Football Game Preview: Syracuse Titans vs. Westlake Thunder + How To Watch

Two dominant signal callers in Ledger Wight and BOSTEN FOUNTAINE are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After both having extra time off, the Syracuse Titans and the Westlake Thunder will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Syracuse is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Utah's top teams: Farmington, who was ranked 18th at the time (Syracuse was ranked 12th). The Titans fell 27-21 to the Phoenix on October 9th. The game marked the Titans' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.

The losing side was boosted by Cohen Godderidge, who picked up 85 receiving yards and one TD.

Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 21-21 at halftime, Westlake was not quite Mountain Ridge's equal in the second half last Friday. They took a 35-28 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Sentinels. The Thunder's defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.

Syracuse will have to keep a close watch on MALIK SIKA and KYLE PIERCE, a pair of players who had a big impact on Westlake's prior game. SIKA picked up 136 receiving yards and one score, while PIERCE picked up 100 receiving yards and one touchdown. SIKA's receiving production has been exceptional as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 100 receiving yards.

Syracuse's record now sits at 6-3. As for Westlake, their record is now 7-3.

The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Syracuse has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 223.8 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Westlake has preferred to attack from the air: they average 272.8 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.

Syracuse took their victory against Westlake when the teams last played back in August of 2022 by a conclusive 37-13 score. Do the Titans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Thunder turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.