NICELY DONE: SU undefeated for 1st time in seven years, clobbers Zips in season-opener

AKRON, Ohio— Delone Carter wasn't holding back that grin as he strolled out of the Syracuse locker room Saturday evening. The feeling was just too good. Too good to show anything but what he and his teammates had been waiting weeks, months even, to show the rest of the country.

That feeling after the game was much different than SU players had felt in previous years, Carter said. Finally, the season starts with a jolt of optimism. A taste of the good life. The pains of past seasons are history.

Said Carter: "This is a different team."

Eager to prove exactly that, Carter and his Syracuse teammates steam rolled Akron 29-3 in front of 15,969 spectators at InfoCision Stadium Saturday.  Quarterback Ryan Nassib threw for 229 yards and two touchdown passes, and rushed for 58 more, while the dominating Orange defense allowed just 166 yards of total offense and its lowest point total in five seasons.

Syracuse is now undefeated for the first time since 2003.

"I'm excited for them," Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone said. "We've got to start learning to win. …and winning helps that."

SU hasn't had a winning season in nine years. But in Marrone's second year, players have bought into the ‘this is the year' mentality. Outside the Syracuse locker room after arguably SU's most dominating victory in years, those sentiments were even more evident.

The win gave SU its first season-opening victory since 2003, when the Orange beat North Carolina, 49-47, on the road in triple overtime. In addition, Syracuse won its first back-to-back road games, dating back to last season, since 2001.

Still, the victory was far from perfect. SU's sloppiness was evident all night, resulting in a bevy of penalties and three turnovers. But in the end, Syracuse's superior talent won out, as the Orange outplayed the Zips on both sides of the ball.

SU players took the words of former SU legend and NFL Hall of Famer, Floyd Little, who was in Akron visiting. He reminded the players of the once-storied past of the Orange and prompted them to start in earnest to bring it back.

"It gives us a lot of confidence," sophomore safety Shamarko Thomas said. "But every week we have to go back to work, study, play hard and do it again. People are sleeping on us, so we feel as though we have to prove ourselves every week."

With the Orange leading 23-3 in the fourth quarter, Nassib orchestrated the offense, continually tossing bullet after bullet downfield. Marrone refused to pull back the reins. This was arguably the most efficient his offense has looked since his arrival.

Carter, a senior running back and Akron native, led the Orange on the ground with 91 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. He was the workhorse that allowed SU to keep the defense honest when Nassib threw downfield.

The Orange defense, which ranked as one of the best in the country against the run a year ago, put on a dominating performance, allowing just three points off of three SU turnovers near midfield. The only time Akron seriously threatened was off an SU turnover that put the Zips on the Syracuse 18-yard line.

"It feels really good," SU defensive end Chandler Jones said. "Coach Shafer did a good job of preparing us. …and we just did what we do best and that's play defense, play our defense."

Despite the blowout victory, the score wasn't indicative of just how dominant SU played through the entirety of the game. Nassib's interception was in the Red Zone, with the Orange in scoring range. In addition, Marrone kept the game from getting ugly by expiring the clock to end the game with Syracuse a yard away from scoring again.

But in the end, it was all smiles outside the Syracuse locker room.

Following ten minutes with the media, Marrone was greeted in the tunnel outside the locker room by a smiling SU Director of Athletics , Daryl Gross, who gave his coach a hug and told him, "Good job, man."

"It was just a great opportunity for us to go there and show just how complete of a team we are," Carter said. "We were just working on all cylinders. … that's the way we wanted to open it up, to set the stage and to continue to work hard and do it every game."

aljohn@syr.edu