Photo by: Charles Wainwright
Orange Extra: Ranked and Ready to Bowl
10/31/2018 10:00:00 AM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Last Saturday's win against No. 22 NC State was Syracuse's sixth of the campaign and made the Orange bowl eligible for the first time since 2013.
With that goal achieved, Coach Dino Babers' bunch can look forward to adding to its postseason résumé over the final four games of the regular season.
POLLING
Syracuse earned a spot in both national polls that were announced on Sunday. The Orange placed 22nd in the Associated Press Top 25 and 24th in the Amway Coaches Poll. Yesterday, Syracuse achieved another milestone, appearing in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings for the first time since their inception in 2014.
The Orange were No. 19 in the initial CFP poll and were the second-highest ranked ACC team included behind No. 2 Clemson.Â
Determined by a committee of 13Â individuals with experience as coaches, student-athletes, college administrators and journalists, along with sitting athletics directors, the CFP rankings are used to determine the top four teams at the end of the season.
The rankings provide another system of measurement for a Syracuse program that is on the rise. The Orange had not appeared in the rankings since the final polls of the 2001 season were released. Led by All-American Dwight Freeney, the Orange finished that campaign No. 14 with a 10-3 record, including a win in the Insight.com Bowl.
DOME-INATION
Syracuse solidified its home-field standing against NC State, adding to its unblemished Dome record this fall. The Orange are 5-0 in Syracuse and can improve on that in the season's final home game on Friday, Nov. 9 against Louisville.
The five home wins are the program's most since 2003. The last time the Orange were 6-0 at home was in 2001. Syracuse also finished the 1987 and 1988 seasons 6-0 in the Carrier Dome.
Another highlight of the NC State victory was the largest Dome crowd of the year – 40,769. It was the second-largest home gathering since Babers took over the program in 2016. Syracuse attracted 42,475 fans for the matchup with No. 2 Clemson on Oct. 13, 2017.
Babers has guided Syracuse to an 11-7 Dome record during his tenure.
DID YOU KNOW?
Syracuse has previously appeared in 25 bowl games and has accumulated a 15-9-1 record in those contests. That's good for a .620 bowl winning percentage, the eighth-best mark in college football.
TRAVELING ORANGE
After a bye week and two straight home games, Syracuse now heads back on the road for a Nov. 3 encounter at Wake Forest. Three of the last four contests for the Orange are away from the friendly Dome confines – at Wake Forest (11/3), versus Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium (11/17) and at Boston College (11/24).
Since beginning the fall with a road victory at Western Michigan, Syracuse has lost road tilts to No. 3 Clemson and Pittsburgh.
Syracuse has lost its last two pairings with Wake Forest, including last year's 64-43 defeat in the Dome. The Orange do have a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series with the Demon Deacons. Syracuse last won in Winston-Salem in 2014 by the score of 30-7.
Saturday's contest features an interesting coaching matchup. Wake Forest grid boss Dave Clawson preceded Babers as the head coach at Bowling Green.
DID YOU KNOW?
Redshirt freshman kicker Andre Szmyt is on pace to set the FBS record for single season made field goals. Szmyt has 21 field goals through eight games (2.63 per contest). Should he keep up his current pace over the last four regular-season games, plus a bowl game, Szmyt would finish with 34 made field goals. The current record is 31 by Georgia's Billy Bennett in 2003.
DUNGEYÂ GETTING IT DONE
Senior quarterback Eric Dungey led the Orange to their 51-41 victory over NC State by completing 27-of-38 passes for 411 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
In the process, he became the eighth ACC player to surpass 10,000 yards of total offense and moved into a sixth-place tie with Wake Forest's Larry Russell in rushing touchdowns among ACC quarterbacks (29).
Dungey's performance boosted his standing on a number of Syracuse's career statistical lists:
Syracuse's receiver corps has gotten a boost from some of the less-experienced members of the group in recent weeks. Redshirt senior Jamal Custis continued to be his steady self. Custis caught a pass for the eighth straight game and finished with three receptions for 80 yards, including a touchdown catch, against NC State.
The other contributing wideouts provided evidence that the unit is in good hands for the future. Junior Sean Riley had a breakout game, setting personal bests for catches (10) and receiving yards (164). Two-thirds of the way through the season, Riley leads the Orange in receptions (43).
Sophomore Nykeim Johnson sent a jolt through the Dome crowd with an 82-yard touchdown catch against the Wolfpack. He finished the evening with seven receptions for a career-high 136 yards, his second consecutive 100-yard game. Freshman Taj Harris logged season-high totals for receptions (6) and yards (86), figures that included a 31-yard touchdown catch.
