Football Team Has Open Week
9/11/2000 2:29:00 PM | Football
Syracuse will have a week off before travelling to East Carolina to face the Pirates on Sept. 23 at Noon. The Orangemen will then conclude their non-conference schedule against Brigham Young on September 30 in the Carrier Dome at 8:00 p.m. Both games are on the television calendar to be broadcast by espn2.
ON THE AIR
TELEVISION
SU's next two games, at East Carolina on Sept. 23 and against Brigham Young on Sept. 30, will be televised by espn2. Rich Waltz and former SU standout quarterback Don McPherson will call the action from the booth, while Heather Cox will provide sideline reports.
RADIO
All of SU's games will be broadcast on the SU Radio Network ... Dave Pasch and Dave Hammond call the action ... Mike Schopp provides sideline reports and Carter Blackburn adds feature segments to the broadcast ... The flagship station is WAQX-95.7 FM Orange football can also be heard on WAER ... WAER's sports director is Damon Amendolara.
DEFENSE KEEPS BEARCATS OUT OF THE ENDZONE
The Orange defense held Cincinnati without a touchdown, marking the first time SU has held an opponent out of the endzone since SU's 30-7 victory against West Virginia in the Carrier Dome in 1999 ... Out of Cincinnati's 14 drives in the game, eight concluded in SU territory and the Bearcats managed to score four field goals, but no touchdowns Cincinnati entered the SU redzone twice, reaching the SU 11 and the SU 15, scoring field goals on both possessions.
DEFENSE FORCES FUMBLES
The Orange defense has recovered five fumbles in two games in 2000, matching its total from the 1999 season ... Last year SU forced the opponent to cough up the ball 12 times and recovered five of those ... In 2000 SU has forced six fumbles and recovered five Against Buffalo three of the five turnovers the defense forced were fumbles ... The last time the Orangemen forced three fumbles was against Miami in 1998 SU recovered two fumbles against Cincinnati ... SU's five fumble recoveries ties for fourth-best in the nation this year.
CAMPBELL POSTS CAREER-BEST NUMBERS
Junior wide receiver Malik Campbell (Buffalo, NY) had a career-best eight receptions for a personal-best 66 yards against Cincinnati ... That mark ties for 12th on SU's single-game receiving record list His 18-yard reception in the fourth quarter was a season-high ... Through two games this year, Campbell is SU's leading receiver with nine catches for 70 yards this season ... It is his second season as a wide receiver for the football Orangemen ... Campbell played basketball for SU from 1997-99.
He Also Returns Punts
Campbell also won SU's punt return duties for this season ... In two games he has five returns for 55 yards, including a career-long 17 yard takeback against Buffalo.
NUNES HAS CAREER-BEST NUMBERS AT CINCINNATI
Sophomore quarterback Troy Nunes (Butler, PA) completed 21-of-30 passes for 221 yards at Cincinnati, recording career-bests in each category ... His previous career-best game was at Rutgers in 1999 (15-of-29 for 180 yards) ... Against Cincinnati, he connected on his longest pass of the season, a 30-yard completion to David Tyree (Montclair, NJ) in the second quarter ... Nunes was announced as the starting quarterback before kickoff against Buffalo ... Against the Bulls he was 5-of-8 for 25 yards and one touchdown ... Nunes led the offense in generating 232 total yards before halftime ... In two games, Nunes has completed 26-of 38 passes (68.4 percent) for two touchdowns.
TYREE RECORDS CAREER-BEST PERFORMANCE AGAINST CINCINNATI
Sophomore wide receiver David Tyree (Montclair, NJ) scored his first career receiving touchdown against Cincinnati ... He was SU's leading receiver with four catches for 70 yards, which are both career-high numbers His 30-yard reception is the longest in his career.
He Excels on Special Teams Against Buffalo
Tyree made two special teams plays that put points on the board for the Orangemen against Buffalo ... In the third quarter Tyree scored his first collegiate touchdown by blocking a punt by Dallas Pelz and returning it 20 yards for the touchdown ... The last time a Syracuse player blocked a punt was in 1999 against Central Michigan ... In addition, Tyree caught Troy Nunes' (Butler, PA) two-point conversion pass in the second quarter, marking his first collegiate points.
