At this time last season, the only talk of bowls for the Syracuse football team came about the local lanes or a box of Kellogg’s.

So despite SU’s sobering, 34-14 loss at Pittsburgh, the Orangemen can take solace in the fact that they still appear headed for a bowl game.

Syracuse (4-3, 1-2 Big East) stands at fifth place in the conference after seven games. Last year, five Big East teams made bowls. Syracuse needs just two wins in its final five games to reach six victories and become eligible for a bowl game.

Barring a monumental collapse – SU still has games left against Big East cellar-dwellers Temple and Rutgers – Syracuse will reach the six-win plateau.

Last season, Virginia Tech finished fifth in the Big East at 3-4 and went to the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl, where it beat Air Force, 20-13.

But just because Syracuse is looking at a bowl one year after a 4-8 season doesn’t mean it’s satisfied.

‘Our goal now is to run the table,’ SU tight end Joe Donnelly said. ‘We need to buckle down. We want to go to a good bowl game.’

Go to the video tape

After watching film on Sunday of SU’s loss, Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni received a clearer picture of what happened on Saturday.

One thing was obvious: Syracuse was totally ineffective on third down, evidenced by its three first downs after the third quarter.

‘A week ago against (Boston College), we were great on third down,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Certainly (quarterback R.J. Anderson) will tell you there’s a few throws he could have thrown better. The wide receivers could’ve played a bit better.’

One thing wasn’t as obvious: Syracuse’s offensive line wasn’t necessarily dominated by the Panthers.

‘I can’t say that they were,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Our O-line at times blocked very well. To Pitt’s credit, they stayed on their feet and got to the ball.’

Learning his lesson

It’s the Golden Rule of returning punts: If the ball’s going to land inside the 10-yard line, don’t catch it.

On Saturday, true freshman Marcus Clayton violated the rule – and paid for it.

Just before halftime, Pittsburgh punter Andy Lee, punting from his own 47, booted a kick to SU’s 3-yard line. Instead of letting the ball bounce into the end zone, Clayton caught it and ran across the field.

After nearly being tackled for a safety, Clayton was brought down at SU’s 1.

‘I don’t like to fair catch it,’ Clayton said earlier this season. ‘Most of the punts I get are on the 10-yard line. If it’s over my head, I have to let it go.’

It was Clayton’s biggest gaffe in a solid freshman season. The aggressive Clayton has averaged 8.9 yards on 18 punt returns. He also gained 14 yards on an end around against Boston College.

This and that

Syracuse announced that game time for its Nov. 8 game against Temple will be 1:30 p.m. After its second bye week this season, Syracuse will play the Owls for SU’s Parent’s Weekend game. … Syracuse is 1-2 on the road this season and has been outscored 132-70 away from the Carrier Dome.

Published on October 27, 2003 at 12:00 pm