Slow start…but that second half delivered
The Syracuse Orange offense got the 2024 season off to a very slow start, but once they got in a groove, boy did it look good. Let’s get to the first down breakdown…
How slow was the start? Well the Orange ran only four plays on offense in the first quarter. That’s not the way you’d like to start a new era, but thankfully the offense figured things out after that start and went on to put up 38 points and 480 yards.
Syracuse went to the air early in the first half and after the rough start, Kyle McCord was able to find Oronde Gadsden including this first touchdown.
Oronde Gadsden recorded 108 yards and a tuddy while averaging 15.4 yards per reception@CuseFootball | @Cuse |@drpepper pic.twitter.com/AwyDre6nvY
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 1, 2024
In the second half, Syracuse flipped things and went to the ground more often. The balanced attack allowed the Orange to gain 82 yards on just five first-down throws.
It’s hard to quibble with an offense that averaged 7.5 yards on first down. It sure seemed like the Orange kept Ohio off-balance throughout the game, taking what was given to them, and then punishing the Bobcats with some big plays to pull away in the third quarter.
We saw the rotation of players as promised and we’ll see if mixing up the skill players more frequently could help keep the offense fresh throughout the season.