5 takeaways from Syracuse's 24-17 win over NC State

Syracuse picked up a 24-17 win on the road against NC State on Saturday night.

Here are the key takeaways from the game.

Before North Carolina State's first touchdown, Syracuse should have called a timeout, even if it was the last timeout available in the first half. The pre-snap movement in the defensive backfield made it clear that there was confusion.

It should come as no surprise that the coverage was broken and the Wolfpack's Justin Joly was completely uncovered in the end zone.

The Orange defense made a huge impact in the game by losing three turnovers.

However, they did a poor job, which made NC State's freshman quarterback CJ Bailey uncomfortable.

SU took the lead on the opening drive and their offense dominated on possession, but their defensive mates allowed Bailey to complete over 70 percent of his passes for 329 yards, including gains of 75 and 72 yards.

I have no choice but to believe that the return of the direct snap to Dan Villari serves to set up future opponents for another offensive onslaught.

Four runs for 11 yards is nothing special, so I don't expect this to be a regular addition to the offense.

Additionally, Villari may attempt a jump pass inside an opponent's five-yard line from the shotgun formation in the next three games.

SU was great again on third down.

They went 8 of 15 against the Wolfpack, a conversion rate of 53.3 percent. Syracuse has moved the uprights on 54.7 percent of its third downs this season and has been over 50 percent in each of its five wins this season.

This third down success also contributed to their dominance in time of possession.

The Orange held the ball an average of 36:51 in each of their last three games and had four possessions against NC State that lasted at least 5:28 of game time.

SU's only possessions that lasted fewer than eight plays were the ones that ended each half.

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