Running back Delone Carter led the Orange offense, rushing for 86 yards on 12 carries in Syracuse's 27-10 loss at South Florida. Carter raised his season total to 573 rushing, moving into second in school history for rushing yards by a freshman. Perry Patterson completed 15-of-29 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown.
Linebacker Kelvin Smith recorded a game-high 11 tackles, including nine solo stops, and added a forced fumble to lead the Orange on defense. Safety Joe Fields added eight tackles.
Syracuse received the ball first and drove down the field. Facing a fourth down on South Flordia's 30-yard line, Patterson connected with receiver Rice Moss for a 15-yard reception and a Syracuse first down. Kicker Patrick Shadle connected on a 29-yard field goal to give the Orange an early 3-0 advantage.
The Bulls quickly responded and also scored on its first offensive possession. South Florida quarterback Matt Grothe connected with S.J. Green for a six-yard touchdown pass as the Bulls claimed the lead, 7-3. Grothe passed for 364 yards and two touchdowns in the contest.
After a Syracuse punt, South Florida drove into SU territory and faced a fourth-and-five play. The Bulls decided to go for it but their pass attempt fell incomplete, giving the Orange the ball. Syracuse was forced to punt once again and the Bulls added three points, connecting on a 47-yard field goal.
Carter attempted to bring the Orange back into the game, rushing for a career-best 47-yard run on the first play of the next drive, setting up a Syracuse field goal attempt. Shadle's 45-yard attempt failed when his kick hit the upright. It was the first miss for Shadle in 13 attempts. South Florida's Delbert Alvarado missed a 30-yard field goal on the Bulls' next drive as the score remained 10-3 in South Florida's favor.
USF took advantage of a failed fourth-down attempt by the Orange as Alvarado connected on a career-long 56-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
After a failed fake punt, the Orange quickly regained possession as safety A.J. Brown picked off his third pass of the season.
After a Syracuse punt, the Orange forced another turnover for the third-consecutive drive. Arthur Jones recovered a South Florida fumble on SU's 47-yard line.
On USF's next drive Grothe found Taurus Johnson for a 79-yard touchdown to give the Bulls a 17-point lead.
Syracuse answered with its first touchdown of the afternoon on the next drive. Patterson connected with Mike Williams for a 27-yard touchdown pass to pull SU within 10 points. Patterson passed for 66 yards on the drive and moved into sole possession for fifth in school history with 24 career touchdown passes.