FSU football: 3 huge keys to Noles defeating Syracuse

By Kelvin Hunt | Sep 30, 2021

Osceola and Renegade made Doak Campbell stadium erupt with the planting of the Spear. This iconic tradition energized the whole stadium and created a magical moment before FSU took on #20 Virginia Tech on Mon., Sep. 3rd.Osceola and Renegade made Doak Campbell stadium erupt with the planting of the Spear. This iconic tradition energized the whole stadium and created a magical moment before FSU took on #20 Virginia Tech on Monday, September 3rd.Fsv Fsufootballvsvt Mm 090318 5 Of 15 /

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(Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

Avoiding Negative Plays

One of the stats heavily skewed by the level of competition is the number of tackles for loss and sacks by the Syracuse Orange.

They have 39 tackles for loss and 18 sacks. The bulk of that production came in two games(27 tackles for loss), including 13 tackles for loss against Rutgers. However, when you look at Rutgers, they allowed seven tackles for loss against Temple and five against the Delaware Blue Hens.

I think the truth about Syracuse’s defense lies somewhere in the middle. They do play an aggressive 3-3-5 attacking style predicated on stopping the run at all cost. They do a good job of getting after the quarterback, and the health of FSU’s offensive line could be a factor.

The FSU offense has gotten better with avoiding negative plays with McKenzie Milton at quarterback.

They only allowed five tackles for loss against Louisville, and two of those were McKenzie Milton falling out of nowhere behind the line of scrimmage.

This key is important for FSU’s offense no matter who the opponent is since they are not good enough to overcome getting behind the chains.

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