Syracuse and Florida State came into Saturday night’s game with matching 6-3 records, but the similarities stopped there. The Seminoles (7-3, 5-3 ACC) dominated early, jumping out to a 24-3 halftime lead en route to a 38-3 victory over the Orange (6-4, 3-3), who dropped their fourth straight game.
Just like the scoreboard, FSU owned the stat sheet, rolling up 420 yards to SU’s 160 and holding a 25-9 advantage in first downs. Garrett Shrader and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson combined to complete just 6-of-17 passes for Syracuse, picking up 65 yards through the air, one less than the ‘Noles had in the first quarter.
Florida State forced three-and-outs on the first three Orange possessions, twice responding with a scoring drive for a 14-0 lead with 2:26 left in the first quarter. SU got off the mat with a drive that ended in a 30-yard field goal from Andre Szmyt less than 90 seconds into the second quarter.
Syracuse got a turnover on the following drive from a strip-sack by Derek McDonald that Justin Barron recovered at the FSU 23. The Orange lost yards and Szmyt’s 53-yard field goal try fell well short. The Seminoles responded by tacking a touchdown and a field goal on their side of the ledger before the break to grab a 24-3 halftime lead.
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Florida State added two more touchdowns around another SU three-and-out to open the third quarter, growing their lead to 38-3.
Syracuse had an opportunity to score on the final drive of the night, but a lack of urgency left them unable to get one more snap off from the Seminole one-yard-line, adding an appropriate cap to the game.
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