In Wild Finish, Syracuse Hands It to North Carolina State

Hold that Heisman. Forget the rave notices. Syracuse is, well, Syracuse.

Someday the Orangemen will get it right. Saturday was not that day.

A year after they self-destructed with numerous penalties and turnovers in season-opening losses to North Carolina and Minnesota, they did so again, losing, 32-31, in overtime to North Carolina State.

This one, which came six days after a 34-0 victory over Wisconsin, hurt even more.

No. 13 Syracuse seemed to have the game won at the end of regulation as the Orangemen were running out the clock to set up a chip-shot field goal to win it.

But after two quarterback sneaks, Syracuse chose to hand off. And Dee Brown, a quarterback-turned-running back who had scored his first career touchdown in the first quarter, fumbled and the Wolfpack recovered. That gave North Carolina State new life, and the Wolfpack made the most of it in the overtime, winning on a two-point conversion that caught Syracuse by surprise.

“The way we lost,” said Quinton Spotwood, who had six catches for 155 yards and scored twice for Syracuse--on a 67-yard pass play to start the game and a 72-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. “Physically, we were ready. Mentally, I don’t feel like the team put it all together. I feel at times it was just the breaks. We were shooting ourselves in the foot a lot, getting penalties.”

After Tremayne Stephens scored on a one-yard run to pull North Carolina State within a point in the overtime, Coach Mike O’Cain decided to go for the win. He got it when Jamie Barnette passed to Torry Holt in the left corner of the end zone before Syracuse could call a timeout and put in a different defensive unit.

“There was no question in my mind about going for two at the end,” said O’Cain, whose job was said to be in jeopardy. “In that kind of situation, you need to choose your opportunity. Their defense was reeling and had lost its confidence.”

That was mainly because of Barnette, who completed 18 of 29 passes for 279 yards and three touchdowns and won the duel against Syracuse’s Donovan McNabb.

McNabb, who put in his bid for the Heisman Trophy with a nearly flawless performance against Wisconsin, looked like just another quarterback against the Wolfpack. He was 12 for 26 for 216 yards and was unable to generate any consistency on offense.

In the overtime McNabb came alive, though, putting Syracuse ahead quickly with an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Roland Williams on the third play.

After getting its chance from the Syracuse 25-yard line, North Carolina State seemed doomed until Barnette scrambled for a first down on a third-and-nine play to set up Stephens’ touchdown run and the ensuing two-point conversion.