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When asked what his team needed to emphasize to start fast versus Boston College, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said tackling. Yet on Saturday, the Orange consistently couldn’t tackle.

BC accumulated 109 rushing yards on 12 attempts in the first quarter alone. SU’s early struggles didn’t stop there.

For the third consecutive week, Syracuse (6-3, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) failed to score in the first quarter en route to its 37-31 loss to Boston College (5-4, 2-3 ACC). The Orange are averaging just 4.2 points per game in the first quarter this season. Additionally, they haven’t scored an opening-quarter touchdown since Oct. 4 against UNLV.

“It’s kind of been a theme all year,” SU quarterback Kyle McCord said. “I feel like we either start really fast or we start really slow.”

When Syracuse scored 42 points versus Holy Cross and a season-high 44 against UNLV, it scored two touchdowns in the first quarter each time. However, across its seven other games, SU has managed just 10 first-quarter points — a field goal against NC State and a touchdown versus Georgia Tech.

Despite a strong start from McCord, who threw for a career-high 392 yards, Syracuse’s offense stalled out to begin the game. Consecutive completions to Justus Ross-Simmons and LeQuint Allen Jr. quickly got the Orange across midfield.

From there, though, SU turned to the run game. Allen Jr. picked up three yards on first-and-10 from BC’s 48-yard line before McCord failed to connect with Oronde Gadsden II on the ensuing play. Facing third-and-long, the Orange turned to Allen Jr. on an inside handoff.

Potentially trying to position itself to go for it on fourth down, Allen Jr. only gained one yard. It led to Jack Stonehouse’s first of three first-quarter punts.

The Orange’s defense immediately got run through, as Boston College’s running back tandem of Kye Robichaux and Jordan McDonald — who combined for 43 carries, 331 rushing yards and three touchdowns — led it down the field.

While SU’s defense bent, it didn’t break, forcing a field goal attempt. And it got rewarded, as Liam Connor — attempting his first field goal of the season — pushed the 29-yarder wide right.

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But Syracuse couldn’t take advantage of the miscue. A four-yard Allen Jr. run and McCord incompletion set up third-and-6 from SU’s 24-yard line. The Orange dialed up a pass play, but McCord couldn’t find any open receivers. So, he rolled out to his left and bolted beyond the first-down chains.

With nothing but open field ahead of him, McCord picked up 48 yards. Though as McCord initially broke free, a flag was thrown behind the line of scrimmage. Center J’Onre Reed was called for holding, negating the play. McCord took a deep shot to Umari Hatcher on the ensuing third-and-long, but they couldn’t connect. Syracuse punted again.

“We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot,” Brown said postgame. “I feel like we shot ourselves in the foot a few times.”

Upon getting the ball, the Eagles continued dominating Syracuse on the ground. This time, they capitalized. Robichaux turned three carries into 42 yards and a touchdown, giving Boston College a 7-0 lead with 2:43 remaining in the first quarter.

When SU got the ball back, it was immediately set back as McCord was sacked for the first of four times. Syracuse then faced third-and-21 after an incompletion. As he did on the previous drive, McCord took a shot on third-and-long. He connected on a 38-yard strike down the left sideline to Darrell Gill Jr., setting up a first down from Boston College’s 48-yard line.

But still, the Orange couldn’t rally to score points. Following a one-yard Allen Jr. rush and McCord incompletion, they again faced third-and-long. Boston College brought significant pressure, leading Donovan Ezeiruaku to notch his 10th sack of the season and force another Syracuse punt.

“Across the span of those first few drives, there wasn’t anything crazy that happened,” McCord said. “It’s just one play here, one play there we didn’t execute and some penalties. It’s the small things that are holding us back early on.”

While the Orange went on to outscore the Eagles 31-23 after facing a 14-0 deficit, their slow first quarter prevented them from staying alive in the ACC regular-season race. Brown says Syracuse needs to figure out how to start fast through improved practices. Yet, with only three regular-season games left, SU is running out of time to find solutions.

Published on November 10, 2024 at 5:31 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon