SYRACUSE, NY (WSYR-TV) – The regular season comes to a close for SU football this Saturday as the Orange welcome #8 Miami to the JMA Wireless Dome. A win for the Hurricanes would send them into the ACC Championship Game and keep their hopes of a spot in the College Football Playoff alive.

Athletic director Steve Infanti offers his “keys to the game” as Syracuse tries to play the role of spoilsport.

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Miami enters this game with the best offense in the country, averaging just under 45 points per game. The Hurricanes were only held under 30 points once all season. Georgia Tech did it on November 9th^Th and that was the only time Miami lost this year. Cam Ward and this offense are too good to be taken out. The Canes will score their fair share of points and make their fair share of big plays. The key is for the SU defense to limit all of that as much as possible. If ‘Cuse can hold Miami to 30 points or less, I think the Orange have a great chance to pull off the upset.

Keep Kyle upright

We found that Miami can score a ton. The defense also made its contribution. The Hurricanes rank 11th in the country in sacks, averaging three sacks per game. No matter how well the SU defense plays on Saturday, expect the Orange offense to have to score multiple touchdowns to win this game. That starts with protecting Kyle McCord in the passing game. If the offensive line can give their senior quarterback time to throw, he should be able to find success through the air against this Canes defense. He’s done it all season. McCord enters his final regular season game leading the nation in passing yards. He has rushed for more than 300 yards in 10 of the 11 games this season. Another attack like that should put the Orange in position to have a chance to win this game in the fourth quarter.

Momentum is important

There’s obviously a lot at stake for Miami this Saturday. As mentioned, the Hurricanes are playing for a spot in the ACC Championship Game and hoping to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. But Syracuse also has a lot to offer. A win would move the Orange into the Top 25 and likely advance them to a higher-level bowl game against a Power 4 opponent. Syracuse has only been ranked in the final poll of a season once since 2001. The one time was in 2018, when the Orange lost 10-2. A win on Saturday would be huge for Fran Brown and the program heading into the offseason. It would be a very special win, it would almost certainly resonate with recruits, and it would be further proof to the fan base that Coach Fran is very much heading in the right direction with this program. I expect a motivated SU squad to take the field on Saturday. The Orange will have to be at their best to beat the best opponent they will face all season.