Second-Half Surge Sends Syracuse Past Wake

Saturday, September 12

Syracuse, NY

12:30 pm

Syracuse University

2-0 , 1-0

Wake Forest

1-1 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Wake Forest

Syracuse

Photo by: Charles Wainwright

9/12/2015 4:01:00 PM | Football

Box Score

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse football team (2-0, 1-0 ACC) outscored Wake Forest 17-0 in the second half to erase a 17-13 halftime deficit and win the ACC opener for both teams, 30-17, at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Sept. 12. Freshman quarterback Eric Dungey threw a pair of second-half touchdowns, and the defense pitched its third scoreless half of the season to lead the Orange to its fourth straight win against the Demon Deacons (1-1, 0-1 ACC).

Making his first career start, Dungey finished the game 8-of-13 passing for 221 yards, including 186 yards in the second half. His 89-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Brisly Estime was the third-longest pass play in team history and gave the Orange a 20-17 advantage with 2:01 remaining in the third quarter.

Dungey sealed the victory a few minutes later by hooking up with sophomore Steve Ishmael for a 53-yard touchdown early in the fourth that put the game out of reach.

The 'Cuse defense did its part by recording three interceptions and tallying four sacks, including two by junior defensive end Luke Arciniega. The Orange was also stout against the run, holding Wake to 46 yards on 32 carries (1.4 yards per rush).

Sophomore linebacker Parris Bennett led Syracuse with eight tackles. He also intercepted the first pass of his career in the opening quarter.

"We are 2-0 for Coach Mac and have the game ball for him," SU head coach Scott Shafer said. "We had to win this game for Coach Mac, period."

Shafer was referring to College Football Hall of Fame head coach Dick MacPherson, who was honored on the field between the first and second quarters. The Syracuse faithful gave MacPherson a standing ovation, saluting him for his 10-year tenure on the Orange sidelines which included an unbeaten, 11-0-1 season in 1987 and a 3-1-1 record in five bowl appearances.

Bennett channeled some of MacPherson's famed linebackers of the past when he stepped in front of a John Wolford pass to thwart Wake Forest's opening drive. The pick set up Dungey and the offense at the Demon Deacons' 42-yard line. Six plays later, sophomore kicker Cole Murphy booted a 35-yard field goal at the 4:17 mark of the opening quarter for the game's first points.

Wolford bounced back on the ensuing series, capping a 75-yard drive by finding KJ Brent for a 40-yard touchdown that put the visitors ahead, 7-6.

Brent's touchdown may have given Wake the lead, but the advantage was short-lived. Nine seconds into the second quarter, Murphy pulled the Orange within one by knocking home a 39-yard field goal, and forty-four seconds later senior defensive end Donnie Simmons returned Wolford's second interception 41 yards for a touchdown and a 13-7 Syracuse lead.

Coupled with Corey Winfield's pick-six last week against Rhode Island, Simmons' score marked the first time since 1966 the Orange returned interceptions for touchdowns in consecutive games.

With the momentum clearly on Syracuse's side following Simmons' touchdown, the Demon Deacons responded with 10 unanswered points of their own, including a 6-yard touchdown run by Wolford, to claim a 17-13 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, Wake seemed poised to add to its advantage. The Demon Deacons controlled the ball for nearly 13 minutes in the quarter, but it was the Orange that tallied the only points of the stanza when Dungey escaped the pocket and fired a bullet to Estime, who slipped a tackle and raced 89 yards to the end zone. The scoring strike was SU's longest since Donovan McNabb and Quinton Spotwood hooked up for 94-yard touchdown against East Carolina in 1997.

Dungey wasn't finished. On SU's next series, he converted a third-and-10 by finding tight end Kendall Moore for a 21-yard gain. Two plays later, Dungey hit Ishmael down the sideline for a 53-yard touchdown that resulted in a 27-17 Orange advantage.

The 10-point cushion was more than enough for the SU defense, which forced two punts and recorded an interception on Wake's last three possessions.

Murphy added a late 20-yard field goal to produce the final score.

"I am really pleased that we got into a fourth quarter ball game, which is huge especially with a newbie playing quarterback," Shafer said. "I was really pleased with our defensive effort. We came away with three turnovers, including one for a touchdown so it is good to see us scoring points on that side of the ball."

Estime paced the Orange receiving corps with two catches for a career-high 98 yards and a touchdown.

Murphy's three field goals moved him into 11th place on the SU career list with 17.

Wolford accounted for 352 of the Demon Deacons' 419 yards of total offense. He was 30-for-45 through the air for 373 yards and a touchdown in addition to the three interceptions. Brent and Tabari Hines led Wake Forest with seven catches apiece. Brent finished with a team-best 96 yards receiving.

Syracuse continues its four-game Carrier Dome homestand against Central Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is set 12:30 p.m. The game will be presented by National Grid and air live on RSN.

Tickets are available online, by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B). In addition, discounted group tickets (20 or more) can be purchased by calling 315-443-3212.

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