Syracuse wins its first game of the season

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Finally, fans at the Dome had something to cheer about

There are definitely two sides to the story of Syracuse’s 28-17 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday at the Carrier Dome. The optimist would say that the Orange (1-2) put up a strong performance not fully explained on the scoreboard, as they racked up 549 yards of total offense and held the Seawolves (2-1) to 50 yards of offense in the second half.

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Finally, fans at the Dome had something to cheer about

On the contrary, the pessimist would say that SU left 20 points on the field in the form of two missed field goals and a pair of failed fourth-and-goal attempts and needed that dominant second half performance on defense because they trailed a lower-division football team for most of the first half and into the third quarter.

After the two squads swapped punts to begin the game, Stony Brook got on the board with a 63-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead. Two plays later, Syracuse responded in kind when Prince-Tyson Gulley caught a swing pass from Ryan Nassib, got one block, then blazed down the sideline for a 61-yard touchdown. Ross Krautman tacked on the extra point to knot the game at seven a side just over four minutes into the affair.

» More SU football: Ashton Broyld emerging in SU offense

The Seawolves regained the lead on their next possession, getting a field goal to go up 10-7 late in the first. Early in the second quarter, the Orange threatened, but came up short when a 45-yard Krautman field goal attempt thudded off the upright and came back onto the field. Two plays later, SU got the ball back when Jeremi Wilkes picked off an errant Seawolf pass, but Krautman again missed a field goal. This try, from 38 yards, started to the right of the upright and stayed there, keeping the Orange trailing by three.

The next Syracuse possession relied on two feet to score, not one, when freshman Ashton Broyld carried the ball in from 22 yards out for a touchdown. Krautman did connect on the extra point and SU had their first lead of the day at 14-10 with just over six minutes left in the opening half. Three plays later, Stony Brook got a 71-yard touchdown run to seize the lead again, this time at 17-14. The Orange had another good chance to score after taking over at the Seawolf 45 on a short punt, but a Gulley fumble ended the SU threat.

After the two squads swapped punts to begin the game, Stony Brook got on the board with a 63-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead. Two plays later, Syracuse responded in kind when Prince-Tyson Gulley caught a swing pass from Ryan Nassib, got one block, then blazed down the sideline for a 61-yard touchdown. Ross Krautman tacked on the extra point to knot the game at seven a side just over four minutes into the affair. The Seawolves regained the lead on their next possession, getting a field goal to go up 10-7 late in the first. Early in the second quarter, the Orange threatened, but came up short when a 45-yard Krautman field goal attempt thudded off the upright and came back onto the field.

» Related: Flaws show in SU’s win

Two plays later, SU got the ball back when Jeremi Wilkes picked off an errant Seawolf pass, but Krautman again missed a field goal. This try, from 38 yards, started to the right of the upright and stayed there, keeping the Orange trailing by three. The next Syracuse possession relied on two feet to score, not one, when freshman Ashton Broyld carried the ball in from 22 yards out for a touchdown. Krautman did connect on the extra point and SU had their first lead of the day at 14-10 with just over six minutes left in the opening half. Three plays later, Stony Brook got a 71-yard touchdown run to seize the lead again, this time at 17-14. The Orange had another good chance to score after taking over at the Seawolf 45 on a short punt, but a Gulley fumble ended the SU threat.

Ryan Nassib surpassed 300 passing yards for the third time in as many games this season by connecting on 22-of-35 passes 335 yards and three scores. Marcus Sales hit the century mark in receiving yards for the third time this season, as well, this time snaring five passes for 117 yards. Jerome Smith led an Orange ground attack that collectively amassed 214 yards with 18 carries for 95 yards. Dyshawn Davis and Marquis Spruill paced the SU defense with eight tackles apiece and two of Davis’ stops were for loss.

GAME NOTES

  • Alec Lemon caught a pair of passes, moving himself into third place all-time at Syracuse with 136 receptions. Lemon is three catches off the career record of 139, which is held by Shelby Hill and Scott Schwedes. He has also caught at least one pass in 18 consecutive games.
  • Syracuse will travel for their game on Saturday when they visit Minnesota. The Golden Gophers (3-0) edged the Orange in overtime three years ago in the last matchup of the two schools, 23-20, in Doug Marrone’s debut as the head coach at SU. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

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About Jim Stechschulte 894 Articles
A 1996 graduate of Syracuse University, Jim has reported on Syracuse sports for the Syracuse University Alumni Club of Southern California on nearly a decade. He has also written a fantasy basketball column published by NBA.com. He currently resides in Syracuse.