A Duke versus Syracuse matchup with national implications normally means a basketball game, but not this weekend.
The No. 22 Blue Devils will look to stay in contention for a spot in this season's college football playoff by taking care of business against the struggling Orange at the Carrier Dome Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
"Syracuse is an interesting team," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. "They've got a lot of veteran players in the locker room. They've got some depth, and they play a lot of people in a lot of areas on offense and defense. They've got some people that can run; this is another big, physical offensive and defensive front."
It is that large Syracuse offensive line and power running game that has the Blue Devils (7-1, 3-1 in the ACC) most worried following a weekend of disastrous run defense against Pittsburgh. The Panthers ran for 394 yards, and tailback James Conners was all but unstoppable, running for 263 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries.
The Orange (3-6, 1-4) present a duo of running backs capable of putting up big numbers on the ground. Prince Tyson-Gulley and Adonis Ameen-Moore have combined to rush for 851 yards, averaging 4.9 and 5.8 yards per carry, respectively. Tyson-Gulley and Ameen-Moore operate behind a sizable offensive front, much like that of the Panthers, and provide a potent one-two punch for Syracuse.
If Duke can keep the Orange's running game in check, unlike last weekend in Pittsburgh, then Syracuse will be forced to rely on freshman quarterback A.J. Long to keep pace with the Blue Devil offense. Long took over for Terrel Hunt a week after the redshirt junior suffered a fractured fibula in his left leg in the fourth quarter of the Orange's Oct. 3 loss to Louisville. Since then, Long has struggled to find a rhythm, throwing six interceptions and just four touchdown passes.
Unlike Syracuse, which has been highly prone to turnovers this season, especially with Long under center, Duke's trademark this year has been taking care of the football. The Blue Devils' five turnovers are tied for the lowest total in the nation. Duke has also allowed the fewest sacks per game and fewest tackles for loss per game of any team in the country. This offensive efficiency has allowed the Blue Devils to win close games even when opponents out-gain them on offense, as Pittsburgh, Virginia and Georgia Tech all did in the month of October.
"Football is an interesting game—more games are lost than they are won," Cutcliffe said. "Unforced errors is the way you would say it in tennis. In football, you have to work hard to avoid them. You're going to have mistakes. We're not going to go crazy over a turnover because the defense can cause a turnover. You just can't have unforced errors."
Of late, Duke quarterback Anthony Boone has been especially efficient leading the Blue Devil offense. The redshirt senior has not thrown an interception since late September against Miami and has tossed five touchdowns and completed 65 percent of his passes since the loss to the Hurricanes. Combined with Duke's quartet of capable tailbacks—three of whom average more than five yards per carry—Boone's efficiency has made the Blue Devil offense highly capable of matching its ACC opponents. The re-emergence of wideout Jamison Crowder last week against the Panthers—the senior caught nine passes for 165 yards and two scores after a few quiet weeks—also bodes well for a Duke offense finally starting to gel.
Much of credit for the Blue Devils' offensive success belongs to the offense line, which has opened up massive holes for Duke's tailbacks and has kept Boone incredibly comfortable in the pocket. Led by redshirt senior Laken Tomlinson, the Blue Devil big men will have a tough task in slowing down Syracuse defensive tackles Ron Thompson and Eric Crume. The duo has combined for 12.5 tackles for loss and five sacks on the season.
"You teach those guys to stop the worst thing first. You can't get beat with quick penetration," Cutcliffe said. "[Offensive line coach John Latina] and our linemen, those guys are smart. They do a great job with that."
One unique aspect of Saturday's matchup between Duke and Syracuse: this weekend's game marks the first time the Blue Devils are the favored team on the road in an ACC contest in the past two seasons. During that span, Duke has gone 7-1, losing only to Miami earlier this year.
"The only way I'm going to put us as favored is if we practice as well as we can practice," Cutcliffe said. "Underdog or not, if you've prepared well, you feel good about going to play. And if you're favored, the only way you're going to feel good about going to play is if you're prepared."
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