Syracuse, NY – A look at the highs and lows of Syracuse’s 31/14 loss to Pittsburgh at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.
Worst Statistics: After the ball took 75 yards for a touchdown on its opening drive, it took the next eight drives for the Syracuse Offensive to put together another 75.
At that point, the Oranges were down 28-7 and a few fans were so upset by the offensive that they set off for the exit at the end of the third quarter.
Biggest Disappointment: The defeat left Syracuse 5-7, one game less than qualifying for a bowl game and a record loss for the seventh time in eight years.
Biggest question: who is training Syracuse next year?
Syracuse was better than last year and better than national expectations after the debacle with a win last season. It fared better with a new offensive identity and new quarterback, but appeared to be on the decline against tougher opponents towards the end of the year.
Is that moderate improvement enough to warrant Dino Babers’ return after a fifth losing season in six years?
There were no answers immediately after the game.
Biggest Game: Syracuse was just seven points behind, stopping Pittsburgh on its first drive of the second half and facing a likely long field goal attempt after Stefon Thompson sacked Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett at the SU30.
Unfortunately for Syracuse, Thompson got Pickett’s face mask while he was doing the tackle and gave the Panthers a free first down.
With a second chance, the Panthers converted a 4-yard touchdown two moves later and took the lead in the third quarter with 10:26 with 21: 7. With the Syracuse offense, the two-point lead felt pretty secure and the Orange never came within a point again.
Biggest Hit: Pittsburgh made great use of its economies of scale throughout the game, especially at the narrow end.
The best example came in the fifth game of the second half when Gavin Bartholomew caught a short pass and rolled over Syracuse defender Garrett Williams en route to a first down.
Williams was weighed in at 70 pounds so he had little to do with the narrow end in space but slowed it down and gathered help on the ball.
Best decision: Syracuse gave an aggressive tone early on and tried 4th place.
The Orange converted to DeVaughn Cooper after a pass from Garrett Shrader and then took an early 7-0 lead when Shrader met Courtney Jackson with a 12-yard pass. The Orange wouldn’t beat Pitt with field goals, so there was no point in settling for one to open the game.
Worst decision: Since Syracuse with a 4th and 1st use the second of his three timeouts before a punt.
The election didn’t cost the orange because Pittsburgh couldn’t move the ball, but given the minimal time Syracuse would have had in getting the ball back, the five yards were far more valuable than a third timeout.
Best Ovation: With 3:45 to go in the first quarter, Syracuse recognized Sean Tucker for setting the school’s rushing record in a single season the previous week. Along with a quick ovation, the Carrier Dome’s video panel showed a Tucker-centered highlight film and a video by Joe Morris to commemorate the moment.
Best Start: The Syracuse defense got off to a phenomenal start against one of the best offensives in the country, holding Pittsburgh with no first down and only 21 yards in the first quarter. Particularly impressive was the confrontation with Syracuse defensive backs Duce Chestnut, Garrett Williams, Jason Simmons and Aman Greenwood.
Syracuse’s best offensive performance: In a season when Syracuse’s passing game was minimal, wide receiver Courtney Jackson continued to make promises. He caught seven passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns.
His 15-yard touchdown reception from Shrader in the second half was probably the best pass of the day.
Best Homecoming: SirVocea Dennis, a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy, has had some huge hits on his return to the Carrier Dome, including one that helped change the dynamics of the game in the second quarter.
When the ball spattered free in a reception at 6:38 to DeVaughn Cooper’s left in the first half, Dennis was in the right place to pick it up and make revenue in a tie.
Pittsburgh took advantage of the turnover and took their first lead, 14-7, on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Pickett to Jordan Addison with 5:06 remainder in the first half.
Dennis finished with four tackles and a quarterback rush.
Worst Discipline: The first offensive possession after an early lead, Syracuse’s offensive line was called to two unsportsmanlike penalties for pushing Pittsburgh players after the game. The Panthers helped attract the officials’ attention by waving their arms, but the penalties contributed to the fifth consecutive empty possession after Syracuse scored a touchdown on his first drive.
Syracuse violated his field position on the next trip with a block in his back during his boat trip.
The Orange finished with nine penalties for 66 yards.
Biggest news: Bigger dominoes will certainly fall during the offseason, but Syracuse will replace kicker Andre Szmyt next year.
While he still has one more year to go, he chose to be honored during the school’s Senior Day ceremony. Szmyt will be Syracuse’s all-time top scorer with 354 career points. The Orange lists punter James Williams as a backup option on the depth chart and it will almost certainly be in the market this off-season.
Biggest Number: Tucker was kept in check by Pittsburgh’s strong running defense and failed to lead the country after running 29 yards with 13 carries in the season.
Still, he had an unforgettable season and should consider All-America status.
Syracuse’s new single-season rushing record is 1,480 yards. That will likely be good for fourth in the country, behind Lew Nichols (1,710) from central Michigan, Kenneth Walker III (1,614) from Michigan and Tyler Badie (1,604) from Missouri.
Best thing to remember: every year when the season comes we think we’ve figured it all out. But every year is full of twists and turns.
The Orange ended the year with the championship of the Coastal Division. Pitt will play Wake Forest for the conference title next week.
Just like we all expected. I’ll see you next.
Contact Chris Carlson at any time: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1639
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