MIAMI – If you decided to bet on Saturday’s football game between Syracuse and Miami, bookies gave you a 19-point spread. Everyone I talked to picked Miami.

Some people I heard predicted a 28-point loss for SU. Others said that Oklahoma’s 77-0 thrashing of Texas A&M on Nov. 8 was nothing. Syracuse might lose by 80.

One guy said he ‘bet the house’ on Miami, which, in his case, was the $6.60 he had left in his online betting account.

The bet would pay off, he figured. Most agreed. But as of the third quarter Saturday, I was convinced that my buddy’s house was gone. I thought Syracuse not only would cover the spread but would pull out a win.

Let me remind you, SU faced Miami. The game was on the road, at the Orange Bowl. And the Orangemen led, 10-7, entering the fourth quarter.

After two straight losses, we knew Miami was struggling. But never have the ‘Canes struggled like this.

Two ranked teams – No. 9 Tennessee and No. 12 Virginia Tech – dropped Miami over the past two weeks. But here stood unranked Syracuse on the verge of winning.

The ‘Canes fought back and won, scoring twice in the fourth quarter and fending off a late SU drive. Regardless of the outcome, Syracuse showed Saturday that college football’s landscape has changed.

Miami is no longer the team that won 41 of 42 games as early as Nov. 2.

After the game, Syracuse players were disgusted with themselves for how the game turned out.

‘How do I look, man?’ quarterback R.J. Anderson snapped when asked how he felt. ‘How do I look right now?’

In truth, Anderson looked near tears, rubbing his face and shaking his head.

‘This thing hurt, man,’ Anderson said. ‘Bad. We knew we had this game. We had this game. They were writing us off. We went in there just balling.’

Syracuse actually expected to win this game. If not for the 80-degree weather, which caused players to vomit on the sideline in the fourth quarter, SU wins.

‘Not could’ve (won),’ SU tight end Joe Donnelly said. ‘We should’ve won this game. They gave us plenty of opportunities, and we should’ve won this game.’

That says a lot more about Miami than it does about Syracuse. UM has fallen faster than you could say, ‘I’m a freakin soldier!’

Just last year, Miami dominated teams, producing 80-yard scoring drives in less than two minutes at will.

Saturday, though, Miami looked feeble. After UM switched quarterbacks and benched tight end Kellen Winslow, SU didn’t know what to think.

Were the Hurricanes at risk? Turns out they were.

UM fails to intimidate opponents now, and players shrug unimpressed by UM’s once-overwhelming speed.

‘There were times when we were just rippin’ them,’ Donnelly said. ‘We could do what we wanted.’

Then Donnelly delivered the most stinging insult.

‘I mean, we matched up with one of the most athletic teams in the country, no problem,’ he said. ‘I mean, I thought Temple came off the ball better. It wasn’t a problem at all.’

Ouch.

Syracuse’s offensive line appeared overmatched facing two Bednarik Award candidates in Vince Wilfork and Jonathan Vilma.

Instead, when a reporter suggested what Donnelly said to offensive guard Matt Tarullo, he confirmed it before the reporter finished the question.

‘Harder,’ Tarullo said of Temple’s defensive line compared to Miami’s. ‘They did play harder. Up front, we just dominated them. (Miami’s) completely different than last year. They don’t have the focus they had last year, don’t have the same kind of attitude.’

One tell-tale sign how Miami is different came with 40 seconds left before halftime. UM still had two timeouts and SU led, 10-7. Still, Miami ran the clock out rather than try scoring from its own 17-yard line. The Canes trotted off the field under a blanket of boos.

Miami committed seven penalties for 52 yards, too.

‘They’re a little bit more undisciplined at times,’ Donnelly said. ‘The penalties, the late hits, the cheap shots. I mean, they’re very confident. A lot of great athletes obviously. But I’ve never seen a Miami team commit so many penalties.

‘Any time you can run for big gains consecutively against Miami, they were in shock. They didn’t know what was going on.’

Well, here’s what happened. Miami almost lost to Syracuse, a loss that would have marked Miami’s third straight. UM’s reign over college football is over.

Scott Lieber is an assistant sports editor at The Daily Orange. E-mail him at smlieber@syr.edu.

Published on November 16, 2003 at 12:00 pm