WATCH: Duce Chestnut Makes Spectacular Interception vs Florida State

Syracuse's freshman cornerback made a big play in the fourth quarter.

Mike McAllister | Oct 3, 2021

WATCH: Duce Chestnut Makes Spectacular Interception vs Florida State /

Trailing by three points midway through the fourth quarter, Syracuse freshman cornerback Duce Chestnut made a spectacular play that nearly sparked a comeback win for the Orange. Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis threw a quick screen to his wide receiver. Chestnut read the play, eluded a blocker and dove in front of the intended target. Then, he snatched the ball out of the air and maintained control as he hit the ground. You can watch video of the play at the top of the page.

"The instincts were right on," head coach Dino Babers said after the game. "When you make a play like that, you have to go for it. He went for it and then the catch he made was no joke because he caught the ball and the first thing to hit the ground, unless I'm wrong, were his elbows. As a wide receiver, when you catch the ball like that your elbows will jar the ball free. But he stayed locked on. He had so much confidence that he stayed locked on, jumped up and then let it go. Where it was like 'there's no way you guys aren't calling this an interception.' He just took off running away. A lot of confidence. A lot of moxie. I'm telling you, the catch was a lot harder than what you guys think it was. And he made it look easy."

The Orange is back in action at the Carrier Dome on Saturday against Wake Forest. That game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Published Oct 3, 2021

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.