Following Saturday's victory over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, your Syracuse Orange are 2-0. But there are still 10 teams left on SU's 2015 schedule, and all of them were in action this weekend as well. So how is this schedule shaping up, and what can we expect from each opponent based on two weeks of results so far? We also take a look at the Orange's previous opponents too (just one at this point).
Albany 35, Rhode Island 7
Rhode Island's offense was able to bounce back against the Great Danes, but it didn't reflect enough on the scoreboard at all. QB Paul Mroz connected on his first touchdown pass, though he also threw two interceptions to set the Rams back (including one returned for 42 yards). The run game was better (120 yards), but still not the what they needed. URI's not a great team, as we were keenly aware of during the season opener.
Central Michigan 31, Monmouth 10
After playing Oklahoma State pretty tight in a week one loss, CMU picked up its first win of the season against FCS Monmouth on Saturday. Quarterback Cooper Rush continued his strong start to the year, with 328 yards passing and three scores. As much as we think we know about him from last year's matchup with the Chippewas, Rush is a more confident and capable QB than we remember. That said, the Chips also run the ball at a much worse rate than they did in 2014. Plain and simple: Stop Rush, stop CMU..
No. 13 LSU 21, Mississippi State 19
Things got pretty close for LSU toward the end against the Bulldogs, but they pulled off the win and as a result, jumped a spot in the polls. Leonard Fournette is every bit the frightening player you thought he was, picking up 159 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries, and yeah... we need to be concerned about how to stop him because no one seems to be able to take him down on the first try. The defense did get lit up a bit by Dak Prescott through the air, though the run game was kept in check. The Tigers' passing game was predictably deplorable (71 yards total).
No. 9 Florida State 34, USF 14
We get to cover two teams here. On the one hand, USF played Florida State pretty close for a half or so and weren't exactly run off the field. On the other, Dalvin Cook still ran for 266 yards (!!!) and three touchdowns on just 30 carries. Syracuse will have its work cut out for it against a back like Cook, while that also spells good things about a potentially porous Bulls defensive line. 'Noles QB Everett Golson did not look particularly great throughout this one, while he also avoided costly errors and wasn't asked to do much later given Cook's superior play. USF QB Quinton Flowers showed flashes of promise during a productive outing, and halfback Marion Mack also looked pretty good while picking up 83 yards on the ground.
No. 8 Notre Dame 34, Virginia 27
Virginia's Saturday can be summed up by this now-iconic image. Before that, however, the Hoos were hanging tough against one of the top 10 teams in the nation and if not for a late touchdown pass, could've potentially knocked them off. Facing two top-10 squads (UCLA, Notre Dame) to start the season, it does become tough to truly gauge an 0-2 Virginia team. The defense has faced two of the country's best offenses, and yet kept both under 40 points. Both opponents possessed solid defenses, and UVa scored 43 total points in two games. Oh, and Matt Johns, who you probably thought was bad, threw for 289 yards. Stop calling this one an easy win.
Pittsburgh 24, Akron 7
Pitt's already in a state of flux: First they lose James Conner in the opener, then they jump into a two-quarterback system mid-way through the second game of the year. You and I were never sold on Chad Voytik, and it appears it didn't take much time for Pat Narduzzi to feel the same way and bring in Nate Peterman. Tyler Boyd was his usual, play-making self (11 catches for 95 yards) and the run game is finding its sea legs without Conner, it appears. If the team commits to Peterman, they still stand a chance to be pretty impressive on offense.
Houston 34, Louisville 31
We can't jump to conclusions on the Cardinals just yet, as much as we'd like to call this season a tire fire already. What once looked like a close loss to a top-10 Auburn team now appears to be an uneven defeat at the hands of an overrated SEC squad. Houston, which we also can't get a read on just yet, exploited the Cards' defense while accentuating struggles with Louisville's running game too. Bobby Petrino still hasn't settled on a quarterback, which is also problematic. Reggie Bonnafon, Lamar Jackson and Kyle Bolin have all struggled at separate junctures.
No. 11 Clemson 41, Appalachian State 10
It would be easy to focus on the offense with Clemson, and praise Deshaun Watson for his 248 yards and three touchdowns. But really, Saturday's Tiger win was all about the defense, which got a great push up front all game, while also picking the Mountaineers off three different time (returning one for a TD). Clemson's proficiency against the pass made App State's typically one-dimensional attack even more so -- though it's worth noting they did manage 203 yards on the ground just the same. The Tigers are fare from healthy, so right now, they're still adjusting to this new reality.
NC State 35, Eastern Kentucky 0
Noting to really glean from this one at all. NC State slept through an easy, 35-point win over an FCS team and looked perfectly fine in doing so. Running back Matt Dayes (116 yards, three scores) was the obvious star of the game and he's done just fine taking the full-time halfback reins in Shadrach Thornton's absence. Wideout Jumichael Ramos also showed himself capable and is a target worth keeping an eye on before SU faces off with the Pack.
Boston College 76, Howard 0
This affair should've marked NSFW by the end of the first quarter (when it was 42-0). Boston College scored with ease with both their defense and offense, and the Bison were embarrassed so much by the Eagles that they shortened the quarters in the second half. Even more so than NCSU's win, can't take much from this other than the fact that Boston College's defense is pretty stout and the team could potentially have a three-player QB controversy on its hands.
Syracuse Opponent W-L in Week 2 (including Wake Forest): 7-5
Overall Opponent W-L for 2015: 14-9