The Syracuse football program concluded its week of practice sessions at Fort Drum with a scrimmage Saturday, and according to reports by Gordon Block of the Watertown Daily Times, the offense struggled while the defense flourished.

While enthusiasm was high, the scrimmage exposed a few flaws in the team’s game plan only weeks before its Sept. 1 opener against Northwestern at the Carrier Dome.

Overall, says Block, Orange head coach Doug Marrone was not pleased by his team's effort.

Marrone expressed concern that his team was not executing well, and that the offense was dropping too many passes and not finding openings. The quarterback unit gave up five interceptions during the two-hour scrimmage.

"Obviously, we need to make some vast improvements," Marrone said.

This was the squad's first scrimmage with referees, who blew the whistle a lot, says Block. It featured just one big play between starting quarterback Ryan Nassib and tight end David Stevens.

The highlight of the scrimmage came when freshman wide receiver Ben Lewis came up with a difficult diving catch while under tight coverage on a perfectly thrown, floating pass from sophomore quarterback Terrel Hunt. The 20-yard touchdown catch drew one of the largest cheers of the day.

The Orange will head back to the SU campus on Sunday.

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