Syracuse Football: Breaking Down Offensive Play-Calling vs. Virginia

Oh, now I remember why these became such a dreaded task by the end of last season: the losses. Though at least in 2015, the Syracuse Orange finds ways to be entertaining, even in defeat. That still doesn't make me (or you, the reader) happy to see the mishaps and missed blocks that prevented SU from finding a victory against the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday. We'll still dive in below...

First Quarter

DRIVE 1
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
15:00	1st and 10	SYR 25	Pass	Ishmael	Short L	5 Yard Gain
14:28	2nd and 5	SYR 30	Pocket Breakdown; Run	Dungey	Dive R	28 Yard Gain
13:54	1st and 10	UVA 42	Fumble	Dungey	N/A	6 Yard Loss; Fumble
DRIVE 2
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
11:35	1st and 10	SYR 20	Pass	Lewis	Short R	12 Yard Gain
11:11	1st and 10	SYR 32	Run	Fredericks	Off Tackle R	3 Yard Gain
10:40	2nd and 7	SYR 35	Pocket Breakdown; Run	Dungey	Dive R	0 Yard Gain
9:59	3rd and 7	SYR 35	Pass	Philips	Mid Range M	16 Yard Gain
9:31	1st and 10	UVA 49	Option; Run	Dungey	Off Tackle L	15 Yard Gain
9:02	1st and 10	UVA 34	Run	Philips	Counter R	3 Yard Gain
8:28	2nd and 7	UVA 31	Pass	Ishmael	Short R	3 Yard Gain
7:48	3rd and 4	UVA 28	PENALTY (Holding)	Robinson	N/A	10 Yard Loss
7:19	3rd and 14	UVA 38	Pass	Dungey	Mid-Range R	Incomplete (Ishmael)
DRIVE 3
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
5:16	1st and 10	UVA 31	Run	Philips	Sweep L	3 Yard Gain
4:45	2nd and 7	UVA 28	Run	Fredericks	Dive L	15 Yard Gain
4:18	1st and 10	UVA 13	Run	Fredericks	Dive R	1 Yard Loss
3:38	2nd and 11	UVA 14	Pass	Philips	Short M	6 Yard Gain
3:01	3rd and 5	UVA 8	Run	Dungey	Dive L	6 Yard Gain
2:36	1st and Goal	UVA 2	Fumble; Recovered	Dungey	N/A	7 Yard Loss
1:52	2nd and Goal	UVA 9	Option; Pitch	Strickland	End L	8 Yard Gain
0:49	3rd and Goal	UVA 1	Run	Fredericks	Dive R	0 Yard Gain
0:01	4th and Goal	UVA 1	Direct Snap; Pitch	Dungey	End R	0 Yard Gain

Play-Call Breakdown: 11 runs, 8 passes

If you wanted to sum up this game in one quarter, perhaps this is the one to focus on. Syracuse gained 85 yards, picked up six first downs, and got into Virginia territory three different times. They even called more runs than passes (sort of... we're counting the two fumbles as runs). But: as mentioned, SU fumbled twice (both on Eric Dungey). And they failed to come away with any points at all. The final play of the quarter was a point of considerable conversation afterward, and you can't help but dwell on the poorly constructed snap to Fredericks a little after the Orange lost in overtime. The hot start was appreciated, but clearly you need to come away from three drives into Hoos territory with points.

Second Quarter

DRIVE 4
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
13:36	1st and 10	SYR 49	Pass	Avant	Short L	11 Yard Gain
13:08	1st and 10	UVA 40	Run	Dungey	Off Tackle L	0 Yard Gain
12:33	2nd and 10	UVA 40	Option; Pitch; Fumble	Dungey	End L	2 Yard Loss
12:12	3rd and 12	UVA 42	Pass	Cornelius	Mid Range R	11 Yard Gain
11:39	4th and 1	UVA 31	Field Goal	Murphy	N/A	FG is No Good
DRIVE 5
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
5:07	1st and 10	SYR 25	Pass	Fredericks	Screen R	3 Yard Gain
4:39	2nd and 7	SYR 28	Run	Fredericks	Dive R	1 Yard Gain
3:57	3rd and 6	SYR 29	Pass; Sack	Dungey	N/A	7 Yard Loss; Fumble
DRIVE 6
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
3:43	1st and 10	SYR 24	Pass	Dungey	Mid Range L	Incomplete (Estime)
3:39	2nd and 10	SYR 24	Run	Dungey	End R	13 Yard Gain
3:10	1st and 10	SYR 37	Pass	Dungey	Short M	Incomplete (Lewis)
3:04	2nd and 10	SYR 37	Pass	Dungey	Short M	Incomplete (Lewis)
3:01	3rd and 10	SYR 37	Pocket Breakdown; Run	Dungey	End L	6 Yard Gain
2:47	4th and 4	SYR 43	Fake Punt; Run	Dixon	End R	15 Yard Gain
2:15	1st and 10	UVA 42	Penalty (Pass Interference)	Canady	N/A	15 Yard Gain
2:15	1st and 10	UVA 27	Pass	Lewis	Short L	7 Yard Gain
1:52	2nd and 3	UVA 20	Pass	Estime	Short L	6 Yard Gain
1:48	1st and 10	UVA 14	Run	Morris	Off Tackle L	0 Yard Gain
1:18	2nd and 10	UVA 14	Run	Philips	Counter R	13 Yard Gain
1:06	1st and Goal	UVA 1	Run	Fredericks	Dive R	1 Yard Gain; TD
DRIVE 7
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
0:32	1st and 10	UVA 26	Pocket Breakdown; Run	Dungey	Off Tackle L	26 Yard Gain; TD

