UPDATED: Sept. 25, 2017 at 3:36 a.m.

When he was introduced as Syracuse’s head coach on Dec. 5, 2015, Dino Babers asked for faith.

Belief without evidence, as he likes to specify. He said his goal is to make Syracuse a program that’s “consistently good, not occasionally great.” He didn’t see any reason why SU couldn’t reach the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Babers has leaned on those mantras repeatedly since he arrived, asking for patience. He overhauled the offensive and defensive schemes and alluded to successful “cakes” the Orange would “bake,” saying that SU was still working on the batter.

He also provided a timeline, saying that his system would be fully installed in the second year between the fourth and sixth games. On Monday, after beating Central Michigan, Babers stuck with his forecast.

“I think based off of the last game, it’s probably about right,” Babers said. “Again, I don’t know, when you talk about the newness and guys being hurt and not being here the entire first year. But I’m not going to back away from a statement. This is when we normally get going, it just happens to be some of the toughest games on the schedule and that’s how they fall so we have to see how we do.”

The Orange (2-2) came close to proving Babers a soothsayer last night but fell, 35-26, to No. 25 Louisiana State (3-1, 0-1 Southeastern) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Some chalked it up to a likely blowout loss in the preseason, but several missed opportunities were the only things in the way of a Syracuse victory.

The steady performance of SU’s defense and second-half offense highlighted the many reasons there are to believe that Babers can turn around the program.

But after dropping what could have been a signature win for the program, it’s increasingly apparent the turnaround will take longer than expected.

Babers projected the timeline for SU because of the tangible results he’d had at previous coaching stops. He began coaching as a graduate assistant in 1984 and had a pair of two-year head coaching stints before he arrived at SU. At both Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green, his teams improved in the second year.

There have been clear areas of growth since Babers’ arrival. A once-anemic offense stuffed the record books a year ago. The defense gave up more than 500 yards per game last year, but it has already shown vast improvements in Year 2.

In training camp, senior captain Zaire Franklin said the defense wasn’t fully adjusted to the new Tampa-2 scheme being run in 2016. Though he said he felt the entire unit was much more prepared after a full year in the system.

“It would mean a lot to us,” Franklin said last Tuesday about potentially getting a win at LSU, “to kind of start the Coach Babers era off the right way, the way it was supposed to.”

 

Jimmy Garoppolo, the high-profile backup quarterback for the New England Patriots, was a junior starter when Babers’ started at EIU. He also felt the difference between the first and second year. One play in particular, a 63-yard touchdown in the third game of the second season against Illinois State, sticks out for Garoppolo as the time when the offense fully clicked in the new system. The Panthers finished 12-2, compared to 7-5 the previous year and two 2-9 stints before Babers arrival.

“It fits his personality very well.” Garoppolo said of Babers turning programs around. “He believes in what he’s saying, and he has a way in making other people around him believe the same thing. That’s what you need in a head coach. He does a great job of having guys buy in to the program. The coaches all buy in, and it makes for, in the words that he would say, it makes for a good ‘La Familia.’”

There have been flashes of SU success but no concrete semblance of consistency. Last year’s win over then-No. 17 Virginia Tech stands out as a high point that SU hadn’t had since a 2013 bowl victory. Giving up 76 points in last year’s season finale loss to Pittsburgh and blowing a home game against Middle Tennessee State this year are among the times SU has not performed.

Consistent moments escaped Syracuse on Saturday. Eric Dungey’s first pass was picked off by top corner Greedy Williams and returned to the SU one-yard line. LSU scored on the next play. In the second quarter, wide receiver Sean Riley dropped a pass in the end zone while he was wide open, costing SU the go-ahead touchdown.

“We didn’t get it done and that’s the bottom line,” senior wide receiver Ervin Philips said. “People can look at the game and say that we played well. But at the end of the day it’s about getting it done, it’s about winning.”

If anything, the LSU loss showed that it would be foolish to count Syracuse out of any game moving forward. SU has three more games against opponents currently ranked inside the Top 25. Another high-caliber opponent, Florida State, lost to North Carolina State and fell out of the rankings. Syracuse faces the Wolfpack next week. The Orange could win its next two games and take the next step toward bowl eligibility.

Neither of those wins would make as much of a statement as the one SU let slip away Saturday night. Not against a Top 25 team in the SEC at what Babers called “one of the top five venues in America when it comes to college football.”

Babers stressed postgame that he was disappointed, not upset. He wanted his players to have that one memorable win that they could tell their kids and grandkids about.

“They don’t realize how close they were,” Babers said, “and I’m disappointed they didn’t get it right now at this time.”

Based on his previous stops, Babers expected his team to get that win. Despite how close the Orange got, Babers’ timeline will face a minor delay.

The post has been updated with appropriate style.

Published on September 25, 2017 at 12:47 am