and is fourth in the ACC in tackles per game (8.2). Jones was ejected in the first half against Louisville for targeting. Jones had a season-high 11 tackles against Clemson, and he has 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. The Miami, Fla., native was honorable mention All-ACC last year after having 69 tackles and four interceptions.
Senior defensive end Cody Roscoe
The 6-1, 275-pounder leads Syracuse with eight sacks, to go along with 42 tackles and 12 tackles for loss. Three of the sacks were against Albany on Sept. 18. Roscoe is third in the ACC in both sacks and tackles for loss. The Houston, Texas, native has 62 career tackles, 18 tackles for loss and 10 sacks during his two years at Syracuse. He played his first three years at McNeese State, where he had 16 sacks.
Sophomore quarterback Garrett Shrader
Shrader has made more noise with his legs than his arm this season. He has rushed 140 times for 713 yards and 13 scores, which complements his passing. He has completed 98-of-190 passing for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns, plus three interceptions. The 6-4, 230-pounder played at Charlotte (N.C.) Christian and signed with Mississippi State. He went 88-of-153 passing for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns and five interceptions for the Bulldogs in 2019. He also rushed 113 times for 587 yards and six scores. Rivals.com had Shrader as a four-star prospect and No. 11 overall player in the state of North Carolina in the class of 2019.
Freshman linebacker Stefon Thompson
Thompson is second on the team with 64 tackles, plus six sacks and one forced fumble. He had a season-high nine tackles against three teams — at Virginia Tech on Oct. 23, Wake Forest on Oct. 9 and at Florida State on Oct. 2. The 6-1, 235-pounder played for what is now called Charlotte Chambers High, where he was a Rivals.com three-star prospect and No. 28 overall player in the state of North Carolina in the class of 2020.
Freshman running back Sean Tucker
The 5-10, 210-pounder is a physical runner, who ranks second in the country with 136.2 rushing yards per game and with 1,362 rushing yards. He trails Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker III (147.3), the former Wake Forest running back. Tucker leads the nation in yards from scrimmage (1,601). Tucker is one of 15 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, which goes to the most outstanding college football player. The Owings, Md., native had seven straight games where he rushed for over 100 yards this season.
What to watch for from Syracuse
1. Can they pass the ball?: Syracuse has struggled throwing the football the last two games. Quarterback Garrett Shrader threw for 46 yards in the 41-3 loss at Louisville last Saturday, and a paltry 65 yards in the 21-6 win over Boston College on Oct. 30.
Shrader has a nice arm and has shown he is more than capable throwing the ball. He threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns against Virginia Tech.
Syracuse also doesn’t have that No. 1 wide receiver like they normally do — Trishton Jackson, Jamal Custis, Steve Ishmael and Amba Etta-Tawo filled that bill in recent years. Taj Harris was supposed to be that guy this season, but quit the squad after three games and has transferred to Kentucky.
2. Physical rushing attack: The one-two punch of Shrader and running back Sean Tucker have combined for 2,075 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns, which is the most of any FBS teammates. Syracuse ranks fifth in the nation in rushing (236.7 per game) and is first in the ACC. The Orange are second in the country with 84 rushes that went 10-plus yards, and fifth nationally with 11 30-plus yard runs.
Tucker rushed for 626 yards and four touchdowns on 137 carries last year, and has 1,988 rushing yards in his college career. He’ll take aim at Travis Etienne’s 4,952 career rushing yards in four yards at Clemson. Syracuse has all five offensive lineman at least 6-5 and 300 pounds, with freshman left guard Kalan Ellis checking in at 6-6 and 365 pounds.
3. Attacking defense: Syracuse ranks 12th in the nation in tackles for loss with 7.1 per game. Defensive end Cody Roscoe leads the way with 12 tackles for loss, and linebackers Mikel Jones and Stefan Thompson have combined for 16.5 tackles for loss.
Beyond those three, freshman linebacker Marlowe Wax has 7.5 tackles for loss and senior defensive end Kingsley Jonathan, who attended Mebane (N.C.) Eastern Alamance High, has 5.5 tackles for loss thanks to three sacks against Boston College.
Three keys to the game for NC State football
1. Patience with running game: NC State set the tone in the season opener against South Florida with 40 carries for 293 rushing yards. The Wolfpack have rushed for over 111 yards in six games this season, but have struggled running the football the last three games.
The decline started with 24 carries for 44 yards against Louisville, followed by 37 rushing attempts for 86 yards against Florida State. Wake Forest isn’t known for its rush defense, but NC State was limited to 18 carries for 74 yards against the Demon Deacons.
Louisville rushed 32 times for 163 yards and a touchdown against Syracuse last week. Jalen Mitchell led the way with 15 carries for 102 yards.
2. Keep Orange defense on its toes: Louisville proved the Syracuse pass defense has some holes in it. We already mentioned the rushing success the Cardinals had, but the trio of smallish receivers Jordan Watkins, Tyler Harrell and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce combined for four touchdowns. Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham threw for 209 yards, but Syracuse’s defense has been relatively good against the pass.
Only two other quarterbacks threw for over 200 yards against Syracuse this season, and NC State is familiar with both. Liberty quarterback Malik Willis tossed for 205 yards and three touchdowns on Sept. 24, and Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman threw for 330 yards and three touchdown passes to A.T. Perry.
3. Battle of the kickers: NC State and Syracuse have two of the more accomplished kickers in the ACC.
NCSU junior kicker Christopher Dunn has gone 67-of-83 on field goals for 80.7 percent, with a long of 53 yards. Dunn has gone 11-for-16 on field goals this season, and just missed a 33-yarder against Wake Forest in the three-point loss. Dunn could be busy against the Orange.
Syracuse junior kicker Andre Szmyt went 30-of-34 on field goals his freshman year in 2018, and it looked like he’d be the kicking force in the ACC. Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba has stolen that mantle of late. Szmyt has gone 64 of 78 on field goals with a long of 54 in his four years at Syracuse.
Three numbers of note
11 Yards running back Sean Tucker needs to become the single-season rushing leader in Syracuse history. He has 1,362 rushing yards, which trails Joe Morris, who rushed for 1,372 yards in 1979.
22 Ranking nationally for Syracuse’s kickoff return defense (17.52), which is crucial due to the presence of NC State kick returner Zonovan Knight, who went for a 100-yard touchdown against Wake Forest, and also a 72-yard return.
58 Career starts for redshirt senior center Airon Servais, who is 6-3 and 300 pounds. It is the longest streak in the FBS, and he’s earned starts at center, right tackle and left tackle.
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