Pick-Six Shifts Momentum, Leads to Wolfpack Win Over SU

By Lauren Winfrey
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – 

Syracuse v. NC State 

Amid the 40, 787 attendees primarily dressed in orange at the Carrier Dome Saturday afternoon, there was a sense of shared expectation. Syracuse was favored to win against the North Carolina State Wolfpack, and the fans expected the Orange to do so—the players expected to do so themselves. But SU fell short.

Coming in, Syracuse (3-6, 1-4 ACC) needed to win three of its last four games to become bowl eligible. Now the Orange will need to win three straight to reach bowl eligibility.

Momentum shifts

With two  minutes and fifty-two seconds left in the 3^rd quarter and SU leading 14-9, NC State defensive end, Pharoah McKever returned an interception 82 yards for a TD and the 2-point conversion gave the Wolfpack (5-4, 1-4) a 17-14 lead over SU. A shift in momentum permeated throughout the Dome and the fate of the game was sealed in NC State’s favor when Jacoby Brissett threw an 18- yard pass to Shadrach Thornton with 2:14 left in the fourth quarter to make it 24-14.

A sliver of hope appeared for Syracuse after Cole Murphy hit a 50-yard field goal and Dyshawn Davis recovered the onside kick to make it 24-17, but AJ Long's desperation pass was intercepted by Josh Jones at the goal line and time ran out.

"We just needed one more big play and I definitely could have done a better job of making that play, [or] someone else could have done a good job making that play," receiver Jarrod West said. "It’s just tough. I mean we got close, but close doesn’t win games, you have to have someone step up.”
 

And step up is exactly what the Orange had done earlier in the game. Trailing 9-0 on three Wolfpack field goals, SU put together a 96-yard drive at the end of the first half, capped by Long's 15-yard TD pass to Ben Lewis. 

After halftime SU returned with a vengeance scoring during the first possession of the half on a 10-play, 75 yard drive, giving the Orange a 14-9 lead. Long hit Steve Ishmael on a 25-yard pass play for the go-ahead score.

Then came McKever’s pick-six.

Thornton's touchdown catch sealed NC State's first ACC win this season and its first road win in four years.

“We were trying to run that play," Brissett said. "It’s a run-pass option and the receivers outside did a great job and the offensive line did a great job of sealing off the end and Shad got in and scored.” 

Not enough offense

The Syracuse offense struggled in the first quarter not putting any points on the board. Scoring early has proven crucial for SU—the Orange has lost every game it has played this season when it has not scored in the first quarter. Injured key players and poor execution on by the offense only added to SU’s list of woes.

Offensive tackle and senior captain Sean Hickey agreed offense could have done more, despite injuries that have led to change in the O-line.

“There were some plays where some guys were just unable to get the job done," Hickey said. "But if you’re in the game, you’re expected to execute. It’s an excuse really to blame the injuries because if you’re in the game you’re supposed to execute, and if you can’t execute then you have to get the next guy in there which we did a couple of times.”

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SU coach Scott Shafer said he was pleased with his team's effort, especially in the second half, but it just wasn't enough.

 

"We're just a little thinner than we'd like to be but no excuses, own it, move on, find a way," he said.

Syracuse, now 6^th in the ACC Atlantic Division will face off against Coastal Division leader Duke (7-1, 3-1) next week Saturday at the Carrier Dome at 12:30 in its final home game of the season.. Duke got past Pitt on the road in double-overtime Saturday, 51-48.