Don't call it bad luck. Syracuse is losing close games because its defense is failing in the biggest moments. In six key drives this season, Chuck Bullough's unit has been unable to make a stop five times. Let's discuss why that's happening.
We're seeing a trend here. The Syracuse Orange defense, once the rock of the program you rely on, has become the least dependable side of the football for Scott Shafer's team.
It's not just that the defense is giving up 27 points per game or 5.7 yards per play - those are not great numbers, indeed - but that when the team has needed a big stop to win or stay in a game, the unit has failed on nearly every occasion this year.