West Virginia @ Syracuse preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 23, 2010 ) Syracuse 19, West Virginia 14

THE STORY: The bye week has been about the only thing recently slowing down Geno Smith, who leads the prolific offense of No. 15 West Virginia into a prime-time showdown Friday in Syracuse. The Mountaineers have scored 98 points in their last two games with Smith throwing for 688 yards and seven touchdowns. The junior could keep piling on numbers against a Syracuse defense that ranks 112th against the pass. The Orange will need Ryan Nassib to counter every punch, but the senior has struggled in his two games before last week’s bye, throwing for less than 200 yards in each and tossing three interceptions.

TV: ESPN. LINE: WVU -14

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (5-1, 1-0 BIG EAST): The Mountaineers four-wide sets will spread an Orange defense lacking in confidence. Syracuse has been eaten up by game-changing targets, allowing a 100-yard receiver in each of its last three games. Smith has three weapons on the outside in Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin and Ivan McCartney, who all rank in the top four in the Big East in receiving yards. Each has helped WVU produce a whopping 19 plays of 30 yards or more. Syracuse conceded three such plays for touchdowns in a narrow win over Tulane two weeks ago.

ABOUT SYRACUSE (4-2, 0-1 BIG EAST): Nassib finished September as one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the country, but secondaries have taken away his top threat in Van Chew. The sure-handed receiver has just two catches for 20 yards and no touchdowns in the last two games after grabbing three scores in the first three games. If Nassib can’t find Chew in this one, he’ll have to once again turn to the ground game to keep his counterpart Smith on the sidelines. The Orange ran the ball 40 times for a season-high 170 yards last time out in a 37-34 road win over Tulane.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Syracuse stunned West Virginia 19-14 last year, when Smith was sacked five times and threw three interceptions in the first half.

2. The Orange haven’t won at home in the series since 2001.

3. Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones returns after missing five games with a lower-body injury. The redshirt senior, who recorded 9.5 tackles for loss in 2010, should help a pass-rush that ranks seventh in the conference and failed to take down the quarterback in its last game.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 38, Syracuse 28 – The bye week really aided the Orange’s injuries in the secondary and it could keep Smith in check in the first half. After all, WVU has trailed in all six games this season. Smith, though, should be able to make just enough big plays late to earn the road win.