Syracuse football blows double-digit lead in loss to Virginia

Syracuse football (2-3, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) dropped yet another conference game Saturday night, falling 28-25 on the road to Virginia (4-2, 2-1 ACC). SU has now lost its past 10 ACC games dating back to last season.

After swapping out quarterback Steve Angeli for Amari Odom last week against UConn, Syracuse was forced to make another switch. Odom — who was dealing with a shoulder injury — did not play Saturday night.

“He got an MRI the other day,” SU head coach Fran Brown said. “He was practicing all week but he could never lift it up completely. And then when he was out there today, you see he was throwing a little bit, but something might be torn or something of that nature in his shoulder.”

With Angeli out because of additional treatment on his Achilles tendon, the Orange turned to junior Malachi Nelson. The UTEP transfer threw for 217 yards and a touchdown Saturday before suffering an injury of his own. The score came on a 13-yard toss down the right sideline to SU wide receiver Umari Hatcher, who made a sliding grab. The senior finished the day with eight receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown.

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“He understands and knows that he’s a winner,” Brown said of Nelson. “So, it was just go out and play like you play football. Stay focused, lock in. Give this team a chance to win. And I thought he went out there and did that to the best of his ability in the first half.”

SU started Saturday night out hot, racing to a 17-7 halftime lead. On top of Hatcher’s score, Orange running back Ahmad Miller got on the board with a 1-yard touchdown. The junior finished the day with just six carries for 12 yards and the score.

The bellcow in the backfield was sophomore running back Tylik Hill. He finished the night with 23 rushes for 118 yards, averaging more than 5 yards per carry. In a crowded SU running back room with four players who have at least 30 carries this season, Hill leads the pack with 69 carries and more than 400 yards.

Despite SU’s first-half lead, there were still plenty of imperfections. Kicker Shay Barker missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with less than a minute remaining in the half. The freshman also missed a 41-yard attempt to begin the third quarter. The ‘Cuse has now missed seven field goal attempts this season, the most in the FBS.

“It’s tough, man,” Brown said. “It’s really tough. It’s two tough field goals, missed again, similar to what went down in our first game. But they’re young kids. So it’s tough for them. I feel for those guys.”

The missed kicks weren’t SU’s only struggles, however. The Orange went scoreless through their first five drives of the second half. Virginia took full advantage of SU’s offensive woes, scoring touchdowns on three consecutive drives to take a 28-17 lead.

While trailing by two possessions, Syracuse was again forced to make a switch at quarterback. Nelson left the game with an upper-body injury, and junior signal-caller Danny Lauter entered. The Georgetown transfer finished the night with two completions for 50 yards and a touchdown.

Although Lauter’s touchdown pass cut the Cavaliers’ lead to three points, the Orange were unable to pull off the fourth-quarter comeback. The ‘Cuse had an opportunity to drive downfield with less than a minute remaining but turned it over on downs.

Syracuse’s next opportunity to snap its conference losing streak comes next week, when it hosts Louisville (3-3, 2-2 ACC). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. WAER’s pregame coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Kickoff at 7 p.m.