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
With that goal achieved, Coach Dino Babers' bunch can look forward to adding to its postseason résumé over the final four games of the regular season.
POLLING
Syracuse earned a spot in both national polls that were announced on Sunday. The Orange placed 22nd in the Associated Press Top 25 and 24th in the Amway Coaches Poll. Yesterday, Syracuse achieved another milestone, appearing in the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings for the first time since their inception in 2014.
The Orange were No. 19 in the initial CFP poll and were the second-highest ranked ACC team included behind No. 2 Clemson.Â
Determined by a committee of 13Â individuals with experience as coaches, student-athletes, college administrators and journalists, along with sitting athletics directors, the CFP rankings are used to determine the top four teams at the end of the season.
The rankings provide another system of measurement for a Syracuse program that is on the rise. The Orange had not appeared in the rankings since the final polls of the 2001 season were released. Led by All-American Dwight Freeney, the Orange finished that campaign No. 14 with a 10-3 record, including a win in the Insight.com Bowl.
DOME-INATION
Syracuse solidified its home-field standing against NC State, adding to its unblemished Dome record this fall. The Orange are 5-0 in Syracuse and can improve on that in the season's final home game on Friday, Nov. 9 against Louisville.
The five home wins are the program's most since 2003. The last time the Orange were 6-0 at home was in 2001. Syracuse also finished the 1987 and 1988 seasons 6-0 in the Carrier Dome.
Another highlight of the NC State victory was the largest Dome crowd of the year – 40,769. It was the second-largest home gathering since Babers took over the program in 2016. Syracuse attracted 42,475 fans for the matchup with No. 2 Clemson on Oct. 13, 2017.
Babers has guided Syracuse to an 11-7 Dome record during his tenure.
DID YOU KNOW?
Syracuse has previously appeared in 25 bowl games and has accumulated a 15-9-1 record in those contests. That's good for a .620 bowl winning percentage, the eighth-best mark in college football.
TRAVELING ORANGE
After a bye week and two straight home games, Syracuse now heads back on the road for a Nov. 3 encounter at Wake Forest. Three of the last four contests for the Orange are away from the friendly Dome confines – at Wake Forest (11/3), versus Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium (11/17) and at Boston College (11/24).
Since beginning the fall with a road victory at Western Michigan, Syracuse has lost road tilts to No. 3 Clemson and Pittsburgh.
Syracuse has lost its last two pairings with Wake Forest, including last year's 64-43 defeat in the Dome. The Orange do have a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series with the Demon Deacons. Syracuse last won in Winston-Salem in 2014 by the score of 30-7.
Saturday's contest features an interesting coaching matchup. Wake Forest grid boss Dave Clawson preceded Babers as the head coach at Bowling Green.
DID YOU KNOW?
Redshirt freshman kicker Andre Szmyt is on pace to set the FBS record for single season made field goals. Szmyt has 21 field goals through eight games (2.63 per contest). Should he keep up his current pace over the last four regular-season games, plus a bowl game, Szmyt would finish with 34 made field goals. The current record is 31 by Georgia's Billy Bennett in 2003.
DUNGEYÂ GETTING IT DONE
Senior quarterback Eric Dungey led the Orange to their 51-41 victory over NC State by completing 27-of-38 passes for 411 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a score.
In the process, he became the eighth ACC player to surpass 10,000 yards of total offense and moved into a sixth-place tie with Wake Forest's Larry Russell in rushing touchdowns among ACC quarterbacks (29).
Dungey's performance boosted his standing on a number of Syracuse's career statistical lists:
- First, career yards of total offense (10,064)
- First, career 300-yard passing games (10)
- First, career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (29)
- Second, career pass completions (706)
- Second, career completion percentage (.614)
- Second, career rushing yards by a quarterback (1,748)
- Third, career touchdown passes (53)
- Fourth, career passing yards (8,316)
Syracuse's receiver corps has gotten a boost from some of the less-experienced members of the group in recent weeks. Redshirt senior Jamal Custis continued to be his steady self. Custis caught a pass for the eighth straight game and finished with three receptions for 80 yards, including a touchdown catch, against NC State.
The other contributing wideouts provided evidence that the unit is in good hands for the future. Junior Sean Riley had a breakout game, setting personal bests for catches (10) and receiving yards (164). Two-thirds of the way through the season, Riley leads the Orange in receptions (43).
Sophomore Nykeim Johnson sent a jolt through the Dome crowd with an 82-yard touchdown catch against the Wolfpack. He finished the evening with seven receptions for a career-high 136 yards, his second consecutive 100-yard game. Freshman Taj Harris logged season-high totals for receptions (6) and yards (86), figures that included a 31-yard touchdown catch.
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
Players Mentioned
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