Syracuse gets back to the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday night looking for a much-needed reset against Louisville, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Eastern on ACC Network. The Orange enter at 2-3 overall and 0-3 in league play, while the Cardinals come in at 3-3 and 2-2.
This will be the first meeting between the teams since 2022, when Syracuse rolled to a 31-7 win in the Dome. Louisville still owns the edge in the series, 12-8 overall, and the Cardinals had won the three matchups before that - all in Louisville. Syracuse has won the last two games played in the Dome.
Syracuse is coming off a frustrating 28-25 loss at Virginia on Saturday night, a game in which the Orange built a 10-point halftime lead and still walked away empty-handed. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Syracuse a 24.0% chance to win this one.
The loss to Virginia came despite plenty of production. Syracuse piled up 430 yards of offense to Virginia’s 288 and held a 35-25 edge in time of possession. The Orange didn’t turn the ball over and gave up only one sack, but two missed field goals and a punter’s knee hitting the ground on a low snap loomed large in the final result.
Malachi Nelson got the start at quarterback with Steve Angeli and Amari Odom both sidelined by injury. It was Syracuse’s third different starting quarterback of the season, making the Orange the only FBS team to have done that so far. Nelson finished 16 of 29 for 217 yards and a touchdown.
Virginia struck first, driving 75 yards on its opening possession for a touchdown, with 53 of those yards coming on the ground across six runs. Syracuse settled in after that and held the Cavaliers to just 42 yards the rest of the first half, including 29 rushing yards.
The Orange answered quickly. Ahmad Miller finished Syracuse’s first scoring drive with a one-yard touchdown to tie the game. Early in the second quarter, Nelson connected with Umari Hatcher for a 13-yard score to put Syracuse in front, and a late field goal extended the lead to 17-7 at halftime.
But the third quarter slipped away. Syracuse had chances to pad the margin, yet missed field goals and stalled drives kept the scoreboard quiet.
Virginia finally broke through when Beau Pribula found Da'Shawn Martin for a 37-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to three. From there, the Cavaliers scored on three straight drives and moved ahead 28-17 with 5:20 left.
Even then, Syracuse nearly clawed it back. Danny Lauter entered after Nelson left with an injury and immediately hit Daunte Bacheyie on a 46-yard touchdown with 2:50 to play.
The Orange followed with a successful two-point conversion, then got a defensive stop and took over at their own 15 with 1:03 remaining, needing a field goal to tie. The offense couldn’t move the chains, and Virginia ended it with a kneel-down.
Lauter finished 2 of 6 for 50 yards and a touchdown. Tylik Hill rushed for 118 yards. Hatcher caught eight passes for 126 yards and a score, while Bacheyie added four receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Saturday’s game will be on the ACC Network, with Jorge Sedano, Rodney McLeod and Annabelle Hasselbeck on the broadcast. It will also be available on WATCH ESPN, and the radio call will air on TK99, WAER, Cuse.com and the TuneIn App.
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