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The final act of desperation came early. This wasn’t the end of the fourth quarter, or even close. It was the opening kick of the second half. Brady Denaburg took a few steps toward the ball, but he didn’t send it toward Florida State’s end zone. Instead, he kicked it low to the right, hoping for a bounce that could give Syracuse a chance at recovering the onside kick. 

The bounce came, but it didn’t matter. The ball didn’t travel the required 10 yards, and the Seminoles recovered it regardless. On a three-game losing streak and down 24-3 at halftime, Dino Babers wanted SU to “hit back.” He took a chance, trying to get Syracuse back in the game. Like many of the Orange’s efforts Saturday, it was unsuccessful.

“We had six, they had four and the ball went…not far enough,” Babers said. 

Seven plays later, Jordan Travis found Kentron Poitier for a quick touchdown pass. Like many of the Seminoles’ other touchdowns, it was an easy score; adding to the familiar pattern of FSU players headed toward the end zone with no SU player in sight. 

Florida State (7-3, 5-3 Atlantic Coast) dominated Syracuse (6-4, 3-3) throughout its 38-3 win, with the onside kick out of halftime and ensuing touchdown putting one final nail in SU’s hopes of pulling out a comeback. FSU outgained the Orange 420-160, as a struggling Syracuse defense matched a similarly lagging defense. Garrett Shrader returned after missing last week’s game against Pitt, but he and Sean Tucker manufactured next to nothing. Travis completed 91.3% of his passes (Shrader only 37.5%), and Trey Benson recorded 163 rushing yards (Tucker just 52). 

“It was not pretty,” Shrader said postgame. “It was definitely not fun to be a part of.”

Florida State’s offense had been rolling entering Saturday, scoring over 40 points in each of its last two games. Travis has improved significantly since last season, and FSU’s rushing offense ranks first in the ACC in yards per game (213.6). This gave the Orange’s run defense — which struggled in its last three games — another difficult test. 

The Seminoles took advantage of Syracuse’s offensive struggles, routinely exploiting gaping holes. They used chunk plays of 27, 15 and 14 yards, respectively, before Travis walked in for an easy three-yard touchdown on their first possession. Two drives later, the quarterback threw a screen pass to Malik McClain, only separated from the end zone by freshman defensive back Jeremiah Wilson. McClain used his right arm to put Jeremiah on the ground, and waltzed in for another easy score to take a 14-0 FSU lead. 

Syracuse’s defense responded on the next drive, though. Derek McDonald lunged at Travis’ ankles as he released a pass downfield, and Justin Barron jumped on the fumble, giving SU possession at FSU’s 23-yard line. But the ensuing three plays generated minus-12 yards. The Orange looked indecisive facing a 4th-and-long from the 35, and Andre Szmyt rushed onto the field with 18 seconds left on the play clock. The snap got off just in time, but Szmyt’s attempt from 53 yards was not close, missing short and wide right. 

SU handed Florida State plenty of gifts, too. After punting from its end zone late in the second quarter, Syracuse got called for a face mask penalty on the return (one of 10 SU penalties Saturday), giving the Seminoles the ball at the Orange’s 24. On the next play, Florida State put receiver Johnny Wilson to the right of Travis. Travis hit him on a short pass, and Chestnut couldn’t wrap up Johnny, who sprinted untouched toward the end zone. Chestnut said he felt prepared for those one-on-one, open field situations, but Babers felt players were trying too hard for a big hit. FSU led 21-3 after the extra point, and finished with 175 more yards than Syracuse in the first half. 

“They were better today,” Chestnut said. “They just made better plays than we did.” 

Things continued the same way in the second half. FSU went for it up 28 points and faced 4th-and-goal from the 2. Travis handed to a motioning Mycah Pittman, who flipped it back to receiver Wyatt Rector while the quarterback snuck out untouched. Rector hit him for the wide-open touchdown pass. 

Whatever the Seminoles did offensively mattered little since Syracuse couldn’t move the ball. SU punted after three plays on each of its first three drives, and Shrader completed only one pass for positive yardage in the first quarter. 

Shrader hadn’t played since leaving the Notre Dame game at halftime with an unspecified injury. He practiced leading up to Saturday’s game, splitting first-team reps with Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, sources told The Daily Orange. Shrader, a difference maker in the Orange’s 6-0 start, warmed up with starting center Carlos Vetterrello pregame and started. Shrader said he didn’t feel 100%, but healthy enough to play. His injury — which he wouldn’t provide any specifics on postgame — was a “consideration” when Syracuse crafted its game plan for the week, he said. 

SU’s offense, which scored only nine points last week, couldn’t return to form even with its starter back. This time, it was Shrader participating in — not witnessing — Syracuse’s dreadful offensive showing. Shrader stayed in the game until midway through the fourth, with Babers saying he didn’t consider pulling him any earlier. Early in the final quarter, Shrader tried to connect with Tucker, but the running back wasn’t even looking at him. Instead the ball went to Greedy Vance Jr., who leapt for the interception, this time ending a Syracuse drive with a turnover instead of a punt. 

It didn’t matter — the game’s outcome was sealed before halftime, even before the onside kick — but it still summed up Shrader’s performance Saturday: a rushed, poor throw with clear miscommunication added on top. Whoever was still left in the JMA Wireless Dome at that point was lining the aisles to leave. There weren’t enough boos to drown out the tomahawk chop chants from Florida State’s fans. And the Orange’s four-game slide hit a new, previously unthinkable low. Syracuse needs to make changes, Babers said, so it doesn’t watch another opportunity slip by. 

“That’s not what we represent,” Babers said. “We’re better than that. And we’re going to start working on that tomorrow.”

Published on November 13, 2022 at 12:06 am

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_