Syracuse falls short again to Florida State

SU football falls to the Seminoles on the road

For the second week in a row, SU's game came down to a last-second field goal.
Published: October 3, 2021
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 2: During the game with the Florida State Seminoles playing against the Syracuse Orange at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 2, 2021 in Tallahassee, Florida. The Seminoles defeated the Orange 33 to 30. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Character Lines)
Sean Tucker's 102 yards rushing Saturday against Florida State marked his seventh 100-yard game.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Only a week after Syracuse pulled out a victory over Liberty on a last-second field goal, the Orange found themselves on the receiving end of the same fate.

Florida State earned a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give the Seminoles a 33-30 win over Syracuse, which has never won in Tallahassee since joining the ACC.

“You take your medicine, and you go to work and that’s what we did,” SU Head Coach Dino Babers said after Saturday’s game. “We came up three points short.”

FSU claimed the first touchdown of the game thanks to tight end Camren McDonald after a scoreless first quarter. The Seminoles continued their lead in the first half 9-0 until quarterback Garrett Shrader showed up.

The sophomore quarterback scored both touchdowns for the Orange in the second quarter and propelled them to a 13-9 lead. However, it wasn’t long until FSU gained the momentum back.

“It was a bittersweet feeling. We definitely made a step forward offensively and felt like we had a lot more confidence in the offense, but it wasn’t enough,” Shrader said, “We have to score touchdowns in the red zone.”

With 36 seconds remaining in the first half, wide receiver Keyshawn Helton put a second touchdown on the board for the Seminoles. FSU came out of the second half and quickly scored on a three-yard run from wide receiver Andrew Parchment.

When the fourth quarter rolled around, the Seminoles were ready to bring home their potential first win of the season, as they started the day with a 0-4 record. However, it wasn’t until cornerback Duce Chestnut intercepted quarterback Mckenzie Milton’s pass. That turned it back to offense for the Orange, leaving the score tied, 30-30, with 5:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Orange battled throughout the whole game, never letting a minute go to waste. Alongside Shrader under center, running back Sean Tucker rushed for 102 yards on 24 carries. But ultimately, SU fell short with one second left in the fourth quarter as the Seminoles came out on top.

“That’s a good Florida State team, their record is not a reflection, they have some guys that can play, I’ve played with a few of them at my former school,” Shrader said. “We didn’t even think for a second this was going to be a pushover game, they’re a good team and it’s bitter coming up short.”

Syracuse will head home to the Dome for Saturday’s game against Wake Forest.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 2: During the game with the Florida State Seminoles playing against the Syracuse Orange at Doak Campbell Stadium on Bobby Bowden Field on October 2, 2021 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Character Lines)
Quarterback Garrett Shrader hands off to Sean Tucker during Saturday's game in Tallahassee.