Paul Pasqualoni faced the cameras and microphones Monday and tried to explain why his Orangemen have a loss after two games. It wasn't easy, not after a loss at home in overtime to a 25-point underdog. With the score tied at 24 and 1:06 left, Syracuse faced first and goal at the North Carolina State 6. Quarterback-turned-tailback Dee Brown gained 3 yards; then quarterback Donovan McNabb ran for a yard, which set up third and goal. Kick a field goal? Give the ball to 250-pound junior fullback Rob Konrad, who wears the coveted No. 44 that Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little wore with much distinction? No. Brown, a redshirt freshman, got the call and didn't follow directions, which were to run the play on which he scored his first career TD in the first quarter. When a hole did not materialize, he veered left, away from the middle, and lost a fumble. Despite the 32-31 loss, which knocked Syracuse out of the rankings, Pasqualoni remained firm in what he and his staff did. "If I had it to do over again, I'd do it exactly the way we did it," he said. "That was a good play for us. I thought it was as secure a play as we could run. We were going to let the clock run down to five seconds and then kick the field goal." And why didn't Pasqualoni call on Konrad, who gained 48 yards on seven carries? Inquiring minds wanted to know. Local media were flooded with calls and e-mails from irate fans. "We would have had to switch the alignment in the backfield, and we're not into that," Pasqualoni said. "We don't do things we don't practice. You do it the way you practice it. "Where we ran the ball put it dead smack in front of the goal posts, and that's where I wanted it. I didn't want any pressure at all on the protection, the snap, the hold. We felt real good with Rob making the block, and he made a devastating block on the linebacker. We told Dee to just stay inside and follow that block. But he tried to make a play." KUDOS FOR CAT: Kentucky sophomore QB Tim Couch, who passed for 398 yards and four TDs in a 38-24 win over Louisville, was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week. He is the first Wildcats quarterback so honored in 10 years. Couch, also named CNN/Sports Illustrated college player of the week, said he wanted to see how he could improve. "I'm anxious to see the film and correct my mistakes. There were a couple of times I forced throws." DUKE: With the season opener against North Carolina State approaching Saturday, coach Fred Goldsmith refused to say whether fifth-year senior David Green or redshirt freshman Bobby Campbell will start at quarterback. "I'll put it this way: In my own mind, I know. But I'm not going to say," Goldsmith said. "I want to see what happens in practices Tuesday and Wednesday."