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Syracuse’s fourth win of the season looked commanding throughout the first half against Virginia. But the Orange’s lead dwindled in the final half hour. They failed to score a touchdown during that span, briefly trailing to the Cavaliers with just under six minutes remaining in the game.

The most concerning part about Friday’s game was Virginia’s six sacks against Garrett Shrader, a career high against the junior quarterback. Syracuse’s passing game was shut down, forcing Shrader to scramble. It forced Andre Szmyt, who tied a Syracuse record with five field goals, to maintain its undefeated record.

Here’s how Virginia limited Shrader’s passing:

Too much time

Syracuse, up by two scores, was once again in the red zone following a sideline grab from Oronde Gadsden II. With Sean Tucker motioning to the right, Langston Long moved near the right sideline to defend the running back since the Cavaliers anticipated a passing play.

Shrader had time in the pocket to make a quick throw, but with the man-to-man coverage, no receivers were open near the end zone. The Cavaliers guarded Tucker and Damien Alford, who both ran hitches on the outside.

Virginia’s Hunter Stewart barreled into Shrader’s way, shutting down his window. He was forced to drop back to the 25-yard line, where Kam Butler sacked him.

Both Butler and Stewart bull rushed the Syracuse offensive lineman in front of them, using the extra few steps behind the line of scrimmage to get a running start. Syracuse was held to a field goal on the drive, but this was a precursor to the offensive line’s collapse in the second half.

No Tucker, no play

With Syracuse up by three points, Shrader began this drive lined up next to Tucker at Virginia’s 36-yard line. Shrader saw Tucker open for a screen pass, but he faked to the back and looked for another option.

Since he was alone in the backfield, Shrader has navigated the pocket on his own. When he noticed that Virginia’s Devontae Davis broke free from Kalan Ellis, Shrader quickly pivoted to his left.

Ellis shifted his attention to help Bergeron, who was again beaten in the trenches. Bergeron’s man, Ben Smiley III, wrapped his right arm around Shrader for the sack.

Blitz nearly ends game-winning drive

Virginia disguised its blitzes later in the game, waiting for Syracuse’s offensive line to occupy itself with the first level before sending its linebackers bolting. On this play, Shrader lined up identical to the last clip, but this time Tucker was on his left. Tucker motioned for a quick screen pass after a moment of hesitation, and Shrader briefly looked at him.

As Smiley and Butler collapsed on Shrader from the right and left sides, respectively, Shrader ran up the middle. Stewart met him, and rushed Dakota Davis on the delayed blitz.

Shrader tried to break toward the right sideline, but Stewart, with the help of Smiley, was brought down the quarterback for what was supposed to be a 4th-and-long play. But Syracuse was bailed out again on a face mask penalty.

Getting too greedy

That Virginia penalty, and two unanswered flags, helped Syracuse continue its drive to the Cavaliers’ 13-yard line with 1:38 remaining. The Orange still trailed by one as Shrader found the end zone. His deepest target, Damien Alford, cut inside at the top of the end zone.

But Shrader was left with a running back in the backfield again and tight end Maximilian Mang on his right for extra blocking. As Shrader dropped back, so did his offensive line. Virginia’s Chico Bennett Jr. outmuscled and pancaked Mang. Davis then stepped in to impede Bennett. But Shrader couldn’t avoid Bennett, who wrapped both arms around him to complete the tackle.

Shrader got Syracuse back up to the 13-yard line on the very next play, which put Szmyt in a perfect position to kick the game-winning field goal. But the Orange’s struggled against one of the ACC’s worst defenses from 2021, and the kick almost didn’t happen.

Published on September 26, 2022 at 11:32 pm

Contact Alex: ahcirino@syr.edu