Three Biggest Questions Facing Syracuse Football

The Orange must answer these if its wants to go bowling in 2023.

Mike McAllister | Aug 27, 2023

Three Biggest Questions Facing Syracuse Football /

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Syracuse Orange

Here are the three biggest questions facing Syracuse football as the 2023 season is set to begin on Saturday.

1. How Will New Coordinators Fare?

Syracuse replaced both coordinators this offseason as Robert Anae left for NC State while Tony White departed for Nebraska. In their place, Syracuse promoted Jason Beck to offensive coordinator from quarterbacks coach while the Orange hired Rocky Long as leader of the defense. Long has extensive experience leading defenses as one of the Godfathers of the scheme. This will be Beck's first time calling plays at the power five level. How each does in their first season as play callers at Syracuse will have a huge impact on success this year.

2. Can Syracuse Stay Healthy?

Injuries have been an issue for years, but have specifically derailed the last two seasons when quarterback Garrett Shrader got hurt midseason. He has missed time in each of the last two years, and played through injuries down the stretch as well that significantly hindered his effectiveness. That, along with losing other key starters on both sides of the ball, are why the Orange seems to fade after Halloween. A healthy 2023, much like Syracuse was in 2018, could mean a strong season is on the horizon.

3. Will the Offensive Line Hold Up?

If you look at a common theme the last few times Syracuse has made a bowl game, it has been a solid or better offensive line. When the offensive line has had major issues, so does the team as a whole. The Orange lost three starters from last year's squad, including left tackle Matthew Bergeron, who was selected in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL Draft. If Syracuse is to get where it wants this season, those replacing the departed starters much step up.

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Published Aug 27, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.