FREENEY CONTINUES SACK ATTACK
Junior defensive end Dwight Freeney (Bloomfield, CT) recorded his second sack of the season against the Bearcats The second-quarter sack gives him five and one-half sacks in his career ... Freeney added three tackles, including one for a loss Freeney posted four tackles against Buffalo, including three solo stops Freeney also forced a fumble against the Bulls.
ALLEN DEFENDS THE PASS, SHINES ON SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior cornerback Will Allen (Syracuse, NY) batted down four Cincinatti passes, bringing his season total to five ... As one of Syracuse's top pass defenders, Allen broke up 15 passes in 1999 ... Allen also forced a fumble and recorded three tackles against Cincinnati.
Allen Also Shines on Special Teams
Allen is SU's top kick returner, gaining 78 yards on two returns this season ... Against Buffalo he recorded a career-long 59-yard return ... He had one return for 19 yards against Cincinnati ... Allen came up with a big special teams play in another area, blocking a 27-yard field goal attempt by Buffalo in the season-opener.
BROWN CONTINUES AS SU's LEADING RUSHER
Senior running back Dee Brown (Altamonte Springs, FL) had a season-long 18-yard run in the second quarter ... Brown, who started the game at fullback, gained 55 yards on 17 carries Against Buffalo Brown recorded his fifth career 100-yard game, compiling a career-high 157 yards on 18 carries ... With the performance, he tied former Orangemen Robert Drummond (1985-88) and Michael Owens (1987-89) for 10th on the school's all-time most 100-yard game list ... Joe Morris (1978-81) is tops in school history with 22 It marked the third time in his career that Brown has gained more than 100 yards in the first half ... Brown picked up 124 yards before halftime ... In his previous career-best game at Pittsburgh in 1997, Brown gained 117 of 154 rushing yards in the first half ... In the 1999 season opener at Toledo, Brown rushed for 136 yards overall, gaining 114 before the intermission ... Brown caught his first career touchdown against the Bulls, a two-yard pass from Troy Nunes (Butler, PA) in the second quarter ... Brown's 106.0 yards per game ranks 27th in the NCAA Division I-A football statistics.
DEE BROWN CARVING HIS NAME IN SYRACUSE RECORD BOOKS
Senior running back Dee Brown (Altamonte Springs, FL) moved into the 14th spot on SU's career rushing record list with 55 yards against Cincinnati ... All of the 13 players ahead of Brown have more career rushes than his 356 ... When he gains 193 yards he will become just the 14th player in Syracuse history to rush for more than 2,000 yards ... Brown needs 202 yards to catch Michael Owens in the 13th spot.
SU Career Rushing Leaders
| Name | Yards | Carries | Yds./Carry | TDs | Years |
| 1. Joe Morris | 4299 | 813 | 5.3 | 25 | 1978-81 |
| 2. Larry Csonka | 2934 | 594 | 4.9 | 19 | 1965-67 |
| 3. Floyd Little | 2704 | 504 | 5.4 | 35 | 1964-66 |
| 4. David Walker | 2643 | 503 | 5.3 | 17 | 1989-92 |
| 5. Bill Hurley | 2551 | 685 | 3.7 | 19 | 1975-79 |
| 6. Ernie Davis | 2386 | 360 | 6.6 | 28 | 1959-61 |
| 7. Kyle McIntosh | 2250 | 439 | 5.4 | 15 | 1995-98 |
| 8. Jaime Covington | 2188 | 526 | 4.2 | 13 | 1981-84 |
| 9. Malcolm Thomas | 2180 | 417 | 5.2 | 21 | 1993-96 |
| 10. Robert Drummond | 2164 | 393 | 5.5 | 17 | 1985-88 |
| 11. Jim Brown | 2091 | 361 | 5.8 | 23 | 1954-56 |
| 12. Marty Januszkiewicz | 2069 | 489 | 4.2 | 17 | 1969-72 |
| 13. Michael Owens | 2009 | 393 | 5.1 | 16 | 1987-89 |
| 14. DEE BROWN | 1807 | 356 | 5.1 | 20 | 1997-present |
| 15. Roger Praetorius | 1772 | 427 | 4.1 | 18 | 1970-72 |
Brown Moves Up Another Record List
With his rushing touchdown against Buffalo, Brown moved into a tie for sixth on SU's career rushing touchdown record list He also has one career receiving touchdown.
