Saturday, September 22, 2018 04:00 PM (ET)

Syracuse beats UConn for 1st 4-0 start since '91

Field Level Media
Sep 22, 2018

Senior Eric Dungey ran for three touchdowns and passed for two as host Syracuse defeated Connecticut 51-21 on Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse is off to its first 4-0 start since 1991.

Dungey, playing through a shoulder injury, had left Syracuse's previous game due to blurred vision. But he had no issues against the Huskies (1-3), completing 21 of 27 passes for 286 yards and no interceptions. He also ran 16 times for 77 yards.

Moe Neal led Syracuse's ground game with 13 rushes for 116 yards.

Syracuse's Sean Riley had a punt return for a touchdown and added six catches for 120 yards and another score. He totaled 110 yards on two punt returns.

At halftime, the Orange retired the No. 47 jersey of former running back Joe Morris, who holds Syracuse records for most rushing yards in a career, season and game.

Morris is also sixth in Syracuse history with 25 career rushing touchdowns -- one more than Dungey.

Saturday's game also marked the return to Syracuse of former Orange quarterback and assistant Randy Edsall, Connecticut's head coach.

Edsall's current team, however, got off to a poor start as Dungey gave Syracuse a 14-0 first-quarter lead with a pair of touchdown runs, going for 2 and 9 yards.

Syracuse increased its lead to 21-0 on a seven-yard TD pass from Dungey to freshman tight end Gabe Horan.

Connecticut got on the board just 10 seconds later on a 75-yard touchdown run by senior David Pindell, who ran a quarterback draw up the middle out of an empty backfield set.

Syracuse closed a high-scoring first quarter with a 33-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt, giving the Orange a 24-7 lead.

The teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter. Pindell hit freshman running back Zavier Scott with a two-yard touchdown pass to the right flat, and Dungey answered with a 1-yard quarterback sneak.

Syracuse extended its lead to 38-14 in the third quarter as Riley scored on a 69-yard punt return. He caught the line-drive, 48-yard punt near the right sideline and worked his way all the way toward the left sideline.

Szmyt's 27-yard field goal gave Syracuse a 41-14 lead later in the quarter, and the rout was on from there.

--Field Level Media

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