The scene forces Jay Bromley and the Syracuse defense to think.

The missed tackles look bad on film. When the unit watches those plays on the screen, though, it doesn’t see failure as much as it sees a chance to improve.

Syracuse used the bye week to work on its tackling after opposing backs and receivers repeatedly broke free in each of SU’s first four games. Bromley and the rest of the defense will see how much they learned on Friday when the Orange (1-3) begins Big East play against Pittsburgh (2-2, 0-1 Big East) at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Panthers feature two power running backs in Ray Graham and Rushel Shell, who are going to do everything they can to expose SU’s tackling deficiencies.

“They want to run first,” said Bromley, the Orange’s nose tackle. “But just it’s a big emphasis on the defensive front that we know they’re going to run the ball, they’re going to come right at us, so you’ve got to take pride in what you do and just stop them.”

Syracuse opens its conference schedule in need of a win to turn its season around. After a disappointing start, this game kicks off take two. Through the first month of the season, the SU defense has been a step behind the team’s offense. Against Pitt, the Orange has to correct its tackling missteps from the start, especially when it comes to stopping the run.

That’s been a struggle so far for Syracuse.

The Orange is seventh in the Big East in rushing defense, allowing an average of 176.2 yards on the ground per game. Pittsburgh’s two leading tailbacks, Graham and Shell, average 90.5 and 76.3 yards per game, respectively. That ranks both among the Big East’s top 10 leading rushers.

Head coach Doug Marrone said Wednesday his team needs to resolve its tackling issues before Syracuse can have success for the rest of the year.

Pittsburgh presents a difficult test.

“They have a very good offense,” Marrone said. “They’re very physical up front. Their backs run extremely hard.”

The last time the Orange played a team with two formidable running backs was Sept. 15 against Stony Brook. Miguel Maysonet and Marcus Coker combined for 217 yards on the ground. That number would’ve been much higher if the SU defense didn’t execute its second-half adjustments.

Bromley said the unit has to “multiply that by 100” to play good defense against Pittsburgh. Syracuse has played strong defense for “stretches,” he said, but the team’s 1-3 record shows it hasn’t been enough.

Safety Shamarko Thomas said the unit ran a lot of tackling drills during the bye week in which a running back would make a quick move and the defender had to make an effort to stay on his inside hip while keeping his hands up to grab “cloth.”

“That’s our pride — tackling,” Thomas said. “We took that to heart this week, made adjustments, went out there and made our technique better. Go out there, fly around and make tackles.”

Pittsburgh’s offensive linemen, who weigh an average of 317 pounds, intensify the challenge for the Orange’s defensive line.

The same five linemen have started each of the Panthers’ games this season. Aside from giving quarterback Tino Sunseri enough time in the pocket to fire for 1,144 total yards this year, the line has also created wide-open holes for Pittsburgh’s backs to burst through.

Bromley said Pittsburgh’s linemen will look to lean on Syracuse’s defensive line to keep them off the ball and out of the gaps. That’s different from a zone-blocking offensive line, in which the linemen look to get in front of the defense’s front four and drive them back in a certain direction.

But for the defense as a whole, improved tackling will improve the situation altogether.

“They’ve got great athletes making us miss, and I feel like we’ve got to make tackles,” Thomas said. “Just know the situation. Take it one play at a time and take it one game at a time.”

The bye week gave SU extra time to perfect the fundamentals and shore up the tackling issues. For Syracuse to have success during its conference schedule, the improved tackling needs to be present every game.

Said Bromley: “Now we know what to do; now it’s time to make plays.”

Published on October 5, 2012 at 3:00 am

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman