Syracuse, N.Y. -- In Steve Ishmael's mind, Syracuse football should be 5-0.
The senior wide receiver feels like each of the team's three losses -- all one-score games late in the fourth quarter -- should have ended in victory, not defeat.
But Ishmael, like the rest of SU's upperclassman leaders, is preaching an upbeat urgency. At the team's weekly meeting on Sunday, he said the message from head coach Dino Babers and players who spoke was uplifting.
"Stay calm, we've got this, our heart is still beating," Ishmael said. "We're still alive."
Syracuse (2-3) heads into a critical homecoming game on Saturday when Pittsburgh (2-3) comes to the Carrier Dome for a 12:30 p.