2019 season: 5-7, 2-6 in the ACC (6th in the Atlantic Division)
Head coach: Dino Babers (5th season)
Syracuse's 2019 season was underwhelming to say the least. There were some highlights for the team, such as now-junior defensive back Andre Cisco landing a spot on the All-ACC Second Team and leading the conference with five interceptions. However, in the grand scheme of things, the Orange's season was a disappointment, with their 10-3 record in 2018 now seeming like a distant memory.
The team's lone two ACC wins last year were a shocking blowout of Duke and an exhilarating overtime win against Wake Forest. Syracuse's run game was one of the key elements to those victories, with then-senior Moe Neal combining for 213 yards and two touchdowns across the two contests.
However, Neal graduating leaves the RB1 spot open for senior Abdul Adams and junior Jarveon Howard—each player has similar rushing grades at 66.9 and 65.8, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. With question marks still surrounding who will be the lead back, though, the Orange's rushing game is a bit of a wild card for the upcoming season.
Junior quarterback Tommy DeVito, meanwhile, is young and shows a lot of promise. Last season, he tied Donovan McNabb and Ryan Nassib for the most touchdown passes by a sophomore in Syracuse history with 19. He also ended the season throwing 170 consecutive passes without an interception. Over the course of this upcoming campaign, DeVito will look to further improve and return the Orange to the success they saw in 2018.
One big part of last season's disappointment was the defense. Syracuse finished the season with only 314 stops, last in the ACC. The team also missed 139 tackles over the course of the season, 42 more than the previous year. Furthermore, as good as Cisco was, injuries caused a slight downgrade in his 2019 performance compared to prior years. After posting a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 89.3 in 2018, that number dropped to 61.0 last season. He also allowed only two touchdowns in 2018 while allowing six in 2019. Although the defense wasn’t the only problem with the team, it played a major role in the Orange's mediocre season. If Syracuse want to bounce back, it starts on that end of the field.
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