Can Cal Take Advantage of Syracuse's First-Quarter Troubles?

The Orange, who visit Berkeley on Saturday, have failed to score in the first period of their past three games

Syracuse running back LeQuint Allen / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

So many of Cal’s game have been determined in the fourth quarter, often with just minutes to play.

But we may have a good feel for the Bears’ prospects against visiting Syracuse on Saturday by the end of the first quarter.

The Orange (6-3, 3-3 ACC) have lost two of their past three games and in all three were scoreless in the first quarter. 

“It’s kind of been a theme all year,” Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord told the Daily Orange after Saturday’s 37-31 loss at Boston College. “I feel like we either start really fast or we start really slow.”

In non-conference wins over Holy Cross and UNLV, Syracuse scored 14 points each time in the opening quarter. But that’s been the exception. 

Syracuse has been shut out in the first quarter five times in nine games, and defeat followed in three of those. They are averaging just 4.2 points in the first quarters of games.

It’s not like the Orange are toothless, offensively. They average 31.7 points, although that number dips slightly to 26.8 in ACC play. 

McCord, the senior quarterback and transfer from Ohio State, is fourth nationally with 3,153 passing yards and fifth with 23 touchdown passes. They have three receivers with at least 45 catches, including running back LeQuint Allen, who has 1,020 yards rushing and receiving.

But the Orange failed to score in the first-quarter of their past three outings — vs. BC, Virginia Tech and Pitt — and managed only a field goal in the opening 15 minutes of their previous game, vs. North Carolina State.

“Across the span of those first few drives, there wasn’t anything crazy that happened,” McCord said. “It’s just one play here, one play there we didn’t execute and some penalties. It’s the small things that are holding us back early on.”

The Orange’s most recent first-quarter touchdown: McCord’s 9-yard TD pass to Allen at UNLV back on Oct. 4. Syracuse beat the Rebels 44-41 in overtime that day.

Compared to Syracuse, which has totaled 38 points in the first quarter, Cal (5-4,1-4) has put up 65 points in the opening quarter — an average of 7.2 points each game. The Bears have been shut out just once in the first quarter this season (in the 14-9 loss at Florida State).

They started fast the past two games, scoring 14 first-quarter points on the way to their 44-7 win over Oregon State, then 10 in the 46-36 victory at Wake Forest last Friday. The result was the Bears scoring 40-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time in coach Justin Wilcox’s eight seasons.

It's worth noting that whle Cal's defense ranks 23rd natonally, allowing just 19.3 points per game, the Bears have pitched a first-quarter shutout just once all year -- against Oregon State.

Jumping out to an early lead is never a guarantee of victory, and perhaps even less so for Cal, which suffered four straight late-game defeats to begin their ACC experience.

But it might be a good starting point for the Bears as they pursue a third straight victory and bowl eligibility with a sixth win.