Syracuse Football: Orange add to Louisville’s mounting losses

2. The Syracuse secondary still has their bend-but-don’t-break issues

While Syracuse did a great job in most facets of the game on Friday night, there is one area of their defense that remains a point of concern. Coming into Week 11, the Orange ranked 111th in passing yards allowed and 51st in opponent passing efficiency.

Pass didn’t reach 200 yards through the air, and Syracuse added two more interceptions to one of the top 15 ballhawking units in the country. In general, it looked like a win for the Orange as they contained the Louisville passing attack in a way they never could when Jackson was on the gridiron for the Cardinals.

But there were a lot of yards left on the field as well. Pass had several passes dropped by his receivers, as Louisville’s crew of pass catchers struggled to help out their quarterback. On at least one occasion, a wide-open touchdown opportunity was sacrificed. In the second quarter, Jaylen Smith was streaking free and clear for the endzone but was unable to haul in the throw from Pass.

Syracuse emerged with a massive win, which helps dull struggles within certain units. But Syracuse has a secondary that won’t be able to be so cavalier against bigger competition. With Notre Dame and Boston College closing out the regular season, the time is now to improve against the pass for Syracuse if they want to earn a New Year’s Six invitation.