Ryan Nassib realized he had made a mistake as he saw the ball bouncing freely on the turf. The mistake that he admits was the turning point.

With 4:45 remaining in the third quarter as Syracuse still hung around in a Big East clash against rival Connecticut, the SU quarterback attempted to get rid of the football to avoid a sack. Before he could do that, UConn’s Kendal Reyes came crashing in, jarring the ball loose. 

Two plays and four yards later, the Huskies took a two-possession lead.

‘It was very devastating,’ Nassib said. ‘It was a big mistake on my part and really was a turning point in our game. I was just trying to make a play.’

The fumble was far from the only offensive flaw for Syracuse (7-4, 4-3 Big East) Saturday. In a game full of poor offensive execution, Nassib’s turnover typified SU’s 20-6 loss to the Huskies (6-4, 3-2) in front of 41,465 inside the Carrier Dome. Costly turnovers combined with an inability to move the ball and put points on the board contributed to SU’s worst offensive performance of the season.

With the loss, the Orange officially eliminated itself from a potential share of the Big East title.

‘There were some plays that were there that we wish we could’ve made and we just didn’t,’ quarterbacks coach and offensive playcaller Nathaniel Hackett said. ‘We knew what we were going to get, and it just didn’t happen. And it was obvious throughout the game.’ 

Syracuse has relied on its ninth-ranked defense to bail out its inconsistent, sputtering offense at times this season. On the road against South Florida and last week at Rutgers, the Orange still came away with wins despite an offense that showed difficulty moving the ball and putting points on the board.

At some point, SU’s offensive miscues were going to be too costly, too consequential and too much to overcome — even for the second-best defense in the Big East.

‘The defense has been playing balls to the wall all season,’ running back Antwon Bailey said. ‘Some of it has to fall on the offense. We’ve got to take control. We have to put some points on the board.’

On SU’s first offensive play, receiver Van Chew had a step on his man streaking down the right sideline. But Nassib overthrew him. Other times, big offensive plays were nullified by penalties and inconsistency that followed the plays.

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect, Hackett said, was the fact that Syracuse knew exactly what UConn was going to do defensively. In addition, the Huskies were the worst defense in the conference coming into the game.

‘It’s horrible,’ Hackett said. ‘And unfortunately it started with that first play. … It was a roller coaster all day. Something would look really good and we’d get a big gain, and then we’d get stuffed or a penalty. And that’s been the story lately. It’s frustrating, very frustrating.’

With the SU defense holding the Huskies in check, the task eventually became too overwhelming. Unable to move the ball with any efficiency, the Orange offense put its defensive counterparts in tough situations time and time again. UConn’s 13 second-half points came off  just 44 yards of total offense.

And when Syracuse was able to move the ball, dropped passes and missed blocks equaled missed opportunities for points. 

‘We’re definitely repeat offenders of not executing when we need to and it’s something that we need to change as an offense,’running back Delone Carter said.

For the first time all season, Nassib failed to toss a touchdown pass. A pair of Ross Krautman field goals were the only thing separating the Orange from being shut out in its Big East finale. 

The problems that existed with the offense at South Florida aren’t going away. There isn’t a quick fix to what has become a concerning issue during the second half of the season for SU. And it cost the Orange once again against Connecticut.

Said Nassib: ‘It’s really just a lack of focus as an offense as a whole.’

aljohn@syr.edu

Published on November 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm