NEW YORK — The anger and motivation fueling the Syracuse defense boiled over on the first play from scrimmage.

After a week of hearing about the high-powered West Virginia offense, the unit was fired up, wanting to earn respect and ensure the game didn’t turn into a shootout. SU defensive tackle Deon Goggins greeted the Mountaineers with that message, powering into the backfield before throwing WVU running back Shawne Alston down for a four-yard loss.

“I really challenged them to play well and I think they did a good job,” SU head coach Doug Marrone said. “I think right off the bat the first play of the game, Deon Goggins comes through and makes a great play for a tackle for a loss and that set the tempo.”

The Syracuse defense played with that same intensity for four quarters, spearheading a 38-14 rout of the Mountaineers in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. It was the Orange’s (8-5) third straight victory over its longtime rival WVU (7-6), who moved to the Big 12 this season. The Mountaineers came into the game boasting the No. 7 scoring offense in the nation – averaging 41.6 points per game – and Marrone said he challenged his defense Friday night to win the battle.

That’s just what the group did on Saturday, recording two safeties while limiting star quarterback Geno Smith and the Mountaineers to a season-low 14 points.

“Our theme was three strikes, you’re out,” SU defensive coordinator Scott Shafer said. “You want to earn someone’s respect, I guess you got to knock ’em out three times, and that was our focus.”

Shafer said that became the focus when SU learned it would take on its old rival in the bowl game. He said his players were ready to get on the field when Marrone delivered the challenge at the hotel on Friday.

Smith entered the game with 40 touchdowns compared to six interceptions to go along with a 71.4 completion percentage. His top receivers, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, combined for 2,760 yards receiving and 35 touchdowns.

By Saturday, Goggins and his teammates were sick of all the hype surrounding the Mountaineers’ offense – a unit they had bested two years in a row in a pair of wins.

“We all heard about West Virginia’s offense versus our offense like our defense didn’t play good games, like we didn’t get stops when we needed to over the course of the season,” SU defensive tackle Jay Bromley said. “We had a chip on our shoulders on defense because we knew that we wanted to perform versus this team.”

Goggins’ big play to start the day set the tone as the Orange held WVU scoreless in the first quarter. Then, the defense erased running back Jerome Smith’s failure to get into the end zone at the goal line midway through the second quarter with a safety on the next play.

Syracuse called a blitz that sent safety Durell Eskridge flying in from the right side. Linebackers Siriki Diabate and Cameron Lynch then arrived, one from the middle and the other from the outside, to take down Smith for the sack.

“When we called the play, I was like, ‘Alright, this is my opportunity for me to make a difference in this game, make my mark on this game,’” Diabate said. “And that’s what I did.”

The Orange led 5-0 and added a touchdown to take a 12-0 lead before West Virginia finally broke through with a touchdown pass to Bailey less than four minutes before the half.

The wide receiver’s 32-yard score was one of the few big plays for the Mountaineers that day. He would find the end zone again late in the third quarter, but WVU never threatened again as SU padded its cushion.

The defense was relentless and opportunistic. It erased an SU turnover in the second quarter on the very next play when Brandon Sharpe powered through WVU offensive lineman Quinton Spain to force a fumble. Sharpe pushed back another lineman – this time Nick Kindler in the third quarter – to force Smith to panic in the end zone before chucking the ball into the ground for an intentional grounding penalty resulting in Syracuse’s second safety.

The Orange led by 21 with just more than a minute to play in the third quarter.

And as Shafer made his way from the coach’s box to the field, his players greeted him with their motto of “three strikes and you’re out.” The motto built on an anger that motivated them turned into a victory cry punctuating a brilliant performance.

Said Shafer: “At the end of the day, 11 men playing their a*ses off for one another was the difference.”

Published on December 30, 2012 at 12:57 am

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu