Change ain’t easy. And it’s not quite time for Syracuse to panic after losing two games to what should be a top-five team in Louisville and a team that will likely be ranked at some point this season in South Florida.

SU has shown growth in each of those games. It’s also shown the pain it’ll take to get where head coach Dino Babers thinks the team can end up.

The Orange outscored the Cardinals for two-thirds of the game, 28-27, and romped in the first quarter against the Bulls, jetting out to a 17-0 lead. In 53 minutes, 42 seconds of game time, Syracuse has outscored those two opponents, 45-21.

Then there’s the pain: the other 66 minutes, 18 seconds. In that time, UofL and USF obliterated Syracuse, 65-3. For the third time in as many games, the Orange ended with Zack Mahoney under center because each one has been out of reach — either good or bad.

“For the most part, for the offense to flow, you have to have weapons all across the board,” Babers said. “That’s when it really gets to be good because it doesn’t matter what they take away. You’ve always got a weapon somewhere else. We’re not there yet. We’re not there today.

“We will get there someday.”

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MORE COVERAGE:

• Stock watch: How are Syracuse players trending after loss to South Florida
• What we learned from SU’s loss to USF
• Watch: Dino Babers’ postgame press conference after 45-20 loss

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Three games in, Syracuse (1-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) has looked as expected — just like former SU head coach Scott Shafer’s players playing in a system that really doesn’t fit them yet, especially on defense. SU has allowed 649.5 yards per game against FBS teams, good for last in the country. The next closest is Texas Tech, which allows 612 yards per game to FBS teams, and only three teams allow 600 or more yards per game.

Syracuse has a long way to go, and it’s not always going to be pretty. But to turn the program around, it has to get worse before it gets better. Babers said he was unwilling to put ceilings on the season, but that also means he didn’t put a floor on the season either.

“Give us the time, it’ll work,” Babers said before the season. “It’s a proven product. It’ll work. Just don’t be quick to judge.”

This qualifies as quick to judge, but the offense has found a way to live up to its billing in spots. The Orange has run 101.5 plays per game, the most against FBS opponents in the country according to TeamRankings.com, and averages nearly 482 yards in those games.

John Williams | Contributing Photographer

But Babers has taken over possibly the least-talented Syracuse team since Doug Marrone replaced Greg Robinson. Mix that in with the injuries SU has suffered and it’s no surprise the season has started the way it has.

Unlike Marrone or Shafer, Babers has an offense and defense that aren’t used as much by other teams. Putting both in has shown Syracuse was understandably unready for either. Fans were excited by the Baylor-style spread.

But Babers said when he came to SU the system might take two years or more to fully implement, and it looks like that number was right.

At his other coaching stops, Babers has used a phrase, “Don’t tell me about the pain, just deliver the baby” (he says it’s been shortened to “Don’t tell me about the pain” for sensitivity reasons).

The problem at SU is it’s all about the pain, and it’ll be that way for a while because the process is going to be painful. Instituting new systems without the players you need to run them naturally causes problems and takes time. Delivering the baby, that might take a little longer.

“When we get there someday,” Babers said, “that will be a heck of a day.”

Chris Libonati is an Asst. Sports Editor at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at cjlibona@syr.edu or @ChrisLibonati.

Published on September 18, 2016 at 11:05 pm

Contact Chris: cjlibona@syr.edu | @ChrisLibonati