The game started so well with the Orange scoring on back to back drives with long plays with Amba Etta-Tawo. The grad transfer receiver had more than 100 yards by the end of those two drives.
The offense looked great, it was moving fast and it had done what needed to be done by jumping out to a two score lead. But the Orange couldn’t push the lead any further. And after those first two drives, the Orange couldn’t do anything until the final 34 seconds of the half when it moved the ball 44 yards and kicked a field goal to take a lead into the half.
Even coming out of the half, the offense struggled, not moving the ball well the entire 3rd quarter. However, when Eric Dungey and the offense took over at the start of the 4th quarter, they were able once again to move the ball. Only to have a drive end in a missed field goal.
After a turnover on downs, the Orange got the ball back for what was quite possibly its best drive of the season. Backed up one his own 1, Eric Dungey lofted one up for Amba Etta-Tawo that gained nearly 60 yards and pushed Amba past the SU single game receiving record.
Of course the big play was great, but Syracuse gained yardage with Dontae Strickland, Erv Phillips, and Dungey himself on the drive as well as Etta-Tawo before the drive was finished off by a Dungey touchdown run.
But what happened between the first two drives and those two drives at the end of the game? That’s the question that Syracuse needs to answer. And it happened last week against USF as well. The difference this week was that the defense could hold on and really played well against UCONN with just a few exceptions.
So where did the offense disappear to? That’s the biggest thing Dino Babers and this coaching staff needs to figure out. Where does the offense go? Why does it disappear?
As Dino would say, they was to “consistently good, not occasionally great.” And right now the Orange is not there offensively.
Look, a win is a win, and the Orange certainly needed to beat UCONN. But the disappearance of the offense is mystifying and a bit confusing.
Click here to read Seth’s previous reports