Syracuse Football: 3 takeaways from loss to Duke in Week 6

2. Injuries have crippled the Orange

It is easy to make excuses, but the Orange came into the game short-handed, and now are down even more key players.

Star safety Andre Cisco missed his second straight game following a pregame injury before the Georgia Tech game, so the secondary was already thinner. Geoff Cantin-Arku, a hybrid linebacker, was crumpled in the beginning moments of the second half, and likely will miss significant time.

The most concerning injury of the day was quarterback Tommy DeVito’s ankle. He was sacked in the fourth quarter when his ankle was tangled under the bodies of two Duke defenders. DeVito was down for a while after the hit, and struggled over to the sideline. Following an Andre Szmyt field goal, DeVito hobbled to the locker room before returning to the sideline in a walking boot and crutches.

Replacing DeVito was fifth-year quarterback Rex Culpepper, who has seen plenty of action in his time with Syracuse. Still, the offense will obviously be limited without the big arm of DeVito.