Syracuse (4-8, 2-6 Atlantic Coast) outlasted Boston College (3-9, 0-8), 20-17, in the Carrier Dome to cap off its season on Saturday. With Scott Shafer coaching his last game as head coach after being fired on Monday and 17 seniors being honored before the game, the result seemed secondary to the events beyond the sidelines.

Here are three moments from Saturday not involved in the on-field product that stood out in the season finale.

Round of applause

Syracuse honored 17 players and six managers in Senior Day festivities around noon. Shafer started off with the managers, shaking each of their hands and posing for pictures with family members in attendance.

He made his way down the line stretching from midfield to the end zone, sliding in each family photo. Punter Riley Dixon received arguably the loudest applause and he was greeted by seven of his family members.

Quarterback Terrel Hunt, who was denied a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA yesterday, was the last one called. He too was greeted with a sizable applause, slowly walking out on his healing right Achilles while flipping a football up in the air to himself.

He gone

Starting safety Antwan Cordy tweeted before the game that he would transfer from SU after Saturday’s game. The sophomore tweeted the same message Friday, but shortly deleted the tweet. This time, the message was still up after the game.

Cordy had an interception on Saturday and ranked first on the team in tackles for loss (12) and second in total tackles (68). He was arguably Syracsue’s best defensive back in a secondary that struggled mightily throughout the season.

Further updates will be provided after the game regarding the reason behind Cordy’s transfer.

The decision

Director of Athletics Mark Coyle spoke about his decision to fire Shafer on his weekly pregame radio show with Matt Park, calling the decision to let Shafer and his assistants go “efficient.”

He highlighted the importance of reaching out to current commits and making the best long-term decision for the program. Coyle cancelled his trip to the Bahamas for the men’s basketball team’s appearance in the Battle 4 Atlantis to put time toward the coaching search.

According to Sports Illustrated, Coyle and Chancellor Kent Syverud have already flown across the country to interview candidates.

Published on November 28, 2015 at 3:41 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman