It may not be time to eat the cake yet, but Dino Babers cooked up something special on Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse (3-4, 1-2 ACC) defeated heavily favored No. 17 Virginia Tech (4-2, 1-2 ACC) by a final score of 31-17 for its first win against a ranked opponent since 2012.
“That’s what college football’s all about,” Dino Babers said about the fans rushing the field following the win. “That excitement, that energy, it’s so pure, it’s so honest.”
Four years ago when the Orange upset an undefeated Louisville team led by Teddy Bridgewater, they led by 18 points at halftime. And in their quest to finally end that 12-game losing streak to ranked opponents, the Orange led the Hokies 17-3 at the half.
There were a bevy of mistakes made on both sides today: three missed field goals (two by SU), two inexplicable red zone interceptions and a blocked extra point. But for the second time this season, it was the often-maligned Orange defense that led this team to victory.
With this win, Syracuse snapped Virginia Tech’s three-game winning streak. During that span, the Hokies had outscored their opponents 137-20. But the Orange dialed it up and held them to a season-low 17 points. The defense was outstanding.
And this impressive performance culminated in defensive-tackle Chris Slayton forcing a fumble in a critical situation. On 1st-and-10 at the VT 34, trailing by two touchdowns, Jerod Evans escaped for a run but Slayton knocked the ball away and De’Jon Wilson recovered it. Ball game.
The offense wasn’t too shabby either. This was the second-most points Syracuse scored all season after putting up 33 on both Colgate and Notre Dame. Eric Dungey rebounded from his worst game of the season with arguably his best.
Dungey was hit a ton and actually suffered a leg injury late in the second quarter. He was helped off the field and there was the “here we go again” feeling in the air. But he gutted it out. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief upon his return and he finished 28-of-53 with 311 passing yards and one TD. He also led the team with 106 rushing yards (and a rushing TD).
“There are always nay-sayers until you get that one win that brings everyone together,” Babers said. “Now we’re a family.”
This is the biggest win in program history in about three years. Dino Babers grabs his signature victory. And just like that, the Orange are trending upwards and still have a shot at a bowl game this year. Next weekend, they’ll look to improve to the .500 mark on the road against Boston College.