Syracuse (2-4, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) heads back to the friendly, dry confines of the Carrier Dome to host No. 17 Virginia Tech (4-1, 2-0) at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams played in the wind and rain brought on by Hurricane Matthew last weekend. SU fell to Wake Forest and the Hokies thrashed North Carolina.

Here’s everything you need to know for game day.

How can you watch the game? ESPNU

Who’s out? Redshirt senior right guard Omari Palmer and redshirt senior center Jason Emerich are out for the fourth week in a row. On Monday, SU head coach Dino Babers said two of his hurt starting offensive linemen were likely done for the year, meaning that Palmer and Emerich are likely done. Starting cornerback Cordell Hudson was also ruled out, dealing another blow to a tattered secondary. Check out the full injury report here. Freshman Carl Jones will likely start in Hudson’s place.

Also, freshman defensive end Kendall Coleman will be suspended for the first half of the game after being called for targeting in the fourth quarter against Wake Forest.

Who’s healthy? Left tackle Cody Conway was absent from the injury report after missing the last three games. Freshman defensive end Josh Black also wasn’t on the report after seemingly tweaking his ankle against Wake Forest.

What is Dino Babers saying before this game? He thought Coleman’s hit was bang-bang and could’ve gone either way. He also wants to take advantage of Amba Etta-Tawo as much as possible in Etta-Tawo’s one year with the team. See all Babers had to say at his press conference on Monday and the ACC coaches teleconference on Wednesday.

What is Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente saying before this game? He thinks Syracuse’s inexperienced defensive ends have developed better technique as the season has gone along and he said the Orange defensive front moves around a lot, creating trouble for offenses.

What should you know about Virginia Tech? Everything you need to know can be found here.

What do our beat writers think will happen this afternoon? Find out here in our beat writer predictions. Our roundtable discussion about Syracuse’s secondary, the second wide receiver and who has to step up can be found here.

Anything else you should know? Babers and Fuente are both first-year head coaches at their respective schools, but in very different situations. The Orange defensive ends are undermanned heading into the game and SU’s offensive line has a shot at redemption.

Published on October 15, 2016 at 12:37 am

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus