Syracuse's Season Ends With Loss to Pittsburgh

The Panthers took control in the second quarter and never looked back.

Mike McAllister | Nov 27, 2021

Syracuse's Season Ends With Loss to Pittsburgh /

Syracuse's last chance at bowl eligibility disappeared inside the Carrier Dome Saturday night as the Orange fell 31-14 to #17 Pittsburgh. With the loss, Syracuse falls to 5-7 (2-6) and will miss a bowl game for the third consecutive season and fifth time in six years under head coach Dino Babers.

Pittsburgh sold out on stopping Syracuse's ACC leading rushing attack and it worked. The Panthers limited Sean Tucker to just 29 yards on 13 carries as they played extra linebackers in place of safeties to limit running lanes. Shrader was sacked five times, and finished with -2 yards rushing. He did throw the ball well at times, however, finishing 17-24 for 217 yards and two touchdowns. Kenny Pickett was 28-38 for 209 yards and four touchdowns to lead Pitt.

The game started out strong for Syracuse. The Orange marched down the field on the first drive, led by a 6-6 passing effort by Garrett Shrader. Shrader his Courtney Jackson in the end zone to give Syracuse a 7-0 lead. The Syracuse defense did not allow a first down on the Panthers first three offensive possessions. The Orange offense, however, was unable to capitalize.

The game turned in the second quarter with the game tied. Shrader hit Devaughn Cooper over the middle, and he fumbled trying to pick up extra yards. Pittsburgh would recover and score on the ensuing drive. That put the Panthers up for good.

Syracuse did make a bit of a push in the second half. After Shrader found Jackson in the third quarter for their second touchdown connection of the game, Duce Chestnut intercepted Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett to give the Orange some momentum (that was Syracuse's first forced turnover since the Wake Forest game). Syracuse would go three and out on the subsequent possession to end any realistic chances at a comeback.

Published Nov 27, 2021

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.