It’s tough being a Syracuse football fan. Your team is 1-7, headed for its first one-win season since 1948 and there’s not much reason to believe things will be better next year.But you, my friends, are not helping matters.As Perry Patterson drove the Orange 51 yards in its final offensive series, you headed for the exit. Not one or two of you, but dozens of Orange fans left the Carrier Dome early on Saturday. Syracuse was down by six, ready to attempt a late comeback, and you got a head start on the traffic to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.Shame on you.This is why you go to sporting events – to see a competitive game and to see your team get a shot at a win. More power if it’s an exciting nail-biter.It was the first time the Orange had a shot at victory late in a game since mid-September, but you gave up on Greg Robinson and his team as the rotund woman began her vocal prep.Patterson’s no Tom Brady, but he could’ve and almost did lead a heroic comeback. (Remember his 60-yard, second-quarter bomb against Florida State in 2004?) If Tim Lane caught Patterson’s fourth-and-17 pass with 41 seconds left, the Orange would’ve had several chances to get into the end zone to tie and win, but you wouldn’t have known until you flipped on the news later that night.Even worse, it was the second time you did it this season. After Patterson struggled through much of SU’s season-opening defeat to West Virginia, you left in a one-possession game when SU had the ball late in the fourth quarter.Parents Weekend accounted for a good chunk of the 42,457 at the Dome on Saturday, but when I looked to see who was leaving, most were not Mr. and Mrs. Orange Parent, they were the season ticket holders, the tailgaters, the born-and-bred Syracusans.The thing I wonder is, where were you all going? Did you run through the revolving doors an extra 10 times? Did you sit on a bus headed to Manley Field House? Did you get an early start at the bars?I know there’s a lot to do on a Saturday afternoon in Syracuse, but Erie Lanes Bowling Center doesn’t close until 1 a.m. (2 a.m. if there’s a large crowd). Yeah, I love Build-A-Bear too, but when you pay to see a football game, you really should see the football game.There’s always the possibility you didn’t want to see Syracuse win. But going to see the lowlights of a football game is like going to church just for the sermon.I’m guilty, too. My father and I used to leave Boston Bruins hockey games early so we wouldn’t have to ride a crowded T subway car. But we had a rule: ‘Leave if and only if the B’s are down by two with less than five minutes in the game.’Translate that to football and it’s, ‘Leave if and only if the Orange is trailing by more than eight with less than four minutes to go.’ And even then, you may miss the cream filling of a win.Don’t get me wrong, some of you are SUper fans. Cincinnati would love to have 42,000 at a home game. The largest crowd the Bearcats drew to Nippert Stadium this season is 22,637.I’m not suggesting the Orange would’ve been willed to victory by your loyalty, but when the O-Zone starts to look like the ozone hole, the fans are just as bad as the team.

Timothy Gorman is the sports editor of The Daily Orange, where his columns appear frequently. E-mail him at tpgorman@gmail.com.