Lieberman: Syracuse stumbling after mediocre start

After a bruising 34-13 loss to West Virginia, Syracuse is going back to the drawing board.

As competitive as Syracuse was in going 2-2 in its first four games, it has been just as bad during its first two Big East matchups — a 34-20 loss to South Florida followed by a shellacking at the hands of the Mountaineers.

“We’re creating too many mistakes, more so now that we’ve gotten into Big East play,” Syracuse coach Doug Marrone said in a teleconference. “We keep shooting ourselves in the foot, but we also have to be strong enough mentally to come back from those things.”

Marrone is spot on, as turnovers have been one of the biggest problems for Syracuse. The Orange committed nine turnovers against the Bulls and Mountaineers after giving the ball away just seven times in its first four games.

Seven of those turnovers came from passes by quarterback Greg Paulus.

Eventually, Marrone benched Paulus in favor of sophomore Ryan Nassib in the second half. It begs the question — is the Paulus experiment over at Syracuse?

There’s still no official word, but there isn’t a whiff of encouraging news, either.

“We’re going to look back and see what’s going wrong in our passing game and on third down,” Marrone said, “We’ll look at the plays we’re running to see if they’re not being run enough in practice.”

Luckily for Syracuse, they don’t play another game until Halloween, which should allow some time for the Orange to improve.

Pitt Football Question of the Week:

In six games, Pitt freshman running back Dion Lewis has had seven rushing and one receiving touchdown for a combined 48 points. Lewis is on pace to break this Pitt freshman’s record of 90 points in a season. Who is this player?

Last week’s answer: Thanks to seniors Tina Oravec and Ashleigh Hogue, who both had the correct answer of Larry Fitzgerald as Pitt’s all-time, single-season receiving yards record holder (2003).

Big East Player of the Week (Offensive):

Noel Devine, West Virginia – Devine gets the back-to-back award for another stellar performance against Syracuse, 103 all-purpose yards and two scores.

Big East Player of the Week (Defensive):

Robert Vaughn, Connecticut – Vaughn almost single-handedly dismantled the Panthers with his play. He picked off two passes, returning one for a touchdown, and had 10 tackles.

Rankings of Power – Week 4:

1. Cincinnati (Last week: Bye) – This depends on the huge matchup against South Florida late last night.

2. South Florida (Last week: Bye) – Likewise for the Bulls, they could take the No. 1 spot with an upset over Cincinnati.

3. West Virginia (Last week: 34-13 win at Syracuse) – The Mountaineers keep chugging along, but they still remain outside the top two teams because of their lackluster schedule. Their daunting Big East slate (UConn, at Cincy, at USF, Pitt, at Rutgers) is creeping ever so closer.

4. Pitt (Last week: 24-21 win over Connecticut) – The Panthers against Louisville are contenders in the Big East, but the Panthers against Connecticut are mediocre. This team is a mystery but should contend the rest of the way.

5. Connecticut (Last week: 24-21 loss at Pitt) – The Huskies needed a win against Pitt to vault into the hunt for the Big East crown. Now they’ll need to pull off some major upsets.

6. Syracuse (Last week: 34-13 loss to West Virginia) – Syracuse needs to sort out its issues before a Big East slate.

7. Rutgers (Last week: 42-0 win over Texas Southern) – Now it’s time for the Scarlet Knights to prove they’ve rebounded from their opening-game loss to Cincinnati.

8. Louisville (Last week: 25-23 win over Southern Miss.) – The Cardinals kicked a late field goal to beat an FBS opponent for the first time in nearly a year.

Week 7 Preview:

Pitt (5-1, 2-0) at Rutgers (4-1, 0-1) : The Scarlet Knights will try to run their winning streak to five against the Panthers, who don’t have anybody on their roster that beat Rutgers.

Louisville (2-3, 0-1) at Connecticut (3-2, 0-1): Here’s an easy must-win for the Huskies to get back on track and in the race for the Big East title.

Marshall (4-2) at West Virginia (4-1, 1-0): The Mountaineers own intrastate rival Marshall in football, as they’re a perfect 8-0 against the Thundering Herd. But here’s the debate: Who beats who in star power, West Virginia, with the likes of Billy Mays, or Marshall, with its own Hollywood film and Billy Crystal as an alum?

Bye: Syracuse

Get your name in the column. E-mail question answers to Randy at rjl25@pitt.edu