Tigers Spoil Family Weekend, Orange falls to 3-1

Story by Tyriq Butler

Photos by Lindsey Horsting

SYRACUSE, N.Y - The stage was set for a great afternoon in the Carrier Dome. It was a clash between two undefeated teams. It was Family Weekend for Syracuse University with the Orange getting a chance to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 1991.

But in the end, it was the LSU Tigers, along with the thousands of fans they brought from home, who celebrated. With this 34-24 loss, the Orange fell to 3-1 on the season.

First Half:

Outside of diehard fans, parents, and the team itself, you might have had a tough time finding anyone who sincerely believed the home team had any chance of winning this game against the Top Ten-ranked Tigers. But once the Orange went into the locker room at the half trailing just 7-3, there was optimism that an upset could happen.

After quarterback Terrel Hunt went down in the opening game of the season, head Scott Shafer turned to Eric Dungey. But the true freshman was out for this game with a concussion he suffered in the team's overtime victory last weekend against Central Michigan. Now, Syracuse had to rely on Zack Mahoney, a walk-on sophomore transfer student, who struggled in the first half. He was just five-of-13 for 35 yards passing and fumbled once early on.

But the defense played well and put pressure the Tigers' offense, holding it to just one touchdown and even that came on a bizarre play. With defenders bearing down on him as he fell to the ground, quarterback Brandon Harris dished the ball over to Leonard Fournette, who broke free for a 48-yard gain. That preceded a 14-yard touchdown run by the Heisman Trophy hopeful, giving the Tigers an early 7-0 lead in the opening quarter.

It's not easy going up against LSU's  rushing attack, but Shafer said he was proud of how his defense played.

"I liked the effort," he told reporters after the game. "I thought we were physical." 

Though the Syracuse team might've felt comfortable with just a four-point deficit going in to halftime, it could have been closer. After a fake field goal on a fourth down extended the possession for the Orange in the final minute of the half, Cole Murphy lined up for a field goal with his team trailing 7-3, but he misfired on the 30-yard attempt. 

Second Half:

While those in favor of defensive battles were treated in the first two quarters, those enamored with offense got in on the party in the second half. It was a roller coaster with both offenses constantly trading scores.

Tigers fans broke out the, "LSU! LSU!" chants in the third quarter when Tre'Davious White took a punt return 69-yards to the house, giving LSU its largest lead of the game at the time, 17-3.

Just when it looked like the game was all but over, the Orange offense decided to make an appearance, highlighted by Mahoney hooking up with Brisly Estime for a 40-yard touchdown that brought it to within seven again.

But LSU came roaring back as Fournette answered with a 62-yard touchdown, giving his Tigers back a 14-point lead. He rushed for 130 of his 244 total yards in the final two quarters, spearheading the LSU attack. The defense had no answer for him, just as Auburn and Mississippi State did in the previous two games.
 
The Orange wasn't done showing it could hang with the Tigers; with 12:06 left in the game Mahoney used a play-action pass to connect with tight-end Ben Lewis for a touchdown. Once again, it was a seven-point game, but not for long.

Harris took his team down the field in a blink of an eye, capped off by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Dupre. On the ensuing drive, Mahoney was picked off and that was all she wrote. In his first start with the team, Mahoney finished 16-of-38 with 154 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Momentum shift: 

Regardless of the sport, less-talented teams have to take advantage of every opportunity to seize control and put pressure on the opposition. Syracuse had the chance to do so in the first quarter with the near-sack on Harris, but he was able to toss the ball to Fournette at the very last second and he did what he always does.

The missed opportunity to end the first-half was also costly. Though it may not seem like a huge deal, the difference between trailing by four points (two-possession game) and by just one (one-possession game) is significant.


Next Up:

Even with the overwhelming majority picking against Syracuse, this was a tough loss and Shafer seemed to agree.

"We could've played a lot better," he said. "We were good enough to beat this football team. This team is a very good football team, but we can beat 'em."

The Orange had a chance to make a statement against an LSU team that didn't look great in its first ever trip to the Carrier Dome.

This marked the conclusion of a four-game home stand. Following a bye week, the Orange will travel to Tampa to play the University of South Florida, looking to get back on the winning track.