Play-Call Breakdown: 11 passes, 8 runs

Six drives in, you can see the team moves the ball best when it's at least 50 percent in favor of run calls (again, scrambles out of the pocket are passes that break down here). Yet, the team is very much focused on throwing the football. On drive five, that commitment results in a three-and-out. Drive four highlights another culprit of offensive issues, however: the option. We've discussed it in the comments, and it's worth restating here that the team needs more traditional hand-off plays. Also if not for ANOTHER expertly executed Riley Dixon fake, this whole quarter may have been lost, effectively sealing the game. Just to play devil's advocate on the praise from the production the team got once inside the red zone.

Third Quarter

DRIVE 8
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
9:22	1st and 10	SYR 20	Run	Fredericks	Off Tackle R	5 Yard Gain
8:47	2nd and 5	SYR 25	Pass; Sack	Dungey	N/A	2 Yard Loss
8:03	3rd and 7	SYR 23	Penalty (Pass Interference)	Wahee	N/A	15 Yard Gain
8:03	1st and 10	SYR 38	Pass	Lewis	Deep R	21 Yard Gain
7:15	1st and 10	UVA 41	Run	McFarlane	Off Tackle L	4 Yard Gain
6:30	2nd and 6	UVA 37	Pocket Breakdown; Run	Dungey	Dive L	0 Yard Gain
5:44	3rd and 6	UVA 37	Pass	Ishmael	Short L	6 Yard Gain
5:19	1st and 10	UVA 31	Run	McFarlane	End L	7 Yard Gain
4:58	2nd and 3	UVA 24	Run	McFarlane	Dive R	1 Yard Gain
4:27	3rd and 2	UVA 23	Play Action; Run	Dungey	Off Tackle R	14 Yard Gain
3:53	1st and Goal	UVA 9	Run	Morris	Off Tackle L	3 Yard Gain
3:17	2nd and Goal	UVA 6	Run	Strickland	Counter L	1 Yard Gain
2:34	3rd and Goal	UVA 5	Pass	Dungey	Short R	Incomplete (Custis)
2:28	4th and Goal	UVA 5	Field Goal	Murphy	N/A	FG is Good

Play-Call Breakdown: 7 runs, 5 passes

This is where cracks START to show in the overall play-calling and personnel use. And not surprisingly, this happens in nearly every game. The one-drive third quarter is a staple of this season. If it happens and Syracuse comes away with a touchdown, there's not a lot to get angry about. If they come away from a 12-play drive with a field goal as they do here, that's the frustrating part. While there was pressure on Dungey the entire game, things also started to get ramped up in this period, and he started taking even more unnecessary hits than he did in the first half. Oh, and taking out Jordan Fredericks (when he was running well), made it seem like the team was coasting a bit. Not the case...

Fourth Quarter

DRIVE 9
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
10:31	1st and 10	SYR 25	Run	McFarlane	Dive R	2 Yard Gain
9:59	2nd and 8	SYR 27	Run	McFarlane	Off Tackle L	4 Yard Gain
9:18	3rd and 4	SYR 31	Pass	Ishmael	Short L	19 Yard Gain
8:45	1st and 10	UVA 50	PENALTY (False Start)	Palmer	N/A	5 Yard Loss
8:24	1st and 15	SYR 45	Option; Run	Dungey	Off Tackle L	2 Yard Loss
7:44	2nd and 17	SYR 43	Pass	Estime	Short R	6 Yard Gain
7:09	3rd and 11	SYR 49	Pass	Dungey	Deep L	Incomplete (Estime)

Play-Call Breakdown: 3 runs, 3 passes

Playing-not-to-lose decision making enters the fourth quarter as well, as everything that worked in the first half is effectively thrown out the window for the brief 18 plays the Orange possessed it for in the last two quarters. Devante McFarlane continues getting carries, while an ill-advised option on 1st and 15 sets the team up to go pass-heavy to force the punt. If you hadn't figured it out, the less you see certain players' names (I'm sure you know who I'm referring to), the less successful the team is at moving the football and scoring. This second half is pretty devoid of those players, no?

