Syracuse Orange vs UConn Huskies recap: 3 things we learned

While the win wasn’t as dominant as Syracuse would’ve liked, it was still a win none the less. The Syracuse Orange won the contest 31-24 against their former Big East rival the UConn Huskies.

The Syracuse Orange found a way to reach the .500 mark on the season with a huge win on Saturday. While the UConn Huskies nearly pulled off the upset.

Although according to the odds makers, Syracuse was the underdog heading into this one. No doubt, there resume was held against them in the lead-up to the game.

Up next for the Orange is another very game opponent in Notre Dame and they’re coming off a brutal loss to Duke. That could be bad news for the Orange when they travel to MetLife, but before we get there.

We learned several things in this game, some good and some bad. But ultimately, unbiased, here are our top 3 things we learned from the game.

Sep 24, 2016; East Hartford, CT, USA; Connecticut quarterback Bryant Shirreffs (4) throws against Syracuse during the second half of Syracuse

3. This defense is worse than we thought

This was a game that if the Syracuse Orange didn’t win, we questioned what win they could get this season. Early on it looked like they would run away with the victory over an inferior opponent.

But the first thing we learned is that this defense is worse than we thought. So everyone has heard of the moniker, “defense wins championships.”

And the other moniker that a good enough defense can keep you in any game. Well we discovered the opposite on Saturday.

No matter how good the Orange offense is, their defense will always keep the other team in the game. Which is going to be a constant struggle down the stretch regardless of the Orange’s opponent.

Sep 24, 2016; East Hartford, CT, USA; Syracuse running back Dontae Strickland (4) runs past Connecticut safety Obi Melifonwu (20) during the second half of Syracuse

2. The run game just isn’t happening this year

Is this an overreaction? Maybe. But we’re already a third of the way through the Orange football season and yet, the run game has remained a non-factor.

It doesn’t matter who is running the ball for the Orange, it just isn’t working. So lets quickly analyze the season thus far.

In Week 1 the Orange ran for over 100 yards, but it was a cream-puff game. The Orange never had a chance to establish the run game during the Louisville massacre.

Week 3 the Orange got out to a quick lead, through the air. There’s no excuses, they can’t run the ball unless it’s Colgate. And there’s bad news, they don’t play Colgate again this season.

Sep 24, 2016; East Hartford, CT, USA; Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey (2) throws under pressure from Connecticut linebacker Junior Joseph (11) during the second half of Syracuse

1. Amba Etta-Tawo is a superstar

This is one of the more unbelievable stories from this season thus far. As of this article publishing, Amba Etta-Tawo is the leading receiver in all of college football.

While on the other side of the field, Steve Ishmael continues to fall on his face, quite literally. Despite having his second best game of the season against the Huskies, it could’ve been that much better.

Ishmael had a gimme touchdown in the end-zone, but slipped and watched the ball fall incomplete. While back to the main storyline here, Etta-Tawo, has shown the speed and hands necessary to be a nice NFL prospect.

Which is the problem, as great as Etta-Tawo is, he’s a grad-transfer and his eligibility runs out at the end of the year. He has surpassed expectations and that is an understatement, but what isn’t an understatement, Etta-Tawo is the best receiver in all of college football.

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