Spring Break
The Daily OrangeGIFT WRAPPED: Pair of costly turnovers in red zone dooms Syracuse in loss against No. 5 Cincinnati
By Jared Diamond
Posted: 11/2/09, 2:23 AM EST Section: Sports
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The offense lined up seven yards away from cutting the deficit to just one touchdown. The momentum remained firmly with the Orange and grew stronger with each first down. Never mind the last trip into the red zone ended with an interception - at least SU was driving.
That meant with a score here, Syracuse stood a chance.
"If they're No. 5, we must be pretty good, going down there and pressing the ball into the red zone like that," Carter said. "If we were to execute, it would have been a great thing."
Instead, Saturday's contest became another familiar episode in a season defined by sloppiness and missed opportunities. Carter fumbled on 1st-and-goal, ending both the drive and Syracuse's chance to stage a remarkable upset against an opponent vying for a spot in the BCS title game.
It was one of two turnovers the Orange (3-5, 0-3 Big East) committed inside the 10-yard line, as SU continued to struggle with ball security in crucial situations. Both miscues ended long drives of at least 11 plays and occurred while Syracuse was still within striking distance of at least tying the score.
Saturday's game again raised questions about an impending quarterback controversy. Starter Greg Paulus threw an interception in the end zone, garnering boos from the crowd of 33,802 in the Carrier Dome each time he ran on the field in the second half. Meanwhile, the fans cheered backup Ryan Nassib loudly each time he came off the sideline.
Paulus finished 12-of-17 for 85 yards and a touchdown, while Nassib went 7-of-10 for 97 yards. Afterward, SU head coach Doug Marrone reiterated that Paulus is still his starting quarterback.
"At the end of the day," Marrone said, "we're not a good enough football team to not execute at a very high level, and stay in a game, or be able to win a game against the No. 5 team in the country."
The turnovers stung even more, considering the Syracuse defense bent but didn't break for much of the game against backup quarterback Zach Collaros, who played in place of the injured Tony Pike. Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0 Big East) scored its two first-half touchdowns on broken plays, including one on a botched field goal attempt.
Though Collaros finished with 295 passing yards and four touchdowns, SU held the powerful Cincinnati spread attack to just 21 points through three quarters.
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