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Syracuse running back Sean Tucker rebounded after a 54-yard performance against Rutgers, recording five touchdowns on 253 total yards in the Orange’s 62-24 win over UAlbany. He did most of that in the opening half, only appearing for one drive in the third quarter.

“It was good to see him finish some runs and then also be extremely explosive in the throw game and be able to get those balls to the middle of the field and turn those passes into home runs,” head coach Dino Babers said about Tucker’s play. 

Tucker’s performance was one touchdown shy of tying Jim Brown’s program record, set in 1956, for the most scores by a non-quarterback. Though the performance came against a Football Championship Subdivision school, Tucker’s numbers helped SU score the most points in a game since 2018. 

Here’s a breakdown of three of Tucker’s first half scores, and the blocking concepts that allowed him to have a record-breaking game:

Adjusting on the fly

Syracuse had worked inside the 10-yard line, converting on a fourth down two plays prior. The Orange had four receivers at the line of scrimmage, placing Tucker on the left side of the field with three others.

This setup brought the majority of the UAlbany defenders to the left side of the field, creating the perfect opportunity for a counter run. SU also had a blocking advantage as the Great Danes had four defenders on the defensive line, one fewer than Syracuse’s five offensive linemen. All Tucker had to do was wait for the blocks to come into fruition and have his teammates guide him to the end zone.

“He was really patient waiting for the holes to open,” offensive lineman Chris Bleich said. “As soon as he saw the hole, he just took it and went for it.”

The play was designed for Tucker to bounce outside toward the right sideline as the offensive line tried to push the defense out that way. But center Airon Servais, who hadn’t started at that position since 2019, wasn’t able to flush his man downfield, closing the space available for Tucker. The running back quickly noticed the hole was clogged, cutting back with one hard step inside to get past the line of scrimmage. UAlbany’s defenders were still moving to the right, and Tucker’s move completely stopped them in their tracks. But it was too late, and Tucker dodged one tackle as he got into the end zone.

Round two

Later in the quarter, Syracuse made a shuffle at quarterback after Tommy DeVito took a hard hit trying to scramble for a run, putting Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader into the game. The Orange mimicked their earlier setup from Tucker’s first score, positioning him on the side with three receiving targets. Tight end Maximilian Mang attached himself to the line as an extra blocker as well.

But like the last play, Syracuse ran away from the strong side of the field. Courtney Jackson ran a screen pass to freeze one linebacker, leaving six players in the box for SU to block — the exact number of players the Orange had on their own line.

Syracuse left the strong side defensive end as Mang went to the second level. This made the play more of a read option than an outside zone run, and Shrader made the right decision. Since the Great Danes’ defensive end Jared Verse didn’t pursue Tucker, Shrader handed the ball off to him. Tucker headed horizontally, this time to the left side of the field.

He waited for Matthew Bergeron and Bleich to get on their blocks, and both offensive linemen forced their defenders into opposite directions. This created a tiny sliver of space that Tucker could slide into. He took one hard step upfield, beelining down SU’s own 45-yard line. With a block perfectly executed by Jackson, Tucker only had the backside safety to beat.

Instead of worrying about avoiding defenders, Tucker looked downhill and kept his knees high as he ran 56 yards to the house.

Revival from the dead

After Shrader had a miscommunication with Servais, the ensuing snap went 25 yards into the backfield, turning a second-and-short into a third-and-28. In these situations, the Orange run screen passes either to Taj Harris or a running back to get a few yards before punting the ball away. With Harris out of the game, Tucker was the recipient.

Directly after the snap, Tucker put his hands up at the line of scrimmage to pretend he was blocking blitzers while Shrader dropped back to pass the ball. But right after he passed the line of scrimmage, Tucker turned around, simultaneously running to the numbers on the right side of the field.

Tucker said he spent a lot of the offseason working on his receiving abilities, working on catching balls so he could be as much of a threat in the passing game as the rushing attack. He finished with 121 passing yards off these screen attempts in the game, 11 fewer yards than he had rushing.

“From the passing side, the offensive line blocking on the screen allowed me to focus on the ball and going up the field,” Tucker said.

On this play, Tucker again made up for a missed assignment from his offensive line as he was supposed to continue down the sideline. But out of his peripheral vision, Tucker noticed UAlbany’s safety trying to beat him to his spot. So Tucker changed course.

Instead of staying on the numbers, Tucker cut into the middle of the field, avoiding the bodies flying at him. He used his offensive linemen for 15 yards of the reception, but they couldn’t keep up with him. Tucker was determined to go into the end zone, cutting back outside as one more UAlbany defensive back tried to meet him at the spot. He hopped past Tyler Carswell at the 10-yard line, avoiding another diving body for his third score of the night.

Published on September 20, 2021 at 10:13 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu