Minnesota enters the bowl game after finishing 8-4 in the regular season. After a three-game losing streak, Minnesota would win four of its final five games, including defending Paul Bunyan’s Axe against Wisconsin in the season finale.
The Gophers square off against Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on December 29th. Minnesota enters having won five consecutive postseason contests, including all three under Fleck. With a victory, Minnesota will have back-to-back nine-win seasons.
Syracuse finished 7-5 in the regular season, good enough to finish third in the ACC-Atlantic division.
Before every game, I’ll ask a reporter who covers the Gophers’ upcoming opponent to give us a view from the opponent’s perspective.
I asked Anthony Alandt from The Daily Orange six questions to give us some inside details and perspective on Syracuse.
Minnesota travels to New York City and takes on The Orange at 2:00 p.m. local time on December 29th.
Huge thanks to Anthony for giving us his thoughts!
Follow Anthony on Twitter: @anthonyalandt
Follow Noel on Twitter: @n0elthompson
1. Syracuse heads into the bowl game with a record of 7-5. It’s been quite the season for the Orange, after starting 6-0, they would go on and lose five games in a row before coming back to beat Boston College in the season finale. What were the expectations for the Orange heading into this season, and in your opinion, have they met those expectations?
I wrongly predicted that Syracuse would finish 3-9 and looked foolish through the first six games. Then the wheels fell off as the team played tougher opponents and more road games. Overall, though, this team exceeded expectations because they made it back to a bowl game and finished above .500 for the second time under Dino Babers. They have some really talented guys that are coming back next season and — given the recent transfer portal additions — look to be heading in the right direction. This season should be the catalyst for a run over the next few years filled with bowl games and, hopefully, an ACC championship game.
2. Leading running back Sean Ticker has opted out of the bowl game. Can you give us a scouting report on who the Orange will turn to fill that void?
LeQuint Allen has been a tremendous backup to Sean Tucker, and he should be able to easily slide in without the All-American. After not really utilizing him throughout the season, Syracuse began to slide in Allen more during the final three games, in which he ran for 42 yards, had 50 receiving yards and caught a touchdown pass. He’s a speedy guy that really broke out during the second half of Syracuse’s win over Wagner and he adds another receiving threat for Garrett Shrader. Juwaun Price might see some time now without Tucker, but he really only saw time against Wagner and is unproven both with the Orange and at his previous school, New Mexico State.
3. The transfer portal is crazier than ever. Every team is having players transfer out of the program. How has the portal affected the Orange in preparation for the bowl game? Have there been any notable players that Syracuse will be missing for the game?
Syracuse has lost three defensive starters and a starting wide receiver since its last game against Boston College. Duce Chestnut and Ja’Had Carter — the Orange’s turnover leader — both entered the portal, and so did receiver Courtney Jackson, who led the team in receiving yards a year ago. They’ve also lost some defensive line depth after Josh Hough and Steve Linton entered the portal, but have seen a few transfers commit. The portal giveth and the portal takeith.
4. The Syracuse offensive and defensive coordinators will have new jobs next year as they have been hired away from other schools. Will they be available to coach the bowl game? If not, who will be leading the offense and defense for the game?
Both Robert Anae (NC State) and Tony White (Nebraska) are with their respective schools and aren’t able to coach in the Pinstripe Bowl. Syracuse promoted quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, who helped develop Taysom Hill, Brennan Armstrong, Kurt Benkert and Bryce Perkins, to offensive coordinator. He’ll man the offensive unit and will be without Anae for the first time since 2012. The Orange also recently hired former New Mexico defensive coordinator Rocky Long as the school’s defensive coordinator. White was a disciple of Long’s 3-3-5 philosophy, and but it was recently announced that Nick Monroe will lead the defense while Rocky Long will be an observer.
5. Can you give us the strengths and weaknesses of the Orange? What players should Minnesota fans know about on Syracuse?
A clear strength of Syracuse is its secondary and linebackers. The Orange only allowed 22.7 points per game last season and held six teams to 20 points or less. If Tanner Morgan plays, his tremendous arm is going to be tested by a secondary that had nine interceptions. Granted, without Garrett Williams, Chestnut and Carter, the Orange will be short staffed, but they always seem to find someone to step up. The weakness is the defensive line. It’s inexperienced, undersized, short staffed and one of the biggest reasons it lost five straight games. Syracuse let up 1,801 rushing yards this season and made even the worst running backs it faced look good.
Obviously, fans should know Garrett Shrader. The quarterback has taken a huge leap this season after winning the starting job away from Tommy DeVito midway through last season. He’s been banged up quite a bit, but the time off should help him heal up to full strength. Other than that, look out for Oronde Gadsden. He’s technically a tight end, but is the No. 1 receiving threat for the Orange. Gadsden somewhat came out of nowhere this year and will likely have the most receiving yards on the day.
6. This will be the sixth meeting between the teams. Minnesota leads the series 3-2, with Syracuse winning the last matchup 21-17 in the 2013 Texas Bowl. The Gophers are currently 10-point favorites. What does the Orange have to do to beat Minnesota, and what is your prediction for the game?
Syracuse needs to stop Tanner Morgan and force Minnesota to run the ball. Then it needs to stack the box and hope for the best. Luckily for Minnesota, the Gophers match up well against a bad defensive line. Expect Mohamed Ibrahim to have a huge day and run roughshod over Syracuse, and if Tanner Morgan plays, the Orange might be in for a very long day. Shrader also needs to be the dual-threat quarterback that he was prior to some of his injuries this season, and lean on his diverse receiving core to help build drives. Score prediction: Minnesota 34, Syracuse 27.