Syracuse Orange football: Three takeaways from Syracuse’s 44-41 OT win over No. 25 UNLV

We really shouldn’t be consuming any more Syracuse Orange football. Medical professionals are concerned about the population in Central New York.

A turbulent battle between Syracuse and No. 25 UNLV featured multiple lead changes, ties and swings in momentum. Finally, a touchdown with 23 seconds left forced overtime for the Orange. Syracuse held UNLV to a field goal and the Orange capitalized on a rough passer attack and a rough run by LeQuint Allen sealed the 44-41 overtime victory.

Here are our three takeaways from another heartbreaking game with your beloved Syracuse Orange:

Special teams: optional

Syracuse’s special teams have been a major problem all season so far, and those issues have flared up in an ugly way. Two failed punt coverages nearly cost Syracuse the game. The first time, Jack Stonehouse recognized the unblocked pressure and tried to run away, but was chased down. On the second play, the pressure broke through and blocked Stonehouse’s punt. The ball bounced all the way to the end zone and UNLV fell on the ball to secure a touchdown.

Last week against Holy Cross, the kicking game caused such fits in Fran Brown and his team that Jadyn Oh was chosen over Brady Denaburg as the extra point and field goal kicker. This isn’t the first time Syracuse has failed to provide Stonehouse with adequate protection when punting, and the Orange almost paid the ultimate price against the Rebels.

I know we’ve loved to make fun of the Dino Babers quote, “We’re going to have special teams that are well coached.” But it’s clear to see that there’s something missing from all special teams, whether it’s coaching related or not. It’s hard to know when special teams will help you save or win games, but it’s very easy to see when special teams will lose you games. Syracuse’s special teams have been somewhat of a liability this season, and Fran Brown needs to figure out how to get each special teams unit back on track.

That’s a bold strategy, Cotton

Much of the offensive praise goes to LeQuint Allen’s four touchdowns, and for good reason. However, Oronde Gadsden was one of the other reasons why Syracuse’s offense faltered at points throughout the game. It’s been a frustrating few weeks for Syracuse’s tight end. Stanford and Holy Cross had a clear plan to dominate Gadsden and essentially take him out of the game. OG only had two catches for 12 yards against Stanford and one catch for four yards against Holy Cross.

That changed against UNLV. The Rebels didn’t resort to double-teaming Gadsden. Instead, UNLV ran either a single coverage against Gadsden or a zone defense. This plays to its strengths to the fullest. Kyle McCord has often described Gadsden as “unfair,” specifically mentioning the disparity he created. This was evident by the size difference that was clearly visible between every single UNLV defender and Gadsden. When UNLV ran zone coverage, Gadsden showed off one of his best skills, finding the soft part of the zone to sit in, creating a wide open target for McCord to hit.

Gadsden finished the game with 10 catches for 142 yards. Despite not scoring a touchdown, Gadsden moved the chains with frightening consistency and appeared to be the comfortable option McCord could rely on, similar to the first two weeks of the season. There will be games Gadsden has, like the ones against Stanford and Holy Cross. But these games don’t take away the presence and pressure he can bring to the field. This game against UNLV shows what happens when teams don’t have a concrete game plan against Gadsden.

Round two… don’t fight?

It’s incredible to understand what we saw in the first half of Syracuse’s last two games. The Orange looked like the best Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter against Holy Cross and UNLV. Then comes the second quarter and the Orange look worse than shockingly bad. Syracuse was outscored UNLV 21-3 in the second quarter. In the second 15 minutes, the Orange were outrebounded by a total of 146:93 yards.

It’s incredibly shocking to see this after Syracuse looked completely dominant in the first quarter. The Orange outscored the Rebels, taking an early 14-0 lead after racking up 152 yards of offense to 47 yards. There doesn’t seem to be a good explanation as to why the Orange start so quickly and then collapse in the next phase of the first half. Syracuse can’t afford to fall behind against better teams in the ACC after building a lead. Against tougher competition, it will be difficult to regain lost momentum.