'Cuse Comes Up Short vs. Pitt, 17-16

Saturday, November 23

Syracuse, NY

12:30 p.m.

Syracuse University

5-6 , 3-4

Pittsburgh

6-5 , 3-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Pittsburgh

Syracuse

Jerome Smith scored his 11th rushing touchdown of the season in the first quarter.

11/23/2013 1:16:00 PM | Football

Box Score

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse's final drive of the game was stopped in Pittsburgh territory with 63 seconds left as the Orange (5-6, 3-4 ACC) came up short against the Panthers (6-5, 3-4 ACC), 17-16, in the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon.

SU took possession down one with 2:36 remaining in the game and drove to the Pittsburgh 36-yard line thanks to 10-yard and 16-yard receptions by sophomore Ashton Broyld and senior Christopher Clark, respectively. Syracuse had a first down at the Panther 36, but was unable to move the chains and turned the ball over on downs. The visitors ran out the clock to secure the victory.

Junior Jerome Smith paced the Syracuse offense with 88 yards rushing and a touchdown. It was Smith's 11th rushing score of the campaign, which is tied for 10th on SU's single-season record list. Sophomore Terrel Hunt completed 18-of-28 pass attempts for 159 yards and a touchdown.

A trio of Syracuse receivers caught at least three passes in the game led by Broyld's team-high six for 25 yards. Clark finished with four catches for 46 yards and tight end Beckett Wales snagged three balls for 33 yards. Redshirt freshman Alvin Cornelius earned his second straight start and totaled a team-high 53 receiving yards and caught the first two passes of his career, including a 42-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Sophomore Durell Eskridge recorded a game-high 12 tackles and forced one of Pittsburgh's two fumbles. Junior Cameron Lynch was right behind Eskridge with 11 tackles, including three for a loss of 17 yards and a personal-best two sacks. Junior Luke Arciniega intercepted the only pass of the afternoon, the first interception of his career.

SU held a 307-239 advantage in total yards, including a whopping 148-21 margin on the ground. The Orange defense pressured Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage all day, recording three sacks and five quarterback hurries.

Syracuse opened the scoring 2:53 into the game on a 36-yard touchdown run by Smith to pull ahead, 6-0. After forcing a Pittsburgh three-and-out to begin the contest, SU needed just four plays and 72 seconds to drive 67 yards. Redshirt freshman George Morris II broke off a 22-yard run to get the Orange down to the Pittsburgh 44-yard line. Two plays later, Smith scampered into the end zone. Ryan Norton's PAT was blocked by Aaron Donald so the score remained 6-0.

The Panthers cut their deficit in half with a field goal 1:38 into the second quarter. Pitt had a first-and-goal from the three-yard line, but Lynch burst through and sacked Savage for an 11-yard loss. Following an incomplete pass and penalty, another sack by Lynch pushed the Panthers back to the 24. The visitors settled for a 42-yard field goal from Chris Blewitt that capped a 19-play, 51-yard drive that lasted 9:13.

Pittsburgh went ahead 10-6 following a 10-play, 70-yard drive with 3:06 to go in the half. Savage went 7-for-7 for 56 yards on the drive, which ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Manasseh Garner.

Syracuse closed the gap to 10-9 on a 41-yard Norton field goal with 14 seconds left in the half. Senior Lewellyn Coker helped set up score by jarring the ball loose from Pitt punt returner Kevin Weatherspoon. Ritchy Desir recovered at the Pitt 24-yard line and four plays later Norton nailed the longest field goal of his career.

On SU's second possession of the third quarter, Hunt found Cornelius, who made a diving 42-yard catch for a touchdown and a 15-10 Orange lead. Norton made the point after to put Syracuse up, 16-10.

As time expired in the third quarter, Pittsburgh tacked on the final points of the afternoon on Isaac Bennett's five-yard touchdown run, which put the Panthers up for good, 17-16, following Blewitt's extra point. Savage completed 5-of-7 passes and Garner had three receptions for 37 yards during the possession.

The Orange had opportunities in the fourth quarter to reclaim the lead. Norton missed a 41-yard field goal with 8:38 to play following Arciniega's interception and on fourth down at the Pitt 36 with just over a minute left, holder Charley Loeb connected with Kendall Moore on a fake field goal. The play would have resulted in a first down, and possibly a touchdown, but the Panthers called timeout just before the snap and SU ultimately turned the ball over on downs.

Savage finished the game 28-of-41 for 218 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception. Savage's main target was Tyler Boyd, who posted a game-high 10 receptions for 82 yards. Garner chipped in with seven receptions for 61 yards.

Defensively, Donald and Anthony Gonzalez led the Panthers. Gonzalez posted 11 solo tackles and Donald wound up with nine tackles, including 3.5 for a loss, and the blocked PAT.

Syracuse closes out the regular season against Boston College on Saturday, Nov. 30 inside the Carrier Dome. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on the ACC Regional Sports Networks (RSN).