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When asked, it seemed like the general consensus of Syracuse fans was to see head coach Dino Babers fired. The shortcomings were largely agreed upon, whether they’re 30-year season ticket holders or college students with a four-year pass. Even national media outlets have joined the conversation, with The Athletic’s college football Editor-in-Chief, Stewart Mandel, chiming in last week.

Syracuse has a 26-55 Atlantic Coast Conference record since 2013, but Boston College is one of the few conference teams that SU has competed with consistently. Last season, the Orange snapped their five-game losing streak with a 26-point fourth quarter comeback to beat the Eagles in the final game of the regular season. This time around, BC pulled out the late heroics, scoring a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining to defeat the Orange 17-10 in the Dome.

This was the fourth game in a row where the SU offense failed to eclipse 10 points. Since the start of ACC play, SU is 0-5 and has been outscored 167-44 (-123).

Here’s what people are saying about Babers:

“I’ve had enough. Fire Dino,” said longtime season ticket holder Sean Hayman before the game. “He’s got one bowl win. It’s time to move on.”

That’s the general chatter amongst most Syracuse football fans currently, according to Hayman. When asked for his reasoning, Hayman cited Babers’ game management and his apparent complacency on the sidelines. It seems to Hayman, along with many other SU fans, that Syracuse has been playing not to lose, rather than to win.

Yet, Hayman said he’s used to this – he feels this sense of disappointment “every year,” especially near the season’s end.

“Tonight is a pivotal game,” said season ticket holder Chad Goodrich. “If we struggle tonight, it kind of ruins the whole season because then you have to get two out of the next three and the offense is off track.”

With a backup quarterback in Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, the offense struggled mightily, completing just one pass beyond the line of scrimmage. The backup quarterback finished with 37 passing yards and four interceptions. Syracuse needs to win two of its final three to clinch a bowl game, both of which have only been done twice under Babers. SU’s fans have said that they noticed the lack of fast pace and gung-ho style of play, especially on offense, that Babers brought in 2016.

“The biggest thing for me is, I don’t see a philosophy with Dino,” said Matt Glaude, a longtime season ticket holder and former SU student. “When he came in, we’re going to play fast, we’re going to play aggressive, all that seems to have disappeared when Sean Lewis left and now it’s just kind of managing football games.”

Lewis left SU in 2017, and the offense has gotten progressively slower ever since (85.6 offensive plays per game in 2017 has dropped to an average of 63.6 this season). Despite a bowl game appearance last season, conference and late-season struggles persist. Last night, people wanted change, and they want it now.

“I don’t think it really matters – the [money] hit – people change coaches all the time,” Glaude said about possibly buying out Babers’ contract. “I would be more skeptical of the potential progress of the team if he comes back.”

After the game, defensive back Justin Barron said Babers preaches consistency above all else. He may make little tweaks to the approach, but overall, “he’s not going to change.”

But Glaude said he’s desperate to see change from a team that’s failed to overcome hurdles time and again. Glaude knows change won’t happen overnight, but said it has to begin somewhere, and Babers is a logical starting point.

“(This season) is obviously pivotal for Dino,” Glaude said. “They have to make a decision on what they’re going to do. We’ve been following the team for almost 20 years at this point. We’ve seen a lot of trash. There’s nothing new this year, so it’s not like it’s suddenly going to disappear, but it’s not going to suddenly get better.”

The game was won when…

Del Rio-Wilson threw his fourth interception of the game, and second in as many snaps. In his second start for Syracuse in as many seasons, the redshirt sophomore looked uncomfortable throwing the football.

On the game’s final drive, he was banged up, but Babers said he felt good enough to go out for the final series. It lasted one play, and his pass was batted up in the air – playing deep safety, Cole Batson waited for the game-sealing interception to fall into his arms with nobody around him.

Quote of the night: “If you want to get Biblical”

This was Babers’ message to frustrated Syracuse fans after a fifth-straight ACC loss:

“The definition of faith is things unseen, if you want to get Biblical. We normally don’t do that… I believe in this football team. I would be very careful if you try to not believe in them because they have a tendency to get things done, and I still believe they are going to get things done this year.”

Essentially, Babers is asking the fans to have faith, but acknowledged that the team hasn’t provided a reason for optimism. But many fans, Hayman included, have seen the same struggles persist under Babers for the past eight seasons, he said. He’s no longer buying into that approach.

Stat to know: 1 yard

Del Rio-Wilson’s longest completion of the game, in terms of air yards, was a screen pass to Dan Villari that traveled one yard in the air. He went 1-for-11 for six yards on passes beyond the line of scrimmage, and all four interceptions were a result of such throws. Each of his six other completions were behind or at the line of scrimmage.

When asked why he thought Del Rio-Wilson wasn’t able to complete passes down the field, Babers said, “that’s part of the game. We threw other passes past the line of scrimmage that he didn’t complete.”

Game ball: Elijah Jones

Both of Elijah Jones’ interceptions were inside BC’s red zone. In the fourth quarter, Jones stayed glued to the hip of Umari Hatcher on a crossing route. Del Rio-Wilson’s throw was a bit behind his target, and Jones ripped it from Hatcher’s hands before possession was established. Two drives later, BC marched down the field for a 3-and-a-half minute touchdown drive that would put the finishing touches on the Orange.

In the first half, Jones caught Del Rio-Wilson’s second pick of the night on a deep ball that Donovan Brown failed to track. Jones turned to catch it, uncontested, and set up an eight-minute, 80-yard touchdown drive for the Eagles. That play put them on top 10-7 entering the half, flipping the momentum – SU never held another lead.

Three final points:

LeQuint Allen Jr. continues to shine through the shade

Allen Jr. gained the bulk of yardage on both of SU’s scoring drives. Without him, the offense would be flailing worse than they currently are. On 18 carries, LeQuint Allen Jr. picked up 142 yards in the loss. This is the second time in three weeks that SU’s starting back has gone over 100 yards in a loss. He’s hitting the right holes, falling forward, taking what the line gives him and making big plays when they present themselves.

Missed opportunities on defense

Syracuse dropped four potential interceptions, and two were on the game’s opening possession. As Barron said postgame, he only had one hand, so he gets a pass. Isaiah Johnson, Jaeden Gould and Anwar Sparrow do not get any leeway, as all three dropped potential interceptions that could have turned the tide for Syracuse.

In the third quarter, Johnson turned to see the ball sailing right at him while the intended receiver ran, head down, up the sideline. As he turned to make the catch, the ball glanced off his fingertips and hit the turf. Gould, meanwhile, had a perfect beat on a deep ball, jumped the route and the ball hit off his hands. In short, coverage was solid, but the players just couldn’t execute.

Receiver struggles persist

Del Rio-Wilson didn’t get much help from his receivers, before or after the catch. There were very few yards after contact on screens, and when he did throw it deep, separation and accuracy were both issues. SU has a young receiving core that’s been littered with injuries, and it showed on Friday.

Next up: Pittsburgh

The long-awaited Yankee Stadium game is a week from today, kicking off at 3:30 p.m. against Pittsburgh. The Orange have struggled against Pitt recently, going 1-6 against them under Babers. Last year, Del Rio-Wilson got his first collegiate start against Pitt in a 19-9 loss. He may get another go at the Panthers next Saturday in what would be his third start, as Garrett Shrader’s availability is not yet known.

Published on November 4, 2023 at 6:03 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu