Syracuse football blown-out by South Florida 45-0 in Boca Raton Bowl

In its last matchup of 2023, Syracuse football (6-7, 2-6 in Atlantic Coast Conference) suffered its worst defeat of the season in a 45-0 loss to South Florida (7-6, 4-4 in American Athletic Conference) in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Orange were shutout for the first time since 2020, and the first time in a bowl game in the program’s history.

SU was brutally overwhelmed on both sides of the ball from the very first drive. South Florida dominated in every aspect of the game. The Bulls put up 407 yards of total offense in comparison to just 159 for the Orange. On the defensive end, USF forced five fumbles (two lost) and two interceptions en route to its first shutout since 2009. After the game, Syracuse interim head coach Nunzio Campanile stood behind his squad.

“The guys played really hard,” Campanile said. “They did everything we asked them to do.”

The Orange’s blowout loss to USF marked the worst defeat to a Group of Five team since Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013. Coincidentally spots two and three are also held by the Bulls in 2015 and 2016 with 45 points for South Florida in each.

USF started the contest on a tear. After winning the coin-toss and electing to receive, the Bulls punted on their first drive. After Syracuse punted it right back, the Bulls marched down the field and took an early 7-0 lead on a Sean Atkins 13-yard touchdown catch. South Florida managed to fit 10 plays in just three minutes and 12 seconds, which depleted the stamina of SU’s defense early on.

When the Orange got the ball again, it was yet another three and out. That was a staple of SU’s offense on Thursday night. Syracuse went one for 16 on third downs including seven three and outs.

What followed for the ‘Cuse was a calamity of errors. Midway through the first half Syracuse defensive back Alijah Clark scooped up a fumble on a backward pass from Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown, and took it to the house. Away from the play, Brown attempted to chase down Clark as the junior strode toward the end zone. While in pursuit, Brown was blindsided by SU’s Jason Simmons Jr. After Clark made it to the endzone, a flag was thrown for an illegal block. That forced the Orange to retreat to the USF 28-yard line.

Three plays and negative one yards later, Syracuse lined up for a field goal down 7-0. As soon as the ball was snapped, the Bulls exploded off of the left side of the offensive line. Orange kicker Brady Denaburg watched as punter Jack Stonehouse fumbled the hold. By the time the ball hit the ground, so did Denaburg. South Florida burst through, slamming SU’s kicker to the turf and scooping up the blocked try. USF defensive back Aamaris Brown bolted 64 yards to the endzone, putting the ‘Cuse down 14-0.

From there the bloodbath only worsened. The Bulls scored on four of their next five drives. That included another scoop and score on a sack fumble by Syracuse’s backup quarterback Braden Davis.

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After coughing up the ball, the redshirt Freshman went on to finish the first half strong, providing one bright spot in an otherwise dismal game for the Orange. Davis went into the halftime locker room with 84 yards on 6-of-8 passing. His team on the other hand, trailed 31-0 at the break.

On their first drive of the second half, the Bulls put a bow on the contest. Brown used the good field position to thread the needle on a 35-yard touchdown strike to Atkins. The junior wide receiver tallied 93 yards and two scores on six catches, while also passing for 21 yards.

When the dust settled, Syracuse hit the showers with a 45-0 loss marking the end of Campanile’s two game tenure as interim head coach. However, just like much of the focus for SU’s fanbase before the game, the locker room could only focus on the future.

“I know [Fran Brown] is going to be a tremendous leader for this program and I’m excited for the future,” Campanile said.

Redshirt sophomore tight end Dan Villari echoed a similar message about the future.

“I don’t think we lived up to the expectation,” Villari said. “But I can tell you that we’re never going to feel like this again.”

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Villari was asked to do a lot in 2023, including making a move to wildcat quarterback in leiu of injuries to starter Garrett Shrader and backup Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. Against South Florida, Villari still couldn’t put it together under center. The quarterback-turned-tight-end tossed two interceptions and only completed 36% of his passes.

While SU struggled to throw a forward pass, the much anticipated future watched from the sidelines. Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord was one of five incoming Syracuse transfers to join the squad in Boca Raton. As the newcomers watched from the sidelines, head coach Fran Brown took a mid-game interview for the ESPN broadcast. Even during the onslaught, SU’s new head coach couldn’t help but echo what Orange fans needed the most: Hope.

“We’re ready to compete, in recruiting, on the football field, and in the classrooms,” Brown said. “We’ve got guys that I know are winners.”