Jared Jones has his first 100-yard receiving game with 136 yards on four catches in the first three quarters.
Panthers Lead Orange, 24-21, at the Start of the Fourth Quarter
11/5/2004 2:06:48 PM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Pittsburgh scored 11 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 24-21 lead after three quarters at the Carrier Dome. SU running back Walter Reyes suffered a back injury early in the quarter and will not return to the game.
After trading punts to begin the quarter, the Orange committed its first turnover of the game when quarterback Perry Patterson fumbled. The Panthers recovered at the SU 15-yard line. On the next play Tyler Palko found Erik Gill for the touchdown to cut the SU lead to 21-19 with 8:15 left in the third quarter. The Panthers tied the game, converting the two-point conversion on a pass from Palko to Gill.
A 53-yard catch-and-run by Greg Lee put the Panthers in scoring position on their next possession. Lee ran a short comeback route, broke a tackle and ran to the SU 26-yard line. SU safety Diamond Ferri forced Lee to fumble, but Pittsburgh recovered on the Orange’s 20-yard line. After moving the ball inside the SU 10-yard line, the Panthers settled for a 24-yard field goal by Josh Cummings to take a 24-21 lead with 4:23 left in the third quarter.
On the Orange’s next possession, the Panthers intercepted Patterson for the first time. Patterson’s third-down pass deflected off the hands of an SU receiver and into the arms of Clint Session who returned the ball to the SU 49-yard line. The Panthers took the ball to the SU 28-yard line, but Cummings’ 45-yard field goal attempt went wide left to give SU possession with 2:11 left in the quarter.
Reyes ran for 123 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries before leaving the game. Damien Rhodes has 33 yards on eight carries, while Patterson is 10-of-20 for 133 yards and a touchdown through the air. Senior Jared Jones has four catches for a career-best 136 yards.
Palko completed 16-of-26 for 248 yards and two touchdowns through three quarters. Greg Lee is the Panthers’ leading receiver with six catches for 154 yards. Raymond Kirkely has 64 yards and a touchdown on 14 rushes.
Second Quarter
On its first possession of the second quarter, Syracuse took the ball to the Panthers’ 31-yard line, but after a third-down incompletion, Collin Barber’s 48-yard field goal attempt went wide right.
After the Orange stopped the Panthers to get the ball back, SU extended its lead with a six-play, 73-yard drive. Redshirt freshman fullback Breyone Evans scored his second touchdown in as many weeks, hauling in a five-yard scoring pass from Perry Patterson. Barber’s extra point extended SU’s lead to 14-6 with 7:11 left in the half. Reyes keyed the drive with a 57-yard run down the right sideline on third-and-short from the Orange 36-yard line.
The Orange defense held the Panthers again, and on the first play of SU’s ensuing drive, freshman quarterback Joe Fields hit Jones for a 60-yard touchdown pass. Fields faked the option to the right, dropped back and found Jones who outran the Pittsburgh secondary to the endzone. It was the longest catch of Jones’ career and Fields’ first career scoring toss.
Pittsburgh responded with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Palko to Greg Lee. Lee ran a streak down the right sideline and made a one-handed snag to bring the Panthers to within 21-13 with 1:42 left in the half.
Reyes finished the half with 115 yards, the second straight game he has had 100 yards in the first half. Reyes now has 14 100-yard games in his career, the third most in Syracuse history.
Jones had three catches for 129 yards in the first half. It is his first career 100-yard receiving game. Jones now has 1,010 yards for his career. He is the 16th SU player ever to reach the 1,000-yard mark.
Patterson was 5-for-8 for 91 yards and a score in the opening half. Pittsburgh signal caller Tyler Palko completed 8-of-9 for 151 yards and a touchdown. Raymond Kirkley gained 53 yards and scored a touchdown on seven first-half carries.
FIRST QUARTER
After a 36-yard return by Ferri on the opening kickoff, SU went 62 yards for a touchdown on its first drive to take a 7-0 lead. The 11-play drive, 10 of which were runs, was capped by a one-yard Reyes touchdown run. Reyes ran seven times for 38 yards and caught the only pass of the drive, a four-yard screen. The touchdown was the 46th of his career, tying Floyd Little for the SU school record. He also passed Little on the SU scoring list . Reyes now has 280 points, third all-time and first among non-kickers.
The SU defense stopped Pittsburgh’s ensuing possession on a third-down sack by Pollard. The Orange offense took the ball and drove to the Pittsburgh 15-yard line, highlighted by a career-long 56-yard reception by Jones, but Brendan Carney’s 32-yard field goal attempt with 2:50 left in the first quarter was wide right.
The Panthers took advantage of the SU miscue and went 80 yards for their first score of the game. Raymond Kirkley reached the endzone from five yards out to make the score 7-6. The snap on the extra point squirted away from the Panthers’ holder and SU kept a one-point lead.
Reyes ended the first quarter with 47 yards on 10 carries, while Perry Patterson completed four of his five pass attempts for 86 yards. Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko went 5-for-5 for 46 yards, while Kirkley racked up 47 rushing yards on five carries.
ORANGE ON THE RADIO
The SU Radio Network broadcast of the SU/Pitt game will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The entire broadcast can be listened to via suathletics.com. Sign up for SU Audio Streaming Now!
Join the Voice of the Orange Matt Park, Dick MacPherson and Kevin Maher for the pre-game show live from the SU Quad. The pre-game show will feature exclusive interviews and special guests.
DOME DONATION DAY
SU football fans will have a great opportunity to help tackle hunger in the Syracuse area at the 22nd annual “Dome Donation Day” on Saturday. Fans are encouraged to bring canned food and non-perishable items which will help feed 2,500 needy families during the holiday season. Orange fans can help SU reach its goal of beating last year’s total of more than 30,000 canned food items by dropping off their food donations in barrels positioned outside of the Carrier Dome before the start of the game.
SEASON TICKET HOLDER APPRECIATION DAY
For the third year in a row, Syracuse will show its appreciation of the great Carrier Dome fans by recognizing a fan as the Football Season Ticket Holder of the Year on Saturday.
FAN FRIENDZY
Please join us for the Orange Friendzy, which will be held at a tent located on the SU Quad. We will be at the tent from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Snacks and beverages will be available (while supplies last). Stop in to mingle, sign up for a chance to win a prize, and pick up our giveaways (while supplies last).
For information on all of our Orange Friendzy football events, home and away, please visit our web site at http://alumni.syr.edu/sports.html.
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