Recap: Syracuse 41, Central Michigan 17

Saturday, September 16

Syracuse, NY

3:30 pm

Syracuse University

2-1

Central Michigan

2-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Central Michigan

Syracuse

9/16/2017 5:16:00 PM | Football

Box Score Cuse TV: Highlights Cuse TV: Dino Babers Press Conference Cuse TV: Players Press Conference Photo Gallery Postgame Notes Quotes

Syracuse scores last 31 points of the game to improve to 4-0 all-time against the Chippewas

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Eric Dungey passed for two scores and ran for a third to lead Syracuse (2-1) past Central Michigan (2-1) by the score of 41-17 at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, Sept. 16. Dungey was 19-of-35 for 279 yards with touchdown passes to Dontae Strickland (18 yards) and Ravian Pierce (6 yards). He also ran 11 times for 105 yards, including a 1-yard scoring run.

With the victory, the Orange improved to 4-0 all-time against Central Michigan and extended its winning streak to six against Mid-American Conference opponents.

HOW IT WAS DECIDED
Syracuse trailed 17-10 midway through the second quarter before exploding for the last 31 points of the game. The Orange had a third quarter for the ages, generating 333 yards of total offense and 17 points on 25 plays in the period. At the same time, the Syracuse defensive unit limited Central Michigan no points over the last 37:52. The Chippewas managed only 60 yards on 21 plays in the decisive third quarter.

Dungey accounted for both third-quarter touchdowns. He capped a 90-yard drive with a 1-yard run to begin the period and teamed with Pierce on a 6-yard touchdown pass to push the Orange advantage to 38-17. Cole Murphy contributed his second field goal of the game, a 25-yarder, to put Syracuse ahead 41-17 and close the scoring.

BABERS' TAKE
"I thought the young men played extremely well. I am very proud of them. They really went about their business and came out and played this game the right way. They played a relatively clean game. There were a few penalties that obviously we need to clean up. There were some turnover situations in the negative, but there were also a lot of created turnovers in the positive, which balanced everything out. I thought the defense played really well, especially in the first three quarters."

Business handled. #OITNF ???? pic.twitter.com/IzwQq5bgqW
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) September 17, 2017

GROUND GAME EMERGES
Syracuse was determined to run the ball Saturday and the extra effort paid dividends. The Orange finished with 300 yards rushing and averaged 6.8 yards a carry. It was the team's top rushing total of Coach Dino Babers' Syracuse tenure and the most ground yards for the Orange since the 2015 season opener against Rhode Island (312).

Dungey's 105 yards on the ground marked his second career 100-yard rushing. Overall, four players finished with 40+ yards on the ground (Dungey, Moe Neal - 81, Sean Riley - 47, Strickland - 45). The Orange posted three runs of 40-or-more yards: a 74-yard scamper by Dungey, a 71-yard burst by Neal and a 41-yard run by Riley. Dungey's dash represented Syracuse's longest play from scrimmage so far this year.

LIFE OF RILEY
One of the smallest players in stature sparked Syracuse. Sean Riley, the 5-8, 155-pound sophomore wide receiver and kick returner gashed Central Michigan for big chunks of yardage all afternoon. He began the game with a 34-yard return on the opening kickoff. After Central Michigan moved ahead 17-10 in the second quarter, Riley took the ensuing kickoff 64 yards up the sideline. Six plays later the Orange tied the score on an 18-yard pass Dungey to Strickland.

On the next Orange possession, Riley adjusted his route during a Dungey scramble and the duo hooked up on a 44-yard pass play down to the Chippewa 9-yard line to set up a second Strickland touchdown that put Syracuse ahead for good, 24-17.

Riley electrified the crowd again in the third quarter, taking a handoff and dashing 41 yards to the Central Michigan 31-yard line. It led to a 25-yard field goal by Murphy.

Riley finished with a career-high 247 all-purpose yards on 13 touches and set personal highs for both rushing (47) and receiving (82) yardage.

DEFENSE DELIVERS
The first Syracuse touchdown of the game came from the Orange defense. A potential Chippewa pass completion was broken up a hard hit by Jordan Martin. The collision sent the ball airborn and Evan Foster snatched it and dashed 24 yards to paydirt, tying the game 10-10. It was the first three Syracuse takeaways (2 INT, 1 fumble recovery).

Once the Orange offense started piling up points, the Syracuse defenders did their part by shutting down the Chippewas' offense. The Orange kept Central Michigan off the scoreboard in the second half and limited the visitors to 164 yards on 41 plays after the intermission.

Syracuse entered the game ranked fifth nationally in third-down conversion defense and turned in another successful performance in that area, holding the Chippewas to 3-of-16 (.188) on third down.

Kendall Coleman had a career-high total tackles while Parris Bennett, Zaire Franklin and Rodney Williams each had eight stops.

PUNTER'S PARADISE
Syracuse punter Sterling Hofrichter and Central Michigan's Jack Sheldon both had great success Saturday, as neither squad lost field position after it was forced to kick. The two punters evenly split eight first-half punts for a combined average of 53.9 yards per boot. Each had a long kick of 64 yards in the first 30 minutes.

Hofrichter averaged 51 yards on seven punts. None of his punts were returned, four traveled more than 50 yards and he placed three inside the 20-yard line. Sheldon had 10 punts for 481 yards (48.1 avg.) and landed seven inside the 20.

UP NEXT
Syracuse embarks on its first road trip fo the 2017 season when it heads to the bayou for a Saturday, Sept. 23 showdown with LSU in Tiger Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will be televised live nationally on ESPN2.

For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).