SU's Career Rushing Touchdown Record List
| Rank | TD's | Player | Years |
| 1 . | 35 | Floyd Little | 1964-66 |
| 2. | 28 | Ernie Davis | 1959-61 |
| 3 . | 25 | Joe Morris | 1978-81 |
| 4. | 23 | Jim Brown | 1954-56 |
| 5. | 21 | Malcolm Thomas | 1993-96 |
| 6. | 20 | Dee Brown | 1997- |
| 20 | Al Wooten | 1990-93 | |
| 20 | Rob Konrad | 1995-98 | |
| 8. | 19 | Larry Csonka | 1965-67 |
| 19 | Bill Hurley | 1975-79 | |
| 19 | Donovan McNabb | 1995-98 |
SU DOMINATES ON FIRST DOWN
In its first two games, the Syracuse offense has gained 377 yards on first down plays, an average gain of 6.0 yards per attempt On the other side of the ball, the Orange defense is allowing opponents just 3.0 yards per first down play.
First Down Yards By Quarter (# of plays in parentheses)
| vs. Buffalo | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Game | Avg. |
| Offense | 89 (12) | 59 (9) | 31 (7) | 21 (6) | 200 (34) | 5.9 |
| Defense | -3 (5) | 20(7) | 6 (7) | 9 (9) | 32 (28) | 1.1 |
| at Cincinnati | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Game | Avg. |
| Offense | 38 (7) | 65 (9) | 41 (7) | 33 (6) | 177 (29) | 6.1 |
| Defense | 25 (6) | 38 (5) | 44 (8) | 34 (10) | 141 (29) | 4.9 |
| Total | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Game | Avg. |
| Offense | 127 (19) | 124 (18) | 72 (14) | 54 (12) | 377 (63) | 6.0 |
| Defense | 22 (11) | 58 (12) | 50 (15) | 43 (19) | 173 (57) | 3.0 |
THREE ORANGEMEN START FOR FIRST TIME
Three players made their first career starts at Cincinnati, including offensive linemen PJ Alexander (Tallahassee, FL) and Vaughn Smith (Clinton, MD) and strong safety Keeon Walker (Hoboken, NJ) ... A regular starter at running back, senior Dee Brown (Altamonte Springs, FL) started for the first time at fullback.
MINTER MAKES PRESENCE FELT ON SPECIAL TEAMS
Junior linebacker Maurice Minter (Ossining, NY) forced his first career fumble at Cincinnati ... Minter knocked the ball loose from UC punt returner Antoni Chatman in the second quarter ... Sophomore Clifton Smith (Freeport, NY) recovered the ball and returned it three yards Minter also had one tackle against the Bearcats ... Against Buffalo, Minter had a career-best six tackles, including five on special teams ... Minter played wide receiver during his freshman and sophomore seasons and moved to safety during 2000 spring practice and then to linebacker during SU's 2000 preseason camp.
WOODCOCK IS A STEADY TARGET FOR QBs
Senior wide recceiver Pat Woodcock (Kanata, Ontario) has caught at least one pass in the last 13 games he has played ... The senior pulled in at least one pass in all 11 games he participated in last year and has done the same through two games in 2000 ... Against Cincinnati, Woodcock pulled in two passes for 29 yards, including one for 20 yards Against Buffalo, Woodcock caught a 57-yard pass from redshirt freshman quarterback R.J. Anderson in the third quarter, marking the longest reception of his career ... His previous career-best was a 54-yard catch against Michigan in 1999 Woodcock led all SU receivers against Buffalo with three catches for 75 yards ... His 104 receiving yards through two games is the best on the team.
