Syracuse Football: Eric Dungey- What Makes Syracuse’s QB So Good?

2. Running Ability

You knew this was coming. Dungey is known for making plays with his feet. Some analysts and fans argue he does so too much. They say he is too valuable a player in Syracuse’s offense not to be on the field and in the huddle. I agree with them, to a point.

In the past, Dungey was reckless in how he absorbed tackles. He didn’t slide often after a run and he would take hard hits, especially in the upper body and head. Check out this play against Central Michigan two years ago. It’s hard to watch.

Last year, Dungey made a better effort of getting out of the way of big hits, but yet another one ended his season. This one is not really his fault against Clemson. He probably could have slid sooner, but the hit to the head (on both sides) was unnecessary by Clemson. Some called it a routine play, but I think it was targeting, but hey, that’s why I’m not a ref.

So far this year, he has been smarter running the football. He’s still making big running plays with his feet, but he did have one really scary moment against CCSU. He took a tumble over a defender at the end of a run that made fans and probably Head Coach Dino Babers grimace.

Overall, in the two games thus far, Dungey seems a much more mature quarterback both passing and running the ball. Everyone knows he’s great at doing both, it’s just a matter of being smarter about it and avoiding big hits and injury.