Syracuse Football Loses Heartbreaker to Pitt
By David Stone
I’m almost at a loss for words after today’s game. Almost.
If you tuned in, you got to watch yet another chapter in the heartbreaking, frustrating, hair-pulling saga that is Syracuse football. Syracuse lost the game on a last second field goal. But the backbreaker came on a Pitt fake punt on 4th and 8 with under five minutes in the game that kept their drive alive. I’ve got to hand it to them, no one saw that coming, certainly not SU.
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The game started well for Syracuse football with Dungey hitting on a pair of first half touchdowns to take a 17-13 lead at the half. One thing to note is that Syracuse went up 17-10 with only 28 seconds left in the half, but due to some lax coverage and a questionable call of an in-bounds reception, Pitt was able to squeak out a field goal before the half ended. Those three points turned out to be huge.
The second half started out with a very scary moment for SU, as Dungey scrambled on their first offensive play of the half. As he was running, he took a vicious hit that knocked him flat on the ground, where he remained motionless for several seconds. Thankfully, he sprung up and after being evaluated for a concussion, was allowed to return.
When he returned to the field however, he didn’t look like he was all there. He threw back-to-back interceptions in the third quarter on two very poorly thrown balls. Eventually he recovered from those poor throws to lead a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter. He scrambled for 38 yards on one play to get Syracuse football into field goal range and tie it 20-20.
His heroics wouldn’t be enough however, as Pittsburgh mounted a 17-play, 90 yard drive to put it away. That included the gutsy 4th down fake punt that proved to be the knockout punch.
Oct 24, 2015; Syracuse, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers place kicker Chris Blewitt (12) is congratulated by holder Ryan Winslow (18) long snapper Pat Quirin (61) and lineman Carson Baker (72) after making the game winning field goal as time expired to beat the Syracuse Orange 23-20 at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Although a loss is still a loss, there was a lot to be optimistic about from this game. Steve Ishmael played a good game, going over the century mark in receiving yards for the first time this year. Eric Dungey threw a pair of touchdowns. Jordan Fredericks piled up 91 yards on just 12 rushes. Erv Philips looked like electric in a bottle in the slot and backfield. Zaire Franklin had a pair of monster sacks and played outstanding all game. Antwan Cordy made a number of great open-field tackles and played exceptional in coverage. The entire defense actually stepped up pretty well, and looked much better against the screens this week. There were definitely a lot of positives to take away from this week’s game.
The most frustrating thing about this whole season for SU is that they are two plays away from potentially being 5-2. They are only a couple more plays from 6-1. As a team, they’ve played well, just not always well enough to win. The defense, which has been the achilles heel for SU lately, played quite well. The offense did too. It just came down to one big play for Pitt that completely changed the momentum and the outcome.
Things get no easier for Syracuse football moving forward, as their next three games are against Florida State, Louisville, and Clemson. There is now a very distinct possibility this team could go from 3-0 to 3-7. I certainly hope that doesn’t happen, but Syracuse will most assuredly not be favored in any of their next three.
Check back later in the week for some in-depth analysis of Florida State, as well as predictions and previews. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with all your Syracuse football news.