Photo courtesy of syracuse.com
Syracuse came out today and proved that the Villanova game was a fluke, cruising past the Central Michigan Chippewas 40-3 at Kelly Stadium, in Mount Pleasant, MI.
Quarterback Terrel Hunt overcame his ejection two weeks ago and played a great game against Central Michigan. The offense was firing on all cylinders, totaling 464 yards of offense on the day. Hunt led the team in carries with 13 and tied his career high in yards with 92, adding three touchdowns on the ground. SU used five running backs, including Erv Phillips, who got his first carries as an Orange in the lopsided win, finished as the second leading rusher on the team.
First, Hunt came out and proved that he is the starter and the best quarterback for this team. He ran the ball great, using his feet when he saw open space. For the first time in a while, he looked really comfortable throwing the ball and was zipping passes all over the field. Most importantly, Hunt finished drives for the Orange, getting points on the board. He had a total of four touchdowns, including one through the air. He even learned to control himself, appearing to point at the scoreboard when a Chippewa got in his face.
While Hunt was impressive, Phillips was a revelation for the Orange. He came in and played well in his first real offensive action for the Orange. He ran for over 50 yards on his first drive alone and continued to be a big part of the offense the rest of the way, finishing with nine carries for 55 yards. Until the last drive, he was the most successful Orange running back. Then Adonis Ameen-Moore ran nearly the length of the field.
Through the air, 12 players caught passes. That is a lot of receivers to get the ball. It shows the depth the Orange has with pass catchers. Of the receivers, Ashton Broyld led everyone with four receptions. Of the 12 players that caught a pass, three of those players were running backs. Jarrod West surprisingly didn’t record a catch in the win.
Brisly Estime also seemed to be more involved in the offense, which is a good sign. This offense seems designed for Broyld and Estime to succeed, and that showed today. Broyld finished with four catches for 42 yards, and Estime added three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.
They are the type of play makers SU needs in ACC play.
While the offense lit up the scoreboard, the defense played well, limiting the Chippewas to just 217 yards of total offense. Chuck Bullough and his crew got a lot of pressure on the Chippewas. It was a great effort out of the front seven, totaling six sacks, a safety, and a 35-yard fumble returned for a touchdown.
All around, a great win for the Orange, and exactly what the team needed after the bye week and close win over Villanova two weeks ago.
-SG
