Dino Babers' motivated his troops to get the job done Friday night as Syracuse (1-0, 0-0) crushed Central Connecticut State (0-1, 0-0) 50-7 at the Carrier Dome.
Junior quarterback Eric Dungey put on a stellar performance, accounting for 379 yards and five touchdowns before being pulled in the third quarter. He spent most of the evening connecting with senior receiver Steve Ishmael, who finished with 12 catches for 134 yards.
Syracuse started hot with a score in just under three minutes as Dungey ran it in from 11 yards out. The offense kept rolling on its second drive as junior running back Donte Strickland punched the ball into the end zone to cap off a possession that took less than a minute.
After two rushing touchdowns, the first passing touchdown of the Syracuse season occurred when Dungey found senior wide receiver Ervin Philips for a 14-yard strike. At the end of the first quarter, the Orange was cruising, up 21-0.
Senior kicker Cole Murphy knocked through a 29-yard field goal early in the second quarter to extend the lead. Syracuse then caught the defense napping as Dungey found a wide open Moe Neal along the sideline. The sophomore running back weaved his way into the end zone for a 52-yard score.
With ‘Cuse leading 31-0 at halftime, Central Connecticut State finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter thanks to a beautiful toss to the back of the end zone to hit a diving Jose Garcia, ending the Orange's bid at a shutout.
Juco transfer Ravian Pierce scored Syracuse's first touchdown of the second half, snagging a short throw from Dungey. A missed extra point put the score at 37-7.
Syracuse's signal caller capped off his night by strolling into the end zone untouched on a perfectly executed read-option from two yards out to push the score to 44-7.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Rex Culpepper led the second unit onto the field for Syracuse on its next offensive possession as they would see out the rest of the game.
The Orange posted two different drives that ended in field goals in the fourth quarter, one by Murphy and one by redshirt sophomore Sterling Hofrichter.
It was a relatively strong showing for the Syracuse defense, allowing just 167 yards of total offense and holding Central Connecticut to an average of 2.9 yards per play.
While not a perfect performance, the win gives Syracuse a lot to build on as it prepares to host Middle Tennessee State on September 9. Kickoff for that game is set for 3:30.