BUFFALO – All spring, Syracuse’s new special teams coordinator Chris Rippon hammered home the importance of special teams play. He couldn’t reiterate enough how much a single play could change the course of a game.

But it’s possible that even he couldn’t imagine the magnitude a couple special teams plays would have on SU’s game against Buffalo Saturday night.

And who could blame him? Not many expected the game to be close. Even fewer expected Buffalo would actually lead the game with 11 minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Anthony Smith blocked two punts within 1:39 of each other in the second quarter. Both resulted in touchdowns. If not for Smith’s special teams prowess, Buffalo may have pulled off the shocker of the season. The Bulls had the momentum off a 57-yard J.J. Gibson fumble return for a touchdown, and they had the crowd.

Instead the Orange gobbled up the momentum and the game, winning fairly easily, but sloppily, 37-17, at UB Stadium.

‘We look to provide a spark and to make big plays,’ Rippon said. ‘Two blocked punts seemed to do a lot.’.With about nine minutes left in the second quarter, UB lined up to punt out of its end zone. But Smith and his punt-blocking colleagues gave Buffalo punter Ben Woods milliseconds to get his kick off.

Smith slammed the ball to the ground and then picked it up in the end zone for SU’s first touchdown of the season.

Smith gave more cause for celebration a minute later. He blocked a second punt, setting up a Kellen Pruitt return to the Bulls’ 3-yard line. Two plays later, running back Walter Reyes found the end zone.

‘(Anthony Smith) is one of those guys that has a knack,’ Rippon said. ‘He does a great job of getting off the ball.’

Just like that, UB’s momentum was crushed. Buffalo didn’t threaten again, except for a late fumble recovery in SU’s end zone for a touchdown.

But Smith was far from the only SU special teams hero. From the outset, when Diamond Ferri returned the game’s opening kickoff to Buffalo’s 27-yard line, special teams dictated the game. Still, the Orange lost one yard on its opening drive before Collin Barber connected on a 46-yard field goal.

Barber showed why he’s a Lou Groza Award candidate, connecting on all three of his field goal attempts, all of which came from at least 38 yards.

‘That’s the kind of performance we expect from him,’ SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni said. ‘What I tell Collin is, ‘If I ask you to kick a real, real long one and you don’t make it, it’s on me. But if they’re just regular ones, you’re responsible for making them all.’ He made them all tonight.’

The only special teams miscue came on a blocked Brendan Carney punt in the third quarter. Despite the block, Carney still averaged nearly 43 yards per kick and landed four of his seven punts inside the UB 20-yard line.

Without the special teams play, SU could’ve found itself in a world of pain. The offense appeared sluggish, even against the Bulls’ weak defense. None of Syracuse’s touchdown drives began on its own side of the field.

Sixteen of its points came directly from special teams. The unit set up another seven on the second blocked punt. Add Kelvin Smith’s 22-yard interception return for a touchdown, and the offense accounted for just one score.

Rippon’s prophecy about special teams changing a game certainly came true. But not only did it change the game for the Orange – it won it.

‘When you block punts like that, it’s a great feeling for the team and a real bad feeling for the opponent,’ Rippon said. ‘The hang times and the distances on the punts weren’t happening (after the blocks), so we accomplished our goal.’

Published on September 12, 2004 at 12:00 pm