Why five keys? Clearly you haven't been paying attention. Or you're new; in which case, welcome. So here's the deal: it's going to be incredibly difficult for Syracuse to reach seven wins and qualify for a bowl berth. Everything is going to have to fall into place, meaning failure in any one of these five areas will probably leave them watching bowl games from home.
1. Get after the quarterback
Syracuse's run defense was the pleasant surprise of the '09 season. The pass defense, however, disappointed, giving up 235 yards per game and 24 TDs. SU's pass rush didn't do its defensive backs any favors, only recorded 3.5 sacks per game last year. Nine of those came in the Orange's most impressive performance of the year against Rutgers, leading to an 8 for 18 performance with just 104 yards and two INTs from the Scarlet Knights. If that could become the rule instead of the exception this year, the secondary will fare much better.
Key players - Doug Hogue and Chandler Jones
Hogue was a monster in that Rutgers game, recording 3.5 sacks, and Jones will have to emerge as the D-Line's top pass rushing threat.
2. A WR must emerge as a deep threat
The Orange only averaged 9.4 yards per catch last season when you erase Mike Williams' totals. Alec Lemon proved he could catch it with the best of them when he racked up nine grabs against UConn in the season finale, but without a deep threat, defenses will load up in the box. This will make life difficult for both the running and passing games.
Key player - Aaron Weaver
I have no idea if Weaver can be that guy in 2010. He may be the slowest guy on the team for all I know ... I've never seen him play. What I do know is that none of the guys from last year's roster can stretch the field, so I'll make Weaver the pick out of nothing but blind optimism for the unknown.
3. Play above their talent level
There's just no way Syracuse is more talanted than seven teams on its schedule this year. That means they will need to overachieve and create at least one or two true upsets to earn a bowl bid. They did it last year against Rutgers and Northwestern (don't laugh, they were a bowl team last year). This year, SU will probably need at least two (maybe three) wins against BC, Washington, Rutgers and USF.
Key player - Ryan Nassib
Remember what happens when your mediocre QB has a monster game? Think Louisville in '07 when Andrew Robinson led a huge upset for the Orange on the road. Maybe Nassib has one or two of these in him.
4. Can't miss layups
With that being said, SU simply cannot afford to give away any games against the easiest competition on the schedule. The Orange gave away games against Minnesota and Louisville last season that should have been W's, and that proved to be the difference between bowling and not. Plus, if Syracuse can run off three of their first four, it could build momentum to carry throughout the season. Must win against Akron, Louisville, Maine and Colgate.
Key player - Doug Marrone
It's up to HCDM to keep the Orange on task every week. This team is simply not good enough to look ahead past anyone.
5. Stay healthy
Here's a little secret: The SU starters are actually pretty good this year. There are a lot of talented players on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, there's a big drop off from the starters to the reserves. That means every injury will hurt that much more.
Key players - Linebackers
The LBs are probably the most talented group ... at the top. It's also probably the thinnest. An injury to Smith or Hogue could be devastating.
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