Dino Babers has been knocked out before. It’s a cleansing experience. Upon waking up, everything’s clearer. Colors are brighter, he said. It’s almost like restarting a computer. 

On the Monday following his team’s 63-20 loss at Maryland, when asked if last Saturday’s loss was like being hit in the face for his team, Babers hoped it could have similar results.

“We’re going to see how we do,” Babers said. “Maybe we’ve rebooted. Maybe everything is OK, we’re going to have to see.”

This week, Syracuse welcomes No. 1 Clemson to the Carrier Dome. The Tigers enter the game having won 17 straight games including last year’s National Championship and have lost just one game since falling to Syracuse in the Carrier Dome in 2017.  Last week Clemson defeated No. 16 Texas A&M 24-10, and will bring a plethora of NFL prospects to the Dome this Saturday, including running back Travis Etienne and quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

“We’re probably seeing one of the best teams of an era that you’re going to see,” Babers said.

The Orange enter the game after their worst loss in almost two seasons in which the defense was thrashed for 650 yards and tallied one sack a week after notching eight in the season opener.

After watching the film, Babers said he was proud of how hard the players play, noting effort wasn’t the issue in Saturday’s loss. He again highlighted missed tackles and noted that Maryland’s high tempo offense isn’t what held SU up – it was just a lack of executing the defensive gameplan.

“We had no pass rush,” Babers said. “So we need to find a way to get a pass rush. You don’t let an NFL quarterback (Lawrence) stand back there.”

The Orange stumbled offensively last Saturday as well. In his second career start, quarterback Tommy DeVito turned the ball over twice in the first half. Before Syracuse had a first down, it trailed Maryland by two scores. With lineman Sam Heckel out last week, and likely out again this week, Babers noted the offensive line needs time to grow and the SU schedule this season provides no grace period. On DeVito, who finished 28-of-39 for 330 passing yards and 3 touchdowns along with the turnovers, Babers believes the redshirt sophomore is where he should be in his development.

“He’s coming along great,” Babers said. “I think he’s moving along at a pace that’s acceptable to me and I think things are going to get better and better and better.”

In years past it’s been Clemson’s defense, particularly the defensive line, that’s been hyped before the game. But in 2019, the Tigers returned both Etienne, who rushed for 204 yards against the Orange last year and Lawrence, who threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns against Alabama in the 2019 National Championship. And thus the Syracuse defense – which just allowed 63 points – is faced with a conundrum that no team in the last 17 opponents has solved.

“They’re so good on offense now that you have a limit of time in the game to get them,” Babers said. “And if you don’t keep pace with that offense, the game is over.”

Injury notes: 

• Last week Babers stated Heckel, who suffered an upper-body injury against Liberty, was 50-50 on playing against Maryland but the redshirt junior didn’t even travel. This week, Babers isn’t ruling him out but doesn’t expect him to play. 
• The status of defensive tackle McKinley Williams, who injured his left foot in training camp, is still unknown. Babers said he’s waiting to speak with doctors. 

Published on September 9, 2019 at 1:59 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44