Syracuse (1-1) hosts its final home game of the month this Saturday when it welcomes Central Michigan to the Carrier Dome at 3:30 p.m. SU will look to rebound after coming up short against Middle Tennessee last week, 30-23. CMU has not lost yet in two games and beat Big 12 team Kansas on the road last week, 45-27.

Here’s what you need to know about the Chippewas.

All-time series: Syracuse has won all three matchups with CMU: 1999, 2014 and 2015

The Central Michigan Report: Central Michigan sent out what looked like two different teams in each of its first two games so far. In the season opener, it took a gift of a missed overtime field goal for the Chippewas to survive a Rhode Island comeback at home. Then it traveled to Kansas and shredded the Jayhawks for five touchdowns through the air and another on the ground.

CMU will be without two contributing receivers in Corey Willis and Brandon Childress, both due to injury. Willis leads the team with 183 yards on 16 catches and one of Childress’s five catches was good for a touchdown. With them out, Mark Chapman and Logan Hessbrook will be the most attractive targets for quarterback Shane Morris.

Morris last week threw for 467 yards and five touchdowns, sparking a 24-point second quarter for CMU. Syracuse would obviously like to see the Week 1 version of Morris that threw for just one touchdown and an interception on completion mark a tad better than 50 percent. Morris ranks 12th in the country in passing yards. 

On the other side of the ball, the Chippewas boast a secondary of elite ballhawks. The unit already has eight interceptions, more than any team in the country. Josh Cox has three and Amari Coleman has two. Linebacker Alex Briones has totaled 21 tackles thus far.

How Syracuse beats Central Michigan: At this point, it’s hard to say the running game will contribute to any success the Orange might have. Junior QB Eric Dungey will have to pick apart the dangerous secondary to advance the ball. And once in the red zone, the offense must convert. Failure to do so last weekend was SU’s fatal flaw.

Defensively, the goal has to be to keep Morris grounded. Last week, the Orange let Middle Tennessee quarterback Brent Stockstill pick them apart in the second half. If Morris throws with the same effectiveness — which he did at Kansas last week — it could be tough for Dungey and the SU offense to match.

Player to watch: Amari Coleman, defensive back, No. 7

Coleman’s has two picks so far. Last season, he started 12 games for the Chippewas and recorded 15 passes defensed and 4 interceptions en route to First Team All Mid-American Conference honors. Whether he’s assigned Syracuse’s top receiver in Steve Ishmael, who leads the country with 26 receptions, or sent to the slot to mark Ervin Phillips, Coleman will likely be tasked with blanketing one of SU’s key weapons.

Published on September 15, 2017 at 2:42 pm

Contact: jtbloss@syr.edu | @jtbloss