Next week is the biggest game of the season to this point for the Syracuse Orange.

After a dismal performance in a 34-20 loss to the South Florida Bulls last week, the Orange look to rebound in the Carrier Dome and win the Schwartzwalder Trophy against West Virginia.

A win would put the team at .500 in conference play, give them a winning record at home, and build momentum on a quest to become bowl eligible. This can all start for the Orange on Saturday.

Coming off of a 35-24 victory over Colorado, the 3-1 Mountaineers again look to cement themselves as a Big East contender.

The Mountaineers are led by running back Noel Devine. Rushing for 220 yards last week, the speedy junior from Florida has definitely inserted himself as an elite running back in the conference.

While Devine torched the Orange for a 92-yard run in last season's 17-6 loss to the Mountaineers, Syracuse returns a defensive line that should be able to hold its own against the offensive line of West Virginia.

Quarterback Jarrett Brown is in his first full season at quarterback and has seven touchdowns and five interceptions for a mediocre West Virginia offense so far.

The key matchup in this game is going to be Greg Paulus versus the West Virginia defense. The Mountaineers boast a top 25 defense in total yards this season, with their run defense ranked in the top 12. A tough defense in the red zone should create problems for Paulus, who has had a tendency to force plays in that area of the field.

Where West Virginia's run defense excels, their pass defense falters. Ranked out of the top 50 this season, a good matchup should be created for Paulus with the Mountaineer secondary. Paulus has been superb so far this season with the long ball to Mike Williams, and those routes should continue to be there on Saturday.

Syracuse will also look to throw screen passes to running backs Delone Carter, Mike Jones, and Antwon Bailey. The deceptive offense of Syracuse should be able to lure linebackers into a run blitz, leaving the screens open.

With a 1-3 record versus FBS teams, Syracuse needs to go 5-2 the rest of the way to become bowl eligible. In order to achieve this, Syracuse must hold on to the ball and limit turnovers. Coming off of a five-interception day, Paulus is going to have to make smarter decisions if Syracuse is going to get back on track.

If Syracuse limits the turnovers, keeps Devine in check, and creates the big play, they absolutely could come out a winner in this one.

 

—KShaw as written on http://thesaltinewarriors.blogspot.com