Kevin Rivoli/AP
Well, that’s not how we drew it up.
At 6-2, Orange Nation had dreams of 10-win seasons and BCS bowls dancing in its head. Instead, we’re left with a corpse of an offense, losers of three of the last four, and a harsh reality check going into the bowl game.
This program is not nearly as far along as we had thought after watching the 16-7 slog against Boston College
As The Fizz penned last week, Doug Marrone’s job is now even more impressive knowing what this team really is. A moderately talented squad of Groobers’ leftovers that squeezed seven victories out of a five-win team.
The good news? Syracuse and the Pinstripe Bowl look to be a match made in “New York’s College Team” heaven. Momentum is a non-entity for games played more than a month after the regular season in neutral sites of half-empty stadiums. And the bowl was the SU goal from jump street this season.
The bad news? Marrone still needs more talent, to win more recruiting battles, a better quarterback and a more qualified offensive coordinator. It’s probably fair to once again ask why the former offensive coordinator of the Saints is not calling his own plays. Why have we suffered through a parade of offensive mediocrity when the man who was hired to run the program was plucked from one of the most explosive attacks in the NFL?
Just 147 passing yards, 2-9 on third downs, a measly 22:00 of possession time, and seven penalties for the Orange. BC’s defense is good. It’s not the ’85 Bears. The SU offense has made almost every defense it’s played look like monsters of the gridiron.
No Orange fan would’ve turned down a 7-5 season and a Pinstripe Bowl appearance before the season. But the journey to that goal has been less than exhilarating.
Posted: D.A.
