Scott Schafer finally has his revenge. The former Syracuse head coach is now the defensive coordinator for Middle Tennessee State, and on Saturday, defeated his former team 30-23. Shafer’s unit held Syracuse to just 308 yards of total offense, sacking Eric Dungey six times.

Side note: for all you fans of The Office, Shafer bears an uncanny resemblance to “The Senator” Robert Lipton.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to the game. Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey was running for his life all game. He was sacked six times, and missed a couple snaps due to a right knee injury. For the afternoon, Dungey managed just 180 passing yards, an interception, 53 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Usually reliable targets Steve Ishmael and Ervin Phillips struggled to corral many passes, which dim Dungey’s efforts. Ishmael still caught 14 passes for 116 yards, while Phillips caught 7 passes for just 36 yards. The running game was equally as bad, as starting running back Dontae Strickland struggled to gain yards all day, ending with 10 carries for 24 yards and 1 touchdown. As a team, Syracuse was held to just 2.6 yards per carry, after 3.8 yards per carry against FCS Central Connecticut State.

With all those offensive struggles, the Orange still somehow found themselves leading 16-9 halfway through the third quarter. Then, after forcing a three-and-out, punt returner Sean Reilly called for a fair catch on a punt inside of his own 30-yard line. Only problem was that Reilly never caught the ball, muffing it instead, leading to a recovery by MTSU. Just three plays later, MTSU quarterback Brent Stockstill hit Richie James for a 28-yard touchdown on third and 10. Cole Murphy missed a field goal on the next possession (college kickers man), which took the crowd out of the game.

In a last ditch effort to tie the game, Dungey moved the Orange down the field and into MTSU territory with less than two minutes to play. However, a sack on third down forced a fourth and 15, on which Dungey found Ishmael open for a 14-yard reception, forcing a turnover and ending the game essentially.

Syracuse fans were knocked back down to earth after an impressive 50-7 dubbing of Central Connecticut State. There is no mistaking that Dino Babers was the right man for the job, but no coach can win without the necessary talent. Although it is still early, it may be time to look towards the 2018 season in Syracuse.