In their postgame press conferences Saturday, neither Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer nor middle linebacker Zaire Franklin wanted to entertain the idea that SU's 34-24 loss to LSU could serve as a moral victory. Franklin said he's not a "moral victory type of person." Shafer, meanwhile, seemed genuinely disappointed in the game's result.
"We could have played a lot better," he said. "We left a lot of plays on the football field. We were good enough to beat this team. This is a very good football team. We can beat them."
Those are completely fair stances for Franklin and Shafer to take.