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Syracuse Football Has Major Upset in Maryland

By Katherine Quinn

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Sept. 9, 2019 — On Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, the Syracuse University foot-

ball team faced a stunning loss to the unranked University of Maryland at College Park, Mary-

land. The final score, 63-20, left Maryland with a significant point margin over the Orange foot-

ball team. This unexpected turn of events has provoked some mixed reactions in the Syracuse fan

community.

Syracuse, coming down off its 24-0 opening shutout match over Liberty University the

week before, had no reason to be scared. The Maryland Terrapins were an unranked team and

should not have posed as much of a threat as it did. Last Saturday, Maryland was a scoring ma-

chine, running the Orange defense every which way and ragged.

Within the first quarter, Maryland had three touchdowns to Syracuse’s one. The Terrapin

running backs had a field day. Javon Leake alone ran a 64-yard touchdown. Overall, the Orange

defense gave up a massive total of 650 yards and had many missed tackles that proved to be cru-

cial points.

That’s not to say there were no great plays on Syracuse’s end. Andre Cisco, who led the

nation in interceptions last season as a freshman, had his second pick of this season during the

Maryland game. Trishton Jackson, a transfer wide receiver from Michigan State, popped out with

two touchdowns for the Orange, one of them being off a 52-yard run.

Still, fans are unsure about the current state of Syracuse football. Valentina Zuleta, a

cheerleader at Syracuse University, said, “Morale was really low at the game; you could just tell.

The guys were trying their hardest, but nothing was connecting, and they didn’t seem locked in.” 


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Her statement mirrors Elizabeth Truman’s, a Syracuse native, long time fan and university stu-

dent. Truman said, “Last season went so unbelievably well, so I had high hopes for this one. The

first game was an awesome kickoff, but I’m disappointed about Maryland and nervous for future

games.”

Not only has fan faith been shaken, but Syra-

cuse lost other influential support, as well. ESPN’s

College GameDay will no longer be setting up on the

Syracuse campus and broadcasting the event. Instead,

GameDay is off to cover the Iowa vs. Iowa State game

on Saturday.

A feature on ESPN’s College GameDay would

have had multiple implications. GameDay reports on

only the largest games in college football. It would Syracuse students gather to tailgate and celebrate
the Maryland game in what was thought to be a
have meant that ESPN recognized Syracuse as a wor- sure-fire win. Source: Katherine Quinn

thy competitor to Clemson, the number one team, with a solid chance of winning.

The decision not to come reflects the nation’s uncertainty about Syracuse’s football team,

as well. Of course, the Orange still garners national coverage regardless, especially since its op-

ponent is so prominent in college football. Tune in this Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. to

witness Syracuse face a formidable foe.

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Word Count: 501

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Works Cited

-https://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2019/09/espn-college-gameday-not-coming-to-syra-

cuse-university-for-clemson-game.html

-https://www.espn.com/college-football/game?gameId=401112202

-https://www.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2019/09/syracuse-football-loses-to-maryland-63-20-

brent-axe-recap.html

Valentina Zuleta:

(203) 434-6972

vzuleta@syredu

Elizabeth Truman:

eatruman@syr.edu