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Rex Culpepper struggled in Syracuse’s 38-14 loss to Wake Forest. He completed one touchdown, two interceptions and 15 of 27 passes for just 85 yards. True freshman JaCobian Morgan replaced him in the fourth quarter, and head coach Dino Babers refused on Monday to commit to Culpepper as a starting quarterback against Boston College. 

Here’s what went wrong for Culpepper on Saturday:

Key drive, missed opportunity

The Orange had momentum at the end of the first half. Nykeim Johnson hauled in a touchdown from Culpepper, and SU was routinely moving the chains, even if it only had seven points. After forcing Wake Forest to punt, Syracuse had an opportunity to take the lead near halftime and return the opening kick of the third quarter. 

On a second down and five, Culpepper looked for Taj Harris on a crossing route. Wake Forest rushed five and played man-to-man coverage, allowing Harris to beat the cornerback. Harris broke into his route past the first down line and had Wake Forest defensive back Caelen Carson behind him.

But Culpepper’s throw was high and behind Harris. The New Jersey native had to readjust and leap back toward the cornerback for the throw. Carson hit Harris midair, and the ball fell to the turf. After an incompletion on the next play, Wake Forest got the ball back and marched down the field to score just before the half. 

The Pick-Six

Nine seconds after Jaquarii Roberson snuck behind the defense and hauled in an 80-yard touchdown, Culpepper made perhaps his worst mistake of the game. The Orange lined up with two receivers to the right, and Wake Forest backed off the receivers, not showing press coverage.

The Demon Deacons quickly dropped into zone coverage, but Culpepper didn’t read that correctly. He saw Gavin Holmes turning as Anthony Queeley ran by on a fly route. Holmes quickly turned around and stepped in front of Harris, who was running an out route. Culpepper only looked at Holmes instead of at the other defensive backs, and he read it as man coverage. If he was correct in his read, Harris would have stepped past the first down line.

Instead, Queeley should’ve been Culpepper’s read. Had Culpepper thrown over-the-top, Queeley would’ve been open in a pocket of the zone. Holmes instead intercepted the redshirt senior and strolled into the end zone, extending the lead to 24. 

The Second Interception

The Orange were down 31 early in the fourth quarter, when Culpepper was intercepted for the second time. The Orange lined up in a set of four wide receivers and one tight end, with no running backs. Needing at least three scores and two point conversions to tie the game, passing was the obvious choice for Syracuse.

Wake Forest dropped into man-to-man coverage, with two safeties over the top playing zone. Johnson ran a curl route from the slot to the 50-yard line and turned around, looking for the ball. But Culpepper’s pass flew over his head and into the arms of safety Trey Rucker. 

Culpepper threw his arms in the air after the interception, clearly confused and unsure why there had been a miscommunication.

Published on November 2, 2020 at 11:00 pm

Contact Adam: adhillma@syr.edu | @_adamhillman