Steve Infanti’s keys to victory against Miami

SYRACUSE, NY (WSYR-TV) — The regular season ends this Saturday for SU football as the Orange welcome #8 Miami to the JMA Wireless Dome. A win by the Hurricanes would put them into the ACC championship game and keep their hopes alive for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Athletic director Steve Infanti offers his “keys to the game” as Syracuse looks to play the role of spoiler.

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Miami enters this game with the top-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging just 45 points per game. match. The Hurricanes have been held under 30 points just once all season. Georgia Tech did it on November 9th^th and it was the one time Miami lost this year. Cam Ward and that offense are too good to be shut down. The Canes are going to score their fair share of points and they are going to hit their fair share of big plays. The key is that the SU defense limits everything as best as possible. If the ‘Cuse can hold Miami to 30 points or less, I think the Orange will have a good chance to make it.

Keep Kyle upright

We’ve established that Miami can score in bunches. The defense has also done its part. The Hurricanes are ranked 11th in the nation in sacks, averaging three per game. Regardless of how well the SU defense plays on Saturday, figure the Orange offense will need to score more touchdowns to win this game. That starts with protecting Kyle McCord in the passing game. If the offensive line can give their senior quarterback time to throw, he should be able to find success against this ‘Canes defense through the air. He’s been doing it all season. McCord enters his final game of the regular season leading the nation in passing yards. He has gone over 300 passing yards in 10 of the 11 games this season. Another one like that should put the Orange in position to have a chance to win this game in the fourth quarter.

Momentum matters

There is obviously a lot on the line for Miami this Saturday. As mentioned, the Hurricanes are playing for a spot in the ACC Championship Game and are hoping to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. However, Syracuse also has a lot to play for. A win would put the Orange in the Top 25 and would likely land them in a higher-quality bowl game against a Power 4 opponent. Syracuse has only been ranked in the final poll of a season once since 2001. That one time was in 2018, when the Orange went 10-2. A win on Saturday would be huge for Fran Brown and the program heading into the offseason. It would be a signature win, it would almost certainly resonate with recruits, and it would provide further proof to the fan base that Coach Fran has this program very much headed in the right direction. I expect a motivated SU squad to take the field on Saturday. The Orange will need to be at their best to beat the best opponent they have faced all season.