Which team breaks their losing streak?
Both the Syracuse Orange and Wake Forest Demon Deacons enter tomorrow night’s game on a losing streak so something has to give. Expectations seem pretty low around Orange fans so let’s see if our staff feels the same way.
Christian
Wake Forest 27, Syracuse 17
Here’s the thing – the Demon Deacons don’t have the rushing power to dominate the Orange like Syracuse’s past four opponents have. They still have Sam Hartman, but his receiving options are a little less diverse and the interception numbers are up. Syracuse’s secondary players, even its backups, have proven to be stout defenders so I expect them to keep this game close. However, I still don’t think the offense is back up to 100% efficiency, which leads to Syracuse’s downfall.
Kevin
Wake Forest 38, Syracuse 30
I think the Wake defense is just what a struggling Syracuse offense needs so look for the Orange to find the end zone early in this game. However, Sam Hartman and his wide receivers are not what a Syracuse defense dealing with injuries wants to see this week. Expect another wild game and I look forward to another week of people lamenting that Syracuse should be more like whatever ACC sub-500 team that actually wins a game this weekend.
Mike
Wake Forest 30, Syracuse 16
This should be more competitive than the last two games, but at the end of the day, Wake has been keeping it close against ranked competition. SU did not come close to doing that against FSU. The Orange’s offensive woes won’t disappear overnight and while I expect them to finally manufacture a complete drive in this game, Sam Hartman will put on a show in his final home game to snap the Deacs’ three-game skid.
Dom
Wake Forest 30, Syracuse 21
Both teams enter Saturday’s contest looking to end their recent skids against the ACC. Wake Forest looked competitive against a talented NC State squad and lost by just two points to #13-ranked North Carolina. On the other hand, Syracuse is coming off of back-to-back horrendous losses.
I’d expect the Syracuse offense to heat up a little bit against a Wake Forest defense that ranks 59th in rush defense and 88th in total defense across the NCAA. Maybe coach Dino Babers can (finally) get Sean Tucker some more room on the ground game. But defensively, the Orange are simply too banged up and limited to deal with the likes of Sam Hartman and company.
Steve
Wake Forest 31, Syracuse 17
There’s not a lot that’s been seen in recent Syracuse performances that has bolstered my confidence level around this one. That said, the matchup is significantly better than those past few weeks as well. They don’t have Boogie Basham on the defensive front, or look like what the last few defenses have put in front of our line. When Wake’s on offense, the Mob should be able to play to their strengths and hope to hold Sam Hartman in check, though he may be wont to put on a performance in his final game in Winston-Salem.
Without Garrett Shrader’s legs (I’m still assuming he won’t be at 100%), the Orange won’t quite be able to cover it and Wake pulls away late thanks to the defense getting worn down like we’ve seen the past few weeks.
Now it’s your turn, who wins this game?