Syracuse routs lifeless Duke for first ACC win
.jpg "Syracuse’s Moe Neal (21) dives towards the goal line during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Duke in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. Neal’s run was ruled just short of the goal line. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)")
A struggling team looking for its first ACC win of the season found the right place to be on Saturday.
Syracuse feasted on Duke’s struggling offense, turning three third-quarter turnovers into three touchdowns to pull away for a 49-6 ACC football win before an announced crowd of 16,286 at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Prior to beating Duke, the Orange (4-6, 1-5) had not defeated a Power 5 conference team this season. It’s previous wins were over Liberty, Western Michigan and Holy Cross. Syracuse entered Saturday on a four-game losing streak.
Duke (4-6, 2-4 ACC) dropped its fourth consecutive game as it wasted numerous chances to reach the end zone in the first half. The Blue Devils saw five drives advance into Syracuse territory only to settle for two AJ Reed field goals.
With the Blue Devils down 14-6 at halftime, Duke quarterback Quentin Harris threw interceptions to end the first two drives of the third quarter.
Andre Cisco returned a twice-deflected pass 48 yards for a touchdown for a 21-6 Orange lead.
Syracuse safety Christopher Fredrick grabbed a ball that deflected off Duke wide receiver Jake Bobo’s hands for an interception. Tommy DeVito’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Luke Benson gave Syracuse a 28-6 lead with 7:54 left in the third quarter.
Duke running back Mataeo Durant’s fumble on a third-and-3 run was recovered by Syracuse’s Evan Foster and returned to the Duke 15. Moe Neal’s 2-yard touchdown run capped that drive putting the Orange up 35-6 with 4:35 left in the third quarter.
FIRST DOWN
Duke’s highlight was a 72-yard punt Austin Parker uncorked with a strong wind at his back in the second quarter. Parker’s punt is tied with three other Blue Devil punters for 10th longest in Duke history.
TOUCHDOWN
Neal, the senior running back from Gastonia’s Forestview High School, gained 115 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown for the Orange. He’s the first Syracuse player to rush for 100 or more yards against an ACC opponent this season. Reserve running back Jarveon Howard joined in the fun, rushing for 115 yards in the second half on nine carries for the Orange.
OFFSIDES
Syracuse jumped to a 14-0 lead and led 14-6 at halftime but only because Duke did next to nothing with so many chances in Orange territory, amassing 56 net yards. The Blue Devils committed two penalties while gaining 15 yards on 17 rushes (including three sacks). Harris completed 5 of 16 passes for 51 yards on those plays.
ICYMI
Duke redshirt freshman tackle Casey Holman suffered what the school called an upper-body injury with 52 seconds left in the first quarter. Duke’s starter at left tackle all season, Holman lay motionless on his stomach on the field while receiving medical attention from staffs from both schools. Emergency medical technicians already on site loaded him onto a stretcher and into an ambulance and he was taken to Duke University Hospital for evaluation.
KEY NUMBERS
5: Duke touchdowns over its last 18 quarters, including all four games of the losing streak and the second half of a 41-23 win over Georgia Tech on Oct. 12.
51: Distance of Duke kicker AJ Reed’s second-quarter field goal, a career-best for the redshirt junior. He booted a 50-yarder earlier this season against N.C. A&T.
286: Rushing yards for Syracuse against Duke. The Orange entered the game averaging 124.6 rushing yards per game, 12th in the ACC. The Orange averaged 6.1 yards per carry after averaging 3.1 over the season’s first nine games.
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Syracuse routs lifeless Duke for first ACC win."