The Syracuse Orange could find themselves in a tough spot Saturday with a quarterback making his first career start in an ACC game vs. the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Starting quarterback Garrett Shrader was concussed in last week’s loss to Notre Dame and his status is questionable for this game, which could mean little-used freshman Carlos Del Rio-Wilson goes for the Orange, who have lost two straight games.
Rio-Wilson has thrown a grand total of 29 passes this season, completing 14 for one touchdown and one interception, and isn’t a running threat like Shrader.
The Panthers have also dropped two straight games and neither was particularly close, but a win over the Orange would go a long way toward becoming bowl eligible.
Pittsburgh will look to unleash the nation’s No. 3 rusher in Israel Abanikanda, who in addition to producing 1,086 yards and 16 touchdowns, has the highest single-game rushing total in the country this season with 320 yards against Virginia Tech.
The junior will have a chance to break the series record of 241 rushing yards by Pittsburgh’s Tony Dorsett in 1978.
Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports and college football lines for Syracuse vs Pittsburgh. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.
Tucker Looking to Get Back on 100-Yard Train
The Orange will need to give the ball to Sean Tucker early and often if they want to pull off the upset. The sophomore, who already ranks fifth in Syracuse history in career rushing yards, received just 35 carries in the last three games for Syracuse.
Tucker has gone three straight games without rushing for 100 yards, his longest streak in the last two seasons. The Maryland native has 15 100-yard rushing performances, which is tied with Hall of Famer Larry Csonka (1965-67) for second in team history.
Tucker and sophomore Oronde Gadsden II are the top receiving threats for head coach Dino Babers. Gadsden leads the Orange in receptions and receiving yards, and is one of four receivers in the ACC with three 100-yard games this season.
Pitt Passing Game Needs Boost
The dramatic fall-off in the passing attack from Kenny Pickett (42 touchdown passes) and Jordan Addison (1,593 receiving yards,17 touchdowns) to Kedon Slovis and crew, continues to plague the Panthers, who rank 80th nationally in passing yards per game.
Slovis has thrown for just five touchdowns in eight games and has as many interceptions. Jared Wayne is the lone receiver to distinguish himself this year.
It won’t get any easier against the Orange, who have the nation’s No. 3 passing defense (164.5 yards per game) and have shown a penchant for getting after the ball and the opposing quarterback, racking up eight interceptions and 20 sacks.
Mikel Jones, Marlowe Wax, and Caleb Okechukwu have combined for nine sacks while Garrett Williams and Ja’Had Carter have come up with two interceptions apiece.
Okechukwu and Duce Chestnut have scored defensive touchdowns for the Orange.
Syracuse vs Pittsburgh Game Injuries
Syracuse vs Pittsburgh Head-to-Head
The Panthers have taken four straight games against the Orange to push their series lead to 42-32-3. The Panthers have won eight of the last 10 meetings with the Orange.
Syracuse vs Pittsburgh Information
- Game: Syracuse (6-2) vs Pittsburgh (4-4)
- Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
- Day/Time: Saturday, Nov. 5, 3:30 p.m. ET
- Syracuse vs Pittsburgh Live Stream: ESPN
Syracuse vs Pittsburgh Betting Lines
Syracuse vs Pittsburgh Prediction
The Panthers are a tepid four-point favorite on the NCAA football odds, but that number would likely be larger if Rio-Wilson were to be named the starting QB for the Orange.
Pittsburgh has dominated the series of late, including four straight wins at home.
The Pittsburgh Panthers are listed at -170 in our Vegas NCAAF lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Panthers, you have a chance to win $59. The Syracuse Orange are +150, offering a chance to win $150 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives “Pittsburgh” a 62.96% chance to win, with Syracuse at 40.00%.
