The Clemson Insider recently caught up with Emily Leiker to get some insight on Syracuse ahead of Clemson’s game against the Orange. Leiker covers Syracuse football for Syracuse.com.
Leiker hit on a number of topics during the following question-and-answer session, including quarterback Garrett Shrader’s improvement as a passer, the influence of a pair of new offensive assistants, a top-10 Orange defense and more heading into Saturday’s game at Memorial Stadium.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity
I’m not sure even how many of the Syracuse faithful honestly expected their team to still be unbeaten coming to Clemson in late October. So what’s the vibe within the program and among the fan base there?
People are very excited. You’re correct in assuming not many people thought this was how this season was going to go. I think people thought it would go better than last season, but by no means as well as it’s gone. So lots of energy. Lots of excitement both inside and out of the program. I think inside the program as well, there is a very high level of confidence. They feel very sure of themselves and that they deserve to be where they are, which, to this point, they’ve shown they do. So high energy around Syracuse. It’s probably the highest energy they’ve had around here during football season in a few years. I think folks are looking more forward to seeing the rest of football season than basketball season starting.
Garrett Shrader has gone from having the lowest completion percentage among ACC quarterbacks last season to the second-highest clip so far this season. What’s gone into his drastic improvement in the passing game?
I think it’s kind of two-pronged. First of all, last year, he came in as the starter four games into the season. It wasn’t his team, I’d say he felt like. One thing we learned a lot from him in August is he felt like he was better connected with the guys coming off the offseason. He really felt like he knew his personnel and this was his team, and that was a sentiment that a lot of the other players and offensive coaches gave as well. So I think he was able to do more work (this offseason), build more of a rapport and more trust with his receiving corps and the rest of the offense and kind of just had more time under his belt to be this good.
Also, you have the introduction of former Virginia offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck, who we all know did wonders for Brennan Armstrong during his time at Virginia. They have really come in and just tuned Shrader around. I think Beck and Shrader get a long really well, so he’s really been able to calm Shrader down and get him more accurate with his throws, which has been the biggest thing to keep him from scrambling all the time. That was one of the complaints a lot of people had last year in the fan base, I know, is that he was scrambling too much, and they wanted him to slow down and consider throwing the ball. And we’ve seen that this season. So I think it’s kind of been those big two things and also just the experience level of everyone on the team. This is a very mature, veteran team at this point, and it feels like all of the pieces have finally clicked in place.
You mentioned the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach there. How has their influence changed Syracuse’s offense as a whole?
I think in general it’s just been more balanced between the passing and the rushing game. Last year with Sean Tucker, why would you not run the ball? He was just so good. And, this year, I think (Tucker) has the second-most receptions on the team. So not only is he leading in rushing and carries, but he’s also getting the ball through the air a lot. So I think that’s been a big element that Robert Anae has introduced is using Tucker in that way. And then the other thing we’ve seen is the emergence of (receiver) Oronde Gadsden, which Robert Anae moved Gadsden to the tight end/flex position he’s in now. And he’s just exploded onto the ACC receiving scene and has done a great job so far this season. So really it’s just been that balance between running the ball, passing the ball and using personnel from both sides of that. Really mixing up what they do, I think.
How specifically has Syracuse used Tucker as a receiver?
He’s still lining up mostly in the backfield. He’s never outside or anything like that. It’s a lot of wheel (routes), a lot of slants, that type of stuff. Shorter-yardage stuff that then he can hopefully break away on and do most of the work on his legs, which moves him out there a little bit differently than he would in the normal running back situation.
Syracuse comes into this game ranked eighth nationally in total defense. What’s contributed to that?
They run (defensive coordinator) Tony White’s 3-3-5 (base alignment), which is only run by a couple of programs in the county. It originated with Rocky Long, who is at New Mexico right now. And Tony is a product of his coaching tree, so they run the 3-3-5. And I think the star of this defense this year has been this linebacking corps. You’ve got Mikel Jones, who’s one of the top linebackers in the ACC. You have Marlowe Wax, who’s really emerged this year. He’s his second year as a starter, and he’s really been holding down the fort in some moments when Jones has had to go off the field or the third linebacker has had go off the field. They were originally supposed to have Stefon Thompson as their third linebacker. He got injured the first week of the season, so they’ve had a couple of guys rotate in there. But they really have never missed a step at the linebacking group.
They seem to always be sharing one brain and making the same steps (in terms of their knowledge of the defense), so I think that’s kind of really been a key part. And they’ve helped as well (with the defensive line). One of the things people weren’t sure about and the media wasn’t sure about going into the season was the defensive line just because that was really the only position where they lost players on defense. They returned all of their secondary starters from last year, so no one was really sure who was going to step up at the defensive line.
In what areas do you think Clemson could give Syracuse some trouble?
I think one place I’m really interested to see these two stack up is Clemson’s defensive line against Syracuse’s offensive line. We’ve seen drastic improvement on the offensive line. They’ve gone from being not very good to being on the watch list for the Joe Moore Award for the most outstanding offensive line. So they’re turning heads this year and giving space for Shrader and Tucker. But I remember reading about Clemson’s defensive line in the summer and thinking it would be a test, so it’s one of the big things I’m interested in seeing. Both teams are similar on paper in terms of what they run and the type of yardage they allow and get on average. I’m really interested to see which side might break out in the run game, which could be a really big factor.
Any other particular matchups in this one that you think could help determine the outcome?
It’s Syracuse’s offensive line versus Clemson’s defensive line because if Clemson can get pressure on Shrader and force him to scramble a lot more, that potentially takes away Syracuse’s pass game, which could damage their chances. It really comes down to that. How well can Syracuse protect Shrader against Clemson’s talented defensive line?
Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.
Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!
