On Syracuse’s first drive of the game, facing a third-and-nine against Pitt, Rickie Collins stepped up to make his first throw of the game. Tamon Lymon jumped Collins’ pass to intercept him, returning the ball to the Syracuse 37 to set up the Panthers for their first touchdown of the game.
It was that type of day for Syracuse, which couldn’t get anything going on offense and wasted a season-high seven sacks from its defense. The defense kept the Orange in the game in the first half, but Syracuse’s offensive woes were too much for it to overcome as it went on to lose 30-13 to the Panthers.
While this was always going to be a lost season for the Orange after losing Steve Angeli to a torn Achilles, there was hope that Collins would help mitigate the loss after he was named the starter in the spring. Instead, the offense has looked nothing like the one that helped Angeli become the nation’s leader in passing yards through the first four games.
A day to forget for Rickie Collins
The final stat line for Rickie Collins was 18 of 32 passes completed for 126 yards and two touchdowns while throwing three interceptions, but it doesn’t tell the full story of his struggles throughout the game. 66 of those yards came in the fourth quarter with Syracuse trailing by multiple scores, as Collins was ineffective for the majority of the game.
All three of his interceptions killed Syracuse’s momentum and helped spur Pitt’s offense, starting with his first interception that led to Pitt’s first touchdown. His second was nowhere near a Syracuse wide receiver, while his third, even though it wasn’t entirely the fault of Collins, as it came on a pass breakup, gave the Pathers great field position.
There were bright spots, as both of his touchdown passes were strikes across the middle of the field, but they didn’t outweigh his mistakes. Collins was strong as a runner in the fourth quarter, but still struggled with some of his decision-making on crucial third downs. With some tough opponents on the docket for Syracuse, Collins could be in for a rough next couple of games.
A dominant display from Syracuse’s defense
While Collins and the offense struggled, it was a dominant display from the Syracuse defense. That might sound crazy considering the Orange gave up 30 points, but the Syracuse defensive line made life miserable for Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel with a season-high seven sacks.
For a team that’s struggled to defend the run since Fran Brown took over as head coach, Syracuse was also strong on that end, allowing just 2.7 yards per carry. Allowing Heintschel to rip off a 36-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter hurt, but it was one of Syracuse’s only mistakes.
The Orange also didn’t allow a passing touchdown all game as the secondary locked up the Panthers’ wide receivers. The secondary’s best moment came when Davien Kerr picked off Heintschel in the first quarter, setting up Syracuse in the Pitt red zone for the Orange’s first touchdown.
Luke Carney’s debut
Luke Carney didn’t get much playing time in this one, but the true freshman still made his Syracuse debut, much to the delight of the crowd at the JMA Wireless Dome. In limited action, Carney completed 2 of 3 passes for 10 yards and added 9 rushing yards on three carries.
Carney didn’t get many chances to prove himself, but looked solid when his number was called. Head coach Fran Brown was adamant before the game that Carney wouldn’t start over Collins, but wasn’t as committed to that stance in the postgame presser, saying Syracuse brought him in because they needed “a spark.”
If Carney does get the starting nod over Collins, it’ll be interesting to see how long the true freshman will get the opportunity to do so, considering his eligibility status. Even though he wouldn’t commit to him as the starter for next week, Brown still stood by Collins, so there could be more of a committee approach moving forward.
Regardless of who the starter is, there’s a clear ceiling on the offense without the floor-raising ability of Angeli. Heading into the backend of its schedule, Syracuse’s offensive woes could prove to be much for it to overcome in its path to qualify for a bowl game.
