Observations from SU’s win over Pitt: Shrader starts, Villari steps up
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
NEW YORK – 100 years after Syracuse played Pittsburgh in its first-ever football game at Yankee Stadium, the two met again at the modern venue. SU entered the anniversary game on an 0-5 Atlantic Coast Conference skid, during which it had been outscored by over 100 points. The offense hadn’t scored over 14 points since week 4.
Pregame warmups brought a spectacle for Syracuse fans, as Garrett Shrader was taking snaps, but not throwing the ball. The reasoning for that became clear on SU’s first drive, when it ran the ball nine times on 10 plays. Shrader’s throwing limitations forced the Orange to get creative with playcalling, and it continued throughout the game. Yet, they snapped the skid.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (5-5, 1-5 ACC) 28-13 win over Pittsburgh (2-8, 1-5 ACC):
Rare opening drive success
The Orange had their best opening drive of ACC play thus far, resulting in their first opening-drive touchdown. The first nine plays were runs. With Shrader’s status not being known until he trotted out onto the field, Pitt was left guessing in terms of personnel and game plan. It paid dividends for SU. On the first play of the game, Shrader pulled down a read-option and busted it up the middle for a gain of 34, putting Syracuse in Pitt territory.
With a plethora of motion and some wildcat snaps for LeQuint Allen Jr. and Dan Villari, SU marched into the red zone. The Pitt defense keyed on the run, but a combination of Allen Jr., Villari, Shrader and Ike Daniels hit the right holes to gain a first and goal at the six-yard line.
After a failed run on first down, Shrader turned back, seemingly to hand the ball off for a 10th time in as many plays, but he pulled it. Rolling out of the pocket, Shrader found backup tight end Max Mang for a six-yard touchdown. Afterwards, he held his right pectoral muscle with a grimace on his face.
With SU’s inability to throw becoming increasingly evident throughout, scoring on the opening drive was integral for the Orange.
Villari steps up
When Syracuse was in need of a quarterback, the tight end stepped in. Villari, a former Michigan quarterback, switched to tight end when he transferred to SU last year. Yet, with Shrader unable to throw and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson hurt, head coach Dino Babers decided Villari would provide wildcat success while keeping the Pitt defense at bay with his throwing ability. He fumbled multiple times in the first half, but never lost one. Then, he settled in.
His running style is similar to Shrader’s, both seeking contact. As a tight end, Villari knows how to take a hit and how to fight through tackles. He did that all afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Even on short runs, he always fell forward.
In the second half, Villari erupted. Midway through the third, he broke a 38-yard run on a QB run up the middle that set the Orange up in the red zone. He carried multiple Pitt defenders on his back. Then, he broke the game open in the fourth with a 27-yard touchdown run. After faking the jet sweep, a gaping hole opened in the middle of the field and Villari burst through untouched to give SU a 28-13 lead.
Villari finished with 17 carries for 154 rushing yards and a touchdown, along with 3-of-5 passing for 12 yards.
Garrett Shrader out wide
Despite his clear limitations, SU’s coaching staff concocted different methods to ensure Shrader could make an impact Saturday. Some of it worked, some of it didn’t. Still, his presence was constant throughout the game, including when he wasn’t under center.
On Syracuse’s second drive of the game, Shrader came in motion from the left side and got a handoff from Allen Jr. Dayon Hayes erupted off the edge and punched the ball loose before Shrader could make a forward movement. David Green picked the ball up for the Panthers, who would kick a 35-yard field goal for their first points of the game on the ensuing possession.
Shrader was also used as a receiver. On SU’s fourth drive, Villari took the snap with Shrader out wide. Rather than taking off on a designed run as he’d done previously, Villari fired it to Shrader, who picked up six yards with blockers in front. Shrader led the Orange in receiving yards today on one catch. This play worked significantly better than the motion handoff and made Pitt sit on its heels a bit more.
Jayden Bellamy’s statement game
Redshirt freshman Jayden Bellamy transferred to Syracuse this past offseason after not seeing the field at Notre Dame. The New Jersey product had played plenty for SU prior but hadn’t made a huge impact. Saturday was his breakout performance, as Bellamy recovered a fumble and added a pick-six to cement a dominant defensive performance for the Orange.
In the first half, Panthers quarterback Christian Veilleux botched a jet sweep exchange, and Bellamy dove on top of it to give SU solid field position, taking over on its own 48-yard line.
Later on, with Pitt backed up against its own end zone, Veilleux underthrew Reynolds on a corner post and Bellamy came uncontested underneath to pick it off. Planting his feet, he sprinted toward the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown to give Syracuse an eight-point advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Then, on the first play of the fourth, Veilleux put another handoff attempt on the ground and Syracuse picked it up, helping seal the win.
