Syracuse’s defense willed the Orange throughout most of Saturday’s game against No. 6 Louisville.

But when SU’s offense finally scored its first touchdown of the game with 5:09 remaining in the fourth quarter to cut Louisville’s lead to eight points, SU’s defense was left with one task – get the ball back.

It did, but only after it allowed a 93-yard drive ending in a touchdown. That touchdown put the game out of reach and the Orange (3-5, 0-3 Big East) lost its third-straight game, 28-13, in front of 35,708 at the Carrier Dome. It was the Orange’s third-straight loss, dropping SU head coach Greg Robinson to 0-10 in the Big East.

‘We needed to stop them one more time,’ Robinson said. ‘We needed to get one more turnover. What we had to do, we weren’t able to get it done and that is the bottom line.’

SU’s defense was impressive against an explosive Louisville (7-0, 2-0) offense for much of the afternoon, surrendering only 21 points through 58 minutes, but played from behind because of the Orange offense’s missed opportunities. SU was in the red zone three times in the first half but mustered only six points.

But when it engineered an eight-play, 85-yard drive late in the fourth quarter that ended with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Mike Williams, SU cut Louisville’s lead to 21-13. On the ensuing kickoff, the Cardinals bobbled the football and the Orange forced them to start the drive on their own 7-yard line.

The goal was simply to stop the Cardinals and reclaim possession. It was a one-score game, and Perry Patterson looked impressive on the previous drive. The senior quarterback had another good game, completing 24-of-38 passes for 303 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Plus, on the Cardinals’ previous drive, Kelvin Smith intercepted a pass inside the Orange’s red zone to provide SU with hope of a comeback. It was Syracuse’s third forced turnover in the game.

Momentum had shifted back in the Orange’s favor, and there were more than five minutes remaining. But the Cardinals found their running game, carrying eight times for 84 yards. Louisville running back Kolby Smith dashed 31 yards up the middle for the game’s final score, a fitting finish to a drive that squashed reasonable hopes of overtime. The 84 yards on the drive accounted for more than a 1/3 of Louisville’s 223 rushing yards; SU’s rushing defense has been a particular weakness in recent weeks.

‘(Louisville) made a couple of plays and at the end,’ Robinson said. ‘They busted that run out that made you want to vomit.’

But SU actually squandered its best opportunities in the second quarter, when it was in the red zone on back-to-back drives and could only generate a single field goal.

The first time, freshman running Delone Carter secured a handoff on Louisville’s 4-yard line and immediately leaped into the air. The plan was to hurdle the Syracuse offensive line and Louisville defensive line and land in the blue paint of the Orange’s end zone. But a funny thing happened on the way to six points; Carter fumbled.

The jump turned into a summersault, and the ball became a casualty. It bounced on the turf until a Louisville defender landed on it, and suddenly a brilliant opportunity for Syracuse to advance its 3-0 lead to 10-0 ended up a costly turnover in the red zone.

‘I was high enough to get it, but they caught me in the air and got me good,’ Carter said. ‘I should have waited until we got closer. That was my bad judgment.’

It looked like SU had nothing to show for its efficient drive into the Cardinals’ zone. But three plays later, Brohm dropped back on a 1st-and-10 from Louisville’s 34-yard line and didn’t see SU cornerback Tanard Jackson charging on a blindside blitz. Jackson rocked the ball out of Brohm’s grip, and SU linebacker Kelvin Smith hopped on the fumble on the 12-yard line.

Smith made the right play, fundamentally speaking. He secured the ball and provided SU with possession. But considering SU couldn’t score a touchdown, Smith wished for that play back.

‘I wish I would have got (the touchdown),’ Smith said. ‘I did not know who was behind me, so I was making sure that I got the ball.’

Either way, the offense had its mulligan. The defense gave it a second chance.

But as has been the case for much of the season, the Orange set itself back with a holding penalty. Left with a 1st-and-20, it couldn’t convert another first down, and had to settle for a Patrick Shadle field goal.

The lead could have been 10-0. It was even close to 14-0. But it was 6-0, which amounts to only one score. For Louisville’s usually-electric offense, besting that wasn’t too difficult a task. It scored 21 straight points, and SU was left playing catch-up.

Despite an overall impressive game – the Orange held Brohm to only 203 yards and Louisville to 426 yards, almost 100 yards below the team’s average – SU couldn’t score touchdowns, and when it finally closed in, Louisville was able to move the ball with ease.

‘One thing about a team like this is you don’t want too many exposures,’ Robinson said. ‘They get enough looks at you, you can only go so long. For awhile it was real good.’

Published on October 22, 2006 at 12:00 pm