Syracuse Football: Top 5 bittersweet oranges from loss to NC State

4. Steve Ishmael has a second career

As a magician. I mean if this football thing doesn’t work out, a career in magic wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Steve Ishmael had one reception in the first half, after leading the nation in receptions heading into this game.

While he finished with his fifth straight 100+ yard receiving game, it wasn’t the same. He finished specifically with six receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. But this is what happened in the past during Ishmael’s career. He would disappear on offense and the team would struggle.

It’s no coincidence the Orange got off to a slow start and Ishmael wasn’t a factor in the offense. Now I’m not completely blaming Ishmael for the loss because it wasn’t all his fault, but he was worth a mention on this slide.

Huge shoutout to his running mate Erv Philips who dominated this game. He now owns the single game reception record at Syracuse after going off for: 17 receptions for 188 yards. Consistently throughout the game converted key third down conversions and always provided Dungey a security blanket.