NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
It was another home game for the Syracuse Orange and another case of good/bad/ugly. Syracuse continues their battles with 1,000 little cuts that would eventually cost them this game.
After a quick opening sequence that ended in a punt, Stanford would carve up Syracuse to march toward the endzone. Some quick passes and great lead blocks on runs moved Stanford into scoring position. Syracuse defenders lost their men in the redzone and after an incomplete pass Stanford would go on to score on an easy 17-yard catch. Just clean football that the Orange need to adjust to.
Syracuse has looked bad on offense so far. The timing is off and they’ll punt again and another mark against the special teams unit with a penalty on a late hit. Syracuse shoots themselves in the foot again. 3rd and 10 and a roughing the passer call. Tale of the tape. The Orange beat themselves in the first half but a holding call negates a Stanford TD. Yards after the catch will catch up to them if Syracuse can’t swarm the football but they make the stop and will go down 10-0 after a Cardinal FG. Syracuse needs to find the energy when down. This can’t be the normal going forward if they have to play from behind.
Coming off a bye week, Syracuse’s offense looked nothing like it did in the first two games. The defense stepped up with an INT by Devin Grant and Syracuse finally had good field position but after one big play, three more went nowhere and the Orange would settle for a FG to bring it to 10-3. The defense started to wake up toward the end of the half causing a 3rd and 30. Finally, the big play to Trebor Pena but a quick fizzle out again would lead to another punt. Another big run put Stanford into scoring position again. Each time Syracuse would get their footing, the Cardinal would answer.
After a 51-yard FG, the Orange got the ball back with 1:35 to go in the half. A defender falls and McCord makes him pay hitting Umari Hatcher to keep themselves in the game and that would cap the half.
Syracuse picked up the pace in the second half and tried to get playmakers involved early but after a couple of quick plays, Stanford quickly shut SU down again. The Cardinal continued their dominance. A big play was called back, this time against Syracuse. After what looked to be a great drive, a pick-six would be a dagger in the heart of Orange fans. One to never give up, Kyle McCord chips away the yardage and finished the next drive with a diving TD run to bring the Cuse back within three, 20-17.
Resilience kicked in in the 4th quarter as Syracuse never blinked on defense but Kyle McCord turned around and forced an interception to start the 4th. Short field would not favor Stanford, however, and the Orange would force a FG. The offense just was not in sync tonight and another quick 3-and-out. For the first time in his Orange career, McCord appeared to force his throws and it did not work in his favor. Syracuse’s defense did its job yet again forcing a 3-and-out of their own. A few quick-hit passes, a big holding call, and then a huge play would set the Orange up for a couple of decent runs. Shortly after, bang a quick slant, and Syracuse took their first lead 24-23.
Too much time on the clock and Stanford went back to what gave them the lead in the first place, moving the ball in small chunks. After a big holding penalty on Stanford, Syracuse would force a 4th and 9 but the Cardinal convert for 27.
It was the tale of three games and it finally caught up with the Syracuse Orange as they lost26-24. The fight is there, but injuries and rushed play doomed them in the long run. There were points when Syracuse looked like their poise was coming back, but it was too late. Stanford won this game by being the last team to have possession of the football. The Orange need to go back to the practice field, clean it up, and get ready for their last home game against Holy Cross next Saturday, then they’ll hit their first road game of the season. This wasn’t a game where they looked their best but there were plenty of opportunities.
