Syracuse Orange Football: High-Flying Attack Grounded in Big East, Future Bright

This was a unit that started off the year as the strength of Syracuse football.

Through the first seven weeks of the season, the Orange scored under 20 points just twice and both games ended in defeat. However, the offense was averaging 35 points a game in those beginning wins. After looking like a machine that ran over West Virginia for 49 points (more than LSU scored on the Mountaineers), it took the Orange four games to score a combined 49 points in four loses.

Looking at the offense as a whole, seniors Antwon Bailey and Nick Provo were the most consistent weapons for the Orange, but defenses soon learned that stopping this duo would force Ryan Nassib to look elsewhere for playmakers.

Antwon Bailey ran hard all year and although had an early tendency to look for cutbacks and slashing runs, discovered his ability to move the chains when plunging into the pile. Nick Provo played just as well as any tight end being honored as a Mackey Award finalist, smashing Orange records that Mackey set while in orange.

Ryan Nassib’s performance only dwindled throughout the year and it is perhaps fitting that his final pass of the year was a ball tipped into the hands of a waiting Pitt defender in yet another effort not quite good enough to win.

Nassib’s receiving corps was just as inconsistent as anyone else on the unit. Van Chew started off the year a hero, but finished Big East play with just 18 catches and 150 yards and no scores. Alec Lemon showed that he is going to be a threat next year, but two key drops at big moments in games (Cincinnati and South Florida) will haunt him in the offseason.

The offensive line struggled early on but with different game-planning and strategy, they were soon much more consistent with their protection and ability to open running lanes.

The general consensus here is that the Orange really lost a step as the season went on.

It could very well be because of the quality of teams they faced. Rhode Island, Tulane and Wake Forrest do not have the defenses fielded by Louisville and Pitt. But the Orange still managed 17 on USC in the Coliseum and had an opening drive that showed the versatility of Antwon Bailey and reliability of Ryan Nassib.

Those two aspects were gone by season's end, as Bailey had to primarily run the ball while Nassib looked more like Troy Nunes.

Lastly, no season recap of the offense would be complete without a discussion on Nate Hackett. Hackett is going to have a lot of explaining to do with Doug Marrone in the coming weeks, as his play-calling and game preparation have been called into question every week since West Virginia. I cannot for sure say how much of the blamed is placed on the players as compared to Hackett, but most fans would agree that the inability to sustain drives put much more pressure on an inexperienced defense.

Looking forward to next season, the offense is going to have potential, as dangerous as that word sounds.

Ryan Nassib should return and as a fourth-year player in Marrone’s system, have the ability to execute and take risks within games because of his comfort within the system.

Alec Lemon will be returning and be Nassib’s primary target. With the loss of Provo and Bailey, Lemon will play the role of a Hines Ward or Wes Welker for lack of a better analogy. He will have to make the catches along the sidelines as well as over the middle. If Lemon is able to do so, then the Orange offense should be able to settle into a rhythm early in games.

Jerrod West is the next receiver on the depth chart with any experience from this season (16 catches 151 yards and one touchdown) and therefore the Orange passing attack will need someone to step up and be a game-breaker (Jeremiah Kobena would be the obvious choice, but as a current freshman that may be unreasonable) or become the consistent hands player to allow Lemon to break out (West or current sophomore tight end Beckett Wales making a huge leap).

The reason this offense could be special is because of the running game. The Orange next year will have the coveted dash-and-bash combination offenses dream of. "Dash" will be taken over by a healthy Prince Tyson-Gulley, who before being injured had a breakout game against Toledo.

The "bash" will be a player who should be nicknamed “The Bus.” Jerome Smith reminded fans of Jerome Bettis with the game he had in Pittsburgh. Carrying the ball 10 times for 56 yards, the capstone was a 10-yard touchdown run that flattened Pitt linebackers and cornerbacks on Smith’s way to the end zone.

If the offense line can improve even moderately moving into next season, the offense will be set for success.

Next season could be exactly as Marrone likes it: run heavy, pass to keep the defense honest.

Coming next week: Syracuse Orange Defense: Weakest Link Exposed, Yet Promising