A first time match-up under the Dome lights
The Syracuse Orange (2-0, 1-0) are back in action on Friday night when the Stanford Cardinal (1-1, 0-0) visit the JMA Wireless Dome to play their first ACC conference game. Both teams are coming off a bye week, but here’s what we’ll be watching for on Friday night:
Kevin: Bye Week Recalculations?
Stanford hasn’t started classes for their Autumn quarter which means that in the time since their win over Cal Poly, the Cardinal have had extra time to prepare several young players. In their last game, Stanford started a freshman at left tackle and also gave snaps to freshman quarterback Elijah Brown. They also gave time to highly touted quarterback Elijah Brown, a four-star from Mater Dei who might be their best option for a quick passing game. With the extra time, will the Cardinal be better prepared up front and possibly playing three quarterbacks- Ashton Daniels, Justin Lamson and Brown?
Max: Controlling the ground game
The Cardinal defense posted the worst overall grade among Power Five schools last year. Despite returning a similar group in 2024, Stanford’s run-stopping efforts are greatly improved through two games, allowing just over three yards per rush (#31st in DI). LeQuint Allen is easily the toughest back the Trees have seen, so we’ll see if the visitors can keep up their impressive start at stopping the run.
Christian: Cue the Undertaker Gong
Syracuse held Georgia Tech to 7-of-14 on 3rd down conversions. What the stats won’t tell you is that the majority of those conversations came in Georgia Tech’s first drive in the 1st quarter and in the 4th quarter. That’s when the Yellow Jackets offense looked the best. Syracuse looked dominant in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, and a large part of that was due to getting the defense off the field. Giving the Orange the time of possession advantage by winning the third down battles will allow Syracuse’s offensive momentum to keep building.
Mike: More McCord Magic
Orange fans have already had the pleasure of watching Kyle McCord throw four touchdowns and set a new career-high in passing yards… twice! Max pointed out how the Cardinal run defense has improved, but it may be at a determent to their anti-air operations. TCU QB Josh Hoover went 28/42 for 353 yards during their opener in Palo Alto, and much like #6 and the Orange have done so far, he split his attention between three receivers and found windows all over the field. Expect a similar gameplan.
Dom: Win the possession and field position battles
Even after two high scoring game, it’s hard to say Stanford will have the advantage on offense (especially with the clear positives at quarterback and receiver). However, this is really the game where self-inflicted mistakes will hurt the Orange. It’s how Stanford held on long enough versus TCU. The offensive line needs to hold off just enough to give McCord time in the pocket, and the Orange can’t afford to give up the “easy” ones. Very similar to Christian, but the offense needs to stay moving.
Carson: CB/WR matchup between Clarence Lewis and Elic Ayomanor
Ayomanor led Stanford in receiving yards last season as a true freshman (62 catches, 1,013 yards, 6 TDs) and picked up right where he left off against TCU with seven catches for 102 yards. Clarence Lewis is SU’s most experienced secondary player and will likely be Ayomanor’s primary defender. Lewis held Georgia Tech’s Malik Rutherford to less than 40 receiving yards last week and is tied for team-best in pass deflections (2). He should be a great match for Ayomanor on Friday.
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What will you be watching for tomorrow night?