Three takeaways from Syracuse’s 19-9 loss to Pitt

The Syracuse Orange couldn’t find anything offensively against the Pittsburgh Panthers. For the first time this season, Syracuse didn’t score a touchdown as the Orange offense looked lackluster, leading to a 19-9 loss. It’s the third straight loss for Syracuse.

Here’s our three takeaways from a brutal loss.

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You can only go so far

You can have all the talent and promise at the necessary skill positions, but it all starts with the offensive line. Granted, the Orange are facing much stronger competition than the first few games of the season, but the offensive line continues to get bullied. They’re not opening any holes for Tucker, not locking down linemen to prevent tipped balls, and not holding strong to prevent pockets from collapsing quickly. Almost all of the Orange offensive inefficiency can start with the offensive line struggling massively.

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Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe not

Carlos Del Rio-Wilson looked fine in his first start for Syracuse. The velocity on his throws is impressive and his downfield power is nice. However, he did overthrow plenty of balls and failed to move from his first read quickly as the game ran later. There were some good things to like about CDRW’s play. But with a couple of accuracy issues, receiver route issues and the offensive line issues, it was a mixed bag to say the least.

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Bent, not broken

For all the pressure on the Syracuse defense, the Mob held up admirably against Pitt’s relentless rushing attack. It helped that Israel Abanikanda didn’t play, but that didn’t deter Pat Narduzzi from shoving the ball down Syracuse’s throat. But the defense held just long enough to force Pitt into passing situations, where the Orange held the advantage. The Mob allowed some long drives, but the Orange defense continues to do all it can to keep Syracuse in games.