Five Takeaways: Syracuse 48 UConn 14

What to make of the Orange's victory over the Huskies.

Syracuse blew out UConn 48-14 in its first road test of the season Saturday night. Here are five takeaways from the victory. 

1. Garrett Shrader

Garrett Shrader was simply outstanding against the Huskies. He was the best player on the field all night long. UConn had no answers for his legs or his arm. Shrader finished 20-23 passing (87%) for a career high 287 yards and was responsible for five total touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). He was accurate, poised and efficient. Shrader connected on short, intermediate and deep passes. He took a couple of sacks he probably should not have, but that is really nitpicking this performance. If anyone was wondering if the outing against Louisville was a fluke, Shrader answered that question with an emphatic no. 

2. Sean Tucker

Tucker ran for 112 yards and had a touchdown. It was about as quiet as a Sean Tucker 100-yard game can be. He has 212 rushing yards through two games, and it feels like he has not had that breakout game this season yet. That tells you how good Sean Tucker is. He is going to have a monster game at some point, but everyone is diverting all of their defensive attention to him. UConn was determined not to let him get that long game breaking play. Despite having a long run of 13 yards, Tucker still eclipsed the 100 yard mark. Stay tuned because his best performances are still ahead, which is very encouraging for the Syracuse offense. 

3. Receivers 

Ten different receivers caught passes for Syracuse Saturday night, including four with three or more catches. Syracuse may not have that elite clear-cut number one receiver type, but that have several solid options. That is allowing Shrader to spread the ball around and keep defenses guessing. Damien Alford as almost non-existent in game one, he has a 47 yard touchdown catch in game two. Courtney Jackson was quiet in game one, has three catches for 40 yards and a score in game two. Oronde Gadsden had another solid day with three catches for 45 yards. Encouraging play from that group against UConn. 

4. Defense

The Syracuse defense, outside of two plays, was far too much for UConn to handle as expected. The Huskies had a 28 yard touchdown run in the first half and a 56 yard touchdown catch in the second. Beyond those two plays, UConn managed just 118 yards of total offense for the rest of the game. The touchdown catch was possible because of a poor angle, as it should have been stopped for no gain. That is correctible. Two forced turnovers, two sacks, less than three yards per play on average other than the two scores. Another strong outing from one of the best defenses in the ACC. 

5. Penalties

The lone negative in week one for Syracuse was the abundance of penalties. The Orange racked up 18 in total. Against UConn, Syracuse had only three penalties for 15 yards. A significant improvement and an encouraging sign moving forward. Now Syracuse has to have a low penalty game like that against a better opponent. 

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