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It’s Tommy Time: Syracuse Tops UNC in Double OT Thriller

Wow, where do we even start. What even just happened. That was one of the craziest football games I can remember. Syracuse is somehow, someway still undefeated at home after a 40-37 double overtime win over UNC and now 5 and 2 on the season.

It was a rollercoaster ride all day. The Orange went from looking terrible in the first quarter to scoring 20 unanswered and being in complete control before then letting up 20 unanswered and looking dead to rights. It was literally basketball season in Central New York midway through the fourth quarter and then Dino turned to Tommy DeVito. The Golden Boy went 11 for 19, tossed three touchdowns and had one costly interception before the first overtime, all while carrying SU to a comeback win it desperately needed. 

To put it simply, DeVito pulled Syracuse out of the dead and saved their season. So now the million dollar question: Who do you start against NC State?

To me it’s a no-brainer. It’s Tommy’s team. I love Eric Dungey. The dude is a flat out warrior and honestly we probably wouldn’t even be having this conversation if the SU defense could make a tackle in the open field; the SU receivers could get seperation and the offensive line played better today.

All that being said, Tommy DeVito adds another dimension to this team that Eric Dungey doesn’t have at the moment: the downfield pass. He provides big play potential every time he‚Äôs out there.

It feels cruel and wrong that we’re even talking about this in week 8 of the season. I never thought we would have this conversation today when I woke up this morning. I mean we were talking about Dungey for Heisman like three weeks ago. He was legitimately in the top 10 in the ESPN Heisman watch earlier in the season. But, DeVito isn’t your everyday backup. He is a stud in the making. One of the best recruits Syracuse has ever gotten at the quarterback position.

It stinks for Dungey, who has had a career that will go down right up there with some of the best SU quarterbacks in recent memory. Frankly, he doesn’t deserve this. He should be able to finish out his career as the starter and in a bowl game. He’s earned that right and has fought for this team since day one. He’s basically Matt Saracen in season three of Friday Night Lights right now. He’s a likable senior that’s accomplished a ton to this point and doesn’t deserve to lose his job. (Sorry to anyone if I just spoiled a key moment of the show for you but you should’ve already finished the series by now honestly) Anyways, you have to make tough decisions in sports sometimes. This is one of them.

Some will make the argument for playing both quarterbacks. I could see Dungey being used as a runner down by the goal line and coming in for maybe a few select plays. But, the two quarterback system isn‚Äôt the move. It‚Äôs convoluted and tough to manage. That’s also not fair to the receivers and DeVito. Give him the keys and see if he can drive this thing or don’t give him the keys at all.¬†

Bottom line: the future is here. Tommy DeVito just saved SU’s season and he’s the guy going forward.

Other Side Bars:

  • The slip Ravian Pierce to the back of the end zone play works every single time. I still wanna see him get more involved and stop picking up his weekly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Dude has too much talent to not be a key player.¬†
  • Iffy Melifonwu was picked on in the first half but he grew up in front of our own eyes. Between him, Andre Cisco and Trill Williams, the future of this secondary is bright. The quicker Chris Frederick returns though the better. They need their best cornerback back.
  • As awesome as DeVito was, he can‚Äôt play defense too. They need to fix the rush defense going forward.
  • Also Devin Butler, Jamal Custis and the veteran receivers simply need to become more consistent.

That was a wild ride today Fizz Nation. There really is nothing like being an SU football fan. Everyone take a deep breath, relax and smile because the future is bright and it’s somehow not basketball season in Central New York yet. Were on to NC State and Tommy DeVito should be leading us out of that first huddle.  

The Fizz is owned, edited and operated by Damon Amendolara. D.A. is an ’01 Syracuse graduate from the Newhouse School with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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