CINCINNATI – Cameron Dantley was still Syracuse’s quarterback by the time the season expired Saturday, a fourth-straight poor outing not enough to shake his status as the starter. Dantley took every snap against Cincinnati. The Orange coaches, as they have all year, stuck with the junior through every struggle and setback.

And there were plenty of those against the Bearcats. Dantley was 1-for-13 through three quarters of Saturday’s 30-10 loss, piloting a dormant offense that never gave the Orange a chance.

Dantley finished 6-of-23 for 59 yards – another step back in what has been a miserable month for the former walk-on.

‘When you get one completion through three quarters, you’re not going to get much done on offense,’ Dantley said after Saturday’s debacle, ice bags strapped to his right arm and leg. ‘… To know our capabilities, it’s tough not to reach our goals and what we’re trying to do in the passing game.’

That passing game hasn’t looked solid in quite some time. In the last four games, Dantley has completed 34.2 percent of his passes (26-for-76) and averaged 59.5 passing yards per game. Syracuse is 1-3 in that span.

Still, the junior made his 11th-straight start Saturday since taking over for Andrew Robinson in week two. He’s averaged 118 passing yards per game in those starts – hardly impressive, even in Syracuse’s run-heavy offense. He threw 11 touchdowns and five interceptions this season.

‘I don’t think he played up to his standard,’ Syracuse offensive coordinator Mitch Browning said of Dantley’s outing at Cincinnati. ‘That happens sometimes. But when you only go out and play 12 games, you have to be on your A-game every week.’

By the time Dantley completed his second pass of the game – an 8-yard pass to freshman wideout Marcus Sales early in the fourth quarter – the quarterback had gone over 40 minutes without a completion. Syracuse had five passing yards at that point.

‘All we’re doing is running the ball,’ Dantley said. ‘We can’t get a completion, we’re making mistakes. … It comes down to me, too. I put a lot of it on myself. I just feel I didn’t perform to my capabilities today.’

While Syracuse struggled to keep the ball on offense (it ran three plays in the first quarter), Cincinnati began to grind away at the SU defense. The Bearcats held a 13-minute time-of-possession advantage at halftime.

There were other reasons for the offensive ineptitude. When passes were on target, Orange receivers dropped catchable balls. On one pass, a wide-open Sales simply fell down.

But the problems started with Dantley. His biggest blunder came early in the third quarter. Dantley fired left for wideout Dan Sheeran, who was running a slant. The ball sailed wide right, into the hands of Cincinnati linebacker Corey Smith. That interception set up a Bearcats touchdown to make it 20-3, effectively ending any upset hopes the Orange was still harboring.

The Syracuse coaches have never wavered. Backup Andrew Robinson had taken snaps in the second half against Rutgers and Connecticut. He remained on the sideline Saturday.

‘I’ll tell you what, I think he competed, though,’ SU head coach Greg Robinson said of Dantley. ‘I think there were a couple balls he was off a little bit on. But I know this, he was competing. I was proud of the way he was fighting.’

Dantley eventually found a bit of rhythm – leading Syracuse on a 12-play, 74-yard drive before finding Sheeran for a 6-yard touchdown toss. But that touchdown made it 30-10, only softening the scoreline for Syracuse.

These Syracuse coaches – the ones that stuck by Dantley – won’t have any say whether he is the starter next year. New coaches will come in. Syracuse’s quarterbacks will be evaluated. Andrew Robinson will have a chance to win his job back somewhere along the line.

Those decisions won’t be made for some time. But Dantley didn’t make much of a final impression Saturday.

‘I just try to brush it off as much as I can, but sometimes it’s tough,’ Dantley said. ‘I got over it a little bit at the end, in the fourth quarter, but by then it was too late.

‘I just want to keep working for it and get ready for next season.’

jsclayto@syr.edu

Published on December 1, 2008 at 12:00 pm