No. 13 Syracuse (8-2, 5-2 Atlantic Coast) decimated Louisville, (2-8, 0-7) 54-23, Friday night in the Carrier Dome. The win elevates the Orange to 8-2 for the first time since 2001, when Syracuse won eight-straight after starting the season 0-2. Syracuse dominated the game on all sides of the ball, earning its first ACC win over Louisville since joining the conference in 2013.

Takeaway time

Entering the contest, Syracuse already boasted the best turnover margin in the ACC. On Friday night, the Orange added to it by forcing five turnovers. The Orange had three turnovers of their own including an Eric Dungey interception in the red zone and a Sean Riley fumble.

Syracuse brought heavy pressure, but as a whole, the turnovers simply came from mental errors on Louisville. Two Jawon Pass fumbles were unforced. The first came as Pass attempted to fake a handoff and pull the ball back on a run-pass option, but the connection faltered and Pass dropped the ball.

The second came on a Pass run to the outside. With Kingsley Jonathan fronting him, Pass simply dropped the ball out of nowhere. Pass’ interception was simply a misread as he threw it directly into the hands of Andre Cisco. The second Louisville interception, made by Kielan Whitner, came after Chris Fredrick tipped quarterback Sean McCormack’s first pass of the game.

Neal down

After seeing little time since SU’s game against North Carolina, Moe Neal torched Louisville on Friday night for 159 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns. Neal simply beat the Cardinals with his speed up the middle, capitalizing on holes and racing downfield for massive chunks of yardage — two of his rushes went for a combined 135 yards. One ended in a touchdown, the second led to another.

After four consecutive 70-plus yard games to open the season, Neal went five-straight without cracking 70. Saturday, he nearly broke that mark on two different carries, one going for 67 and another for 68.

Gameday in the city

Before the updated College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday, there are currently two Top-25 matchups next Saturday. No. 19 Texas hosts No. 22 Iowa State and No. 13 Syracuse and No. 3 Notre Dame face off at Yankee Stadium in the marquee matchup of the week. Syracuse has only been a part of two College Gamedays in its history. Next Saturday is an opportunity for its third in the Bronx. Syracuse just obliterated the Cardinals to set up a Top-15 showdown with the Fighting Irish. It’s the game of the week.

Published on November 9, 2018 at 10:48 pm

Contact Matt: mdliberm@syr.edu