Woodcock Also Returns Kickoffs
Woodcock ranks 21st nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 25.0 yards per return he had a career-best 44-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter at Cincinnati ... Woodcock, whose previous top return was 34 yards (Boston College, 1999), had two returns against UC.
SU IS EFFECTIVE IN THE REDZONE
The Orangemen have entered the opponent's redzone seven times in 2000 and have scored on each opportunity ... The Orange have tallied six touchdowns and one field goal ... SU entered the red zone five times against Buffalo and scored touchdowns every time ... Syracuse did not attempt a field goal against Buffalo.
SHAFER CONNECTS ON FIRST CAREER FIELD GOAL
Sophomore Mike Shafer (Orlando, FL) kicked a 35-yard field goal with 43 seconds remaining against Cincinnati, marking his first collegiate field goal ... The kick gave Syracuse a 10-9 lead in the game ... Shafer missed his first two attempted field goals, a 39-yard attempt in the first quarter and a 43-yard attempt in the third quarter was blocked ... Shafer also punted five times for an average of 42.6 per kick, including a season-long 50-yard punt ... Against Buffalo Shafer converted his first career point-after-touchdown and was 7-of-8 in the game He also punted three times against the Bulls, compiling 131 yards (43.7 yards per attempt) ... Shafer handled the punting duties exclusively last season, but added placekicking responsibilities to his job description this fall.
MANLEY HAULS IN FIRST CAREER RECEPTIONS
Junior tight end Graham Manley (Olney, MD) caught a career-high three passes for 26 yards at Cincinnati, marking his first receptions of the season He caught all three passes in SU's final drive of the game, that resulted in kicker Mike Shafer's (Orlando, FL) 35-yard field goal with 43 seconds remaining in the contest ... Manley recorded the longest catch of his career against the Bearcats, a 12-yard strike from quarterback Troy Nunes (Butler, PA) ... In 1999 Manley had one catch for nine yards against Miami ... The 2000 season marks the first for Manley as a starter.
JACKSON VERSED IN THE REVERSE
Junior wide receiver Maurice Jackson (Rochester, NY) ran nine yards on a reverse against the Bearcats, marking the second consecutive game Jackson ran the play ... He covered 19 yards on a reverse against Buffalo in the season opener ... He has two carries for 28 yards and two receptions for 18 yards this season ... His career numbers include 14 receptions for 238 yards and eight rushes for 93 yards.
INJURIES TAKE TOLL ON SYRACUSE
Harris Injures Shoulder
Junior free safety Quentin Harris (Wilkes-Barre, PA) suffered a separated shoulder against Cincinnati during the second quarter ... There has not been a determination as to when he will return to action ... Prior to his injury, Harris had compiled four tackles ... Against Buffalo, Harris recorded his first fumble recovery, picking up a fumble forced by redshirt freshman defensive tackle Louis Gachelin (Miami, FL) and returned it 91 yards for his first career touchdown ... Harris led the Orange defense with nine tackles, including one for a loss, against the Bulls.
Thomas Injures Foot Against UC
Redshirt freshman Josh Thomas (Orchard Park, NY) broke a bone in his left foot against Cincinnati ... He had surgery on Sunday morning ... A date for his return has not been determined ... In his first collegiate game against Buffalo, Thomas reeled in his first career interception in the fourth quarter ... Thomas batted a pass by Buffalo quarterback Joe Freedy into the air, spun around and caught it with one hand, then spun around again to return it five yards ... Thomas added five tackles to the effort.
Johnson Sidelined in First Game
Against Buffalo senior fullback Kyle Johnson (Woodbridge, NJ) scored on a four-yard run in the second quarter and fractured a bone above his left ankle on the play ... Johnson had surgery on September 3, the morning after the game against Buffalo ... Against the Bulls Johnson gained 27 yards on five carries and caught one pass for one yard ... The senior co-captain is out indefinitely.
