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

2. Critical errors defensively

Making the key play in the game is how you get skins on the wall. While NC State wouldn’t have been the biggest skin on the wall, it still would’ve been nice to have. It would’ve put the Orange over .500, started conference play with a win, and helped build the resume for a bowl berth.

Instead the Orange coughed away opportunity after opportunity. Including for seemingly the third game in a row an interception was dropped. At the end of the game, fair or unfair, the Orange defense needed to make one stop and again couldn’t do it.

It wasn’t all bad for the Orange:

• Held NC State to 23 total yards in the third quarter
• The Wolfpack only converted 3-of-12 third down conversions
• Held one of the most prolific offenses in check

Additional note, arguably SU’s best player Zaire Franklin left the game early but ended up returning to the contest. While it is the Orange’s deepest position, they can’t afford to lose their best player for any significant time this season.