CuseConfidential.com - The Orange back in action

October 23, 2009

Vincent Jacobbi
CuseConfidential.com Staff Writer

After the bye week, the Syracuse Orange are looking to get back in the flow of things. Coming off an unappealing loss to West Virginia, the Cuse' will host Akron on Saturday in another home game at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse (2-4) looks to add another win to their record against the struggling Akron Zips (1-5).

CuseConfidential breaks down the matchup

Orange adapting to changes in the offensive line- Junior Josh White will start at left tackle despite Nick Speller being back. Adam Roshner and Andrew Tiller will start at guards. Guard Tucker Bauman is being replaced. Due to the injury of Jim McKenzie, Ryan Bartholomew remains to be the starter at C and Jonathon Meldrum at right tackle. The changes in the offensive line, whether due to injury or lack of effectiveness, will not be an easy thing to adapt to but Marrone feels this change is necessary going into the second half of the season.

Arthur Jones and Derrell Smith vs. Akron's offense- Both star-studded beasts are the reason Cuse' is ranked 17th in rush defense. Unfortunately for Akron, they may be forced to run the ball more then throw.Akron, after dismissing their starting quarterback Chris Jacquemain and losing backup Matt Rodgers to injury, turn to freshman QB Patrick Nicely. To show how desperate the Zips have gotten for QB depth, an ad was posted in the school's newspaper by the Akron football program looking for anyone to play quarterback. You can bet that the Cuse' defense will salivating at the thought of getting after the freshman quarterback and overpowering the Zips.

The Orange avoiding self destruction- Coach Marrone knows the Zips are a beatable team. However, the Orange have lost games in the past because of their own mistakes. "If we continue to play the way we've been playing, every team is dangerous, meaning with the turnovers and the penalties. I want to make sure we get on track and really concentrate on what we need to do. If we don't, it doesn't matter who we're playing, we're not going to win if we turn the ball over like we have and create those penalties," said Marrone.

What to watch for Akron

Freshman QB Patrick Nicely vs. Cuse secondary- Against the University at Buffalo, the freshman quarterback put up very average numbers, going 17 for 34 passing for 200 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Although the freshman doesn't seem threatening, Syracuse has struggled in pass defense in each game this year. They now rank 118th in the nation, something not to be proud of. Nicely will have a chance to put up good numbers in just his second career start if his linemen can get him some time.

Double coverage on WR Mike Williams- Besides Mike Williams, Akron knows there isn't very many weapons Greg Paulus can utilize. Delone Carter leads the team with 360 yards but that isn't enough to affect the Zips game plan. Look for the Zips to attack Paulus while making sure Williams does not get the ball. If they get to Paulus, he will make mistakes and Akron must be able to capitalize in order to win the game.

Matchup of the game:

Greg Paulus vs. himself: After weeks of below average play from quarterback Greg Paulus, the Orange faithful are hoping for a rebound performance against Akron. If Syracuse struggles against the Zips and Paulus is making poor decisions, Sophomore Ryan Nassib is waiting in the wings. Although Marrone has continually denied the idea of Nassib as the team's starter, if Paulus struggles against Akron a change will be made. Greg Paulus must not self-destruct if he is to stay on the field the whole game.

Prediction:

Syracuse 21

Akron 10

It'll be interesting to see how QB Greg Paulus performs Saturday. Paulus may struggle, but even so, the Orange defense won't be letting up many points to the Zips. Syracuse takes this one, gains momentum and looks ahead to when Syracuse hosts top 5 ranked Cincinnati in the Carrier Dome on Halloween.

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