LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Syracuse coach Doug Marrone knew his team would have to manage success after last week’s rout of West Virginia.
The Orange didn’t, and instead managed their fewest points of the season in a 27-10 loss to Louisville on Saturday.
Coming into the game averaging nearly 30 points a game, Syracuse was forced to play comeback early following two Teddy Bridgewater first-quarter touchdown passes. The Louisville defense, ranked No. 15 nationally coming into the game, took advantage of the early lead and pressured the Orange into five sacks, holding them to a season-low 246 yards of offense.
Coach Doug Marrone summed up last week’s high and this week’s low.
“We’re an inconsistent football team that needs to get better,” he said.
Marrone knew Louisville would bring pressure and tried to take shots down the field early, especially on first down. The opportunities were there, he said, but his team just didn’t execute.
“We had some guys open early,” Marrone said. “When I say open, I’m talking about touchdown open.”
The lack of yardage on first down ultimately forced Syracuse into lengthy third-down situations. They converted just 3 of 14 third downs.
“That was tough. The third and long isn’t really a manageable down for us,” senior quarterback Ryan Nassib said. “They did bring a lot of heat. That situation isn’t really a high percentage.”
Penalties plagued the Orange, who Marrone called “uncharacteristic” for his team this year. They had eight penalties for 74 yards in the first half alone and finished with 12 for 99.
Syracuse (5-3, 1-2 Big East) was making its first Big East road trip of the season after going 4-0 away from home in conference play last season.
Louisville (4-4, 2-1) got a visit from Anthony Conner, who broke his neck against Rutgers last week, in the locker room before the game and showed a lot of emotion in a big-play first quarter that helped the Cardinals to consecutive Big East Conference wins for the first time since 2006.
Bridgewater’s scoring passes of 42 yards to DeVante Parker just 2 minutes into the game and 2 yards to Josh Chichester with 2:36 left in the opening quarter gave Louisville’s defense just enough cushion. Anderson then iced it with a 61-yard TD run down the left sideline early in the fourth quarter.
The Orange, who needs just one more win to become bowl eligible, didn’t achieve a first down until their third drive and penetrated Louisville’s 35 just twice.
Bridgewater, a freshman making his fifth start, found former high school teammate Michaelee Harris on a 44-yard pass on Louisville’s second offensive play. Two snaps later he again exposed Syracuse’s secondary, finding Parker wide open down the left side to make it 7-0 just 2:05 in.
Bridgewater had a touchdown pass to Harris wiped away for holding on Louisville’s second drive. But he connected with Harris for a 21-yard completion on third down and 16 on the Cardinals’ third drive that helped set up Bridgewater’s second scoring pass, which the 6-foot-8 Chichester hauled in with a defender hanging off him.
Harris, a redshirt freshman, and Bridgewater, who played together at Miami Northwestern High School, connected on four passes for 96 yards, a career-high for Harris.
Ryan Nassib threw for Syracuse’s only touchdown with 1:31 left in the game, but even then the Orange needed a roughing the passer penalty to move deep into Cardinals territory. Ross Krautman booted a 34-yard field goal with 3:19 in the 2nd quarter for Syracuse’s first points of the game.
Conner, who was released from the hospital this week after surgery to stabilize his neck, made a surprise visit to the locker room before the game, then received a standing ovation when he made appearance between the first and second quarters. He rode onto the field in a golf cart and briefly stood and waved to the crowd.