The numbers have gotten a high number of penalties, as well as racking up an extremely high number of yards as well.
Through three games this season, the Syracuse Orange football team is just 1-2. The Orange opened up the season with a rout of New Hampshire (66-3) before a disappointing home loss (21-18) against Cal. The Orange went on the road in Week 3 and lost 27-13 against Pitt.
One of the biggest reasons the Orange have not found the success they had hoped for early on in the season is because of the team's penalty woes, which he covered further here. The team has had not just committed a massive number of penalties, but they've been for costly yards, even wiping away a punt return touchdown in Week 2.
So how do the Orange compare through three games?
Recapping Syracuse football's penalties and yardage to the start of the season
Game 1 versus New Hampshire: 12 penalties for 125 yards
Game 2 versus California:14 penalties for 110 yards.
Game 3 versus Pittsburgh: 10 penalties for 94 yards
Where do total penalties and penalty yards rank nationally through three games?
Through the first three weeks of the season, the Orange lead the nation in penalties taken with 36. No team has that many. That's not a crown that head coach Fran Brown wants to wear.
Only the UTSA Road Runners have committed more total penalty yardage, with UTSA posting 345 yards compared to the Orange's 329.
The 36 penalties are the most committed by any ACC team through three games since 2023.
How can Syracuse fix the problem?
The issue of fixing penalties for a team has, for decades, become one of the more polarizing topics among coaches, fans and media members.
Some suggest a team that commits a high number of penalties is not well-coached and lacks discipline in its game.
Others say each penalty is based upon an individual's course of action and decision making associated with bang-bang plays.
Personally, I lean towards penalties being more on the players than the coaches. It it highly unlikely a coach or his staff is teaching or practicing the wrong technique that would result in a penalty being called during a game.
The hope is that Brown and his staff are working and teaching each player how to correct the mistakes they made through the first three games so those mistakes don't get made again.
What's next for Syracuse football?
Brown and his staff have more than a week to correct issues when it comes to committing penalties. Syracuse is on a bye week for the weekend of Sept. 27 and will not play in a game again until Oct. 3 when they take on the UConn Huskies.
For the Orange to have success against the Huskies, Syracuse will need to drastically decrease the amount of mistakes made. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. ET in East Hartford, CT.
