Syracuse Orange football: who and what we’re watching for on Saturday night

The Syracuse Orange will conclude their 2024 spring practice with the spring game on Saturday night at 7:00 in the JMA Dome (streaming on ACCNX).

While we shouldn’t expect a lot of secrets to be shared on Saturday, there is still reason to check out Fran Brown’s squad. Here’s who/what we’ll be watching for:

Kevin: Backfield backups

We know Kyle McCord and LeQuint Allen are locked in to starting roles so this week gives us an opportunity to see the growth of returning players and the skill of those January arrivals. At quarterback, we’ll be watching Carlos Del-Rio Wilson and Braden Davis while Juwaun Price, Jaden Hart and Yasin Willis get an opportunity to show what they can do at running back.

Mike: 4-2-5 into the 3-1-5

There have been brief glances of Elijah Robinson’s new defensive scheme in open practices, but with a lot of moving pieces on that side, I’d like to see how the unit performs under added pressure. They going to be hitting and tackling for real on Saturday, and the addition of Clarence Lewis shows that some jobs still aren’t safe. Time to make a lasting impression before summer.

Steve: What do you think? Offensive lines…

Have to stay on brand, but damn there’s some promise and question marks all throughout this unit. We’ve seen a few position shifts, some transfers making a name for themselves, and some guys get healthy. It looks like Mark Petry has been moved down to guard, incoming transfer D’Metrius Weatherspoon has the right tackle spot at present, and David Wohlabaugh continues to work back from injury, but we’ll need to see how they hold up against what’s looking to be a reworked defensive front that can give them fits.

Dom: Some highlight-worthy McCord throws

It’s a straightforward answer, but we’ve seen the quick clips on X over some of McCord’s throws in practice. There’s legitimate excitement considering Syracuse boasts multiple legitimate weapons on offense, but Saturday presents Syracuse fans an opportunity to see the former Ohio State quarterback truly in action for the first time. Considering the general excitement around the program, I’m expecting something of a quality atmosphere in the Dome and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a McCord highlight or two.

Christian: Apple-branded pointed projectile

New from our favorite corporate overlords is the iDART, the upgraded version of DART. By now, most online Syracuse football fans are familiar with Fran Brown’s DART mantra (Detailed, Accountable, Relentless, Tough). I’d like to add one more mantra to DART that has been repeated throughout our conversations with players and coaches. That mantra is Intensity. From what we can infer, we might witness a more intense spring game than what we’re used to seeing in the Dome. The intensity and effort levels that we see in the spring game could be a statement of intent on how Syracuse wants to shake up the ACC and the college football landscape.

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