COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Tommy DeVito rolled to his right, pulled up just short of the Maryland sideline, planted his right foot and unleashed a throw right to Terrapins defensive back Jordan Mosley on the sideline. 

Two plays later, with more than nine minutes until the half, UM running back Anthony McFarland went untouched for a 20-yard touchdown, putting Maryland ahead, 28-7.

It was the second-straight week DeVito threw a ball he maybe should’ve thrown away that was subsequently intercepted. The difference this Saturday versus last? While Liberty didn’t score, Maryland turned two first-half turnovers into 14 points. 

“It’s not one guy making mistakes out there,” head coach Dino Babers said postgame. “It’s very, very complicated. It’s not simple. And it takes an entire family to make that thing go. And we have work to do.” 

While No. 21 Syracuse’s (1-1) offense improved its passing game and yardage output from Week 1 to 2, the Orange scored fewer points, struggled to run the ball and, for the second-straight week, played one-dimensionally. Against Liberty, SU turned to a rushing-based offense to wear down its opponent; Maryland’s large lead dictated the Orange air it out. Regardless, with the No. 1 team in the country visiting in a week, Syracuse needs to find balance to boost an offense currently averaging 22 points a game, and one that put up 20 points in a 63-20 loss to Maryland (2-0). 

“I think that we moved the ball a little bit better on offense but we need to be able to execute more in the red zone … We need to put more points up on the board,” DeVito said. 

Syracuse’s m.o. since Babers took charge is moving fast on offense to maximize opportunities. His up-tempo, spread out attack averaged 40.2 points a season ago. Despite having a new quarterback, SU’s offense — one with a bevy of options at running back and wide receiver — figured to still be a potent, even force. 

But against the Flames, it became evident early that the Orange would have struggles previous iterations of its offense didn’t have. Against Liberty, SU couldn’t move the ball through the air consistently. DeVito struggled to find a rhythm with receivers and Liberty defended deep combinations well. SU adjusted to the looks LU gave it, feeding running backs Abdul Adams, Moe Neal and Jarveon Howard en route to a 24-0 win. 

Saturday was the exact opposite. Syracuse ran the ball OK to start the game — averaging just more than four yards per carry — but a three-and-out and a turnover on back-to-back drives to start the game stuck the Orange in a 14-0 hole with little option but to abandon running the ball. 

“If you run the ball,” Babers said, “The game runs out on you.”

And even as SU began to air it out, trying to keep pace with Maryland’s blistering attack, it didn’t find immediate success. The halftime stats were, compared to a week ago, encouraging, but trailing 42-13 at half doesn’t make 167 passing yards for two touchdowns and an interception look good. Two sacks to boot were, while a step in the right direction for the Orange, not enough. 

“As far as everybody knows, we’re all pass,” DeVito said of Saturday’s game. 

Max Freund | Staff Photographer

Up big and keyed in on SU’s necessary passing zeal, the Terrapins consistently dropped extra men into coverage. DeVito frequently navigated the pocket, found space to roll out, then kept rolling and rolling, trying, and often failing to find an open receiver down the field. When SU’s wideouts reached the far boundary on their routes, lined up with DeVito down the sideline, they rarely freestyled or tried to find space to get open. 

On a 4th and 8 late in the game, SU went for it. DeVito rolled right. His options down the sideline were covered. On fourth down, he could’ve risked forcing a throw to the end zone — an interception for a touchback is harmless — but waited and ended up throwing the ball away for a turnover on downs. 

In other situations, DeVito had the option to pick up yards on the ground — yards Eric Dungey readily ran for in the past — but opted to keep reading the defense to make a throw. It’s a personal preference, DeVito said postgame, to keep looking for a pass, but he did note that after watching the film, he’s sure there will be looks where he should’ve and could’ve used his legs to move the offense. 

“There’s a whole bunch of different pictures I’ll be able to look at and I’ll learn from that this week on film,” DeVito said.

Syracuse beat Liberty by making its offense one-dimensional. While it wanted to be more balanced Saturday, it became evident quickly that SU’s run game wouldn’t get it where it needed to go and by necessity, SU modified its play-calling tendencies.

It was always going to take some time for Syracuse’s 2019 offense to form a new identity, one shaped by a new quarterback, a new offensive line and the next generation of pass-catchers and running backs. 

Through two games, it’s been unbalanced, inefficient and, at times, hard to watch. 

Published on September 7, 2019 at 6:10 pm

Contact Andrew: aegraham@syr.edu | @A_E_Graham