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All season long we’ve been tracking the Syracuse Orange first-down offense and an area that has been a problem has suddenly become a strength as the season comes to a close. With Clayton Welch handling most of the snaps at quarterback against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons the Orange leaned on the running game in this one.
It was a solid farewell for Moe Neal as he and Jarveon Howard did most of the damage for Syracuse. As we’ve seen the last three games, the running game was a lot more successful than it had been for most of 2019. Keeping this going in 2020 will be one of the keys for the Syracuse offense because it’s easier to move the ball when you’re in 2nd and short situations.
Syracuse vs Wake Forest
| 1st half | Run or Pass | Yards | 2nd Half | Run or Pass | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st half | Run or Pass | Yards | 2nd Half | Run or Pass | Yards |
| Pass (Incomplete) | 0 | Run (Howard) | 3 | ||
| Run (Welch) | 5 | Run (Howard) | 10 | ||
| Run (Neal) | 15 | Run (Howard) | 8 | ||
| Run (Neal) | 12 | Run (Howard) | 0 | ||
| Pass (Jackson) | 6 | Run (Neal) | 2 | ||
| Pass (Incomplete) | 0 | Pass (Jackson) | 10 | ||
| Pass (Jackson) | 12 (TD) | Pass (Harris) | 5 | ||
| Run (Howard) | 4 | Run (Howard) | 11 | ||
| Run (Neal) | 7 | Run (Howard) | 11 | ||
| Run (Harris) | 10 | Run (Howard) | -18 | ||
| Pass (Incomplete) | 0 | Pass (Incomplete) | 0 | ||
| Pass (Harris) | -1 | Run (Neal) | 4 | ||
| Run (Howard) | -2 | Run (Neal) | 13 (TD) | ||
| Run (Welch) | 8 | Run (Neal) | 4 | ||
| Run (Neal) | 3 | Run (Neal) | 0 | ||
| Run (Neal) | 9 | Pass (Harris) | 33 | ||
| Run (Neal) | 1 | Run (Neal) | 9 | ||
| Run (Welch) | -2 | ||||
| Run | 12 | 70 yards | 5.83 yds per play | Run | 13 |
| Pass | 6 | 17 yards | 2.83 yds per play | Pass | 4 |
| 18 | 87 yards | 4.83 yds per play | 17 | ||
| Total | |||||
| Run | 25 | 124 yards | 4.96 yds per play | ||
| Pass | 10 | 65 yards | 6.5 yds per play | ||
| 35 | 189 yards | 9.8 yds per play |
Credit to Welch for making enough plays through the air to keep Wake Forest honest. It was also the third straight game the Orange scored multiple touchdowns on first down plays. With the struggles the offense has had in the red zone that’s a big bonus.
Here’s what the full season numbers look like for Syracuse’s first-down offense. Look at the difference in the rushing offense and while some of that can certainly be attributed to the defenses they faced it does show improvement in the offensive line’s play down the stretch.
2019 Syracuse 1st Down Offense
| Opponent | Rush Attempts | Rush Yards | Pass Attempts | Pass Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Rush Attempts | Rush Yards | Pass Attempts | Pass Yards |
| Liberty | 17 | 63 | 11 | 63 |
| Maryland | 10 | 50 | 19 | 159 |
| Clemson | 12 | 21 | 15 | 47 |
| Western Michigan | 21 | 86 | 12 | 79 |
| Holy Cross | 13 | 59 | 16 | 139 |
| NC State | 12 | 15 | 18 | 94 |
| Pittsburgh | 11 | 29 | 19 | 58 |
| Florida State | 21 | 76 | 10 | 11 |
| Boston College | 16 | 87 | 15 | 85 |
| Duke | 22 | 173 | 4 | 4 |
| Louisville | 24 | 177 | 10 | 156 |
| Wake Forest | 25 | 124 | 10 | 65 |
| Total | 204 | 960 | 159 | 960 |
| Overall | 363 | 1,920 | 5.3 yards per play |
It’s interesting that the Orange gained the same yardage running on first down as they did passing on first down but with the season we just watched it’s certainly not the craziest part of 2019. As we look ahead to 2020 we hope that Syracuse can maintain the success they found over the last three games. We know Dino Babers hopes that rushing attack can be sustained next season.