DOWNING RECORDS FIRST FUMBLE RECOVERY
Senior defensive tackle Eric Downing (Paterson, NJ) recorded the first fumble recovery of his career at Cincinnati ... On the third series of the game, Downing scooped up a fumble by Cincinnati running back Ray Jackson that was forced by junior defensive end Dwight Freeney (Bloomfield, CT) ... Downing recorded seven tackles against the Bearcats ... Against Buffalo, Downing forced a fumble and recorded four tackles, including two for a loss of five yards Downing is SU's sixth-leading tackler this season with 11, including two for a loss ... He also has one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
WALKER IS SYRACUSE'S LEADING TACKLER
In his first season on defense sophomore strong safety Keeon Walker (Hoboken, NJ) is SU's leading tackler Walker, who moved from running back prior to the 2000 spring practice, leads the team with 18 tackles, including 10 solo stops ... He had a career-high 14 stops in his first career start against Cincinnati ... Walker played his first game on defense against Buffalo, recording four tackles ... He also recovered a fumble and returned it for seven yards.
DEFENSIVE BOOKENDS
Senior Duke Pettijohn (Mattapan, MA) and junior Dwight Freeney (Bloomfield, CT) give the Orange one of the best sets of defensive ends in the nation ... Through two games this year the tandem has combined for 11 tackles, including three for a loss, one sack and one pass breakup ... In 1999 Pettijohn registered 10.5 sacks and 45 tackles, including 13 for a loss, en route to earning All-BIG EAST First Team honors ... Pettijohn, who began his SU career as a linebacker, has played in 33 games and started 21 of those Pettijohn and Freeney are the ends for a defensive line that is ranked ninth by Lindy's preseason magazine.
SMITH GETS FIRST TURNOVER
Sophomore linebacker Clifton Smith (Freeport, NY) recorded the first fumble recovery of his career in the second quarter against Cincinnati ... Junior Maurice Minter (Ossining, NY) forced the ball from Cincinnati punt returner Antoni Chatman at the UC 39-yard line ... Smith recovered the ball and returned it three yards to the 36 He had 10 tackles against the Bearcats ... Smith is SU's third leading tackler through two games (13 total).
GREENWOOD AMONG NATION'S BEST LINEBACKERS
Senior co-captain Morlon Greenwood (Freeport, NY) made 10 tackles and had one quarterback hurry against Cincinnati ... Greenwood is a candidate for the 2000 Butkus Award ... The award honors the top linebacker in Division I-A Greenwood has made 37 consecutive starts at SU and was third on the team last season with 91 tackles, including a career-high 11 stops against Tulane ... Greenwood is rated the 15th-best outside linebacker nationally by Lindy's preseason magazine ... He is one of four BIG EAST representatives on the list (Dan Morgan, UM, and Taylor Suman, TU and LeVar Talley, TU) ... The 70-player Butkus Award Watch List will be trimmed to 10 semi-finalists on October 19 ... Three finalists will be announced on November 9 ... The Butkus Award Gala will be on December 8 at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL.
SIMPKINS POSTS CAREER NUMBERS
Senior defensive tackle Rickie Simpkins (Middle Village, NY) had a career-high 12 tackles against Cincinnati ... Simpkins posted personal bests for solo (five) and assisted (seven) tackles, including a tackle for a loss ... Simpkins also had two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup ... He ranks fourth on the team through two games this season.
BLOWING OUT THE CANDLES IN SEPTEMBER
Seven members of the Orangemen football family celebrate their birthdays in the month of September ... Of the group, only one Eric Downing will blow out his candles on a Saturday.
| Team Memeber | Yr. | Birthday |
| Maurice Jackson | Junior | Sept. 4, 1979 |
| Mark Holtzman | Junior | Sept. 7, 1978 |
| Jamel Riddle | Redshirt Freshman | Sept. 11, 1981 |
| Tre Mathis | Redshirt Freshamn | Sept. 12, 1980 |
| Sean O'Connor | Junior | Sept. 14, 1978 |
| Eric Downing | Senior | Sept. 16, 1978 |
| Chris Rippon | Def. Coordinator/Linebackers Coach | Sept. 20, 1960 |
