Much of Cal’s game was decided in the fourth quarter, often with just a few minutes left.

But we might have a good idea of ​​the Bears’ prospects against visiting Syracuse on Saturday by the end of the first quarter.

The Orange (6-3, 3-3 ACC) have lost two of their last three games and were scoreless through three in the first quarter.

“It’s kind of been a theme all year,” Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord told the Daily Orange after Saturday’s 37-31 loss at Boston College. “I feel like we either start really fast or we start really slow.”

In non-conference wins over Holy Cross and UNLV, Syracuse scored 14 points each time in the first quarter. But this is the exception.

Syracuse has been shut out in the first quarter five times in nine games, and defeat has followed in three of them. They only average 4.2 points in the first quarters of games.

It’s not like the Orange are toothless, offensively. They average 31.7 points, although that number drops slightly to 26.8 in ACC play.

McCord, the senior quarterback and transfer from Ohio State, is fourth nationally with 3,153 passing yards and fifth with 23 touchdown passes. They have three receivers with at least 45 catches, including running back LeQuint Allen, who has 1,020 yards rushing and receiving.

But the Orange failed to score in the first quarter of their last three outings – against BC, Virginia Tech and Pitt – and managed just one field goal in the first 15 minutes of their previous game, against North Carolina State .

“In those first few drives, nothing crazy happened,” McCord said. “It’s just a play here, a play there that we didn’t execute and a couple penalties. It’s the little things that hold us back from the start.”

The Orange’s most recent first-quarter touchdown: McCord’s 9-yard TD pass to Allen at UNLV on October 4. Syracuse beat the Rebels 44-41 in overtime that day.

Compared to Syracuse, which totaled 38 points in the first quarter, Cal (5-4,1-4) accumulated 65 points in the first quarter, an average of 7.2 points in each game. The Bears have only been shut out in the first quarter once this season (in a 14-9 loss to Florida State).

They started fast the last two games, scoring 14 points in the first quarter before their 44-7 win over Oregon State, then 10 in the 46-36 win at Wake Forest last Friday. The result was the Bears scoring more than 40 points in consecutive games for the first time in coach Justin Wilcox’s eight seasons.

It’s worth noting that even though Cal’s defense ranks 23rd nationally, allowing just 19.3 points per game, the Bears have only thrown a first-quarter shutout once all year – against Oregon State.

Taking an early lead is never a guarantee of victory, and perhaps even less so for Cal, which suffered four straight late-game losses to begin its ACC experience.

But this could be a good starting point for the Bears as they look for a third straight win and bowl eligibility with a sixth win.