Syracuse Crowned ECAC Team of the Year

DANBURY, Conn. – On the strength of a 10-3 record and No. 15 final national ranking, the 2018 Syracuse Orange have been named the ECAC Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Team of the Year. The announcement was made Tuesday by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

The Orange will be honored at the 83rd Eastern College Football Awards Banquet at The Ridge in Danbury, Conn. on Feb. 21.

It's the third time Syracuse has been recognized as the ECAC Team of the Year. The Orange also received the award in 1987 and 2012.

One of the most improved teams in the nation, Syracuse posted the seventh double-digit win season in program history and first since 2001. The Orange won six of their last seven games, including a 34-18 victory over West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl.

Head coach Dino Babers, a finalist for three national coach of the year awards, was voted the AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year, the Associated Press co-ACC Coach of the Year, and the ECAC Coach of the Year. Babers commanded a Syracuse offense that averaged 40.2 points per game and set a school record with 523 points scored. The Orange tied the all-time program mark with 62 total touchdowns, including a record 38 rushing scores. In 13 games, Syracuse scored 50+ points a school-record five times and topped the 40-point mark on eight occasions.

Defensively, the Orange ranked in the top 10 nationally in turnovers gained (3rd - 31), interceptions (5th - 18), fumbles recovered (5th - 13), sacks (6th - 3.31 per game), and third-down defense (7th - .286). The Orange totaled a school-record 43 sacks, including five in their Camping World Bowl win against the Mountaineers.

Syracuse boasted 11 All-ACC players and 10 All-ECAC First Team selections, including senior quarterback Eric Dungey. Dungey, who was voted the ECAC Offensive Player of the Year in December, racked up 3,622 yards of total offense (2,868 passing, 754 rushing) and accounted for a school-record 33 touchdowns (18 passing, 15 rushing).

The Orange also featured a pair of All-Americans in placekicker Andre Szmyt and safety Andre Cisco. The ninth unanimous All-American in program history, Szmyt captured the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best kicker. He led the FBS in most kicking categories and topped the national leaderboard in scoring average at 11.6 points per game. Cisco tied for the national lead in interceptions (7) and set the Syracuse true-freshman record with 18 passes defended.

In addition to naming Syracuse the Division I FBS Team of the Year, the ECAC also announced its Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II and Division III award winners Tuesday, along with the recipients of this year's Lambert Meadowlands Awards. Maine was selected as the ECAC FCS Team of the Year. West Chester University took home the honor in Division II and RPI earned the award for Division III.

Army West Point is this year's recipient of the Lambert Trophy as the top-ranked team in the East, according to a poll conducted by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers. This year's Lambert Cup winners are: Colgate (FCS), LIU Post (Division II) and Johns Hopkins (Division III).

The Orange open the 2019 campaign on Aug. 31 at Liberty. Syracuse will also face Maryland (Sept. 7), Western Michigan (Sept. 21) and Holy Cross (Sept. 28) next season in non-conference action. The full schedule, including ACC game dates and opponents, will be released tomorrow.

New season ticket orders for 2019 are currently being accepted. Tickets for next season's six-game home slate start at $100 for Syracuse University Young Alumni (Class of 2015 to Class of 2019 graduates) and $125 for the general public. They may be purchased online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B).

The deadline to renew current season tickets is March 8.

2018 ECAC Teams of the Year
Division I (FBS) – Syracuse
Division I (FCS) – Maine
Division II – West Chester University
Division III – RPI

2018 Lambert Meadowlands Awards
Division I FBS Lambert Trophy – Army West Point
Division I FCS Lambert Cup – Colgate
Division II Lambert Cup – LIU
Division III Lambert Cup – Johns Hopkins

ABOUT THE ECAC
Established in 1938, the ECAC is the nation's largest Conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. The ECAC hosts numerous championships in men's and women's sports across Divisions I, II and III, offering opportunities for thousands of student-athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.

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

Syracuse University Athletics

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Andre Cisco

Eric Dungey

Andre Szmyt

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