Syracuse (5-4, 3-2) took care of Maryland (5-4, 1-4) at Byrd Stadium 20-3 to improve to above .500 for the first time in the Scott Shafer era.
The Orange started the game on an opening 16 play, 80 yard touchdown drive capped off by a Jerome Smith one yard touchdown run. Quarterback, Terrel Hunt was a perfect 6 for 6 with 49 yards on the drive. The opening drive was the only touchdown either team scored in the first half.
Jerome Smith carried a heavily load for the ‘Cuse. The captain had 118 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Smith profited from Prince-Tyson Gulley going down with a sprained ankle early in the first quarter. George Morris II also helped the Cuse rush game with 50 yards on 7 carries, while Hunt contributed 67 yards on the ground.
With the victory, the Orange moves to just one win away from bowl eligibility, but that doesn’t mean anything to defensive lineman Jay Bromley, “My sophomore year I was on the team that started 5-2 and then we didn’t win a game (and missed a bowl).”
Bromley and the SU defense have only allowed three points in the last two games. Brad Craddock’s 3rd quarter field goal snapped the six-quarter shutout streak. The Orange defense also forced four turnovers in the game as Durell Eskridge and Julian Whigham had an interception, while SU also forced two fumbles.
In addition to Prince-Tyson Gulley going down with an injury, Defensive backs Rishard Anderson and DurrelEskeridge left the game with injuries. Shafer played down all the injuries in the press confidence saying, “Eskridge and Anderson got banged up. They’ll be okay.”
The Orange travels down to Tallahassee for a battle with 2nd ranked Seminoles. Countdown to Kickoff begins at 3:00, with the game set for 3:30.