As North Carolina State lined up for a third-and-11 fourth-quarter snap, an SU assistant coach had his hands resting on his head in anticipation.

Quarterback Ryan Finley dropped back and threw the ball to Bra’Lon Cherry near the SU sideline. Cherry ran forward for 23 yards, picking up a back-breaking first down. The coach’s hands never moved, staying in disappointment. The play effectively ended the game for Syracuse.

Three plays later, running back Matthew Dayes ran it in for a score to open up a 15-point lead. As most fans started streaming out, SU’s chances of making a bowl game became slimmer.

After a blowout loss to Clemson last week, Syracuse (4-6, 2-4 Atlantic Coast) had chances to win two games to vault itself to a bowl game. Two of those games were at home, and this was the only one against a team with a losing record. During Monday’s press conference, Syracuse head coach Dino Babers talked about how he felt his team was in a good spot to get to those six wins.

“We couldn’t ask for a better schedule to try to get to a bowl game that we haven’t been to in a very long time,” Babers said.

Now, the Orange has put itself in a much tougher spot. It’ll have to win two tougher games — against No. 20 Florida State and on the road against Pittsburgh — to get to that bowl game, after it dropped a 35-20 crusher to North Carolina State (5-5, 2-4) on Saturday in the Carrier Dome.

SU did have a tougher challenge than originally thought once it was announced an hour before the game that starting quarterback Eric Dungey would sit out. Starting wide receiver Steve Ishmael also sat out. He had practiced on Tuesday but as the week progressed he couldn’t keep going, Babers said.

Even with the missing pieces, things started off well. In just under eight minutes and on its first possession, the Orange moved the ball up field and scored on a Dontae Strickland run. With backup quarterback Zack Mahoney running the show, it seemed like the high-octane offense would be just fine.

But as the game got deeper it became clear that this wasn’t the same unit. Syracuse averages 463.4 yards of offense per game, which breaks down to 231.7 per half. At the end of the first half on Saturday, SU’s offense had 100 total yards. It ended the game with just 218.

“Offensively, we didn’t put up the numbers that we usually do,” Strickland said. “It’s different with a different team captain on the field.”

The Wolfpack had lost its last four games and blown wins in three of them. There were miscues that the Orange could have taken advantage of.

On third and goal from the SU 4-yard line near the end of the half, backup quarterback Jalan McClendon made a bad throw into the back corner of the end zone that resulted in an interception. Babers had called timeouts, seemingly to stop the clock, but the first one came after about 20 seconds ran off. SU got the ball back and promptly went three-and-out.

In the third quarter, after each team traded touchdowns, SU’s Sean Riley blocked a punt. The Orange recovered the kick at the N.C. State 17-yard line. On three plays, SU got pushed back four yards and had to settle for a field goal.

Syracuse’s inability to sustain drives on offense forced the defense to be on the field longer than normal. Opponents normally run 72 plays per game against the Orange. By the end of the third, the Wolfpack had run 66 plays and dominated time of possession.

“If we’re on the field more, it gives us an opportunity to make more plays,” SU safety Rodney Williams said.

Late in the third quarter, Syracuse couldn’t make a play on third down to get off the field, leading to a seven-minute touchdown drive and an eight-point deficit. Still, it was a one-possession game.

With the ball at midfield, Mahoney threw a deep pass down the right sideline into the end zone for an Alvin Cornelius touchdown. As the wide receivers started celebrating in the end zone, the offensive linemen put their heads down near the line of scrimmage. A chop block penalty had been called on Donnie Foster and Strickland, negating the play. SU punted three plays later.

The Wolfpack left with its fifth win, one the Orange desperately needed. SU is down to its last strike.

“Now we can’t miss a pitch,” Babers said postgame. “It’s a full count and if it’s close, we’re going to have to swing at it.”

Published on November 12, 2016 at 4:15 pm

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer