PITTSBURGH — Syracuse’s first drive stalled after its banged-up offensive line allowed Pittsburgh defensive lineman Darryl Render to burst through the center and stop running back Prince-Tyson Gulley for a 7-yard loss. Its second possession ended on the first play after Gulley let the ball escape his grasp. An interception in the end zone dashed the third chance.

In total, Syracuse’s first-half possessions ended in two punts, two interceptions, a fumble and a missed field goal. In a season defined by injuries and an anemic offense, the futility came to a boiling point in a scoreless first half.

“We couldn’t sustain drives on offense,” SU head coach Scott Shafer said. “And when we did have a couple opportunities, we didn’t make plays.”

And when Syracuse did find momentum — like a 75-yard touchdown drive to start the second half — it didn’t maintain it. The Orange (3-8, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) committed three turnovers, held the ball for only 21:18, and was methodically picked apart by Pittsburgh (5-6, 3-4) in a 30-7 loss to the Panthers on a freezing, rainy Saturday afternoon at Heinz Field in front of 32,549 fans.

It was the fifth time this season that Syracuse has been held to one or fewer offensive touchdowns, and it continued a season-long pattern of inconsistency on that side of the ball.

“It was never a matter of rhythm, because we always had it,” freshman quarterback AJ Long said. “It was a matter of the offense, and us mentally shooting ourselves in the foot that stopped us today.”

Syracuse stayed alive in a game it had no business being in. Kicker Chris Blewitt missed 41- and 45-yard field-goal attempts, wasting the Panthers’ possessions of 7:03 and 11:20, respectively.

Pittsburgh’s ground-and-pound offense that had possession for nearly two-thirds of the game did little more than kill game clock, but still hurt any chance of SU getting an opportunity to string together some offense.

“It’s a game of momentum,” Shafer said, “but it’s also a game of moving the football to get guys opportunities to get their wind back on the other side. And the whole thing plays together and if you don’t have momentum swings, it’s hard to get yourself in position to win a game.”

On its third drive, Syracuse had seemingly stabilized an offense that had combined for a negative 4 yards in its first two drives. Long faked a jet sweep handoff to Gulley and fired a 28-yard pass to Devante McFarlane. Three plays later, Long hit Ben Lewis over the middle for a 14-yard connection.

But on third-and-16, he lofted a pass to the corner of end zone that was intercepted by cornerback Lafayette Pitts.

Syracuse still found hope when Long connected with freshman wide receiver Steve Ishmael on a 46-yard pass early in the second half. Six plays later, defensive lineman Ron Thompson scored his first career touchdown, moonlighting in SU’s backfield.

In nearly every game this season, Syracuse has found itself on the cusp of second-half contention, only for its opponent to pull away. Against Louisville, a Cole Murphy field goal cut a deficit to six in an eventual 22-point defeat. A 14-9 second-half lead over North Carolina State turned into a 24-17 loss. When the Orange hosted Duke, a 10-10 fourth-quarter tie resulted in a 27-10 loss.

And again on Saturday, when the momentum shifted Syracuse’s way, it too was only an aberration. The Panthers scored on their next three possessions after SU’s touchdown, and the Orange wouldn’t touch the red zone again.

It was another empty performance in a lost season for the Orange.

“We just really want to change this program around,” said Ishmael, who finished with 97 receiving yards on six receptions. “Tough loss, tough year, but sometimes people on teams do trials and tribulations not just to scour or anything, but to make them stronger as a team.”

Published on November 22, 2014 at 6:48 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3