Duke Runs All Over Syracuse

The Blue Devils ground attack was too much for the Orange in this one.

The Syracuse defense forced turnovers, but the offense was stagnant for large stretches as Duke came out of the Carrier Dome with its first victory of the season 38-24. Duke turned it over four times, but rushed for over 360 yards as they dominated the Orange up front. 

The game started with some fireworks on both sides. Duke had an easy seven play, 75 yard drive that ended with a Chase Brice to Jalon Calhoun touchdown pass to open the scoring. Syracuse responded two plays later with a 79-yard strike from Tommy DeVito to Taj Harris. 

From there, Duke would consistently move the ball and was dominant on the ground. However, they would turn it over four times (and it could have been more) to stall multiple drives. That allowed an inconsistent Syracuse offense a plethora of opportunities, only some of which they took advantage. 

One of those turnovers led to a defensive touchdown, as Cam Jonas sacked Chase Brice, knocking the ball loose for Geoff Cantin-Arku to scoop it up and race into the end zone. That gave Syracuse a 14-10 lead in the second quarter, and it would be the last lead they would have on the afternoon. 

Duke would fumble on its next drive as well, and Syracuse drove deep into Duke territory. They were on the verge of going up two scores and taking complete control of the game. On a third and short play, freshman running back Sean Tucker was about a half yard short of the marker. Syracuse rushed up to the line to go for it on fourth down. They ran a quarterback sneak, but got no push from the offensive line and DeVito was stopped for no gain. 

A 15-yard run by Duke running back Mataeo Durant would cap the ensuing drive and give the Blue Devils the lead for good. 

Syracuse made a run in the second half, as DeVito hit Luke Benson for a 53 yard score to pull Syracuse within six. But Duke answered with a field goal and touchdown in their next two drives to put the game away. 

Injuries were an issue coming into the game, and that only got worse as the game went along. Several Syracuse players went out during the game, though most came back. Freshman running back Sean Tucker left in the third quarter and did not return. Tommy DeVito was hurt on a sack in the fourth and did not return. 

Rex Culpepper replaced DeVito, but went just 1-3 for three yards. 

Duke racked up well over 600 yards of total offense compared to less than 300 for Syracuse. That helped offset the Blue Devils -4 in the turnover department. 

DeVito finished 13-26 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. The Orange finished with just 28 yards rushing on the afternoon. Taj Harris had a big day for Syracuse with six receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown. 

Durant and Deon Jackson each ran for over 160 yards for Duke.