Syracuse (2-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) shut out Wake Forest (1-1, 0-1) in the second half and overcame a four-point deficit to defeat the Demon Deacons, 30-17, on Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome.

Running Away

Eric Dungey didn’t air it out much in the first half of his first career start. The true freshman quarterback was just 4-of-7 in the first half, while the mostly stagnant Orange offense ran the ball for 73 yards compared to just 35 in the air.

Dungey connected on two passes in two of his first three plays, but had just two more the entire rest of the first half. George Morris was the leading rusher, taking six handoffs for 46 yards. Devante McFarlane, who didn’t play last week, averaged just 3.8 yards per carry in the game.

In the second half, Dungey flipped the script for the Syracuse offense.

An 89-yard sidearm pass to Brisly Estime late in the third quarter shifted the momentum, and was the third longest score in program history. On SU’s next drive, Dungey threw a 21-yard completion down the sideline to Kendall Moore before finding Steve Ishmael for a 53-yard touchdown.

Dungey finished with 221 yards on 8-of-13 passing, and added 58 yards on the ground.

Defensive resurgence

Even with Syracuse’s two first-half interceptions, the secondary had some major lapses in the Orange’s win. John Wolford started out 20-for-24 in the air and picked apart the Orange defense with a slew of five complete passes in seven plays that spanned just 1:44 of game time.

In Wolford’s first touchdown pass, K.J. Brent burned cornerback Julian Whigham, and caught a 40-yard reception before SU’s safeties could close in.

Cornerback Wayne Morgan did come up with the big play on the afternoon, when he trucked Isaiah Robinson on a third-and-2 with WFU driving and 4:38 remaining in the game. Two penalties and an Alex Kinal punt later and the Orange coasted to victory.

On Wake’s final drive, Antwan Cordy sacked Wolford for a 10-yard loss. Six plays later, Corey Winfield intercepted a pass in the end zone, putting the finishing stamp on a second-half resurgence for SU’s defense.

Old School

With Ervin Philips sidelined for the afternoon, Syracuse’s other hybrids were largely non-factors. Ben Lewis had a 17-yard run on SU’s fourth play of the game, but didn’t see the ball again. Dontae Strickland had a 12-yard catch of his own.

Philips had two catches — both for touchdowns, and both in the first half — in SU’s season-opening 47-0 win over Rhode Island. But without the sophomore in the game, the Orange’s highly-touted new position played a limited factor in the win.

Published on September 12, 2015 at 4:01 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3