Julian Whigham lay flat on his stomach one play and then flat-footed on the next. Following both, the senior cornerback walked away, refusing to watch Louisiana State celebrate its nail-in-the-coffin play at his and the rest of the Syracuse defense’s expense.

The Orange clawed its way back time and again on Saturday. Syracuse responded to LSU scores four times — never enough to complete the comeback, but to give hope to a game that could have easily lost it.

But when Whigham first got burned a step behind Travin Dural for a 51-yard reception on a third-and-9 play, then followed it up by getting beat on an 11-yard fade throw into the end zone — there was no answer from Syracuse.

“We’re never happy when we lose,” defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough said. “We never can accept losing. We had chances, we believe, to win the game.

“Everybody’s disappointed.”

Syracuse’s effort on Saturday fit the standard of a moral victory. Players and coaches spoke highly of how their team played. A loss that stings and inspires hope at the same time. The Orange’s defense kept SU in the game in the first 30 minutes, holding LSU to seven points and seven first downs. SU’s offense took over duty in the latter half of the game, with Zack Mahoney tossing three touchdowns.

But time ran out for Syracuse (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) to complete the comeback, as the final blow was too large to sustain in a 34-24 loss to No. 8 LSU (3-0, 1-0 Southeastern) on Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome.   

“Talking to the guys in the locker room after the final whistle, we were just talking about how small a margin of victory really is,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “… Throughout the course of the game, a few plays over the course of the game, maybe three or four that went a different way … things could have went differently.”

The first of those bad breaks came as defensive end Ron Thompson wrapped up LSU quarterback Brandon Harris. Thompson had a clean look to bring him down, but was clinging to his feet as Harris pitched the ball to running back Leonard Fournette.

The man SU head coach Scott Shafer called the best running back he’s faced in his 26 years turned what looked to be a 5-yard loss into a 50-yard gain. Shafer said he didn’t want to call it lucky, “but it was.”

In the second half, LSU seemingly broke open a 7-3 score, appearing to put away a competitive SU team with 10 points in the first half of the third quarter. Riley Dixon’s booming punt went so far that the punt coverage left a gaping hole for Tre’Davious White to run 69 yards untouched to make it 17-3.

“I saw a lot of green grass,” White said. “It was big. It was something our team definitely built on.”

The play was a momentum shifter, but not the death sentence it could have been. Syracuse put together its most fluid drive of the game in just three plays. Mahoney, who had tested the offense with short and wide throws — and the SU defense, in turn, with little time to rest — threw a pass right into the outstretched arms of receiver Brisly Estime, who needed only one more step to cross the plane of the end zone and slice the Tigers lead in half.

The game went back and forth again. Fournette broke free for a 62-yard touchdown run that left Chauncey Scissum and Wayne Morgan chasing his tail as he sprinted in for the score, only slowing up on his very last step. Then a rejuvenated Mahoney led a two-minute, 40-second touchdown drive that concluded in the hands of Ben Lewis to make it 24-17.

Syracuse had answers, but not enough. On the drive following Whigham’s defensive lapses, Mahoney threw a ball that was tipped in the air and caught by diving Tigers linebacker Deion Jones.

Last season when Syracuse was eliminated from bowl contention, Shafer pounded his fist on the podium so hard that it broke. After Saturday’s loss, he smacked his stack of papers against it. The loss didn’t put a stamp on the season, and it left more hope than it did despair. But it was a win that Shafer still thought his team could have had.

“It will be a little painful tomorrow when we watch the film because they’re going to realize just how close we were,” Shafer said. “… I’m just disappointed. I wanted to win this damn game.” 

Published on September 26, 2015 at 6:31 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3