FB | Syracuse game capsules

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Posted: 9/26/08

Northwestern 30, Syracuse 10
Aug. 30, 2008

For most of three quarters, Syracuse found itself in sight of an upset. The Orange scratched its way through an ugly first half, and then took the lead early in the third quarter when it forced a turnover and Curtis Brinkley scored a touchdown.

It was all downhill from there. The Wildcats scored the final 21 points of the game en route to a comfortable win. The big blow for the Orange came when Northwestern safety Brendan Smith picked off an Andrew Robinson pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown to make it 23-10.

Northwestern tailback Tyrell Sutton gashed the Orange on the ground (144 yards), while the Syracuse offense was held to 225 total yards (Northwestern had 484).

Akron 42, Syracuse 28
Sept. 6, 2008

The Syracuse offense got a shot of adrenaline in the form of a quarterback change: former walk-on Cameron Dantley started in place of opening day starter Andrew Robinson.

Unfortunately, that change did nothing to help SU's leaky defense, which was torn apart the entire afternoon. Akron racked up 478 total yards, led by 260 yards and a trio of touchdown passes from Zips quarterback Chris Jacquemain.

Akron led by 14 before SU could blink, after Dennis Kennedy's backbreaking, 35-yard touchdown run on 3rd-and-23 in the first quarter. The Orange trailed, 28-14, at the half but clawed back, tying the game in the fourth on a 15-yard touchdown strike from Dantley to tight end Nick Provo. It was Dantley's third touchdown pass of the game.

But the Zips came right back, scoring on its next two possessions and stymieing Dantley and company the rest of the day. The Zips - a 4-8 team in the Mid-American Conference - earned its first win against a Bowl Championship Series opponent ever.

Penn State 55, Syracuse 13
Sept. 13, 2008

The Orange's first meeting with its former bitter rival since 1990 occurred amidst a fired up 45,000-plus at the Carrier Dome - the largest since 2003. That crowd was buoyed by the events leading up the contest - the premiere of "The Express" and appearances by actor Dennis Quaid and legendary tailback Floyd Little.

Even with the charged atmosphere, it was all Penn State after kickoff. The Nittany Lions marched up and down the field, overwhelming a severely undermatched SU side. Penn State led 28-0 before Syracuse finally got a first down (early in the second quarter).

A trio of Penn State quarterbacks all got playing time, combining to toss five touchdowns. Meanwhile, Cameron Dantley and the SU attack regressed, managing only a meaningless touchdown in the third when Penn State led 45-6.

Syracuse 30, Northeastern 21
Sept. 20, 2008

It certainly wasn't pretty. But the Orange did enough against Division I-AA Northeastern to earn its first victory of the season and first in 11 months.

Syracuse did most of its damage on the ground, racking up 271 rushing yards. Senior tailback Curtis Brinkley recorded a new career-high in rushing yards with 145, while sophomore Doug Hogue also tallied 100 rushing yards. The duo combined for three touchdowns.

Still, the Orange endured a chorus of boos from a sparse Carrier Dome crowd as it entered halftime with the score 10-7. SU seemed to get the message, stretching the lead to 24-7 in the third quarter. The Huskies made a run in the fourth quarter, scoring a pair of touchdowns. But the Orange was able to hold them off, and a Pat Shadle field goal with less than two minutes remaining iced the game.