Syracuse University
Northwestern
SU Secures First Win of Doug Marrone Era
9/19/2009 7:53:18 PM | Football
Syracuse 37, Northwestern 34
Syracuse Postgame Notes
Head Coach Doug Marrone Press Conference Transcript
Syracuse Student-Athlete Quotes
Northwestern Postgame Notes
Northwestern Postgame Quotes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse defeated Northwestern, 37-34, in front of a crowd of 40,251 on Saturday. The win marks the first of the Doug Marrone Era and is SU's first against a Big Ten Conference opponent since 2006 when it beat Illinois, 31-21.Senior running back Delone Carter became the 39th player in Syracuse history to rush for 1,000 yards, gaining 84 yards on 18 carries and one touchdown.
With less than a minute left in the game, junior strong safety Max Suter intercepted a pass on SU's 39-yard line and and returned it 22 yards to set up Syracuse's 41-yard game-winning field goal by Ryan Lichtenstein as time expired.
On SU's opening drive, freshman Lichtenstein kicked a career-long 43-yard field goal to give the Orange the early lead, 3-0. After senior linebacker Derrell Smith forced a fumble at the Northwestern 28-yard line on the Wildcats' opening drive, which was recovered by senior cornerback Nico Scott. On second down, quarterback Greg Paulus scored his first rushing touchdown to increase SU's lead to 10-0.
With just more than a minute left in the quarter, Mike Williams caught a career-long 66-yard pass to put the Orange up, 17-0. It was also a career-long completion for Paulus. Williams finished the game with a career-best 11 receptions for a personal-best 209 yards and two touchdowns.
Northwestern scored its first points on the game when quarterback Mike Kafka rushed three yards for a touchdown, cutting the Orange lead, 17-7, less than one minute into the second quarter. Five minutes later, Kafka threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Brewer to pull the Wildcats within three, 17-14, with 9:47 left before halftime.
Northwestern took the lead, 21-17, with 3:59 remaining in the first half when Kafka completed a 22-yard touchdown pass to Drake Dunsmore, capping a 62-yard, six-play drive.
Sophomore running back Mike Jones returned a 48-yard kickoff to start SU's next drive. Carter capped the five-play, 43-yard scoring drive with a three yard scamper into the endzone, giving the Orange a 24-21 lead at the half. Senior wide receiver Donte Davis had his first career rush for 23 yards during the drive.
Lichtenstein increased the Orange lead to six, 27-21, with a 37-yard field goal with 4:52 left in the third quarter. AfterNorthwestern recovered a fumble, the Wildcats scored on a 24-yard touchdown from Kafka to Andrew Brewer to put the Wildcats up by one, 28-27 with 17 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Six minutes into the final quarter, the Wildcats finished off an 80-yard, 11-play drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to take a 34-27 lead.
On Syracuse's next possession, Paulus went five-for-five and connected with Williams for a 13-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, 34-34, with 6:07 remaining and then Suter set up the Orange for the game-winning field goal.
Junior linebacker Doug Hogue led the Orange defense with 11 tackles, while Smith added 10 tackles, two forced fumbles, and two sacks.
