Syracuse, N.Y. -- It came down to 3 feet, the game of inches Scott Shafer loved to harp on during his tenure here.
Syracuse receiver Steve Ishmael caught a comeback route 1 yard short of the first-down marker with 28 seconds remaining, leaving SU 3 feet short and out of chances to pick extend a potential game-tying drive in a 30-23 loss against Middle Tennessee State here at the Carrier Dome.
For a while, the game billed as a chess match between Dino Babers' offense and Shafer's defense slanted more toward a defensive struggle that marked so many contests played here in recent history.