CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Syracuse had the lead, had the numbers and had the kind of start that should have put a road win in reach. Then the rain came, Virginia found its footing, and the Orange walked out of Scott Stadium with a 28-25 loss that stretched their league losing streak to 11 games.
The turning point arrived late in the third quarter as the weather worsened and Virginia’s offense, up to that point inconsistent, finally started to lean on the run. The Cavaliers finished with 169 rushing yards, most of them coming in the fourth quarter as they closed out the game in front of an announced crowd of 39,661 on homecoming weekend.
Syracuse had built a 17-7 halftime lead behind a steady performance from third-string quarterback Malachi Nelson and a defense that did just enough to keep Virginia from settling in. Nelson also gave the Orange a fourth different quarterback this season to throw a touchdown pass, likely a school record, or maybe tying it, without researching further.
Nelson threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Umari Hatcher in the first half, and Tylik Hill rushed for 118 yards as Syracuse outgained Virginia 430-288. For a while, it looked like the Orange had control.
But the game changed in the fourth quarter after Virginia began stringing together long drives that ended with short scoring runs. At the same time, Syracuse lost Nelson after he took a couple of hard hits out of bounds along the sideline, including one that was late.
That left Syracuse to finish with fourth-string quarterback Danny Lauter, who delivered a 48-yard touchdown pass to Duante Bacheyle and added a two-point conversion late. By then, Virginia had already taken command.
Penalties didn’t help. Syracuse was flagged nine times for 65 yards, and kicker Shay Barker missed two more field goals. Those mistakes mattered when the game was still in the balance.
Brown’s postgame message stayed pointed but measured as questions continue to mount after his 10-3 debut season.
"We'll be fine, just got to go talk to them and keep going," Brown said when we asked him how hard his job is to keep this team positive with losses mounting.
"I mean I don't think the the job is (all) losing or winning, it's a tough job,but I signed up or it, and I want to make sure we keep fighting,"
Virginia’s early only touchdown came on its opening drive, and Syracuse held the Cavaliers to under 100 yards of total offense before halftime. Still, the second half followed the same pattern Syracuse has seen too often this season.
Starting linebacker Antonio Deslauriers played only late because of personal reasons, and Zylan Moultrie-Goddard filled in with four tackles. Chris D'Appolonia also finished with four tackles and said the group understands the need to move on quickly.
"We have anther game next week, and at the end of the day we have only played five games, so there's a lot of fotball left, a lot of season left," he said afterwards. "Learn from your mistakes, and change your focus quickly,"
Hatcher was again a central figure, catching his fifth touchdown of the season from Nelson in the second quarter. It was the third Syracuse quarterback he has connected with for a scoring strike this season, and he finished with eight catches for 126 yards.
"At practice I have repped out with every single one of those quarterbacks," he said after the loss. "For me, its 'next guy up' I have just got to catch the ball and do my job to the best of my ability."
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