Highlights & Recap: Syracuse 24 NC State 9

The Orange knocked off the Wolfpack to become bowl eligible and remain undefeated.

Your Syracuse Orange continued their Dome dominance, winning a tough, electric matchup in the Dome vs. the NC State Wolfpack 24-9 to improve to 6-0 (3-0) on the season and earn bowl eligibility. 

The first half was a bit up and down for the Orange. While Sean Tucker was able to start the game with a 38-yard run and pass Floyd Little for 6th all-time on the SU rushing leaderboard, Garrett Shrader looked a lot like the guy we were afraid to see in the first 30 minutes throwing two bad interceptions. Including one towards the end of the first half that prevented the Orange from extending its lead to two scores. 

As expected, the injury to Devin Leary, who was announced about an hour before kickoff as being out for the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle, was a huge hit on the NC State offense which totaled just five completions for 31 yards in the first half. In fact, freshman MJ Morris even came in for a series to spell an ineffective Jack Chambers. NC State’s offense sputtered to 87 total yards of offense in the first half and a 1-of-7 3rd down conversion rate. 

Also, on an already thin Mob defense, star cornerback Garrett Williams went down after a tackle in the first quarter and had to be helped off the field. Williams came back on the sideline in the second half with no pads. While the Orange was able to pull out a win on Saturday, it'll be interesting to see how it handles being without their top corner for any amount of time. 

Mikel Jones also went down in the fourth quarter but was able to re-enter the game. 

Meanwhile, Oronde Gadsden once again showed why he’s one of the most versatile pass catchers in college football, with two touchdowns, and eight catches for 141 yards on a career day for him.

NC State came out of the locker room and put together its most impressive drive of the game, but the Syracuse defense came up big in the red zone to hold the Wolfpack to a field goal. A touchdown on the Orange's next possession all but sealed the victory. 

Next up for the Orange is a road matchup with #4 Clemson next Saturday. 

SUPPORT ALL SYRACUSE

SUBSCRIBE TO ALLSYRACUSE.COM NOW TO GET ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INSIDER CONTENT

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE ALL SYRACUSE NEWSLETTER TO GET THE LATEST ORANGE UPDATES SENT TO YOUR INBOX

JOIN THE ALL SYRACUSE FORUMS FOR FREE AND DISCUSS THE ORANGE WITH OTHER FANS AND OUR STAFF