On a day when not much went right for Syracuse in the air, Smith and Prince-Tyson Gulley gave the Orange a lift on the ground.

“I think the highlight of the game was the running game,” SU wide receivers coach Rob Moore said. “They did an excellent job at finishing runs and making big plays. They’re really the only ones that made plays.”

While Moore’s unit was rendered useless, Smith and Gulley carried the load. Each scored a touchdown and kept Syracuse within striking distance. The run game was the lone positive in Syracuse’s (2-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) 49-14 loss to No. 3 Clemson (5-0, 3-0) on Saturday.

“That’s just a little bit of what we can do,” Gulley said.

Smith finished with 18 rushes for 125 yards and scored his seventh touchdown of the year on a highlight-reel 66-yard run up the middle.

Smith’s outburst was a product of a drill that the Orange works on in practice. After taking a carry, each running back has to sprint 50 yards.

And after Smith broke a few Clemson tackles, he took that sprint from the practice field to the real game. When he reached the end zone, he pounded his chest and saluted the crowd of 48,961.

Gulley scored early in the third quarter on a 28-yard run up the middle. Terrel Hunt even rushed for 57 yards when he had nowhere to throw the ball.
The passing game was nonexistent, but the run game fit the bill of an ACC-type offense.

“We had a good rushing total,” Gulley said. “I think we could have rushed for more.”

Published on October 5, 2013 at 11:24 pm

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass