All week, the Syracuse football team’s defense has answered the same questions over and over again.

‘Why didn’t you record any sacks, and why did you give up so many big plays against Purdue?’ reporters asked.

And all week the defense has responded with the same answers. The defensive players said they couldn’t bring a strong pass rush with Purdue’s five-wide spread offense. They really were ever-so close to preventing a big play. An interception here or a third-down stop there, and it’s a completely different game.

The bottom line, though, is Syracuse didn’t prevent the big plays, or make a big interception or stop the Boilermakers on third down in the Orange’s 51-0 loss to Purdue on Sunday.

Yes, SU’s offense did get shut out, but the reality is that for Syracuse (0-1) to beat Buffalo on Saturday, its defense must play significantly better than it did against the Boilermakers. The defense will get the chance to redeem itself tomorrow at 6 p.m. against the Bulls at UB Stadium.

‘We showed some flashes of greatness,’ middle linebacker Jerry Mackey said of SU’s defensive performance. ‘We made some little mistakes that cost us big. We’re just going to keep working.’

They’ll have to work a little harder. Last week, Purdue finished 11-for-17 on third-down conversions and 2-for-2 on fourth. And let’s not forget Purdue’s 571 total yards and 25 first downs.

But there’s some good news for the Orange. Buffalo (0-1) plays a completely different style of offense. Of course, this could be good or bad.

Normally, the Bulls run a wishbone set, with one running back and two fullbacks. But SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni said that in Buffalo’s season-opening loss to Eastern Michigan, the Bulls ran a more conventional pro-style set.

It’s a change from the spread offense that embarrassed SU last week. But, after spending a week preparing for the wide-open attack, Syracuse now has to shift gears.

‘You still have to prepare for the wishbone,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘And that takes a lot of practice time.’

‘It’s kind of weird going from a five-wide offense to a tight team that likes to run,’ cornerback Tanard Jackson said. ‘But that’s part of football. You’ve gotta adjust.’

Though Buffalo is consistently one of Division I-A’s worst teams, its offense appeared to have potential against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles are not a football power either, but Buffalo still amassed an impressive 225 yards rushing.

Clearly, if the Orange defense plays the way it did last week, the game that once appeared as the most surefire win on SU’s schedule could turn into the Orange’s most embarrassing defeat.

For any adjustments to work, SU must be able to sustain more constant pressure on Buffalo quarterback Randall Secky. Against Purdue, the Orange rushed just three linemen for most of the game to combat the spread offense.

But against the Bulls, SU should be able to rush four men and blitz more. Jackson also said that the secondary should be able to provide more run support.

‘Part of the thing against Purdue was the quarterback (Kyle Orton) ran for a couple of first downs,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘We forced enough pressure to make him run. The contain has got to be able to stop the run.’

And if Syracuse doesn’t fix those little defensive problems, it may lead to another long week of questioning. Only next week, it might seem a little longer, considering the Bulls are ranked No. 4 in ESPN.com’s Bottom 10. Then again, the Orange is ranked No. 10.

‘As a defensive unit, we talked and said we had to put (the Purdue loss) behind us,’ Jackson said. ‘We know the defense has to make big plays.’

Published on September 9, 2004 at 12:00 pm