Syracuse (2-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) fell to Louisville (5-1, 3-1 ACC) by a score of 28-6 in the Carrier Dome on Friday night, and here are three quick reactions to the game.

1. 0-for-everything

Forgive the obviousness, but it’s hard to win football games without scoring touchdowns. Syracuse tried to prove that wrong and, in a lot of ways, so did Louisville. But two field goals from Cole Murphy were far less than the Orange needed to keep pace with Louisville, and touchdowns were painfully at the Orange’s fingertips.

Just before the end of the first half, Terrel Hunt tried to spike the ball with two seconds left, but NCAA rules say that you can’t do so with less than three seconds on the clock. The half ran out with SU on the Louisville 1-yard line.

Then running back Prince-Tyson Gulley scrambled in the backfield and found Ben Lewis for a score, but right tackle Omari Palmer was flagged for being an “illegal man downfield.” A play later, wide receiver Jarrod West took a toss on a reverse and delivered a pass to a wide-open Lewis, and that “touchdown” slipped through Lewis’ fingers.

The Orange’s two best chances to cash in were thrown by a running back and a wide receiver. Syracuse’s offense scored six points and gave up four on two safeties.

At least it beat itself. 

2. Role reversal

Syracuse’s defense was sharp and ultimately gave the Orange a fighting chance for too long. But within the solid performance was an untimely inability to stop Louisville’s Brandon Radcliffe, who finished with 23 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

SU’s secondary was good in coverage — most notably in late downs — and true freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon didn’t do much in the air. Yet that effort wasn’t entirely supported in the rush defense.

Pressure in the passing game was there from the defensive line, and especially outside linebackers Cameron Lynch and Dyshawn Davis. But the Orange’s front seven wasn’t as sharp when the ball was in Radcliffe’s hands. In those instances, it wasn’t really sharp at all.

3. Empty feeling

By the time Austin Wilson subbed in for a hobbled Hunt, the Carrier Dome bleachers were as empty as they’ve been all season. The football dictated the atmosphere and it was a bleak one by night’s end.

In the first three quarters, fans trickled out in bunches and those that remained showered the Orange with boos. But when Syracuse took its second safety of the game late in the fourth quarter, few were around to even do that.

Published on October 3, 2014 at 11:55 pm