The next day: David Wohlabaugh Jr.’s injury hampers SU’s offensive line

Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

While Oronde Gadsden II’s injury during Syracuse’s first drive made SU’s entire fanbase gasp during a 48-7 win over Western Michigan, the offensive line also lost one of its key starters. In the second quarter, right before LeQuint Allen scored his third touchdown of the game, starting right tackle David Wohlabaugh Jr. was carried off the field by two trainers. Head coach Dino Babers said Wohlabaugh Jr. will be injured for an extended period of time.

“David is probably in a situation where he will not be out there for a while,” Babers said.

Starting left tackle Enrique Cruz moved to right tackle to ensure Allen scored to make the score 38-7. But the loss of Wohlabaugh Jr., a transfer from Kentucky who won the starting spot during fall camp, hinders an offensive line that Babers said needed to improve after the Colgate game.

Following the Western Michigan win, Babers noted the specific challenge of losing players on the offensive line. He said while the coaching staff can train defenders to play in the linebacker position, they can’t really coach other offensive players to play on the line.

“But (with) o-linemen, there’s just not a lot of big guys walking around (that are) 300 lbs and that are trained like offensive linemen,” Babers said. “So anytime you lose an offensive lineman that’s difficult and you’re hoping you don’t lose any more.”

Babers more than anyone knows how much a lack of an offensive line can hurt a team. In 2021, the Orange lost Carlos Vettorello to a season-ending injury against Virginia Tech and received the lowest grade for pass blocking in the Atlantic Coast Conference, according to Pro Football Focus. Last season, SU lost three starters, including future NFL draft pick Matthew Bergeron, to injury in a loss to Wake Forest.

Mistakes have defined veteran offensive lineman Chris Bleich’s season thus far. In both games against Colgate and Western Michigan, Bleich recorded two false start penalties. Babers has mentioned penalties as something that needs to be fixed, and it has to be assumed Bleich’s penalties are a part of that.

Sill, there are stats which show some positive signs. While Babers doesn’t think of “internet grades” in high regard, Syracuse’s offensive line has a pass-blocking grade of 80.7. And with the toughest stretch of the schedule at the end of the month, Shrader confirmed that Kalan Ellis and Joe More will return to the offensive line.

Losing a tackle is never easy. It’s one of the premium positions in the sport and it’s why NFL teams are always desperate to find tackles in the draft and free agency.

Maybe the Orange move Cruz to the right side of the line. Maybe Mark Petry steps up and takes over. There are multiple possibilities for what the Orange can do, but Garrett Shrader said he has confidence in the men tasked to protect him.

“So it’s just a matter of finding out who the best five will be,” Shrader said. “And we’ll continue to grow and develop and make sure we’re ready for next week.”

The game was won when…

After both teams completed their first drives, everything seemed disastrous for the Orange. The defense conceded a 75-yard rushing touchdown and their top receiving target exited the game. But Rocky Long’s defense forced a three-and-out and the offense went on a methodical drive that resulted in Allen’s first touchdown of the day.

The defense forced another punt, then Garrett Shrader and Donovan Brown connected on the first play of the drive for an 86-yard touchdown. The Orange were off to the races, easily taking care of the Broncos from there.

Quote of the night: Donovan Brown on the WR depth

“You know the depth.”

Against two inferior opponents like Colgate and Western Michigan, the Orange got to show off some depth at a position that in years past barely showed a pulse. Brown felt like he didn’t need to speak on the position performing well through the first two games. But he did joke that once he, Isaiah Jones and Umari Hatcher got over 50 receiving yards, they began competing with other to see who could finish with the most. Brown won the battle with 89 yards, while Jones finished with 86 and Hatcher with 83.

Stat to know: 46

Jack Stonehouse hasn’t been a busy through these first two games, but he punted four times against WMU, three more than last week. Stonehouse averaged 46 yards per punt against Western Michigan. That’s a higher average than any game from Max von Marburg last year.

Game ball: Donovan Brown

There wasn’t really any one offensive player who had jaw-dropping stats in the domination of the Broncos. But since Brown had the 86-yard touchdown run, he earned the game ball. The redshirt freshman showed off solid footwork and route running. While Damien Alford was named the second receiving threat behind Gadsden, Brown might be making a case for Alford’s spot.

Three final points:

Penalties bail out the Orange

Babers has shown his concern with Syracuse picking up nine penalties yesterday. Along with Bleich’s two false starts, the Orange somehow got called for offside on a kickoff in the third quarter.

But while they struggled with penalties, Western Michigan tallied nine, some of which helped keep an SU drive alive.

On Syracuse’s fourth drive, the offense got stuck with multiple long third downs. Shrader chucked a deep ball to Darrell Gill Jr., but the throw went out of bounds. Offsetting penalties, including a Bronco pass interference, kept the drive alive. When the Orange started relying on Allen, Western Michigan committed two facemask penalties, culminating with the running back scoring a touchdown.

LeQuint Allen: Goal line prowess

LeQuint Allen finished the game with 20 rushing yards on eight carries and three touchdowns. All three trips to the end zone were from inside the 2-yard line. Sean Tucker’s replacement ended up with the fourth-most rushing yards on the team as Juwuan Price, Ike Daniels and Shrader finished with 68, 36 and 31 yards from the ground, respectively.

Allen took advantage of the Orange efficiently moving the ball through the air to rack up the most touchdowns in a single game in his collegiate career.

Jason Simmons Jr. pick-six

I have to highlight Jason Simmons Jr. again. His pick-six ended the first half in a flash and gave the defense a chance to get in the end zone along with the offense. Simmons Jr. got four starts last season as a safety before becoming the starting free safety for Week 1. Since becoming the starter, Simmons Jr. has the highest coverage grade per PFF (88.7).

Next up: Purdue

Last year, Syracuse’s highlight play of the season came in the waning seconds against the Boilermakers. Trailing by four with 12 seconds left, Shrader hurled up a prayer to Gadsden for a 25-yard touchdown to improve the Orange’s record to 3-0.

This year, the Orange may not need a miracle to defeat Purdue. The Boilermakers dropped their first game at home to Fresno State and squeaked out a win over Virginia Tech yesterday. Still, the Week 3 matchup stands as SU’s first Power 5 opponent of the year and its toughest matchup so far.