Photo by: Charles Wainwright
Sunday Sidebar: Super Sean Riley
9/23/2018 11:30:00 AM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Never underestimate the little guy.
Junior Sean Riley, one of the shortest student-athletes on the Syracuse football roster, was impossible to miss during the Orange's 51-21 win against UConn yesterday at the Carrier Dome.
The 5-foot-8 wideout and return specialist finished with 290 all-purpose yards (11 rushing, 120 receiving, 110 PR, 49 KR) on 12 touches, the fourth-best, single-game total in team history and the most for an Orange player since Johnnie Morant tallied 295 at North Carolina in 2003.
Riley did the brunt of his damage in the receiving and punt return games, where he caught six passes for a career-high 120 yards and a touchdown, and logged three punt returns for 110 yards (36.7 avg.) and a touchdown. Both touchdowns came in the second half, as Syracuse outscored the Huskies to 20-7 over the final two quarters to pull away.
"Coach [Dino Babers] prepared us all week for this in the film room," Riley said to reporters after the win. "He told us where there would be open spaces, and we just executed."
Riley, who had been close to breaking a big runs earlier in the game, finally got loose in the third quarter. He fielded a punt from UConn's Luke Magliozzi at his own 31 and took it 69 yards to the end zone for the first punt return touchdown of his career. He's also the first Syracuse player to return a punt for a touchdown since Brisly Estime took one back 59 yards for a score at Florida State on Oct. 31, 2015.
The Los Angeles, Calif. native provided more fireworks in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Eric Dungey hit Riley on a slant over the middle, and Riley did the rest, turning on the jets and taking it to the house for a 49-yard score.
"He's a really exciting player," head coach Dino Babers said while addressing the media after the game. "One of the smallest players on the field on the offensive side. You watch the way he plays, he's got a lot of heart. I'm not sure everybody has enough faith in that young man and the things he does on the football field with a bunch of giants all around him. I'm really excited for him, and now I need to challenge him to see if we can bring that same amount of explosiveness into some ACC games."
Riley's 36.7 yards per punt return yesterday marked the fourth-best, single-game performance in the Orange record book (min. 3 returns). It also rocketed him up the FBS statistical leaderboard. His season average of 30.4 yards per return is currently second nationally to Western Michigan's Jayden Reed (31.0).Â
Riley's no stranger to explosive performances in the return game. The Atlantic Coast Conference's active leader in kickoffs returned and kickoff return yardage, Riley was second nationally with 1,125 combined kick return yards as a freshman and ranked fourth in the ACC and 12th nationally with 842 combined kick return yards in 2017.
On Saturday against UConn, Riley yet again reminded everyone that while he might be small, he's built for the big stage.
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
Junior Sean Riley, one of the shortest student-athletes on the Syracuse football roster, was impossible to miss during the Orange's 51-21 win against UConn yesterday at the Carrier Dome.
The 5-foot-8 wideout and return specialist finished with 290 all-purpose yards (11 rushing, 120 receiving, 110 PR, 49 KR) on 12 touches, the fourth-best, single-game total in team history and the most for an Orange player since Johnnie Morant tallied 295 at North Carolina in 2003.
Riley did the brunt of his damage in the receiving and punt return games, where he caught six passes for a career-high 120 yards and a touchdown, and logged three punt returns for 110 yards (36.7 avg.) and a touchdown. Both touchdowns came in the second half, as Syracuse outscored the Huskies to 20-7 over the final two quarters to pull away.
"Coach [Dino Babers] prepared us all week for this in the film room," Riley said to reporters after the win. "He told us where there would be open spaces, and we just executed."
Riley, who had been close to breaking a big runs earlier in the game, finally got loose in the third quarter. He fielded a punt from UConn's Luke Magliozzi at his own 31 and took it 69 yards to the end zone for the first punt return touchdown of his career. He's also the first Syracuse player to return a punt for a touchdown since Brisly Estime took one back 59 yards for a score at Florida State on Oct. 31, 2015.
The Los Angeles, Calif. native provided more fireworks in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Eric Dungey hit Riley on a slant over the middle, and Riley did the rest, turning on the jets and taking it to the house for a 49-yard score.
"He's a really exciting player," head coach Dino Babers said while addressing the media after the game. "One of the smallest players on the field on the offensive side. You watch the way he plays, he's got a lot of heart. I'm not sure everybody has enough faith in that young man and the things he does on the football field with a bunch of giants all around him. I'm really excited for him, and now I need to challenge him to see if we can bring that same amount of explosiveness into some ACC games."
Riley's 36.7 yards per punt return yesterday marked the fourth-best, single-game performance in the Orange record book (min. 3 returns). It also rocketed him up the FBS statistical leaderboard. His season average of 30.4 yards per return is currently second nationally to Western Michigan's Jayden Reed (31.0).Â
Riley's no stranger to explosive performances in the return game. The Atlantic Coast Conference's active leader in kickoffs returned and kickoff return yardage, Riley was second nationally with 1,125 combined kick return yards as a freshman and ranked fourth in the ACC and 12th nationally with 842 combined kick return yards in 2017.
On Saturday against UConn, Riley yet again reminded everyone that while he might be small, he's built for the big stage.
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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