Louisville upset on the road at Syracuse
No. 9 Louisville gave up 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to Syracuse and never recovered, falling for the first time this season in a 45-26 shocker Saturday in the Carrier Dome.
Tied 10-10 at the end of the first quarter, the Cardinals could only muster a field goal just before halftime as Syracuse piled up 249 yards and three touchdowns on consecutive scoring drives.
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Syracuse earned its first win over a top-10 ranked team in more than a decade, dropping Louisville to 9-1 on the season and improving to 5-5 with two games to play for bowl eligibility.
Prior to the game, Louisville posted a cardboard cutout of Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib in the locker room. The UofL staff added a printout of Nassib's proclamation that Syracuse never loses on Senior Day.
Nassib was right. They don't. Nassib passed for 246 yards and three touchdowns and the Orange averaged 7.1 yards per play during the 19-point upset win.
Faced with a 18-point deficit at halftime, Louisville could only match Syracuse's touchdown production in the second half. The Cardinals got no closer than 19 points the rest of the way.
Receiver Alec Lemon finished with nine catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns while running back Jerome Smith had 144 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater was 36 of 49 for 424 yards and three touchdowns.