The Orange are 1-2 and winless in the conference so far.
After a 27-13 loss against Pitt on Thursday night, the Syracuse Orange football team is now 1-2 on the season, and a winless 0-2 inside Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play.
As we've outlined, there are some very real questions about the program right now, including who is going to play quarterback moving forward, what exactly is the plan for the running back room, and why isn't the offensive line playing up to its size?
But there is another question that is brewing for Fran Brown's team: What about the discipline and ability to handle the "little things?"
Specifically, we're referring to the amount of penalties taken so far through three games.
Week 1
The Orange roughed up New Hampshire by a lopsided margin of 66-3, but the penalties were a major issue for them in the opener: The Orange were penalized 12 times for 125 yards in this game, something that you knew was going to become an issue if it continued against better competition, and it has.
Week 2
The Orange were beaten 21-18 by Cal at the JMA Wireless Dome and though Steve Angeli's three interceptions will get most of the conversation and most of the blame, Brown's team committed 14 penalties for a whopping 110 yards.
Not only was the total volume high, but the timing was bad. Syracuse had a punt return for a touchdown wiped away because of a special teams penalty.
Syracuse Orange defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. (1) returns a punt between California Golden Bears defensive back Khamani Hudson (25) and defensive back Niles Davis (26) during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Rich Barnes-Imagn ImagesWeek 3
Against Pitt, it was more of the same. The Orange were penalized 10 times for 94 yards. The yardage lost wasn't as bad, but the overall impact was similar.
Up next
Syracuse will be off for the weekend of Sept. 26, and because of the Thursday night game, they'll have extra time to prepare, study, watch film and correct. They'll be back in action on Oct. 3 against UConn in East Hartford, Conn. The Huskies are 1-1 entering their game on Saturday night (7 p.m. ET) against Southern Mississippi.
The two teams played last year, with Syracuse winning a 27-20 thriller at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Also in the news for Syracuse athletics
The Syracuse women's basketball team announced that its game on Dec. 18 against Bucknell will be the annual "School Day" contest at the JMA Wireless Dome. The game will be played at 10 a.m. ET.
Syracuse went to the NCAA Tournament last season, winning a Round of 64 game before losing in the Round of 32 to UConn.
