Louisiana State Tigers vs Syracuse Orange Box Score on Sep 26, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 26, 2015

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- No. 8 LSU had leading Heisman Trophy candidate Leonard Fournette rushed for 244 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns in a 34-24 victory over Syracuse on Saturday.

The Tigers' 50-game non-conference winning streak is the longest in FBS history.

Facing a Syracuse team that was using its fourth-string quarterback, the Tigers (3-0) were expected to roll but led only 7-3 at the half, 17-10 late in the third quarter and 24-17 early in the fourth quarter.

The Orange (3-1) electrified the home crowd late in the third quarter on quarterback Zack Mahoney's 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brisly Estime that cut the Tigers' lead to 17-10.

But on the next series, Fournette burst through the middle of the line and scampered 62 yards untouched to increase LSU's lead to 24-10. On the Tigers' next series, Fournette had an 87-yard touchdown run called back because of an illegal procedure penalty.

Syracuse then took advantage of a pass interference penalty in the end zone to set up Mahoney's 2-yard touchdown pass to hybrid back Ben Lewis that pulled the Orange within a touchdown, 24-17. The Tigers answered with quarterback Brandon Harris' 51-yard pass to wide receiver Travin Dural that set up Harris' 11-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Malachi Dupre that gave LSU a 14-point lead.

LSU ran for 268 yards and Harris also completed 8 of 16 passes for 157 yards and one touchdown.

Mahoney opened this season as the Orange's fourth-string quarterback and got the nod to start Saturday with starter Terrel Hunt out for the year and backup Eric Dungey sidelined by a concussion. Mahoney, a walk-on who played last year at the College of DuPage junior college, completed 16 of 38 attempts for 154 yards, three touchdowns and one interception against the Tigers. He also led the Orange with 40 yards rushing.

The Tigers opened the second-half scoring by marching 76 yards in 12 plays to set up Trent Domingue's 21-yard field goal that made it 10-3. After the Orange failed to convert a first down, LSU returner Tre'Davious White fielded Riley Dixon's punt at the Tigers' 31, broke through the first wall and raced untouched into the end zone to boost LSU's lead to 17-3.

LSU led 7-3 at halftime, but was just a few inches away from trailing 6-0. Midway through the second quarter, a Syracuse defender appeared to wrap up Harris for a sack. But as Harris was falling down -- his left knee about two inches from the ground -- he pitched the ball to Fournette, who carried it 48 yards to the Syracuse 15.

The play was reviewed, but it was ruled that neither of Harris' knees touched the ground before the pitch. Fournette capped the six-play, 91-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead.

After failing to record a first down on its first four possessions, the Orange used a short field to score its first points on Cole Murphy's 43-yarder field goal. Late in the first half, Syracuse drove from its own 26 to the LSU 14 -- a drive that included a first-down pickup by holder Dixon on a fake field-goal attempt. But on the final play of the first half, Murphy's 31-yard field goal attempt missed by inches as it hit the right crossbar.

NOTES: Senior LB Deion Jones, LSU's starter on the weak side and leading tackler, was suspended for the first half of Saturday's game by coach Les Miles after being called for targeting last week. Jones was replaced by junior Duke Riley before returning the second half. ... LSU starting DE Tashawn Bower left the game early in the first quarter with a left leg or ankle injury. He did not return. ... The two previous meetings between LSU and Syracuse were bowl games: The Orange won 23-10 in the 1989 Hall of Fame Bowl and the Tigers won 13-10 in the 1965 Sugar Bowl. ... LSU's last nonconference regular-season loss was a 26-8 defeat at Virginia Tech to open the 2002 season.