4 things to watch against Maine

Sorry this was kind of a lost week at the blog. The first full week of grad school proved a little more busy than I had expected. But there's no time for excuses, because it's game day, and nothing gets me going like a marquee matchup against ... Maine? Well, at least SU should get the win, right?

Just a quick note before we jump into the preview. What a tough break for Aaron Weaver and SU, as the wideout will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Weaver was one of the pass droppers in Seattle, but he also looked like a stud against Akron. I was expecting something in between for the rest of the season, which is certainly enough to miss him dearly this year. Rob Moore really should have gotten the live chicken.

Now, let's move on to Maine. Despite the recent developments with Va Tech and Ole Miss, Syracuse should roll over the Bears in the Dome. So this isn't really about what the Orange needs to do to win, but more about what we want to see from them. This should be a great opportunity to work on all the areas that have been troublesome so far.

1. Hold on to the G'Damn football
SU has fumbled the ball eight times this season. EIGHT TIMES!!! They've only lost three of those, but still, that's just ridiculous. SU needs to figure this out over the next two games, or the tougher teams will make them pay.

2. Wrap up the ball carrier
This is a cultural problem throughout the nation, and even going up into the NFL. Everyone's looking to make the big stick and end up on SportsCenter. And it just needs to stop. Syracuse missed several tackles at Washington, which turned short passes into long touchdowns. Make the sure tackle, and you will win more games.



3. Be disciplined on special teams
This one is actually important for the matchup. Maine executed two fake punts and two onside kicks last year in the Dome. And the special teams hasn't exactly been SU's strong suit this season. Honestly, if it's another bad day for the special teams today, Bob Casullo should probably be fired on the field.

4. Get the swagger back
The Orange looked like the best team in the world against Akron. Not so much, last week. It was probably nice to bring them back down to earth a little so they can get back to work. But they need to get their confidence back to. Maine should be a good way to do that.