There was a lot to like from AJ Long in his new debut. But Saturday’s game becomes critical for the Orange and its bowl hunt. So the freshman quarterback will have to drag the offense into the end zone, because it’s red zone numbers are awful.
After a brutal stretch of the schedule in which the Orange have lost four in a row, a winnable game is finally in sight. Syracuse will travel to take on Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons (2-4) have the same record as the Orange but had a bye week last week to prepare.
Unlike the strong defenses of Notre Dame, Louisville and Florida State, the Orange will face a unit ranked 62nd in the nation.  Wake Forest is allowing 400 yards per game, including 190 on the ground. It is no secret the Orange will run the ball, so the other half of the offense becomes the key to the game.
Syracuse is one of the worst teams in the red zone this year, with¬†just¬†nine touchdowns on 23 visits.¬†That’s good for¬†120th¬†in the nation. Injured quarterback Terrell Hunt rushed for six touchdowns, leaving only three coming through the air. While Long can certainly scamper like Hunt, he lacks the size and power of Hunt. Look for Long to target Steve Ishmael on Saturday, who had both touchdown receptions last weekend.
Long presumably has passed Austin Wilson on the depth chart. Long started receiving most of the first team reps in practice this week. It looks like the quarterback platoon has ended for Scott Shafer.
Long, in his debut against Florida State, threw for 167 yards on 16 completions with two touchdowns and two interceptions. There is no reason to believe that Long can’t put up better numbers Saturday after a week in the offense, experience against FSU, and against an inferior opponent.
Wake Forest has just four interceptions on the year. Long showed poise in the pocket against the Seminoles and made great decisions, save for two bad throws. In addition, the Wake defense has only tallied 16 sacks through the first six games.
Long should have ample time to make plays under center.  His legs will allow him to extend plays against a defense softer than Florida State. The Wake secondary is a significant downgrade.  Despite having numerous injuries to key players, Long’s targets should be able to get open downfield.
Last week, he demonstrated his talent with a variety of throws stretching from accurate balls across the middle of the field, throws leading receivers down the sideline, and even back-shoulder targets.
By making good decisions, Long can have a very productive game through the air and on the ground. For Syracuse to win the game, he’s going to have to put up numbers in the red zone Рsomething that hasn’t happened yet this year.
Posted: Jason Weingold
10 responses to “For Your Next Trick AJ Long, Fix Syracuse’s Red Zone Offense”
jason
your statement “Long presumably has passed Austin Wilson on the depth chart. Long started receiving most of the first team reps in practice this week. It looks like the quarterback platoon has ended for Scott Shafer.
Austin Wilson suffered a concussion in last weeks game against FSU and has to set out of practice and games for two weeks which leaves AJ Long as the starting QB. The really interesting piece of news that I received was Mitch Kimble has switched positions to QB. Is this true? if it is true then will Mitch Kimble play QB during the next two games if AJ Long goes down with injury? If healthy,is there any chance that Ashton Broyld might step in and play some at QB? The way I see it is I’m hoping and praying that AJ Long stays healthy over the next two weeks. I believe Clemson is the game following Wake Forest,that should really make things interesting. It’s hard to believe that last year people were asking why does a team carry 6 QB’s. We’ve gone from having 6 on the team to having to play a true fresman,my how fast things can change.
I’m sorry it should have been Mitch Kimble has switched positions from QB to LB. Could you possibly ask and find out if this is true or not?
Hey Ron,
I was at coach Shafer’s press conference this morning and it sounds as though Kimble is the only other healthy quarterback the Orange have. Shafer said Kimble took all the second team reps. If Long goes down it will definitely be Kimble. If Kimble goes down there is a secret 3rd quarterback plan in play. Shafer wouldn’t tell us what the plan is, but said there is definitely a plan in place. It didn’t sound like Kimble has changed positions at all and is in fact the back up this week.
Seth
Was surprised to hear everyone concerned about AJ Long’s size. Sure, he could stand to put on a few lbs, hit the weight room and grow a few inches – however, he’s almost exactly the same size and weight as Everett Golson (6’/185lbs). Seems to be working out ok for #5 and undefeated ND.
Seth
When I was told that the other night that Kimble had switched positions and was playing LB,i thought it sounded awful funny and was hard to believe. But I had to ask. Third QB option!!!!! I wonder what that might be,speculation tells me that maybe Ashton Broyld might get a chance if both Long and Kimble get hurt.
Thanks Seth for the response,much appreciated.
Wouldn’t Tim Greene’s kid (or is it his nephew) be #3?
Troy is Tim’s son, I think I saw somewhere that he is or was injured… Hopefully cuse doesn’t have anymore injuries, but it’s nature of the beast..
It certainly sounds like there is NOT a third healthy quarterback on the roster for the Orange this weekend. If I were to speculate, I would think Broyld could be thrown in if they need it but he would need to be healthy for that to happen, and he is still listed as doubtful for this weekend. Just relaying what Shafer said, he told us Thursday there is a plan, but he didn’t want to give it away and hoped that he would not get that far.
Seth
An awful lot of (unfair) pressure to put on a true freshman qb. Its is up to the Oline and the running backs and Long to get the redzone offense clicking. If the Line can push a lil more, I can see the backs making the defense pay down there. Once that D realizes how legit the runningbacks are, then you can punish em with those fade routes to say Ish, Flemming or Broyld, or find the TE like Moore and Parris in the endzone.
Hedgehog,
I do believe that Long is tall enough to play qb, but it is fair to say that he should put on some mass just to cushion him against some of the hits he might take. But ofcourse he is fresh out of hs and will have plenty of time to get bigger. So thats not a slight against Long, its just a realization of one area where he may grow.
Didn’t know Kimble was undergoing a position switch, I thought I saw him on the sidelines wearing a headset last week? I hope that Long stays healthy and Broyld only takes gimmick snaps at qb. At one point, I had visions of Broyld being our Cam Newton type of dual threat qb, but I am intrigued by his potential as a wr and want to see him continue that development when he returns.
Seth
After doing some investagating on Mitch Kimble switching positions, I’ve found that I got “PUNKED” and found that it was all fabricated and no truth to it at all. I APOLOGIZE TO EVERYONE FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION. Thanks again Seth for helping to right a wrong and getting the story straight. I promise it won’t happen again.