Syracuse Orange (5-3, 1-2 Big East) lost Saturday, in Louisville, KY against the Louisville Cardinals [6] (4-4, 2-1 Big East), 27-10. “Obviously we’re disappointed. We lost the football game," head coach Doug Marrone [7] said after the stunning defeat, courtesy of www.uoflsports.com [8].
The loss was shocking for a team that’s played well away from home. It’s Syracuse’s first road loss in the Big East since 2009.
It was not a good day on third down for either offense, as the two teams went a combined 7-25, or 28 percent, on third down conversions.
Syracuse had one of its worst days in the penalty department. The team received 12 penalties—a season high— for 99 yards, with five personal foul calls.
Quarterback Ryan Nassib [9] had a tough game against Louisville this week. His 162 yards through the air are a season-low, and he was sacked four times. He did, however, manage to throw a touchdown in the game.
Antwon Bailey’s [10]streak of 100-yard games ends at four. He finished with just 70 yards this week on 15 carries.
Nick Provo [11], Van Chew [12] and Alec Lemon [13] all finished with four receptions against the Cardinals. Lemon is one catch away from 100 receptions for his career. He’s currently ninth in program history, in career receptions.
Saturday was a big day for Jarrod West [14]. The sophomore caught the first touchdown of his career against the Cardinals, a 20-yard reception in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.
Jonathan Fisher [15] had one of his busiest days this year. Fisher finished with eight punts and a 40.1-yard average. He also managed to place a punt inside the 20.
Marquis Spruill leads with nine tackles this week. The linebacker had a whale of a game, which included a tackle for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Linebacker Shamarko Thomas [16] finished the game with eight tackles.
Chandler Jones [17]continues to be a force on the defensive line. He had five tackles this week, including a tackle for a loss and a sack.
The defense keeps its 100-yard streak intact. Louisville did not have a single player rush for 100 yards, though they came awfully close with Victor Anderson’s [18] 93 yards on the ground. Sixty-one of Anderson's yards came on one play, a touchdown that marked Louisville’s last trip to the end zone. The 93 yards are the most that Syracuse has allowed to one player this season. Anderson accomplished all of this on only 11 carries.
At first glance, Teddy Bridgewater’s [19] 17-24 performance for 198 yards and two touchdowns seems average. But the freshman tied his career high in touchdown tosses, and had his second highest total of yardage.
Another Louisville freshman, Michaelee Harris [20] had a huge game against the Orange. Harris finished with four catches for 96 yards, setting a new career high in the latter. He almost had a 21-yard touchdown reception, but the play was called back due to a penalty.
Preston Brown [21] had an incredible game for Louisville. The sophomore linebacker finished with seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
There wasn’t a large discrepancy in first downs, as Louisville managed 15 to Syracuse’s 14. However, Syracuse was outgained in offensive yardage, 343-246.
Next week will be another road test for the Orange, as the team travels to Storrs, CT to take on the Huskies from the University of Connecticut [22] (3-5, 1-2 Big East) at 12 p.m. The Huskies are coming off a 25-10 loss to Pittsburgh. The top player on the team is Lyle McCombs [23], a redshirt freshman who has rushed for 829 yards and four touchdowns on the season. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
