Syracuse scores 29 unanswered points after sluggish start to defeat Army 29-16 and stay unbeaten
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Garett Shrader threw for one touchdown and ran for another, Syracuse overcame a first-half dominated by Army and scored 26 unanswered points to defeat the Black Knights 29-16 Saturday and remain unbeaten.
Army totally dominated the first half statistics, but not on the scoreboard, where it led just 10-3. The Black Knights held the ball for 23:24, had 149 yards to the Orange’s 77, ran 41 plays to Syracuse’s 17. Army gained 129 yards on the ground, while the Orange could muster just 18.
Syracuse (4-0) came alive in the second half, scoring on five straight possessions. LeQuint Allen scored on a 13-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 10 midway through the third and a 13-yard pass from Shrader to Umari Hatcher on the Orange’s next possession gave Syracuse a 16-10 lead over the Black Knights (2-2). The Orange defense held Army to just five first downs, minus four yards rushing yards, sacked Bryson Daily three times and intercepted him twice after intermission.
Shrader was 21 of 26 for 245 yards through the air and 49 more rushing. Allen had 127 total yards with 104 coming on the ground. Damien Alford led Syracuse receivers with nine receptions for 135 yards. Brady Denaburg chipped in with three field goals.
Daily was 9 of 21 for 145 yards and rushed for a team-leading 47.
The Black Knights set the tone for the first half on its first possession. A 1-yard run by Jakobi Buchanan culminated a 17-play, 75-yard drive that took more than nine minutes off the clock. A 4-yard-run by Buchanan on a 4th-and-1 kept the drive alive.
THE TAKEAWAY:
Army will have a tough time against more athletic teams, a big problem with its next two games against Power 5 teams.
Syracuse showed it’s capable of making significant in-game adjustments on both sides of the ball, which will be key moving forward. The Orange took advantage of its athleticism to dominate on offense after being dominated by the Black Knights and its defense put the clamps on Army after an impressive start.
UP NEXT:
Army: After a bye week, the Black Knights host Boston College Sat., Oct. 7.
Syracuse: The Orange kick off ACC play hosting Clemson in a nationally televised showdown Saturday.
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll