Five Takeaways: Syracuse 32 Boston College 23

What to make of the Orange's comeback win over the Eagles.

Syracuse football used a fourth quarter rally to knock of Boston College Saturday night and snap its five game losing streak in the regular season finale. Here are five takeaways from the victory. 

1. The Mob

How good was the Syracuse defense? The Orange allowed only 341 yards of total offense, forced two turnovers, gave up only 2.5 yards per carry and sacked Emmett Morehead three times. Do not let the 23 points allowed fooled you. Ten of those points came off of possessions where Boston College started inside the SU-20 after a fumble and blocked punt. Another six points came in garbage time after the game was essentially over. Marlowe Wax and Anwar Sparrow had particularly strong games. Wax finishes with seven tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. Sparrow finishes with six tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In addition, Caleb Okechukwu had four tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. There were certainly some less than stellar moments, but overall, a good defense did what it needed to against a below average offense. 

2. Garrett Shrader

Shrader struggled mightily for three quarters, let's not kid ourselves. He still did not look healthy enough to use his legs as a weapon. However, to his credit, he bounced back with a superb fourth quarter where he went 11-13 passing with two touchdowns as he led the Orange to a comeback victory. All in all, it hard to complain with 21-27 for 285 yards and two scores. Yes he held the ball in the pocket too long at times. Yes there were some poor throws in the first three quarters. But Shrader made plays when he needed to, even some with his legs in critical spots. Now he should have weeks to rest up and get ready for the bowl game. 

3. Sean Tucker

We do not know if this was Sean Tucker's last game in a Syracuse uniform as he could potentially sit out the bowl game and the expectation is he will go to the NFL after this season. That decision should come in the upcoming weeks. If it was, he ended it on a strong note. He ran for 125 yards with two touchdowns against Boston College. Tucker has looked much better the last couple of weeks, with more burst, sharper cuts and the same type of effectiveness we saw last season. Tucker is now third in program history in rushing yards and is one of the best backs Syracuse has ever had. He has passed some legends on his way to third place. 

4. Over the Line

There was a lot of chippiness in this game from both sides. Enrique Cruz was ejected for hitting Donovan Ezeiruaku. However, replays circling social media appeared to show Ezeiruaku making a motion with his head before Cruz's hits that was consistent with spitting. In addition, after the game, Ezeiruaku sucker punched a Syracuse player in a postgame scrum. Syracuse was not innocent in all of this, attempting to plant its flag in the middle of the field after the game. There is no need for that, honestly. Not the most egregious thing you will see but certainly not necessary. Syracuse players also should have just left the field after the game instead of escalating the situation. Still, if Ezeiruaku did in fact spit on Cruz, he has to answer for that. He also has to answer for the punch after the game. 

5. Much Needed Win

This win, regardless of opponent or circumstances, feels like it validates the season. The schedule was difficult. The stretch against Clemson, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and Florida State was especially tough and clearly took a toll on the team. With all of the injuries, Syracuse still went on the road and pulled off a come from behind win. It would have been easy for the Orange to fold after getting behind by double digits in the fourth quarter, especially with bowl eligibility already secured. Yet they kept battling and had an epic fourth quarter on both sides of the ball to earn the win. Seven wins is a good season and they will have a chance for an eighth.

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