Things seemed oh-so promising just three short months ago.
Sure, Syracuse lost starting quarterback Terrel Hunt for the season, again. But freshman Eric Dungey stepped right in and had the Orange rolling, helping lead them to three straight wins to open the season, matching last season's win total. Even when Dungey got hurt, walk-on Zack Mahoney offered some promise in defeat against LSU, as Syracuse looked further and further removed from last season's underwhelming 3-9 campaign.
But that game turned out to be a turning point for all the wrong reasons.