A game of pinball nearly sent Syracuse bowling.

The ball deflected off Tyler Boyd’s forearm, ricocheted off Ri’Shard Anderson and mysteriously floated into Luke Arciniega’s outstretched arms.

Syracuse was given an extra life once again, but once again the offense failed to boost its score. Once again, the defense kept the Orange (5-6, 3-4 Atlantic Coast) in the game despite an inconsistent, inefficient late-game performance by the injury-ridden offense in SU’s 17-16 loss to Pittsburgh.

Just as it did against Wake Forest, Maryland and North Carolina State, SU’s defense pressured the quarterback, whizzed around the field making tackles and generally stunted Pittsburgh’s (6-5, 3-4) lengthy drives. Durell Eskridge and Cameron Lynch led the way in front of 35,317 in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

But Pittsburgh is bowling and Syracuse will have to wait another week to try and do the same.

“We owe basically the season to them,” Syracuse center Macky MacPherson said of the defense. “They’re playing their butts off.”

The first flicker of defensive dominance came on Pittsburgh’s second drive. Brandon Reddish swooped in untouched from the right side and sent quarterback Tom Savage into the ground. Savage just got the pass away, but the ball sailed over Boyd’s head.

On the Panthers’ next drive, Lynch, Marquis Spruill and Robert Welsh flew forward in Savage’s direction. Lynch got to him first, mauling him for a loss of 11. Two plays later, Lynch was at it again, sacking Savage for a loss of 5.

The SU defense — ignited by the energized Eskridge and Lynch — limited Pittsburgh to a field goal. The Panthers were on the field nearly two-thirds of the time in the first half. Savage knew Syracuse’s front seven was stacked with playmakers, so he adjusted his game plan accordingly.

“It was just to get the ball out,” Savage said. “They are a physical team and they blitz a lot.”

Pittsburgh’s attack was full of 5-yard passes to the outside. Boyd led the attack and wide receiver Manasseh Garner complemented him nicely, seeing an increased role with the loss of Devin Street.

But early on, each time Savage and the Pitt offense embarked on a long, methodical drive, the defense thwarted it. The Orange held Pittsburgh out of the end zone for the game’s first 27 minutes. While Syracuse’s offense struggled to score, the defense kept SU within striking distance.

“They do basic things,” Eskridge said. “They like to run the ball, throw it in the flats. As you saw, they threw a lot of short stuff so you’ve just got to rally to that and try to make a play for your team.”

The Panthers didn’t complete a pass longer than 17 yards the entire game. They never ran for more than 14. Savage finished with fewer yards per attempt and yards per completion than Terrel Hunt.

At the end of the third quarter, the Orange’s defense cracked, allowing a 5-yard touchdown run to Isaac Bennett to give Pitt a 17-16 lead.

From there, the defense returned to form. Savage threw for just 3 yards in the fourth quarter. Every time the SU offense failed to take the lead, the defense gave it another chance.

Arciniega’s interception came first. It gave Syracuse the ball near midfield with a chance to reclaim the lead.

“It was kind of a crazy play,” Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer said. “So I was proud of the fact that the kids kept fighting.”

It was the game-changer the offense needed. Field-goal range was approaching. The Orange only needed three. But Ryan Norton shanked a 41-yarder wide right.

Again, though, the defense wreaked havoc and made Savage’s life miserable. One ineffective run, a short gain and an incompletion later and the SU offense was back on the field once again.

No dice.

No offense for either team.

Savage lofted a pass that sailed just past Garner’s fingertips, leading to a punt. The defense, as it did all game, gave the offense a chance to go bowling.

But there was no pinball wizardry. Syracuse was late with the flipper. Pitt called a timeout before Sam Rodgers could snap the ball for a fake field-goal attempt. Then Hunt threw an incompletion as the ball trickled away.

Now Syracuse is down to its last life.

“We’ve got to get more points on the board for this defense,” MacPherson said, “because they play so hard and they force turnovers and they stop them and we don’t do enough for them.”

Published on November 23, 2013 at 7:45 pm

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass