Defense Comes Up Big on Friday Night
9/25/2021 1:46:00 PM | Football
Sean Tucker did his thing and pounded the Liberty defense for 169 yards of tough-sledding running. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry on 32 rushes and didn't have a rush longer than 27 yards on Friday night.
Andre Szmyt played hero for the Orange (3-1), drilling a last-second field goal to lift 'Cuse past the Flames (3-1) and provide redemption for an SU team that was bested last season in Liberty's stretch of 15 victories in its last 16 games.
But Szmyt doesn't get that chance and Tucker's stellar performance wouldn't be as sweet if the Syracuse defense didn't once again step up when their backs were against the wall.
The Orange – which held two-touchdown leads on two separate occasions in the second half were one yard from trailing for the first time with eight minutes to go in regulation. Malik Willis – who NFL draft pundits expect to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in April's draft – drove the Flames down to the Syracuse 4-yard line, setting up first and goal.
The first play, a passing attempt, was incomplete. Second down, it was Eric Coley who filled the gap and allowed just one yard. Mikel Jones did the same for no gain on third down on a Willis carry. Finally, Liberty tried one more test on fourth down, when the elder statesman of the defense – Kingsley Jonathan – stuffed Willis for a one-yard loss.
"I thought the defense was amazing," said head coach Dino Babers. "Especially with the fourth down stop. That was big. They could have kicked a field goal right there, but they decided to go for it, and wow. I look Malik Willis and when he got through the defensive line and linebackers, our defensive backs had some business decisions going through their head as they had him bearing down on them – he's a mack truck. But our guys consistently found a way to get him down for the most part."
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After the ensuing drive stalled with the score tied at 21, Liberty took over again at their own 27. 'Cuse came up big again. Cody Roscoe chased Willis down, punching the ball loose, Marlowe Wax's pressure put it on the turf, and Jones picked it up, breathing life back into the Orange's scoring chances.
"I saw Roscoe get there and I saw Wax get on top of him," Jones said. "The way they got there was aggressive, so I was expecting the ball to come out and I was able to reach back and grab it. I'm happy I was able to get it back for the team.
This is the fourth game in a row that the SU defense has been strong. They didn't allow a touchdown in the opener and then went back-to-back games surrendering less than 200 yards, before Friday night.
They'll be put to the test again on Saturday, when the team heads to Florida State for the ACC opener. The game will be televised on ACCN at 3:30 p.m.
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Andre Szmyt played hero for the Orange (3-1), drilling a last-second field goal to lift 'Cuse past the Flames (3-1) and provide redemption for an SU team that was bested last season in Liberty's stretch of 15 victories in its last 16 games.
But Szmyt doesn't get that chance and Tucker's stellar performance wouldn't be as sweet if the Syracuse defense didn't once again step up when their backs were against the wall.
The Orange – which held two-touchdown leads on two separate occasions in the second half were one yard from trailing for the first time with eight minutes to go in regulation. Malik Willis – who NFL draft pundits expect to be one of the first quarterbacks taken in April's draft – drove the Flames down to the Syracuse 4-yard line, setting up first and goal.
The first play, a passing attempt, was incomplete. Second down, it was Eric Coley who filled the gap and allowed just one yard. Mikel Jones did the same for no gain on third down on a Willis carry. Finally, Liberty tried one more test on fourth down, when the elder statesman of the defense – Kingsley Jonathan – stuffed Willis for a one-yard loss.
"I thought the defense was amazing," said head coach Dino Babers. "Especially with the fourth down stop. That was big. They could have kicked a field goal right there, but they decided to go for it, and wow. I look Malik Willis and when he got through the defensive line and linebackers, our defensive backs had some business decisions going through their head as they had him bearing down on them – he's a mack truck. But our guys consistently found a way to get him down for the most part."
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The takeaway to set up the win.@SCOE_IX & @KelxJones pic.twitter.com/wcaxWfmGas
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) September 25, 2021
After the ensuing drive stalled with the score tied at 21, Liberty took over again at their own 27. 'Cuse came up big again. Cody Roscoe chased Willis down, punching the ball loose, Marlowe Wax's pressure put it on the turf, and Jones picked it up, breathing life back into the Orange's scoring chances.
"I saw Roscoe get there and I saw Wax get on top of him," Jones said. "The way they got there was aggressive, so I was expecting the ball to come out and I was able to reach back and grab it. I'm happy I was able to get it back for the team.
This is the fourth game in a row that the SU defense has been strong. They didn't allow a touchdown in the opener and then went back-to-back games surrendering less than 200 yards, before Friday night.
They'll be put to the test again on Saturday, when the team heads to Florida State for the ACC opener. The game will be televised on ACCN at 3:30 p.m.
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