Sunday Sidebar: One for the Record Books
10/1/2017 11:32:00 AM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse amassed 444 total yards on offense yesterday against NC State. The majority of those yards, 385 to be exact, came through the air. Quarterback Eric Dungey's favorite target? Senior wide receiver Ervin Philips.
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Philips made 17 receptions for for a career-best 188 yards, setting new school and ACC single-game catch records in the process. The previous conference mark of 16 receptions was achieved nine times previously, most recently by Clemson's Sammy Watkins and Wake Forest's Michael Campanaro in 2013. Philips had 14 receptions against Colgate last year, which at the time equaled Art Monk's 1977 program record.
Against NC State, the shifty Philips often found himself isolated on a linebacker. It was a situation the Orange coaching staff realized immediately it could exploit.
"I feel like I've got an advantage against a linebacker," Philips said. "Coach (Babers) saw that early, that they were putting him on me, and we just kept going to me. They depended on me to make a play and win my one-on-one matchups."Â
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Philips was responsible for 56.7 percent of Syracuse's 30 completions against the Wolfpack. He had eight receptions for 106 yards in the first half and added nine more for 82 yards after the break.
Philips' first reception of the game was a 37-yard catch as time expired in the first quarter to move the Orange into NC State territory. He made four more receptions during the drive, which ultimately ended with a Dungey touchdown run. The West Haven, Conn. native also had a pair of catches on the Orange's last scoring drive, helping Syracuse cut the NC State lead to 33-25 with less than five minutes left.
The performance represented Philips' first 100-yard receiving game of the season. It also vaulted himself into third nationally in receptions per game (8.8). He trails only teammate Steve Ishmael (10.2) and Hawaii's John Ursua (9.3) in that statistical category. In addition, Philips ranks second in career catches for the Orange with 178, just 23 receptions behind record-holder Alec Lemon (201).
"I just want to stay consistent," Philips said. "I know I'm capable of performances like this."Â
 For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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Philips made 17 receptions for for a career-best 188 yards, setting new school and ACC single-game catch records in the process. The previous conference mark of 16 receptions was achieved nine times previously, most recently by Clemson's Sammy Watkins and Wake Forest's Michael Campanaro in 2013. Philips had 14 receptions against Colgate last year, which at the time equaled Art Monk's 1977 program record.
Against NC State, the shifty Philips often found himself isolated on a linebacker. It was a situation the Orange coaching staff realized immediately it could exploit.
"I feel like I've got an advantage against a linebacker," Philips said. "Coach (Babers) saw that early, that they were putting him on me, and we just kept going to me. They depended on me to make a play and win my one-on-one matchups."Â
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Philips was responsible for 56.7 percent of Syracuse's 30 completions against the Wolfpack. He had eight receptions for 106 yards in the first half and added nine more for 82 yards after the break.
Philips' first reception of the game was a 37-yard catch as time expired in the first quarter to move the Orange into NC State territory. He made four more receptions during the drive, which ultimately ended with a Dungey touchdown run. The West Haven, Conn. native also had a pair of catches on the Orange's last scoring drive, helping Syracuse cut the NC State lead to 33-25 with less than five minutes left.
The performance represented Philips' first 100-yard receiving game of the season. It also vaulted himself into third nationally in receptions per game (8.8). He trails only teammate Steve Ishmael (10.2) and Hawaii's John Ursua (9.3) in that statistical category. In addition, Philips ranks second in career catches for the Orange with 178, just 23 receptions behind record-holder Alec Lemon (201).
"I just want to stay consistent," Philips said. "I know I'm capable of performances like this."Â
 For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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