Orange is the New Fast, Beats Colgate 33-7

Friday, September 2

Syracuse, NY

7 pm

Syracuse University

1-0

Colgate

0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Colgate

Syracuse

Photo by: Charles Wainwright

9/2/2016 6:28:00 PM | Football

Box Score

'Cuse racks up 554 yards of offense in Dino Babers' debut

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Who out there believed it when the man said "Orange is the new fast?"

It took one possession to prove what first-year Syracuse coach Dino Babers had promised when he took over the program and the Orange (1-0) rolled to a 33-7 victory against Central New York neighbor Colgate (0-1) in the season opener for both teams Friday, Sept. 2 at the Carrier Dome.

The Orange, starting the first offensive series of the Babers era on their own 21-yard line, moved 79 yards in six plays while taking just 1:45 off the clock. Quarterback Eric Dungey connected with wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo on a 43-yard bomb and with Cole Murphy's extra point, the Orange had seven on the board.

Orange IS the new fast.

The quick strike erased the advantage Colgate had taken after a drive-extending Syracuse penalty on the game's first series. The miscue eventually led to a 19-yard touchdown toss from Raiders quarterback Jake Melville to wide receiver Owen Rockett six minutes into Babers' debut. Jonah Bowman nailed the extra point, but the lead was short-lived.

The frenetic pace wasn't a one-drive wonder. The second time Syracuse got the ball, it churned out 72 yards on 18 plays and capped the drive with a 32-yard field goal from Murphy to take the lead, 10-7.

Series three was the fastest of the fast. In one play lasting 11 seconds, freshman running back Moe Neal covered 49 yards on his first collegiate carry for a touchdown. Murphy's kick upped the advantage to 17-7. Murphy added a 41-yard field goal with 2:47 left in the second quarter and the Orange went into the break ahead, 20-7.

Murphy stayed busy in the third quarter, adding on field goals from 32 and 33 yards to push the margin to 26-7. At the same time, the SU defense stepped up and limited Colgate to 12 yards on 10 plays in the quarter. Colgate didn't earn its initial first down of the second half until there was 7:32 left in the contest.

Having already established career-high passing totals by the end of the third stanza, Dungey added to them early in the fourth. He found Ervin Philips on a 4-yard scoring toss. With the reception, Philips tied Art Monk's record for single-game catches at Syracuse (14). Murphy's point after closed the scoring, producing the 33-7 final.

When it was all said and done, Syracuse had outgained Colgate 554-143 and extended its series winning streak against the Raiders to 16 in a row.

Dungey concluded the evening with career high totals in completions (34), attempts (40), yards (355) and tied his personal high with two TD passes against no interceptions. Dungey's 34 completions rank second on the SU single-game record list and his 355 yards are ninth. The sophomore's 85 percent completion rate was the highest for an SU quarterback (min. 10 attempts) since 2000 and the best ever for Orange signal caller who attempted at least 21 passes. Dungey also added 25 yards rushing to finish with 380 yards of total offense.

Personal-best efforts also came from Dungey's top two receivers. Philips caught 14 passes for 87 yards and a score, and Etta-Tawo pulled in 10 passes for 210 yards and a touchdown in his Syracuse debut. It marked the first time in school history two players recorded double-digit reception totals in the same game. In addition, Etta-Tawo became the sixth Orange receiver to register a 200-yard game. His yardage total ranks fifth on the SU single-game receiving ledger.

Kielan Whitner led the defensive effort with six total tackles. The Orange got two quarterback sacks from Chris Slayton and one from Jonathan Thomas. After Syracuse allowed the game's first touchdown, it held the Raiders to 68 total yards over the final 54 minutes.

James Holled paced the Colgate rushing attack with 45 yards on 14 carries. Melville was 10-of-22 passing for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed 11 times for 10 yards, a far cry from the 76.6 rushing yards per game he averaged last season. Charles Cairnie notched a game-high 15 tackles to lead the Colgate defense.

Syracuse is back in action next Friday, Sept. 9 when it hosts No. 19 Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams at 8 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

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