Entering November, Syracuse’s pass rush has room to grow

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Syracuse’s defensive line has seen a litany of turnover both before the season and during it. Transfers like edge rusher Fadil Diggs and interior lineman Dion Wilson Jr. fortified the unit on paper. Yet Wilson Jr., along with fellow starters Kevin Jobity Jr. and Braylen Ingraham, suffered season-ending injuries, immensely weakening the group.

To pick up the pieces, first-year defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson has relied on his youth. Freshman Maraad Watson, along with sophomores Rashard Perry and David Omopariola, have received increased snaps since October.

It’s been a challenge for Robinson’s pass rush, especially with Justin Barron’s improved performance at linebacker and Marlowe Wax’s return prompting a soft launch back to Rocky Long’s 3-3-5 defense.

“We’re putting everything together where everybody can have a piece of the pie and help us out,” Robinson said. “We mention things like EST, everybody shine together.”

But, examining the results, not everybody has shined together.

Outside of Diggs, Syracuse’s pass-rushing production is slim. Diggs’ four sacks lead the team. Defensive end KingJoseph Edwards ranks second with three sacks, but all came against lowly Holy Cross in the second half. Not counting Edwards, all SU’s remaining edge rushers have combined for just two sacks, Denis Jaquez Jr. having 1.5 and Jobity with 0.5.

SU’s pass-rushing unit grades well, per Pro Football Focus, ranking 36th in the Football Bowl Subdivision with a 73.5 tally. Though that hasn’t necessarily translated to above average results. The Orange’s 15 sacks rank 55th in the country, more of a middling total.

Robinson’s pass rush has delivered a few big moments seven games into the season. But it still has plenty of room to grow.

“(We’re) asking a lot of them, and that’s just what it is,” Robinson said of his defensive line. “They got a great leadership role from Fadil Diggs, who has played a lot of ball.”

Robinson expresses utmost confidence in his group. Still, relying on Diggs isn’t enough.

The senior Texas A&M transfer has floated around the field in a variety of roles this season. He began the year as a traditional down lineman on the edge. Yet on numerous occasions in SU’s Week 2 win over Georgia Tech he dropped back into coverage due to Wax’s leg injury. Diggs has played on the second level more than what was presumed about his role before the season. Still, he’s made the most impact plays.

Diggs set up Syracuse’s offense to clinch a victory on Oct. 4 at UNLV, when the edge rusher sacked Rebels’ quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams in overtime to force a field goal. LeQuint Allen Jr. punched in the game-winning touchdown run on the ensuing drive. Diggs earned the National Defensive Player of the Week award for his two-sack performance.

Eight days later, when NC State cut the Orange’s lead to 24-14 in the fourth quarter, Diggs sacked CJ Bailey to induce a long third-and-goal. The Wolfpack were held to a field goal, and Syracuse wide receiver Jackson Meeks grabbed an onside kick to seal the win.

Both of those wins weren’t solely because of Diggs’ efforts. Though, they certainly helped. Head coach Fran Brown even said after SU’s win in Las Vegas that, before the game, he wrote on a whiteboard that all the Orange needed to win was for two players to be at their best: Kyle McCord, and Diggs. He was right on that instance. Yet, it’s not sustainable.

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Syracuse’s pass-rushing depth is nonexistent at the moment. Eight of its 15 sacks came against Ohio and Holy Cross — the two worst teams SU has faced. Diggs’ opposite-side edge rusher, Jaquez, doesn’t even have multiple sacks yet. SU’s true defensive lineman on its roster have only combined for 10 sacks. Wax, Barron, defensive back Devin Grant and linebacker Josh Kubala have totaled five.

The lack of help toward Diggs thrusts the Orange’s secondary into a more difficult task each week. They are the primary line of defense. They’ve often been gashed, though, like when UNLV totaled 227 team passing yards and three touchdowns through the air — along with two pass plays that went for more than 40 yards. Or against NC State, when Syracuse gave up a season-worst 329 passing yards, including a 75-yard touchdown late.

These lagging performances defending the pass are due to SU’s struggles to create pressure in the pocket, leaving quarterbacks with plenty of time to throw. On snaps where Diggs isn’t doubled and wins a one-on-one, the Orange are fine. But it’s a crapshoot when that doesn’t happen.

Take Syracuse’s stunning 26-24 loss to Stanford, for example. Brown was left disgusted at the podium postgame, lamenting the Orange’s lack of physicality against the Cardinal. Despite holding Stanford’s offense to 19 points — one touchdown came via a pick-six — SU totaled just one sack and folded when it mattered most.

With 37 seconds left, wide receiver Elic Ayomanor beat cornerback Clarence Lewis to haul in a 27-yard catch on a fourth-and-10. It set up Cardinal kicker Emmet Kenney for a game-winning field goal, which he buried.

SU didn’t muster a sack on that drive. Stanford signal-caller Ashton Daniels, who was benched a few games later, had all day to throw throughout the possession. Because of Syracuse’s lackluster pass rush, even a lower-tier quarterback could lead a game-winning drive.

“They out-physicaled us,” Brown said bluntly after the defeat. “There’s nothing to talk about. I was there, you see that, Stevie Wonder sees that … We gotta be more physical.”

Brown has stressed the importance of recruiting imposing figures to his roster since his hiring in November 2023. He wants to play smash-mouth football. But both the numbers, and inconsistency in crunch time, suggest Syracuse’s pass rush hasn’t lived up to that.

The Orange still have five games left to see their defensive line play to its full potential. It’ll be tough to hound quarterbacks in remaining Atlantic Coast Conference competition, however.

Syracuse’s defense played one of its better games of the year despite its blowout loss to Pitt last week, in which it sported a 3-3-5 defense. The unit has gained momentum with Barron, Wax and Derek McDonald roaming the second level. That needs to stay intact, even if it means using just three down linemen.

An improved pass rush is SU’s ticket to forming a complete defense. It’s how the Orange can provide relief to their secondary, open up opportunities to blitz and give a turnover-prone McCord — whose 11 interceptions are the second-most in the country — even more chances to score. The solution starts with Diggs’ counterparts winning more one-on-one reps which, to this point, hasn’t happened much.

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