Syracuse Football: 3 takeaways from ACC showdown loss at NC State

3. Syracuse offensive line has major issues

We already knew ahead of this game that the Syracuse offensive line had major issues. Entering the season, there was legitimate reason to wonder how a retooled line would develop and whether it might just be the most critical factor of the 2019 season. Through first five games of the year, the Orange won despite a line that ranked 123rd in sacks allowed, 101st in tackles for loss given up, and 92nd in rushing yards generated.

NC State needed only one half to prove that the offensive line is more than a mere hindrance to success. After allowing the Wolfpack to sack Tommy DeVito seven times in the first two quarters and managing to gain just 37 yards on the ground — excluding those sacks, which brought net team rushing into the negative.

In the second half, DeVito was brought down an eighth time on the opening drive after the Syracuse defense got a critical interception. The offense started to figure it out in the second half, threatening to win at the end, but by the end of the game DeVito had been dragged down 10 times and the backfield managed to churn out only 46 net yards on the ground.

Now sitting at .500 midway through the season, the Orange will struggle just to reach bowl eligibility unless they sort out the offensive line immediately. With their next bye week not coming until November, they will have to figure it out on the fly if they hope to get to the postseason.