In 2009, singer Daniel Powter sang a song called “Bad Day” where he talks about picking yourself up after a bad day, and that got me thinking about Syracuse football. That song hits hard when your team loses.
In the Rocky movies, Rocky’s been beaten a few times but never gives up and finds a way to win. In the film “Rocky Balboa,” Rocky gives his son a speech about how life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. He goes on to say though that, “it ain’t about how hard ya hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
The Orange took a hard hit this past Saturday at Louisville, 41-3, and it hurt. It was a bad day all around and at times hard to watch. But like Rocky said, it’s about getting back up and moving forward from here.
Two weeks ago at work, I had back-to-back days where I struggled and made mistakes that caused me a bit of anxiety, from which it took some time to recover. I wasn’t fired thankfully because my boss knows me and knows that for those few mistakes I will make, I’ll learn from them and give them maximum effort the rest of the time.
Yes, I struggled to comprehend why I had those bad moments but I refuse to let it define me and my work ethic. I will prove to my employer that I’m worth the time and investment.
Syracuse football has an opportunity to redeem itself over these next two games.
I believe Syracuse football knows they had an off day. I believe the staff knows they have to do better and the players know they’re better than one bad day. I believe in this team just like my boss believes in me, because I know this team isn’t defined by what we saw on Saturday. This is a better team than that. They know it…I know it…the fans and experts know it.
Look, full credit goes to Louisville, a team that played a darn good game. The Cardinals made plays they needed to make and nothing can take away from that. But the Orange had a bad day, too, and it’s my belief that it was just a good day for Louisville and a bad day for Syracuse football.
The Orange goes back on the road this Saturday against the NC State Wolfpack. The Wolfpack has been ranked for most of this season. N.C. State is 7-3 and coming off a close three-point loss to Wake Forest. NC State is a formidable opponent and one that should be respected. Syracuse football is coming off an ugly loss and many are ready to write off the Orange’s chances in this game and at getting one more win to secure bowl eligibility.
Syracuse football has been counted out before. Syracuse football has had bad days before but we overcame them and we will overcome this one, too. We’ve all had bad days that we hope won’t define us. On Saturday, the Orange has a chance to redeem themselves and prove it was just a bad day.
So I say let’s go out there and get a win when many aren’t expecting it. Pick ourselves up and keep moving forward towards that goal of making it to a bowl game. It’s the 11th round of a 12-round fight and it’s all tied up.
We still have a chance to get the decision if we keep fighting for what we know is rightfully ours…a bowl game. We can’t give up, not when we are so close, and I refuse to lose faith now.