There’s a lot of season left so how does the team respond..
The Syracuse Orange lost to the Stanford Cardinal in a game they should have won after looking like they were about to win a game they had no business to win.
It’s a disappointing loss for a number of reasons- which so many have you pointed out repeatedly since Friday night. The same issues with costly penalties, inexplicable coaching decisions, and a lack of urgency playing a home game after a bye week were evident However, the notion that this 2024 is over or can no longer be “special” is something I have an issue with.
The last “special” season we’ve seen happened in 2018 and a lot of you seem to forget that the team was 4-2 and coming off back-to-back road losses when they staged a big comeback against UNC and out-lasted NC State and turned a spiraling season around.
This year’s Orange will have the same opportunity in front of them, but they are going to have to get back to the D.A.R.T. philosophy that Fran Brown preaches. Syracuse took pride in being tougher than Georgia Tech, but Stanford was the tougher team on Friday night. Brown himself acknowledged that Syracuse can’t allow themselves to stray from what they need to do to be successful.
After a tough loss to Stanford, @FranBrownCuse just wants to keep making sure that he continues helping his players, family, and sticking to his philosophies.
Watch the pregame show for Syracuse vs. Stanford live on https://t.co/X1BTqf77f2 with @BrianHiggins315. pic.twitter.com/ueoMp3VkQG
— Cuse Sports Talk (@CuseSportsTalk_) September 21, 2024
There’s a lot to be critical of from the Orange’s performance under the bright lights. It was a huge opportunity to make a statement that “September Syracuse” might be different this year, but in many ways it reminded me too much of games in the 90s and 00s in the golden modern era.
Many of you remember the Syracuse teams who stumbled early against opponents that should have posed little trouble. You should also remember that a lot of those teams were able to bounce back as the season progressed to make it a success. Can this group find the determination and toughness to do the same?
It’s the first real test of the team and coaching staff as they look to build something special in Syracuse. Getting belief back won’t happen next weekend, but Syracuse has from now until November’s game against Virginia Tech to convince the fans who jumped off the bandwagon that there is still reason to invest in them.
Will it be the “same old Syracuse” or is this group going to show their toughness and rebound from the loss and still make it a season to remember? Well there are nine more opportunities for them to prove it….