A quick take on Syracuse’s wild and thrilling 40-37 win in double-overtime at the Carrier Dome:
WHAT HAPPENED: With Syracuse’s offense stagnating late in the fourth quarter, head coach Dino Babers turned to redshirt freshman Tommy DeVito with the Orange trailing 27-20 with 5:07 left. One possession later, DeVito led Syracuse on a 3-play, 58 yard drive culminating in a 42-yard strike to Nykeim Johnson to tie the game with 1:39 to go. Syracuse would actually have a chance to win in regulation, but DeVito threw an interception, and the Orange defense needed to stop the Tar Heels deep in their own territory to force overtime. Once there, DeVito calmly led two more touchdown drives, the last resulting in a Ravian Pierce 4-yard score to cap an improbable comeback.
» Related: Syracuse football needs more from Eric Dungey in second half of season
ANALYSIS: Syracuse is now one win away from a bowl game, something they haven’t achieved since Scott Shafer’s first year as head coach back in 2013. A loss would’ve proved nearly fatal for the Orange’s bowl chances. The margin would be razor thin to cobble two wins out of a group of games that includes NC State, Louisville, Wake Forest, Notre Dame and Boston College. Now, the Orange just needs one win, and SU will likely be favored in two of those games: A home matchup against the Cardinals and possibly a road game against Wake Forest.
HERO: The Tommy DeVito era has officially started at Syracuse. DeVito, an Elite 11 quarterback coming out of high school showed exactly why he was worth all of the hype, demonstrating an accurate arm right away. He finished with 181 yards and three touchdowns, while completing 11 of 19 passes. Babers would be hard pressed not to name DeVito the starter heading into week 8.
ZERO: Could Eric Dungey have played his last snap at Syracuse? Dungey completed just 17 of 33 passes for no touchdowns, and he frequently missed his receivers on seam patterns. If Dungey does lose his starting job, it will mark the end to a remarkable up-and-down career with the Orange that left him at or near the top of every quarterback category in school history.
WHAT’S NEXT: Syracuse stays home to host NC State on Saturday, Oct. 27. Game time to be announced later this week.
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