5 Things to Know: Syracuse at Florida State
10/11/2023 8:51:00 AM | Football
Syracuse faces its second-straight top-15 team on the road Saturday, traveling to Tallahassee to take on #4 Florida State. Here's five things to know about the matchup.
1. Full House
Saturday's game at Doak Campbell Stadium is a sellout. It's the third-straight sellout crowd that Syracuse will have to deal with on the road, as both prior road games this year – Purdue and North Carolina – also had capacity crowds.
Six of Syracuse's last-15 games (two home, four road), will have come in front of a capacity crowd when the Orange take the field on Saturday.
2. The Gauntlet
Syracuse's three-game stretch of Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State is one of the nation's most difficult three game runs.
This is the second-straight matchup against a team currently ranked inside the top-15 of the AP Poll. Only 10 teams in the country will play two of the AP's current top-15 teams in back-to-back weeks this season. Duke is the only other team that will face those tests as both road contests, when they travel to No. 4 Florida State and No. 13 Louisville in back-to-back contests in November.
3. Road Swing
This is Syracuse's second of a three-game road swing, with 'Cuse closing out October at Virginia Tech following its bye week.
The Orange have the third-longest stretch between home games (34 days) of any team in college football, trailing just Coastal Carolina (37 days) and Arkansas (35), before they return home vs. Boston College on Nov. 3 (Cuse.com/Tickets).
4. Rocky's Rover
DB Justin Barron is thriving in the rover spot, a key position in Rocky Long's 3-3-5 defense. Originally manned by Long's protégé, NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, Barron currently is tied for the team lead in tackles with 44. He has at least eight tackles in each of the last four games, including a career-high 13 at North Carolina last week.
Barron, a junior, now ranks 21st in program history in career tackles by a defensive back (155). At his current pace, he'll finish the season inside the top-15 in the category in program history, with another year of eligibility remaining. Donovin Darius has the program record at 379.
Only seven DBs at Syracuse that began their careers in 2000 or later have eclipsed 200 career tackles at SU.
5. Flipping the Results at Florida State
The Seminoles have defeated 'Cuse in all-seven prior trips to Tallahassee. Two of the last three meetings have delivered close calls, when Florida State blocked a potential game-tying field goal in 2017 and the 'Noles kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired in 2021, but the Orange are still seeking their first victory at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The last Orange victory over the Seminoles came in 2018 inside the JMA Wireless Dome. Florida State owns a 13-2 record vs. 'Cuse all time.
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1. Full House
Saturday's game at Doak Campbell Stadium is a sellout. It's the third-straight sellout crowd that Syracuse will have to deal with on the road, as both prior road games this year – Purdue and North Carolina – also had capacity crowds.
Six of Syracuse's last-15 games (two home, four road), will have come in front of a capacity crowd when the Orange take the field on Saturday.
2. The Gauntlet
Syracuse's three-game stretch of Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State is one of the nation's most difficult three game runs.
This is the second-straight matchup against a team currently ranked inside the top-15 of the AP Poll. Only 10 teams in the country will play two of the AP's current top-15 teams in back-to-back weeks this season. Duke is the only other team that will face those tests as both road contests, when they travel to No. 4 Florida State and No. 13 Louisville in back-to-back contests in November.
3. Road Swing
This is Syracuse's second of a three-game road swing, with 'Cuse closing out October at Virginia Tech following its bye week.
The Orange have the third-longest stretch between home games (34 days) of any team in college football, trailing just Coastal Carolina (37 days) and Arkansas (35), before they return home vs. Boston College on Nov. 3 (Cuse.com/Tickets).
4. Rocky's Rover
DB Justin Barron is thriving in the rover spot, a key position in Rocky Long's 3-3-5 defense. Originally manned by Long's protégé, NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, Barron currently is tied for the team lead in tackles with 44. He has at least eight tackles in each of the last four games, including a career-high 13 at North Carolina last week.
Barron, a junior, now ranks 21st in program history in career tackles by a defensive back (155). At his current pace, he'll finish the season inside the top-15 in the category in program history, with another year of eligibility remaining. Donovin Darius has the program record at 379.
Only seven DBs at Syracuse that began their careers in 2000 or later have eclipsed 200 career tackles at SU.
5. Flipping the Results at Florida State
The Seminoles have defeated 'Cuse in all-seven prior trips to Tallahassee. Two of the last three meetings have delivered close calls, when Florida State blocked a potential game-tying field goal in 2017 and the 'Noles kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired in 2021, but the Orange are still seeking their first victory at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The last Orange victory over the Seminoles came in 2018 inside the JMA Wireless Dome. Florida State owns a 13-2 record vs. 'Cuse all time.
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