Luke Owens

Hot take title for clickbait or legitimate argument? Eric Dungey has inserted himself into the conversation for the ACC’s best quarterback. And he’s a bad, bad man. Let’s throw away the passing number from this week. 7 for 17 for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns doesn’t scream elite, but his 2495 yards and 14 touchdowns from an injury-plagued 2017 campaign does. What Dungey does better than any ACC quarterback is his unmeasured running ability.

Last season, Dungey was able to accumulate 595 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground, even while being sacked 26 times. In just one game in 2018, a game in which he didn’t even play for much of the second half due to it being a blowout, Dungey ran for a school record 200 yards for a quarterback. Not only did this lead the entire ACC for rushing yards, Dungey also became only the fourth quarterback in ACC history to run for 200 yards in one game. This led to Dungey being named the ACC quarterback of the week for Week 1.

So why give Dungey a pass for his 7 of 17 performance in the air? Well for one, it was very inconsistent playing time for him. After leading Syracuse to a 34-7 halftime lead, Dungey was sat in order to get redshirt Freshman QB Tommy DeVito playing time. However, Syracuse’s offense began to sputter and Western Michigan cut the lead to 34-28, at which point Dungey was needed again. He was able to will Syracuse to a 55-42 road win. Furthermore, the emotion Dungey plays with is unmatched. In addition to shoving a Western Michigan player on the bench after a run, Dungey started a fight that resulted in two ejections after pulling a linebacker down after initially trying to help him up. Yeah, maybe some saw it as a total frat boy move. I see it as Dungey being the heart and soul of this Syracuse team. A team that will go as far as Dungey will lead them. And cmon, he even gave em the Manziel. It’s money time.

Eric Dungey has all the tools to continue to be the best quarterback in the ACC. His rushing skills are unmatched, and he is in the perfect up-tempo offensive attack to put up gaudy numbers. Syracuse also still has non-conference games against Wagner and UConn at home, two weak defenses. Additionally, his Heisman odds went up to +800 after his Week 1 performance. The country is starting to be put on notice. I guess I should probably include one negative about the senior from Lake Oswego, Oregon. His inability to stay on the field. Dungey is often times unwilling to slide and opts to go all out for extra yards. This has led to him only playing 8 games his freshman year and 9 in both his sophomore and junior years. Eric Dungey is a man on a mission this season. If he can stay healthy, I believe the rest of the nation will begin to recognize him as what he truly is: the best quarterback in the ACC.