USF 45, Syracuse 24: 3 Takeaways from Orange's 2nd Consecutive Loss

Logan Bowles-USA TODAY SportsHere are three takeaways from Syracuse's 45-24 loss to South Florida at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Saturday:

1. Defensive issues: Where to start?

For almost everything USF's offense did on Saturday, the Orange couldn't come up with an answer. Before this game, I wrote that Syracuse's key to stopping Bulls running back Marlon Mack would be to get to him at or near the line of scrimmage. That didn't happen; SU's defensive line consistently lost the battle in the trenches. And when SU's players could get a hand or two on Mack, they still often struggled to bring him down.

The play of SU's front seven makes you question whether the Orange's run defense is as…