I see fans worrying about a repeat of 2016, but they don’t have to worry about that. Despite being on a three-game skid, Syracuse has been playing better football than Virginia Tech. If the Hokies win, they’ll be pulling off an upset.

OFFENSE

The most interesting thing here is that the spread-and-shred approach of Dino Babers has morphed into a ground-and-pound game. They’ll do old-school stuff that only Flexbone teams do, like leave defensive linemen unblocked at first so they can get wham-blocked by a pulling wingback, which was how they scored a goalline TD on Wake Forest.

The run stats are powered by a three-man backfield team. Let’s start with my favorite player on the team: Chris “Rhino” Elmore (FB, #5), who played nine games at guard last year when Cuse’s depth chart was in shambles. He’s listed at 6’0, 265, and while he’s labeled a “fullback,” you’ll see him all over the box. I don’t see his deep speed striking fear in the heart of any cover defenders, but between the tackles he’s the rare backfield blocker who has the skill and willingness to deal with defensive linemen who’ve been turned loose.

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