With a seemingly less formidable schedule after Week 1 action, the Orange’s goal is to keep winning–something it didn’t do last year.
SU’s knockout of the FCS Colgate Red Raiders (65-0) last weekend certainly wasn’t a surprise, but losses by SU’s upcoming opponents–Purdue to Fresno State and Clemson to Duke–were. So there’s even more reason for hope in the football hotbed of Central New York.
Senior quarterback Garrett Shrader looked great last Saturday (257 yards passing and four TDs), and running back LeQuint Allen added a touchdown and eclipsed the century mark in rushing with 107 yards. The receiving corps excelled as wideouts Umari Hatcher had four catches for 105 yards and scored a TD, while Isaiah Jones scored twice on three catches for 71 yards total. TE Oronde Gadsen II (six catches, 57 yards, and a TD) rounded out a balanced offensive attack.
It was a good start for the Orange, a team looking to bounce back from a 4-4 conference record and a 7-6 record in 2022. What SU wants to avoid in 2023 is what happened on the way to that record–a 6-0 start that ended 1-6. After beating NC State on October 15, the Orange didn’t win again until November 26 against Boston College, which was its final win of the season. The losses started with Clemson and continued consecutively against Notre Dame, Pitt, Florida State, and Wake Forest before the BC win. The season ended with an eight-point loss to the Minnesota Gophers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
ND is off the ’23 schedule, but Florida State, Clemson, Pitt, and ACC title contender North Carolina are.
But first things first. Next up is non-conference rival Western Michigan, an 18-point winner against the FCS St. Francis College Red Flash last weekend.
While WMU may seem like an easy dispatch, remember what the Broncos did at Pitt in September 2021–beating the Panthers 44-41 in Pittsburgh, during a year when Pitt went 11-3 and won the ACC. This time WMU is +24 with a 7% chance of beating the Orange (per ESPN) for Saturday’s 3:30p kickoff at the JMA Wireless Dome.
You can watch the game on ESPN+ and the Atlantic Coast Conference Network.
