Syracuse will try to remain undefeated on the season when it hosts Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome. A win would move them to 3-0 for the first time since 1991. Here’s a quick look at the game:
NO EASY WIN: SU’s game against Central Michigan on Saturday will not be a cakewalk. Just ask Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy. His Cowboys trailed the Chippewas 13-10 early in the third quarter, needing 14 unanswered second-half points to escape Mount Pleasant with a win. Oklahoma State was just the fifth Power 5 school to visit CMU in the last 20 years, and would’ve been the first school to fall. “This is a pretty confident group,” Central Michigan head coach John Bonamego said following a 31-10 win over FCS Monmouth. “I believe that they believe they can play with anybody.”
» Related: Only winning will return fans to Carrier Dome for Syracuse football
SCOUTING THE CHIPPEWAS: Last year, Cooper Rush was mostly bottled up in a nightmare 40-3 loss to Syracuse. Rush completed 18 of 34 passes for just 183 yards, with no touchdowns. Two games into the season, Rush has shown more maturity and poise, completing over 68 percent of his passes for 553 yards and three touchdowns. But the loss of stud rusher Thomas Rawls has shown, with the team combining for a lackluster 152 yards on 62 carries so far. The Chippewas will need more from their top two rushers, Martez Walker and Devon Spalding.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: As mentioned above, Syracuse routed Central Michigan 40-3 at Mount Pleasant last year. Terrel Hunt enjoyed his best game of 2014, completing 20 of 30 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown through the air, and added 92 yards on 13 carries and three touchdowns on the ground. The only other time the two teams met was in the 1999 season, with the Orange trouncing CMU 47-7 at the Carrier Dome.
GAME INFORMATION: Saturday, Sept. 19 at 12:30 p.m. at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY. TV: RSN/ESPN3.
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