LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Syracuse continued its descent into oblivion on Saturday, dropping a 41-17 decision to Louisville at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Here are three quick thoughts from SU’s sixth-straight loss.

Freshman Mistake

Eric Dungey was rolling along midway through the second quarter. The Orange offense was facing a second-and-1, having already picked up a first down on the drive. Then, a 10-7 SU lead was erased in an instant. Trumaine Washignton intercepted Dungey’s pass to Brisly Estime, taking it in for a score. The Cardinals hadn’t scored since its opening drive of the game, but scored again on the next possession to make it 21-10.

Dungey finished 15-of-30 for 158 yards with three turnovers. He also ran the ball for 60 more. His performance deteriorated in the second half, as the Orange scored only once over the game’s final three quarters.

He left the game in the fourth quarter after taking a hit and being injured. Zack Mahoney replaced him.

Back it up

For the second straight week, the Orange waited until almost game time to find out who would be behind center for its opponent. For the second straight week, SU made that guy look like a Heisman candidate.

After Florida State QB Sean Maguire lit Syracuse up for 348 yards in the air, Kyle Bolin had 362 on Saturday. His second play of the game was a 52-yard pass to L.J. Scott. He contributed to Louisville’s 8.6 yards per play, which was more than double that of the Orange.

Hudson’s River

There weren’t many bright spots for Syracuse on either side of the ball. But Cordell Hudson, replacing the injured Corey Winfield as a starter, flashed some potential. He led Syracuse with nine tackles.

The redshirt freshman also had an interception for the Orange in the first quarter. On third down, Bolin threw over the middle where a streaking Hudson caught the pass unimpeded. The Orange started Hudson along with Juwan Dowels, and former starter Julian Whigham didn’t see any time in the loss.

Published on November 7, 2015 at 4:09 pm