Syracuse Football: 5 takeaways from successful 2018 season

Syracuse football shocked the ACC with a successful 2018 season under head coach Dino Babers. What did we learn from the Orange this year?

Just three seasons into his Syracuse football tenure, Dino Babers pulled off the improbable — he turned the Orange into a respectable football program.

Two 4-8 seasons in his first two years made it seem like his seat was warming up, but Babers built a base for a 10-win season to be possible in 2018. Syracuse was a serious ACC contender and finished the year with a 10-3 record and Camping World Bowl win over a Will Grier-less West Virginia.

Syracuse is heading into the offseason with plenty of momentum and will have high expectations for the 2019 campaign.

What did we learn from the Orange’s successful 2018 season?

5. Defense was the difference in 2018

Syracuse was ‘there’ in 2018 near the top of the ACC standings, but the Orange were a top-tier defense away from truly being Clemson’s biggest threat.

Speaking of Clemson, the Orange were also a quarter away from upsetting the Tigers for the second consecutive season, but the defense folded late in the game against backup quarterback Chase Brice. They were up big on the road against the Tigers but the defense couldn’t hold on late, losing 27-23.

The other losses resulted in poor defense — but the Notre Dame defeat was both as the Orange finished with just three points.

If Syracuse had a slightly better defense (allowing 427 yards per game) we may have seen a 10-11-win regular season and potential 11-12 wins overall. So close to New Year’s Six territory.