Tommy DeVito stepped up in the pocket and kept his eyes downfield, scanning the secondary for openings. As the Western Michigan pass rush collapsed on him, he stayed composed. Even as he wound up, released his pass and immediately got drilled in the chest by a lineman.

When he fell to the ground, DeVito kept his head up, tracking his pass. Fifty-nine yards in front of him, the throw dropped perfectly into the hands of wide receiver Trishton Jackson, who carried it into the end zone. DeVito was helped up and sprinted downfield to celebrate along with his teammates and fans, who were finally seeing the Syracuse offense they’d been expecting all season.

A week after SU gave up more sacks than it scored points against Clemson, DeVito’s play allowed everyone in the Carrier Dome to breathe a collective sigh of relief. That sense of comfort carried on throughout the whole game, a 52-33 Syracuse (2-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) win over Western Michigan (2-2) in which the Orange scored more points than it did in its first three games combined. DeVito ultimately finished with 287 yards and four passing touchdowns but did damage on the ground as well, adding a career-high in yards and a rushing touchdown.

“I thought it was really cool that he started the game and finished the game with the same amount of interceptions,” SU head coach Dino Babers said. “That’s always a goal of a great quarterback.”

Not only did the Orange move the ball on offense, but the quarterback who was under scrutiny following last week’s loss to No. 1 Clemson proved to be fully capable and deserving of his starting spot, and then some.

DeVito, known more for being a pocket-passer than the dual-threat quarterback that Eric Dungey was, added another dimension to SU’s offense with his play on the ground on Saturday. That dimension was introduced from the opening drive, as DeVito broke off a career-long 60-yard run on Syracuse’s second play of the game that set up SU’s first score.

In addition to his run on the Orange’s first drive, DeVito scored his first rushing touchdown of the season on a 36-yard keeper off the right side in the second quarter. The run gave Syracuse a 21-0 lead and pushed DeVito over 100 yards rushing. After sacks, he finished with 85 net rushing yards.

“Tommy could always run,” Babers said. “I’ve been trying to tell you guys that he’s fast, he can run. We just ask him to be very careful when he does it.”

Despite DeVito’s success, Syracuse’s offense, and specifically its offensive line, was far from perfect. On one third down when Western Michigan brought just three rushers, redshirt freshman Carlos Vettorello was beaten on the block and DeVito was taken down. On another drive, center Airon Servais was called for penalties on back-to-back plays and backed Syracuse up to its own 5-yard line.

But against the Broncos, their quarterback often bailed them out. Like on Syracuse’s first drive of the second half, when, despite the pocket collapsing on him, DeVito dropped the dime into Jackson’s arms. Or when Abdul Adams fumbled and set up a Western Michigan score, only for DeVito and the Orange offense to answer.

Western Michigan scored 14 consecutive points to cut SU’s lead to five, but DeVito made sure SU cashed in after it started a drive in Broncos’ territory. For the second time in the game, he found tight end Aaron Hackett for a touchdown.

“We worked hard this week in practice trying to go faster and listening to Tommy,” Jackson said. “(He was) more in control of the offense throughout the week, made us go faster.”

A Syracuse offense that had struggled with being too one-dimensional during the first three games of the season finally played up to its potential, thanks to its quarterback. For the first time all season, it looked like DeVito had complete control of the offense. He was on the same page as his receivers, showed poise in the pocket and limited bad decisions.

DeVito himself admitted the issues earlier this season were his fault, and his only. He looked lost and even overwhelmed at times, but always owned up to his mistakes. He was in turn surrounded by questions about his decision making, his ability to lead the team and his readiness to take over for Dungey.

Babers defended him, arguing that the issues on offense were team-wide. His teammates did the same. And on Saturday, their faith in their quarterback was validated. It may have happened later than some expected, but the final phase of DeVito’s transition into becoming Syracuse’s starting quarterback and leader is here, and after a disappointing 1-2 start, not a minute too soon.

“Football’s all about adversity and how you respond to it,” DeVito said. “…It shows that I’m willing to learn. Any opportunity that I’m given, whether it’s good or bad, you always can learn from it.”

Published on September 21, 2019 at 4:00 pm

Contact Eric: erblack@syr.edu | @esblack34