Syracuse Orange Earns First Victory of the Season with a Double Overtime Win Against Villanova

By Julia Morris

What a way to start a season.

Syracuse 2014 Football Team Takes the Field (c) Julia Morris

Despite losing the starting quarterback in the second quarter, the Syracuse Orange (1-0) edged the Villanova Wildcats (0-1) 27-26 in a thrilling, double overtime contest to earn its first win of the season. 

The Orange’s returning starting quarterback, Terrel Hunt, was ejected with 3:24 left in the first half.  Leading up to the ejection, Hunt faked a handoff to running back Prince Tyson Gulley before running up the middle, where he was brought down by Villanova linebackers Joey Harmon and Dillon Lucas.  On the ground, Hunt threw a punch. He was charged with a personal foul and by rule forced to leave the game.  

After the game, Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer said he empathized with Hunt and he knows his starting quarterback will bounce back from the ejection.

Over 40,000 people were at the Dome for the Opener (c) Gab Kreuz

“It’s an emotional game…if you’ve never played it you don’t know what it’s like to get fricken’ pummeled…and feel people on your back and people talking to you…and he reacted, we’ve all done it," Shafer said.  "He’s a competitive, tough kid…I love Terrel Hunt, he’ll bounce back and get going."

Shafer also said that when Hunt left the game, it created a chance for freshman quarterback Austin Wilson to lead the Orange’s offense.

“It gave us an opportunity to learn from a situation…it gave us an opportunity to put Austin Wilson in the game and see what he could do,” Shafer said.



The Orange Defense Protecting the End Zone (c) Gab Kreuz

Prior to Hunt’s ejection, the Orange’s offense was highlighted by running back Prince-Tyson Gulley’s 65-yard rushing touchdown up the middle with 6:24 left in the first quarter. The touchdown gave the Orange a 7-0 lead and their first points of the season.

“My line made a great hole for me and all I did was just go through all my reads,” Gulley said.

Gulley’s touchdown was the only scoring play by either team in the first quarter as the Orange defense held the Wildcats scoreless.  Linebacker and team captain Cam Lynch led Syracuse’s defense, registering three unassisted tackles in the first quarter and 15 total tackles in the game. 

Villanova did have a chance to score with 1:32 remaining in the first, but kicker Chris Gough missed a 34-yd field goal attempt that would have put the Wildcats within four. 

Villanova QB Robertson Prepares to Throw (c) Julia Morris

In the second quarter, both up-tempo offenses were on display.  The Wildcats, led by returning starting quarterback John Robertson, put together a 12-play, 60-yard drive in just under five minutes, ending with a five-yard touchdown rush by Kevin Monangai that tied the game 7-7. 

Syracuse responded with its own 14-play, 48-yard drive that took about three and a half minutes.  The drive ended with a 38-yard field goal by Ryan Norton that gave the Orange a 10-7 lead with 6:49 left in the quarter.  A few minutes later Hunt was ejected, but the Orange kept the three-point lead as the half came to a close.

At the start of the second half, Wilson led the Orange down the field, connecting with four different receivers for first downs. The drive ended when Adonis Ameen-Moore rushed for a 2-yard touchdown, giving the Orange a 17-7 lead with 10:04 left in the third quarter.  

“I think as a team we knew that we had to step it up…we had to adjust to the adversity…and I think we did well,” Wilson said.

Momentum Shifts

However, with 2:34 left in the third, the momentum shifted in Villanova’s favor as the Wildcats went on to score ten unanswered points. Poppy Livers, the Wildcat’s offensive captain, returned a Syracuse punt for a 67-yard touchdown to put the Wildcats within three.

The SU Student Section Was Loud Throughout the Game (c) Gab Kreuz

The Orange was held scoreless in the fourth and its 12-0 record against FCS schools at the Carrier Dome looked as though it was about to be broken as the game was winding down. With 7:14 in regulation remaining, Gough made a 25-yard field goal to tie the score 17-17.  Then with just twelve seconds left, Gough had a chance to kick another 25-yard field goal to give his team the victory. 

“We were anxious and nervous…we knew he had missed one earlier so we were just hoping on that…banking that he missed again,” SU linebacker Kendall Moore said.

Gough’s kick sailed too far right, giving him his second miss of the night and sending the game into overtime. 

Overtime

Kendall Moore Addresses the Media (c) Julia Morris

The Wildcats and Orange traded field goals in the first overtime. Gough bounced back and make a 24-yarder to give Villanova a 20-17 lead. Norton answered with a 22-yard field goal to even the score 20-20. 

At the start of the second overtime, Wilson connected with wide receiver Jarrod West for a 17-yard completion that set up a first and goal. Unable to score a touchdown, the Orange positioned in field goal formation.  However, instead of kicking for three, Coach Scott Shafer called for a trick play and kicker Riley Dixon threw a one-yard touchdown pass to pass to Kendall Moore, giving the Orange its first passing touchdown of the game and a 27-20 lead. 

“Pure joy," Dixon said after the game. "I can’t be more thankful to coach for giving me the opportunity and the guys for having my back in the situation.”   

Refusing to go down easily, the Wildcats then followed up with a touchdown of their own as running back Gary Underwood caught a nine-yard pass from Robertson.  Villanova Coach Andy Talley, who has over 200 wins as the leader of the Wildcats, decided to go for two extra points and the victory. Robertson, who led all rushers with 133 total yards, was swarmed behind the line of scrimmage, ending the hard-fought battle and giving the Orange a 27-26 victory. 

The Orange Marching Off the Field after Their Victory (c) Gab Kreuz

Shafer said the win wasn’t ideal but the most important thing was that it was still a victory.

“We’re 1-0 and that’s all that counts.  Was it pretty? No, it wasn’t pretty but we found a way… I’m proud of the fact that we came away with the victory… and we’re going to get better every week,” Shafer said.

The Orange has an extra week to recover from tonight’s game, as it has a bye week before traveling to Mount Pleasant, Michigan to face the Central Michigan Chippewas (1-0) on September 13.  The Wildcats will host the Fordham Rams for their season opener on September 6.