Penalties and turnovers cost Syracuse Football’s chance to break Pitt’s streak

PITTSBURGH — For a moment in the second quarter, Syracuse cornerback Demetres Samuel’s pass breakup issued a bit of hope that the program could notch its first win in Pittsburgh since 2001.

That moment ended quickly. The refs threw a sixth flag in Syracuse’s direction that night, followed by another when coach Fran Brown disputed the call with a referee. This moment, as questionable as many believed, illustrated Syracuse’s penalty issue plaguing the first three matchups. Paired with another rough second-half performance by quarterback Steve Angeli, the Orange fell to Pitt 27-13.

They entered Pittsburgh leading the country in penalties, and will keep a sizable lead after adding 10 more on Thursday. Brown admitted his frustration boiling over with the officials, but said he was confused by the call made on the Samuel play.

“I spoke out about it to [the back judge],” Brown said. “I said, ‘I feel like your [expletive] cheating.’ I shouldn’t have said that. I should’ve held my composure.”

But even outside of this call, many of the penalties were non-negotiable. The first half was a barrage, with Orange fans seemingly bracing for yellow sheets on every positive play.

“There’s a lot of judgement calls,” Brown said. “When we jump offsides, that’s a call. When that happens, you’ve gotta be able to hold your water. When it comes to the other calls, mistakes are gonna happen.”

The Orange were still able to hang around, cutting Pitt’s 17-point lead to seven by half. Big plays from receiver Umari Hatcher and an interception by defensive back Davien Kerr kept the Orange in the ball game.

The momentum never carried.

Without star rusher Tylik Hill on the field, the ground attack went through Ahmad Miller and Shavane Anderson Jr. Miller exploded in the second half with nine rushes for 66 yards, but the Panthers’ attack still nearly doubled Syracuse. La’Vell Wright and Damon Ferguson shared the rock, carrying a Pittsburgh run game that had 245 yards and three touchdowns. Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel barely lifted a finger, coasting to victory despite going 10-of-23 for 123 yards and one interception.

For the second consecutive game, Syracuse’s quarterback play was lackluster. Angeli’s second-half mistakes sealed Syracuse’s fate. He finished 13-of-25 for 161 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, prompting Brown to substitute backup Amari Odom in the final minutes.

“It was the coach’s decision, he’s trying to do what’s best for the team,” Angeli said.

The Orange’s success was contingent on Angeli’s success, but back-to-back struggles may create some uncertainty at the position going forward. Brown has already switched out junior kicker Tripp Woody for Shay Barker after Woody missed his last three field goals. While the quarterback position is in higher demand, the trend of change may be implemented sooner than later.

Still, the Orange have faith in Angeli to bounce back.

“Even when he loses and messes up, he still takes positivity and tries to get better from it,” Samuel said. “He tries to get on the film board and just allows to have his back.”

Syracuse is back on the road against Connecticut (1-1) on Oct. 3.