Football

Fast reaction: 3 takeaways from Syracuse’s loss to LSU

Logan Reidsma | Photo Editor

Sophomore walk-on quarterback Zack Mahoney threw three touchdowns against LSU, but the Orange came up short on Saturday.

By Matt SchneidmanSenior Staff Writer

Syracuse (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 8 LSU (3-0, 2-0 Southeastern), 34-24, on Saturday in the Carrier Dome. The Orange only trailed by four at halftime and cut the Tigers’ lead to seven twice in the second half, but a late Zack Mahoney interception ultimately doomed SU. Here’s three quick takeaways from Syracuse’s first loss of the season.

Strike a pose

LSU sophomore running back Leonard Fournette, arguably the best player in college football, showed why he’s at the front of the Heisman Trophy race against the Orange on Saturday.

He averaged 9.4 yards per rush, including a 62-yard score right up the gut less than two minutes after SU cut its deficit to seven in the third quarter.

In all, Fournette had 244 yards on 26 carries to go along with his seventh and eighth touchdowns of the year. He became the first player in program history to rush for consecutive 200-yard games after going for 228 against Auburn last weekend.



Whigham’s weakness

With LSU facing a third-and-9 in its own territory in the fourth quarter, Tigers quarterback Brandon Harris hit Travin Dural for a 51-yard gain. Dural burned SU corner Julian Whigham in the process to go along with a defensive pass interference call.

The very next play, Harris threw to wideout Malachi Dupre in the right corner of the end zone, over Whigham again, for an 11-yard score that gave LSU a two-touchdown lead.

The Orange never got back within 14, and Whigham’s struggles to defend against the deep ball from last season resurfaced when it mattered most against LSU.

The Officer

Walk-on quarterback Zack Mahoney started off the game with a fumble to cap off the first drive. It didn’t get much better until the middle of the third quarter, when he hit Brisly Estime for a 40-yard touchdown over the top of LSU’s defense to bring Syracuse within seven.

Two drives later, he found Ben Lewis for a two-yard touchdown to cut the Tigers’ lead to a touchdown again, but Syracuse never drew closer after linebacker Deion Jones picked off a tipped pass on the next series.

Mahoney’s first start certainly had its downs, but his 154 passing yards and three touchdowns gave some reason for hope if he starts again.





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