Doug Marrone made a stunning admission Saturday that in turn led to an even more powerful realization.

First, the admission, straight from the mouth of Syracuse’s head football coach: ‘Did South Florida have better talent than Syracuse University?’ he wondered aloud following the Orange’s frustrating 34-20 loss against USF. ‘They do right now.’

It’s a brazen statement, considering the source. Greg Robinson probably would have said he needed to look at the film first. To hear Marrone acknowledge that his team was outclassed is a refreshing dose of honesty from this program, which has been known for its absurd delusions these past four years.

Next, the realization, and this is both the startling and revealing part of the equation: The talent gap isn’t the reason why Syracuse lost on Saturday. Syracuse lost because it committed a ridiculous seven turnovers, not necessarily because South Florida was faster and stronger.

In other words, USF did not beat SU. SU beat SU.

South Florida scored 27 of its 34 points off Orange turnovers. Of the seven miscues, no more than two of them should be attributed directly to the Bulls’ defense. We didn’t see defensive backs diving out of nowhere to make highlight-reel interceptions. Instead, we saw Syracuse making a flurry of errors on the same ulcer-inducing afternoon.

Two SU running backs fumbled mostly on their own accord. These are errors that can and will happen to any ball-carrier at any time. That they happened within minutes of each other in the first quarter is mere coincidence.

Greg Paulus, for the first time all season, went through an entire game looking like an inexperienced quarterback. Yes, he made some bad throws and some even worse decisions, but this is still to be expected from someone with Paulus’ unique background. He has demonstrated the ability to be a legitimate collegiate quarterback. A step backward does not erase four prior games of consistent improvement.

And despite all the carelessness, Syracuse still had an outside chance to stage a comeback against arguably the best team in the Big East five minutes into the fourth quarter. This alone is an accomplishment and perhaps the most telling sign that things are different now. Last year, the Orange would have been out of this game by halftime.

‘It’s an incredible number,’ USF head coach Jim Leavitt said of the turnovers Saturday. ‘And we needed all of them for us to win that game.’

In fact, they probably did. Syracuse outperformed South Florida in almost every other relevant statistical category. The Orange compiled more total yards of offense (344-333), surrendered fewer yards off penalties (66-44) and won the time of possession battle by about five minutes. Outside of the turnovers, somehow, Syracuse may have played like the better team Saturday.

On the surface, this notion may seem tough to stomach. It means Syracuse has nothing to blame but itself for blowing a chance for a signature victory. It evokes dangerous questions starting with the dreaded words, ‘What if…’

But look deeper, beyond this one game. That vision of Paulus trudging off the field after tossing his fifth interception should not be cause for despair, but for hope. It is a safe bet that Syracuse will not play worse all season than it did Saturday. Assuming that’s true, the signature victory may be closer than we thought.

‘Syracuse is on their way. They really are. It’s a different deal,’ Leavitt said. ‘We never had to fight like we did today here.’

These are words that cannot be taken lightly.

Like Marrone said, South Florida is a better team than Syracuse. This much we knew already going into the game. Nobody would have been surprised if the Bulls rumbled into the Carrier Dome Saturday and embarrassed a Syracuse team that for a half last weekend looked no better than Maine.

Instead, the Orange played like it belonged. The game provided a reason to remain confident in this team heading into next week against West Virginia. Of course, confidence does not take away the seven turnovers, nor does it hide the fact that SU is again below .500. But it should help temporarily relieve the bad taste in Syracuse fans’ mouths.

The last four years have been bitter. Saturday was bittersweet.

‘We really did have an opportunity to make a statement,’ cornerback Kevyn Scott said.

SU did make a statement Saturday. In one of the ugliest losses you could ever imagine, the Orange sent a resounding message and the rest of the Big East will soon take notice. Leavitt already has.

The rebuilding process is far from complete, but Syracuse football is no longer a national punchline. Not anymore.

Jared Diamond is the sports editor for The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at jediamon@syr.edu.

Published on October 4, 2009 at 12:00 pm