Syracuse Football: Breaking down hot takes after Cuse loss to Clemson

Sadly the Syracuse football team lost to the Clemson Tigers, 31-14, over the weekend. This loss hurt as many hoped Syracuse could win it, especially at home.

And after the loss, social media as usual was a place to vent frustration. Some said, “We will get them next time,” while others considered this the beginning of the end of the season with many somewhere in between.

Social media allows us to vent in real-time and react. Sometimes in that moment, we say things or just rage and that’s just life sometimes. But it’s also fair to remember it’s okay to breathe, step away from your device and calm down a bit before sharing your thoughts.

See the thing is, the coaches and players all (or many at least) have access to it as well. They’re feeling down too and frustrated. What they don’t need to see though is some negative things that oftentimes were just said temporarily out of frustration. Don’t forget that no matter your level of fandom, these players and staff are the ones out there and tried their hardest but know they fell short. So we should lift them up and reassure them that we stand with them.

After Syracuse football lost to Clemson, there were a lot of heavy emotions from fans.

Now having shared that, let’s discuss a few things. Like this notion that losing this one game (Syracuse football is 4-1 by the way), means the season is over and we should not show up and support this team. Or that this just proves this team only won the other four games due to them beating inferior opponents. And Syracuse football is guaranteed not to win their next two now because this was their “easiest” test of this three-game stretch I once called the “Bermuda Triangle.”

We knew heading into the season that Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State three in a row would be difficult. Clemson having two losses made many of us feel like they’re not the Clemson of old. But Clemson is still a team loaded with talent and it was not going to be an easy win if the Orange did win it.

And because Syracuse football lost here, doesn’t mean this team can’t go into Carolina or FSU and get a win or wins…it was one game. There were many moments this team could have won or had a few calls gone different, at least made it closer (and I’m a big believer in momentum so it’s also possible if certain calls favored Syracuse football, they could have used that momentum to get the win).

But keep in mind before you walk that plank that this is just one loss. This is not last year’s team or the team before it or any other team from the past. How they react to this loss will show a lot about where they are as a team and I’m not ready to bury this season yet, let alone a strong finish.

I also find that using this loss to justify not supporting the team at home in the future to be a mistake. Yes they struggled and certain mistakes especially were not ideal but this team still deserves our love and support, now even more so than ever.

Let’s show them we have bad days too and there is still time to persevere. My son’s varsity soccer team hasn’t won a game all season but I still love him and on game day (if I’m not working), I’m there to let him know I still care…the same holds true with Syracuse football.

Nobody needs to be fired. Nobody needs to not show up for games. Nobody should completely trash the program that you’re a fan of publicly in a forum where recruits, players, staff and others are seeing it too. And nobody absolutely nobody feels worse after a loss like that than those who actually left their blood, sweat and tears on that field in the hopes of victory.

And one last thought, if you’re wanting to fire Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers because of a missed 57-yard field goal, I guess I should be fired as a fan. Yes, the field-goal attempt wasn’t successful, and Clemson unfortunately drove for a touchdown following it.

But as Coach Babers stated in the post-game press conference, that’s a kick that Syracuse football kicker Brady Denaburg can make and Coach Babers believed in his player. If Brady makes it, it’s 14-10 and now possibly a momentum changer (told you I’m a big believer in momentum). He took a chance because he believed in his guy and while it missed, don’t be surprised if Brady uses this and does break the school record one day soon.

Rocky Balboa once said, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” This is one game and it shouldn’t define a season. It shouldn’t define this program, this team or a legacy. This is still a talented Syracuse football team and I believe in them and I believe that they’re still capable of shocking people who are counting them out right now.