ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, September 27, 1996 football TAG: 9609270047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
NUMEROUS MISCUES HAVE HURT the Orangemen in back-to-back shocking losses to open their season.
Just three weeks ago, Syracuse was ranked No.9 in the country and was most everybody's favorite to win the Big East Football Conference.
Two games and two losses later, the Orangemen are left squeezed, wondering what might happen next in their super season already gone wrong.
Next? The schedule says it's 18th-ranked Virginia Tech at home Saturday.
But who knows? Maybe the Carrier Dome's inflatable roof will cave in before the 3:30 p.m. kickoff (WDBJ Channel 7).
Don't even joke about that with Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni right now. The guy might deck you.
Of course, if Pasqualoni is anything like his team has been in losses to North Carolina and Minnesota, his punch undoubtedly would be intercepted.
So what's the excuse for the 'Cuse?
As Pasqualoni noted, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to deduce why Syracuse is 0-2 for the first time in a decade.
``Mistakes and more mistakes,'' Pasqualoni said. ``Turnovers, penalties, too many big plays, all kinds of stuff. We've made enough mistakes in two games to last a season.''
No kidding. Syracuse had two turnovers in a 27-10 season-opening loss to North Carolina at home. Saturday night, the Orange tripled that figure at Minnesota, committing six turnovers in an ugly 35-33 loss.
The Orange secondary, which led the Big East with 19 interceptions last year, has nary a pick in two games.
Quarterback Donovan McNabb, who threw six interceptions for last year's 9-3 Gator Bowl champions, already has been picked off four times. McNabb, third in the nation in passing efficiency (162.34) as a redshirt freshman in 1995, is seventh in the eight-team Big East (83.91) through two games.
And don't forget the fumbles. Syracuse backs have put the ball on the ground four times in two games. Incredibly, two Malcolm Thomas fumbles were returned 63 and 20 yards for touchdowns by the same guy - Tyrone Carter - in Minnesota's upset at the Metrodome.
``I've never been in a game where there were back-to-back fumbles for touchdowns. It's hard to believe,'' Pasqualoni said.
After Thomas' two gaffes, Minnesota intercepted McNabb on the Orange's next possession, leading to yet another score for the Golden Gophers.
``They ran like two plays and had three touchdowns in a span of I don't know how fast [4 minutes, 42 seconds]. Unbelievable,'' Pasqualoni said.
Syracuse, which ran for 301 yards and outgained Minnesota 429-266, gave the Gophers more help when Deon Maddox's 69-yard first-quarter punt return was nullified by an illegal block. In the UNC game, Syracuse also saw a punt return for a touchdown wiped out by a penalty.
``For the most part,'' Pasqualoni said, ``we dominated the [Minnesota] game and just managed to lose it. That's what really hurt.''
All this from a team that ranked among the nation's leaders in turnover margin (plus 10) last year.
``We just have to try to get better,'' McNabb said. ``We're a much better team than this.''
The Orangemen, picked No.6 by Sports Illustrated, have self-destructed quicker than a cassette tape left in a phone booth for Mr. Phelps. Their mission now, if they choose to accept it, is to somehow tackle a Tech team that's won 13 consecutive games.
``Virginia Tech is exactly where we thought they'd be,'' Pasqualoni said of the Hokies (3-0 overall, 2-0 Big East).
``The fact we're not playing well, haven't played well, it's going to be a big, big challenge for us, considering how well they're playing.''
A victory over Tech may be the only thing that can keep the Orange away from the rubber room.
``Yeah, our guys are pretty shocked,'' Pasqualoni said. ``I don't think there was a word said from the [time] we got in the [Metrodome] locker room till the time we got home. It certainly doesn't help anybody's level of confidence. This will certainly test you.
``I knew they'd be two tough games, but I fully expected to win both games. But we believe in what we're doing here. I think [the players] feel they can [turn the season around].
``It's a very unforgiving game because you don't have time to hang your head and feel sorry for yourself because you can get your fanny kicked pretty quick.''
ORANGE JUICE: Although his two fumbles were killers, Thomas ran for a career-high 168 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns against the Gophers. Syracuse had been 12-0-1 under Pasqualoni when a back ran for at least 100 yards. The 35-33 loss, courtesy of a 26-yard field goal by Minnesota's Adam Bailey with 42 seconds to play, marked the first time in school history Syracuse lost a game in which it scored at least 30 points. The Orange had been 239-0 in such games until Saturday. A victory over Tech would be the 600th in Orange history. With its next triumph, Syracuse will become the 12th school and first Big East member to record 600 or more football victories. It also will become the first Division I school to post 600 football and 1,400 men's basketball wins.
LENGTH: Medium: 96 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni says mistakes haveby CNBbeen the undoing of the Orangemen in two stunning losses this
season.