Dino Babers seemed confident in his answer. Syracuse sat at 4-4, fresh off a competitive road loss at Miami the week after shocking the country and upsetting then-No. 2 Clemson.

Last season, the Orange was 4-4 before losing the last four games. In his press conference after the Miami game, Babers was asked to identify what would make the end of this year different.

“The biggest difference is our quarterback is still standing,” Babers said. “Last year, we didn’t have him.”

This year, there ended up being no difference. Just like last year, Eric Dungey got hurt playing in the ninth game of the season. Just like last year, he missed the last three games of the season. Just like last year, the Orange lost every game in the month of November and finished the season 4-8.

The 2016 season was a step forward, as the Orange began its rebuild under a new head coach. The 2017 season kept SU stuck in place.

Babers was justifiably given the benefit of the doubt after his first year. He promised improvement in Year 2, and he had the track record for doing just that during his time at Bowling Green and Eastern Illinois, improving both team’s records in the second season.

At Syracuse, Babers didn’t deliver. The lack of tangible improvement leaves Babers, Dungey and the whole program at a crossroads heading into a make-or-break season next year. The Orange failed to meet self-set standards in its program restoration. To avoid the hot seat, and to validate his statistics, Babers and Dungey need to lead Syracuse to a bowl game next season.

“When you look at what we’re doing…” an optimistic Babers said after the BC game. “I think you’re going to see drastic improvement.”

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That improvement seemed like it was coming this year. All of SU’s first four losses this year — including three on the road at Louisiana State, North Carolina State and Miami — ended within one score. SU’s third-down defense was first in the country and the unit as a whole was playing at a higher level and regularly holding opponents in place. They gave an offense that started most games off slowly the opportunity to play catch-up.

“Of course the record may not seem like we got better,” senior linebacker Parris Bennett said. “But honestly, though, the games felt like we were a way better team.”

It felt that way through most of the Florida State game. That is until last season’s mistakes — the same ones Syracuse were supposed to outgrow this year — returned.

It initially came in senior kicker Cole Murphy struggling again. He missed a potential game-tying kick against FSU and ended the year making just four of his final nine field goals.

The most reoccurring concern was Dungey’s health. Dungey left portions of the game against the Seminoles. He came back and gutted through the rest of the matchup. After the game, though, he was seen with a boot on his right foot.

Last season, Dungey suffered an apparent head injury against Clemson and never returned. He bulked up in the offseason in an effort to be better equipped for the grueling season. Babers, who said he took out any designed running plays for Dungey in last year’s matchup against Clemson, took the training wheels off his quarterback and decided not to limit him at all this year.

Even though he was much stronger, it was clear that Dungey physically wore down as the season progressed. By the 10th game, Dungey was done.

Still, this year should have been different. Backup Zack Mahoney showed that he could lead SU’s offense in last year’s finale against Pittsburgh, when the Orange scored 61 points. With the defense’s improvement, and two of the final three games at home, there was still hope for the Orange.

SU got off to a strong first half in the next game against Wake Forest, taking a 38-24 lead. That game was the last time Syracuse would hold a lead all season. The offense scored 29 points over the final 10 quarters of the season. The defense, which had held every opponent to 35 points or fewer through the FSU game, allowed more than 40 points in each of the final three games.

“Obviously, we had a bad season,” said wide receiver Steve Ishmael after the Boston College game. “(Babers) knew that the seniors cared, we cared. We really wanted to win, but things happen.”

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As opposed to last year, those seniors — Ishmael, Bennett, Ervin Philips and Zaire Franklin — were far and away the strength of the team. Each one of them improved this season, like they were supposed to, in the second year under Babers.

Next year, Babers is tasked with finding replacements for two of the top receivers in Syracuse history and the only four linebackers who regularly contributed.

Dungey won’t have a free pass, either. Despite his penchant for missing time, SU’s quarterback never really had a threat of getting replaced by Mahoney or third-stringer Rex Culpepper.

But next year Tommy DeVito will be active. The freshman quarterback and highly ranked recruit redshirted this season, but there’ll be nothing preventing him from entering games next year if Dungey goes down. And if DeVito plays at a high level and rallies community support — something he’s seemingly already done without taking a snap —Dungey’s job won’t be guaranteed.

Babers hasn’t mentioned DeVito recently but did say last Monday that he was looking forward to have Dungey back by next year. Babers is keeping the faith for 2018, too.

“I don’t feel like that is the end of what we’re going to do. I think this is the beginning,” Babers said during his opening statement after the BC game. “I really believe that the 2018 season is going to be something that we’re going to be talking about here for a long, long time.”

Later in the press conference, Babers declined to offer specifics on what Syracuse fans should expect for next season. He referenced the growth and maturity over the offseason.

Here’s what I’ll say: Fewer than six wins next year will be unacceptable.

It’ll be Dungey’s task — arguably the Orange’s best returning player, and, Babers said, SU’s “heartbeat”— to lead the team there. His career arc at Syracuse, despite his eye-popping numbers, has been one big “what if?” Babers likes to say that the games in November are the ones fans remember the most. By those standards, Syracuse fans have very few memories of Dungey playing football. For him to change the script on his career, he’ll need to be active and effective in 2018.

November has proved to be SU’s kryptonite under Babers. On the first day of the month this year, on the ACC coaches teleconference, Babers was asked about the Orange’s stretch against top conference foes.

“We think that we’re getting better but we’re not good enough,” Babers said at the time. “We need to … maybe sometimes start winning some of those close games against some of those opponents.”

“Maybe” won’t cut it for the program rebuild. After the Clemson game, I argued that Babers no longer had to ask for “belief without evidence,” his trademark request since he was hired here two years ago. I stand by that. But going into his third season, Babers no longer should be allowed to ask for that.

It’s time for consistent evidence, not just a one-hit wonder.

Tomer Langer is a Senior Staff Writer at The Daily Orange where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at tdlanger@syr.edu or @tomer_langer.

Published on November 26, 2017 at 10:22 pm