Overtime

DRIVE 10
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
N/A	1st and 10	UVA 25	Option; Pitch	Philips	End R	7 Yard Gain
N/A	2nd and 3	UVA 18	Run	Philips	Dive L	2 Yard Gain
N/A	3rd and 1	UVA 16	Run	Fredericks	End R	6 Yard Gain
N/A	1st and Goal	UVA 10	Run	Fredericks	Dive L	3 Yard Gain
N/A	2nd and Goal	UVA 7	Pass	Philips	Short R	7 Yard Gain; TD

DRIVE 11
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
N/A	1st and 10	UVA 12	Pass	Dungey	Mid Range R	12 Yard Gain; TD

DRIVE 12
Time	Down	Ball	Run/Pass	Player	Direction	Result
N/A	1st and 10	UVA 25	Play Action; Pass	Philips	Screen R	4 Yard Gain
N/A	2nd and 6	UVA 21	Pocket Breakdown; Run	Dungey	N/A	4 Yard Loss
N/A	3rd and 10	UVA 25	Pass; Sack	Dungey	N/A	6 Yard Loss
N/A	4th and 16	UVA 31	Field Goal	Murphy	N/A	FG is No Good

Play-Call Breakdown: 5 passes, 4 runs

Passes got Syracuse into the end zone twice, but (at least on drive 10), it was the run that helped set it up. Drive 12 was depressing for many reasons, mostly because the offensive line was gassed and simply couldn't protect Dungey anymore (not like they did a great job protecting him all day, though). The two big losses set up a longer field goal than necessary for Cole Murphy, who would miss his second 48-yarder of the game. Can't blame him for that.

***

• Overall play-calling breakdown: 33 called runs vs. 32 called passes (last week: 24:43). The team toes back over the line for runs, though the option numbers also continue to stay high. Also, just 65 plays called in 12 drives (average of just over five plays per).
  
• First half play-calling: 19 runs vs. 19 passes (14:13 in second half and overtime)
• First downs: 21 total (11 rushing, 8 passing, 2 penalty; 7:11:3 last week)
  
• First down play selection: 17 called runs, 11 called passes (10:18 last week)
  
• First down play selection on subsequent sets of downs: 13 called runs, 3 called passes (5:13 last week)
  
• First down plays for five or more yards: 11 (last week: 13)
  
• Second down play selection: 11 called runs, 11 called passes (7:15 last week)
  
• Third down play selection: 4 called runs; 10 called passes (6:10 last week)
  
• Third down conversion: 6-for-14 (3 runs, 3 passes)
• 41 of Syracuse's 65 play calls (63 percent) took place in Virginia territory (last week, 41 percent of plays took place in the opponent's territory). Part of that figure is aided by overtime, but even removing those numbers, they're still at a 57 percent clip. To only come away with a) 56 plays in regulation and b) 24 points given that percentage is completely unacceptable.
  
• There was one play action pass the entire game, and it was in the third overtime. Otherwise, the team used play action for designed runs for Dungey or to set up the option. These didn't work incredibly well -- or at least they didn't consistently.
  
• The offensive line got zero push in this one, as you might have guessed by my comments earlier, plus the way these are charted. Dungey scrambled six times out of pressure, and was sacked three more times. That doesn't even tell the story of all the times he stood fast in the pocket to deliver a throw. If he's not going to be protected, this is a recipe for disaster.
  
• Eight (!!!) of Syracuse's plays went for 15 yards or more. Additionally, Syracuse had seven more plays that totaled between 10 and 14 yards each. Virginia assisted with penalties as well on top of those, extending a couple drives with 15-yard fouls. Explosive plays helped make up for some failures on first down, and the lack of protection from the line (though not enough, ultimately).
  
• Like last week, we saw a new uptick in negative plays from scrimmage. Against UVa, 17 (!!!) plays gained either zero yards or negative yardage -- a figure of 26 percent of the total plays run. That's an easy way to derail an offense.
• The team added its second red zone failure of the season. Though this doesn't account for all the times it's settled for field goals over touchdowns (a lot).

***

Admittedly, there's a whole lot above, so I'll try to keep this more succinct. The teaser at the top says it, but I'll also restate: Tim Lester has yet to call a complete game. Either a quarter or a full half of every game thus far has largely been missing, and unlike earlier contests, it's now costing the Orange. In this one, the offense did a disappearing act while the defense responded with its own too. The execution issues aren't on the play-calling as much, but... we are seeing tendencies that breed success and ones that breed failure. Protect Dungey and let him improvise, good things happen. Get the ball to Ervin Philips, Brisly Estime and Steve Ismael, and good things happen. Run too much option or move away from Jordan Fredericks as your primary runner? Things get a little iffy.

This isn't a call for wholesale changes. What the Orange need are a few tweaks to get this thing operating at a more efficient and consistent clip. For every ballsy call like the Dixon run (more of a special teams play anyway), there's a gutless thinking like letting Virginia run down the clock at the end of regulation, or clueless one like the Fredericks direct snap in the first quarter. The negative plays were a huge part of SU's failures last year. While they're not on bubble screens now, we're seeing more broken plays and failed option looks leading to negative yardage and/or turnovers.

***

Anything else? Share any and all thoughts below.