When Ian Book slipped and lofted the ball into the hands of a looming Andre Cisco, Syracuse was gifted an opportunity. Instead of trailing by as many as 20 points with slightly under seven minutes remaining in the half, Syracuse had the ball on its 20-yard line. A touchdown drive would’ve brought the No. 12 Orange (8-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) within one score of No. 3 Notre Dame (11-0).
In four plays, Syracuse traveled 33 yards. On the fifth, the ball hit an open Taj Harris’ hands and the gap between Syracuse and a top-tier opponent like Notre Dame showed.