For the first time in five years, No. 20 Syracuse (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) football is playing in a bowl game, against former Big East rival and No. 16 West Virginia (8-3, 6-3 Big 12), in the Camping World Bowl.

The Orange enter the game coming off their best season in nearly two decades and a second-place finish in the ACC Atlantic Division. Syracuse is aiming for the seventh 10-win season in program history. The Mountaineers finished their campaign with a loss to College Football Playoff-bound Oklahoma. WVU will play without star quarterback Will Grier on Dec. 28.

Here’s what to know about the Mountaineers.

All-time series: 33-27, SU leads.

Last time they played: In the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl, SU topped WVU 38-14, rushing for 369 net yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Nassib tossed another two scores. Geno Smith, then the Mountaineers quarterback, was West Virginia’s lone bright spot offensively. He went 19-of-28 for 201 yards and two touchdowns passing, both well under his averages in a season in which he was a Heisman contender.

Syracuse locked down West Virginia’s high-octane offense by first stopping the run. WVU ran for 103 yards on 3.4 yards a carry and only got seven first downs via the ground. With Smith only adding 201 through the air, the Mountaineers entire offense was outgained by SU’s rushing attack.

Leading the SU charge was Prince-Tyson Gulley, who carried the ball 26 times for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Jerome Smith had 29 carries for 152 more yards. SU averaged 5.7 yards a carry against the Mountaineers on their way to the Pinstripe Bowl title.

The West Virginia report: West Virginia’s best player, quarterback Will Grier, is not going to play in the Camping World Bowl. A first round talent, his focus has moved to the NFL Draft as he follows a new trend of sitting out bowl games to prevent unnecessary injury.

Grier’s backup, Jack Allison, has attempted 10 passes all season and likely takes the Mountaineers white-hot offense down a notch. Wide receivers David Sills V and Gary Jennings have combined for 28 touchdowns and still pose downfield threats. Expect the Mountaineers to take some shots, even without Grier.

Defensively, the Mountaineers offer little resistance and Syracuse should be able to move the ball on the ground or in the air. WVU does feature All-American linebacker David Long Jr. in the middle of the defense, but it will struggle to match up with all of SU’s weapons on the outside.

How Syracuse beats WVU: Score a lot and have a productive pass rush.

Points will be there for the taking in this game, so Syracuse cannot let drives stall or settle for field goals when it could get in the end zone. Even without Grier, WVU’s offense should still muster a decent outing, and the Orange are more than capable of beating whatever that output is.

SU head coach Dino Babers more or less runs a Big 12-style offense, so expect the Orange to really open it up offensively in this game and take shots down the field, while simultaneously trying to establish the inside run game with Dontae Strickland, Moe Neal and Eric Dungey.

Defensively, there is no better way to disrupt an offense than a good pass rush, which Syracuse has. Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman were two of the more productive defensive ends in the country this season. With WVU offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste sitting out, that pair, and SU’s other defensive linemen, need to get after Allison or whoever else is at quarterback for the Mountaineers.

Even if sacks don’t come, getting in the backfield, collapsing the pocket and forcing a quarterback to leave his spot can be enough to break a play down, especially against a backup.

Stat to know: 6 — The Orange has produced six 10-plus win football seasons in its history and hasn’t had one since 2001. In that season, SU started 0-2 and won 10 of its last 11 games, including an Insight.com Bowl win over Kansas State to get to 10 wins. A win against West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl would put Syracuse at 10-3 in 2018.

Player to watch: David Sills V, wide receiver, No. 13

Sills has been Grier’s go-to all season long, catching 61 passes for 896 yards and 15 touchdowns, the second-most receiving touchdowns in the nation. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Sills plays with a blend of speed and size, capable of getting down the field for deep shots and then winning the ball over defensive backs. If he gets hot, it could be a long afternoon for Syracuse’s secondary.

Published on December 26, 2018 at 11:18 pm

Contact Andrew: aegraham@syr.edu | @A_E_Graham