From dilapidated to well-oiled, nonexistent to lethal — the Syracuse offense was a roller coaster on Thursday against Wake Forest.

At its lowest, the unit amassed minus five total yards in the first quarter and more penalty yards (56) than total offense (52) by halftime. The result was a 20-7 Wake Forest lead.

But at its peak, Ryan Nassib completed 13-of-15 passes after halftime, Antwon Bailey exploded and Van Chew made the two biggest receptions of his life.

‘We were looking for that explosiveness from them right off the get-go, but hey, better late than never,’ Syracuse defensive end Mikhail Marinovich said.

An inept SU (1-0, 0-0 Big East) offense rebooted itself in the second half and lit up the same Wake Forest defense that stymied the Orange through 30 minutes of play. Syracuse erased a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit courtesy of its sudden high-octane attack and pulled off the program’s largest comeback since 2003, stunning the Demon Deacons 36-29 in overtime.

Though more than half of the 40,833 in attendance had already exited with the game seemingly out of reach for SU, those who stuck it out were treated to a classic.

‘That’s one of the best wins since I’ve been in Syracuse,’ Bailey said. ‘To do it in the fashion we did it, to come from so many points down and then to do it in the Dome. It doesn’t get any better than that.’

Jimmy Newman’s 40-yard field goal with 11:02 remaining in the fourth quarter marked the beginning of the game’s second act. Those three points gave Wake Forest a 29-14 lead, which appeared insurmountable given the inconsistent performance of the SU offense to that point.

On the sidelines, though, the Syracuse offense gathered together and agreed that it was now or never if the team wanted to enjoy its season opener.

Nassib, who started the game 1-for-5, couldn’t miss. Twenty-one yards to Alec Lemon, nine more to Lemon on the next play, 24 yards to Chew five plays later. He completed all five passes on the drive for 59 yards, capping it off with a two-yard touchdown pass to fullback Adam Harris to make the score 29-21.

‘We got it within eight, and I felt like that was a big turning point for the team,’ Harris said. ‘Everybody started getting a little excitement. The stadium felt alive again.’

Then it was Bailey’s turn. The SU senior running back couldn’t find a single crease in the first half. Outside of one 10-yard gain, he had just 11 yards on seven carries.

But with one 53-yard burst, he put to bed all of the criticism and hype surrounding his 5-foot-7-inch, 201-pound frame. He broke a run outside, down the left sideline and outran the Wake Forest defense to bring Syracuse within two at 29-27.

He finished the game with 114 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Chew made a diving catch falling out of the back right corner of the end zone, dragging his left hip along the Carrier Dome turf to convert the two-point conversion.

SU emerged from the murky depths to stun Wake Forest with 15 points in a span of 3:55.

‘We like teams that pressure us because now you can get the big play,’ SU head coach Doug Marrone said. ‘We were able to make some big plays. I’m disappointed we couldn’t make them earlier.’

With the score deadlocked 29-29, Nassib and Marinovich flashed back to the season opener in 2008. Greg Paulus guided the Orange into overtime against Minnesota, but an interception in the back of the end zone cost Syracuse the game.

But Nassib said this team is tougher. The bond is stronger. So as SU began overtime with the ball, the white-hot offense composed of a ‘brotherhood’ forged onward.

Nassib went back to Chew. The receiver absorbed a shot from Wake Forest strong safety Cyhl Quarles on first down and hauled in a 16-yard deep comeback, setting up the Orange with a first-and-goal.

Two plays later, Nassib faced a strong rush off a play-action fake and backpedaled away from danger. He floated a pass to Chew in the front left corner of the end zone.

Chew slid forward, caught the ball and rolled onto his side to protect the ball. Touchdown.

‘I saw the ball in the air, and I was like, ‘I have to get it. We have to score,” Chew said. ‘So I just went after it.’

Syracuse took the lead 36-29, and four plays later the team stormed the field. The defense forced a turnover on downs to cap the most dramatic comeback since the Paul Pasqualoni era.

Fortunate, yes. But impressive as well. The 22 unanswered points shocked the Demon Deacons, whose players stood motionless on the field as their fourth-down pass toward wide receiver Chris Givens was batted down by SU’s Kevyn Scott.

Syracuse stole the game away with an unthinkable turnaround.

‘It was probably the best game I ever played in my life and been in,’ Chew said. ‘And how we just came back from everything, from adversity and stuff and just to get that win in overtime is amazing.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on August 31, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13