He had never touched the ball in a college game. This wasn’t even the coaching staff that he originally committed to. But Moe Neal, on his first-ever rush, showed that he’s right where he belongs.

The freshman took a handoff from Eric Dungey up the gut and evaded one tackler at the 40-yard line. He then made Adam Bridgeforth miss at the 30 and dragged Chris Morgan 5 yards before coasting into the end zone and pounding his chest once he got to the stands.

“Just getting my first carry with this type of atmosphere, it felt great,” Neal said. “Just getting my first touchdown. Once I broke free, a sigh of relief broke.”

Neal was the lone bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming Syracuse rushing attack. He was the only one of five Syracuse ball-carriers to average over 2.5 yards per rush, tallying 7.6 yards per carry with 68 yards on nine attempts. Neal was listed as the third-stringer heading into the game, but he tied for most carries of any Syracuse back and offered reason for optimism in the Orange’s (1-0) 33-7 season-opening win over Colgate (0-1) on Friday night in the Carrier Dome.

“I thought all the backs left some, as we would say, some meat on the bone and there’s good and there’s bad,” head coach Dino Babers said. “Most college football teams grow the most between their first and second game.”

Syracuse’s rushing game will need to grow if it wants to stand a chance against No. 19 Louisville next Friday, the Orange’s first real test of the Babers era. Starting running back Dontae Strickland had only 20 yards on nine carries Friday and last year’s starter Jordan Fredericks only carried the ball four times for 10 yards.

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MORE COVERAGE:

• Amba Etta-Tawo dazzles in Syracuse debut after transferring from Maryland
• Gallery: Check out the best sights from the Orange’s win over Colgate
• Graphical breakdown: The most telling stats from SU’s 26-point win
• Syracuse rolls past Colgate in Dino Babers’ first game at SU

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Neal’s first touch came early in the second quarter and he crossed the plane with 12:29 remaining before halftime to give the Orange a 17-7 lead. Neal’s family was sitting in section 129, right above where he introduced himself in grand fashion.

“Pregame, I knew that my family was sitting over there,” Neal said. “My uncle, my little nephew, my mom and one of my friends so you know it was real good to get the score down on their end. I didn’t see their reaction. I was so hype…but I hope I made ‘em proud.”

For the rest of the game, he was Syracuse’s primary back, receiving eight more carries as the Orange pulled away against the Raiders. Like the rest of the Orange’s rushers, Neal couldn’t break free for any big gains. His longest run besides the touchdown was 9 yards and none other eclipsed 4 yards.

Even so, Neal showed the Orange can go three deep in the backfield in his first collegiate game. And if he turns in moments like he did Friday, his rise up that pecking order could arrive in the near future.

Published on September 3, 2016 at 1:09 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman