WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — No. 19 Syracuse (7-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast) defeated Wake Forest (4-5, 1-4), 41-24, on Saturday at BB&T Field. In Syracuse’s first November win under head coach Dino Babers, the Orange dominated on the ground, rushing for 264 yards and five touchdowns. Syracuse forced three turnovers and sacked Wake Forest five times while allowing 434 total yards of offense.

Ground and pound

In Syracuse’s first drive of the second half it threw three times in 10 plays. Moe Neal carried up the middle, went right and stumbled forward for seven yards. Three plays later, Eric Dungey rushed right on a quarterback power, outrunning the defensive end. He planted his right foot and cut back up the middle of the field, shaking off a weak tackle which didn’t bring arms.

A few more quick-hitting passes, and a Dungey brought the Orange down to the goal line where the drive ended with a five-yard Chris Elmore touchdown run.

On Syracuse’s next drive, Dungey dashed through the middle of the Wake Forest defense for a 26-yard touchdown run. Dungey didn’t throw a touchdown Saturday. It was the Orange’s first win without a passing touchdown since a 2014 win at Wake Forest.

Party in the backfield

Wake Forest’s freshman quarterback Sam Hartman spent much of Saturday’s game lying on his back. Early in the first quarter, middle linebacker Ryan Guthrie blitzed between the center and guard of Wake Forest’s offensive line. As Hartman tried to escape to the outside, Guthrie pulled Hartman’s feet out from under him for a three-yard loss.

Guthrie’s second sack of the day came in the next quarter. This time, the linebacker ran free through the line of scrimmage directly at Hartman. As Hartman tried to duck underneath the tackle, Guthrie swallowed the quarterback for a sack.

The trend continued throughout Syracuse’s five sacks. Hartman dropped back with little room to maneuver and was taken down by a streaking Syracuse defender. In the second quarter, a Kenneth Ruff bullrush led to the junior’s first career sack as Hartman tried to step up in the pocket, but landed in the right arm of Ruff.

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Turnover time

In the first quarter, Hartman dropped back to pass, but before he finished his throwing motion, dropped the ball. McKinley Williams snatched the loose ball with one hand, granting Syracuse possession at the Wake Forest 10-yard line. The Orange punched in a touchdown four plays later.

In the third quarter, the mishaps of the Demon Deacons offensive line proved costly once more. As Hartman started his handoff with the running back, safety Andre Cisco dove in between the two, jarring the ball loose. This time, an Evan Foster recovery negated Wake’s ability to fully mount a comeback and once again granted Syracuse favorable field position. The Orange chewed off more than three minutes of clock en route to a field goal after the fumble.

With a little under six minutes left in the game, Hartman lofted a pass into the corner of the end zone. It fell short, though, and landed in the hands of Syracuse cornerback Chris Fredrick, ending Wake Forest’s last hope for a comeback, as it trailed 41-24.

Published on November 3, 2018 at 3:35 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44