Syracuse trampled by USF in Boca Raton Bowl

The 2023 Syracuse football season closed with a forgettable appearance in the Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl, as they were drubbed by South Florida, 45-0.

While it was not good for the Orange by any stretch, it was not all bad, either.

Both teams entered the game with 6-6 records. South Florida, who finished 1-11 in 2022, looked highly motivated to claim a winning record from the start of the game. Syracuse looked unfocused or sloppy or ill-prepared or in vacation mode or something else. No matter what it was, the end result was not good for the Orange.

In the first quarter, a penalty erased a fumble return for a touchdown by Alijah Clark. The ensuing drive ended when Jack Stonehouse could not handle a snap on a 45-yard field attempt. Kicker Brady Denaburg picked up the ball, eventually fumbled, and the Bulls turned that into a scoop-and-score touchdown for a 14-0 lead.

Seemingly not wanting to be left out of the sloppy play, the SU offense had a pair of false start penalties before the first play of the second quarter where multiple players moved prior to the snap.

But, perhaps the most telling play was when Darrell Gill Jr. and Deston Hawkins allowed a third quarter kickoff bounce between them. Gill had to hurriedly retreat and down the ball in the end zone for a touchback. He later mishandled another kickoff in the fourth quarter.

Early returns on the Orange’s run-heavy offense were very poor. On their first ten rushing plays, the SU offense lost 14 yards. By halftime, the stat sheet read 22 carries for -15 yards. Things got a little better by the end of the night, but even removing the sacks and loss of yardage on the Denaburg fumble left a grim stat line: 38 carries for 45 yards.

With the Orange in a 21-0 hole early in the second quarter, Braden Davis was summoned to take some snaps to create a passing threat. Davis appeared to have a limited package of plays at his disposal, coming in and out of the game. Late in the second, Davis was blindsided by a pass rusher and fumbled, resulting in another return touchdown for USF.

It was not all negative for Davis. He completed his first five throws, but cooled off to finish 6-of-13 for 84 yards, including three completions to Damien Alford for 69 yards. While it will not be a night for him to remember, Davis showed some promise in his most extensive playing time of the season at quarterback.

While there has been excitement with the change to Fran Brown and the additions to the program via transfers and signing day, all those new faces will join a cupboard that should still have some familiar ones.

Oronde Gadsden II and Damien Alford should be two valuable pieces to the passing game. Despite a rough night, LeQuint Allen is still a high-quality running back and David Wohlabaugh Jr. should be ready to return to the offensive line in the fall. Alijah Clark, Derek McDonald, Stefon Thompson, and Marlowe Wax should all be back on the defensive side of the ball.

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