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There were pros and cons to No. 22 Syracuse’s offense in its second consecutive loss to unranked Notre Dame. An opposing defense contained Garrett Shrader, only throwing for 35 yards and rushing for two before leaving the game injured at halftime.

But in the second half, Syracuse’s offense seemed rejuvenated at the hands of backup quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. The Florida transfer clearly has an arm as Del Rio-Wilson finished the game with 195 total yards. While Syracuse never led on Saturday and, offensively, the game was drastically different between both halves led by two very different quarterbacks.

Here is how Syracuse’s quarterback situation changed at halftime:

Shrader throws pick six, 7 seconds in

This play looked like any other pass Syracuse orchestrated in the seven games prior. As usual, Tucker faked receiving the handoff before a mixture of shallow and deep options began their routes.

Tucker’s movement cleared up most of the middle of the field, which Oronde Gasden II slipped into with an in route. It was an optimal short gain Shrader looked for, but that was only because Notre Dame’s Brandon Joseph baited him.

Joseph stopped his tracks after seeing Shrader wind up, ready to pounce on the ball. He halted directly in front of Gadsden, who went behind the free safety to find more space.

Shrader could’ve waited for Gadsden to reach the right side of the field or hit a wide open Trebor Pena on a hitch route on the outside, but he wanted his first option. That decision proved costly.

Back-to-back connections with lead SU inside red zone

Similar to Shrader, Del Rio-Wilson went for most of his first reads, staring down the intended receiver before quickly passing. But his first option wasn’t open on this play.

After realizing he needed to improvise, Del Rio-Wilson initially wanted to run forward as Carlos Vettorello closed down on the Fighting Irish’s pocket pressure. Instead, he made the right decision to scramble toward the right side.

Shrader probably would’ve taken off, but Del Rio-Wilson saw Damien Alford change his route. It looked as if Alford meant to run an in route to the middle, but Alford shot upfield after seeing Del Rio-Wilson escape the pressure. This improvisation helped the Orange keep plays alive without Shrader.

On the very next play, Syracuse’s line gave Del Rio-Wilson time in the pocket with an extra tight end blocking. He made a three-step drop, hitch and then fired the ball deep.

Del Rio-Wilson realized immediately D’Marcus Adams’ inside move on press coverage gave him an advantage over Benjamin Morrison. Xavier Watts also faked a blitz by coming up near the line of scrimmage, and he couldn’t drop back in time to get in front of Adams.

Similar to his throw to Alford, Del Rio-Wilson allowed his receivers to use their height advantage. The ball was perfectly placed, high enough to where only Adams could have made the play.

Pocket collapses Del Rio-Wilson

After Del Rio-Wilson’s pass was tipped and picked off, the Orange had a chance to erase a two-score deficit. But SU faced a 3rd-and-long at its own 27.

Isaiah Foskey, who was all over Shrader and Syracuse’s offense throughout the first half, finally got the best of Del Rio-Wilson on this play. But this sack was more unavoidable.

Megan Thompson | Digital Design Director

Del Rio-Wilson stood like a statue after receiving the snap, not moving his feet while surveying his options. The Fighting Irish’s pass rush went into effect, and Del Rio-Wilson made the incorrect decision to try and run forward. Notre Dame lined up with four lineman on this play, and with Syracuse going with three receivers.

As Del Rio-Wilson rushed, Foskey separated himself from Matthew Bergeron and grabbed the quarterback by the legs. Del Rio-Wilson didn’t drop back or scramble laterally, making for an easy three-and-out before the blocked punt.

One final push

The Orange’s offensive line does well to give Del Rio-Wilson time to look for a passing option as the screen pass to Tucker was immediately blocked. Instead, he found Gadsden wide open at the 15 after curling back inside to allude TaRiq Bracy.

Del Rio-Wilson saw Bracy was playing inside on Gadsden, giving him an easy opportunity to make the catch once he cut outside on his corner route. Once again, Del Rio-Wilson showcased the quick release that Shrader couldn’t pull off. The throw wasn’t perfect, but it was high enough for Gadsden to make the grab before Adams found the end zone a play later.

It wasn’t enough to give Syracuse hope for a miraculous second-half comeback, but it reassured that it has a reliable backup for Shrader, especially given his uncertain status ahead of SU’s trip to Pittsburgh.

Published on November 1, 2022 at 11:18 pm

Contact Alex: ahcirino@syr.edu