Twice, in the span of a week, Syracuse earning its fourth victory came down to its fourth-quarter defense.

Twice, on the final drive of regulation, it crumbled.

Virginia drove 88 yards in 18 plays to force overtime.

Pittsburgh went 89 yards in 19 plays for the win.

Make that four straight losses during which the Orange either led or was within one score in the fourth quarter. And in the past four fourth quarters, SU has allowed 44 points.

“One more tackle, one more better fit,” SU head coach Scott Shafer said. “Simple as that. That’s what the game is.”

The first half of the Orange’s schedule was where it was supposed to load up on wins. Instead, the wheels have started to come off for SU, which now sits at 3-4 about to face two perennial powerhouses in the next three games. Virginia and No. 23 Pittsburgh are not No. 17 Florida State and No. 3 Clemson. And with several chances to collect wins early on, SU has failed.

When Syracuse got off to its first 3-0 start since 1991, Shafer said to give his young team credit. Now, with more games under its belt, the defense that featured eight new starters at the beginning of the year has faltered week after week, most recently against Pittsburgh.

“I thought it was a very good football game,” Shafer said. “Nip and tuck playing a good, tough, hardnosed brand of football on both sides.”

While Shafer likes hardnosed defense, it’s a successful one that’s able to make a fourth-quarter stop when it needs to. It doesn’t commit a facemask penalty on a third-and-15, and it doesn’t allow a converted fake punt on what eventually becomes the opponent’s game-winning drive.

The coaching staff says this team competes hard every week. The games haven’t been blowouts — losses to UVA and Pitt have come by a combined nine points — and a play here or there could put Syracuse at 5-2.

“I feel like we’re close, you know,” sophomore linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “The game’s always there, the game’s always in reach.”

But it comes down to results and this team hasn’t gotten them.

After the Cavaliers went 9-of-17 on third downs, Shafer said on Thursday that Syracuse has struggled because it couldn’t get off the field on defense. Even with that as a focus, the Panthers converted on 9-of-17.

At this point in the season, new players aren’t young anymore and the coaching staff is upfront about that. Shafer added on Thursday the fundamentals could use improvement and oftentimes it’s been the fundamentals that have cost the Orange when it had opportunities to make stops.

When the fourth quarter started on Saturday with Syracuse leading by four, nearly every player on the Panthers’ sideline began dancing, jumping up and down. On the opposite sideline, Syracuse players stood still. Fans booed Pitt’s antics but when Pittsburgh’s Chris Blewitt hit a 25-yard, game-winning field goal, it was clear which team was ready for the final stretch.

“You have to win games in the fourth quarter,” Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi said.

The Orange’s recent stretch has brought back reminders of last season when it lost nine of its last 10.

SU still can win three of its last five to become bowl eligible, but its fourth-quarter defense isn’t doing it any favors.

“We just have to learn how to win these types of games,” Franklin said.

So far, Syracuse has learned how to lose them.

Published on October 25, 2015 at 8:56 pm