2011 Syracuse Football Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

The Syracuse Orange came out of nowhere in 2010 to finish 8-5. They went 4-3 in Big East play and capped their season off with a 36-34 win over Kansas State in the Pinstripe Bowl. It was the first time the Orange won at least seven games since going 10-3 in 2001. Head coach Doug Marrone now has the difficult task of getting his team to build off their success from last year.

The Orange will bring back 13 starters from their incredible 2010 season, but will have to replace 2010 leading rusher Delone Carter and their top best linebackers in Derrell Smith and Dough Hogue. To give you a better idea of what the Orange will look like in 2011, here is a quick breakdown of both sides of the ball, plus my prediction o where I see them finishing the year in the Big East.

Offense:

The Orange welcome back junior starting quarterback Ryan Nassib, who did an outstanding job in his first full season as a starter in 2010. Nassib completed 56.4% of his passes for 2,334 yards with 19 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. The hope is that with a talented group of receivers coming back, Nassib will be able to show some significant improvement in 2011.

Speaking of the receiving corps, Syracuse has their top four receiving threats back from last year. The top threat back is senior Van Chew, who led the team with 41 catches for 611 yards and five touchdowns. The Orange also bring back one of the top tight ends in the conference in senior Nick Provo, who had 33 catches for 365 yards. Senior Marcus Sales and junior Alec Lemon combined for 58 catches and eight touchdowns, and are two more legit threats on the outside.

In 2010, Carter led the Orange with 1,233 yards and nine touchdowns, and it is going to be tough to replace his production. Senior Antwon Bailey finished second on the team with 554 yards and two touchdowns, and is the leading candidate to take over the starting job. While Bailey might struggle to match Carter’s rushing total, he should make up for it with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Last year he had 35 catches for 306 yards and three touchdowns.

What really has to have the Orange excited about the offense in 2011, is the fact that they have four starters returning on the offensive line. The only position that is up for grabs is at center, where it appears sophomore Macky MacPherson will step in and start. The two best players on this unit are sophomore left tackle Justin Pugh and senior right guard Andrew Tiller.

Defense:

Looking at the defensive line for the Orange, they are set at defensive end with the return of senior Mikhail Marinovich and junior Chandler Jones, but will have to replace both starters at defensive tackle. One player to keep an eye on is junior college transfer Deon Goggins, who has a 500 lb. bench press. He along with junior Cory Boatman are expected to take over inside.

At linebacker the Orange will have a difficult time replacing Smith and Hope, who were the top two tackles in 2010. They bring back talented sophomore middle linebacker Marquis Spruill, but the lack of inexperience on the outside could really cost them. Heading into the fall junior Siriki Diabate and freshman Dyshawn Davis look to have the edge to start.

While the Orange have to replace both starting corners, they bring back two of the top safeties in the conference in juniors Phillip Thomas and Shamarko Thomas. It looks like senior Kevyn Scott and sophomore Ri’Shard Anderson will take over, and both must produce for this unit to avoid a big drop off.

2011 Prediction: 8th Big East - I had a very difficult time picking the Orange to finish this low in the standings after their impressive 2010 season. I think opposing teams really looked past them last season, something they won’t do in 2011. I have big concerns with the defense and it doesn’t help matters that three of their four home games are against West Virginia, USF, and Cincinnati.

Big East Football Predictions by Team
Cincinnati Football Predictions	Connecticut Football Predictions
Louisville Football Predictions	Pittsburgh Football Predictions
Rutgers Football Predictions	South Florida Football Predictions
Syracuse Football Predictions	West Virginia Football Predictions

College Football Predictions
ACC Football Predictions	Big 12 Football Predictions
Conference USA Football Predictions	Independents Football Predictions
PAC 12 Football Predictions	SEC Football Predictions
Big East Football Predictions	Big Ten Football Predictions
MAC Football Predictions	Mountain West Football Predictions
Sun Belt Football Predictions	WAC Football Predictions

Comments

One Response to “2011 Syracuse Football Predictions”

Adam on August 16th, 2011 5:13 PM

I hope they do improve. But they the odds are against them.

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