Syracuse Football: Top 5 Plays of Week 2 Versus MTSU (video highlights)

2. Tipped Pass Behind Line of Scrimmage by Chris Slayton Leads to Fumble Recovery by Brandon Berry

This play, was pretty awesome because no one but the Syracuse Football players realized it was a fumble at all. In today’s college football you usually don’t see a whole lot of screen passes behind the line of scrimmage that aren’t caught. However, if they aren’t caught and/or its a backwards pass, then it’s a live ball and a fumble which can be recovered by the defense.

With that knowledge in mind, that exact play happened in this game. Luckily when the moment arose, the Orange were smart enough to capitalize on it.

On the play, the MTSU quarterback Brent Stockstill passed the ball to Isiah Upton, but Chris Slayton batted it away like a block in basketball. Since the pass was behind the line of scrimmage it was a fair ball and Brandon Berry immediately jumped on it.

The Orange could have picked it up and taken it to end zone for a touchdown, but when the Orange players tried picking it up, they had a hard time corralling it, so they then jumped on it to secure it.

I think it was a missed opportunity, but hey that’s just me. It was still one heck of an awesome play and one the Orange defense should continue to look for throughout the season.

Next: Syracuse Football: Top 5 bittersweet oranges from loss to MTSU

Lots of teams make plays like that, sometimes a few times a game even. It’s just a matter of expecting it, blocking or forcing it, and then being smart enough to jump on it or pick it up. Its not always easy to keep all that straight when you’re just trying to focus on your defensive assignment, which makes the play even that more impressive. Nice work Orange!