A quick take on Syracuse’s 27-10 loss against Louisville:
WHAT HAPPENED: Louisville scored touchdowns on two of its first three possessions on a pair of Teddy Bridgewater touchdowns, and that’s all Louisville needed as the defense completely dominated an Orange offense that scored 49 points just one week ago. Syracuse could only muster 226 total yards, as quarterback Ryan Nassib was sacked four times and Antwon Bailey (70 yards) was held under 100 yards for the first time in four games. For Louisville, it was a welcome sign for an offense that came into the game averaging just 16.3 points per game (114th in the NCAA).
ANALYSIS: Not much went right for the Orange today and there were a lot of places to point. SU was sloppy in all facets of the game, getting flagged 12 times for 99 yards. The Orange were whistled for five personal foul penalties, three in the first half alone. Nassib was under duress all afternoon, and the Orange was constantly in third and long situations. One week after going 12-17 on third downs, the Orange was 3-14 against Louisville. The defense wasn’t any better, as Louisville had three plays of 40 yards or more, the last of which was a 61 yard scamper from Victor Anderson that gave Louisville a 24-3 lead with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter, putting the game out of reach.
HERO: Louisville defensive back Anthony Conner visited his teammates one week after breaking his neck in a scary collision in Louisville’s win over Rutgers. Anderson delivered a rousing pregame speech, and followed through with 93 yards and a touchdown.
ZERO: It’s hard to single out a single component of Syracuse in this loss. There was plenty of blame to go around. Offensively, the Orange never got the passing or rushing game going. Defensively, giving up 27 points to an anemic Cardinals offense didn’t make things any better.
