Syracuse Football: Top 10 Plays of Week 3 Versus Central Michigan

7. Interception by Chris Fredrick

Syracuse Football had excellent defense for most of this game. This was very apparent on this play when Chris Frederick picked off a pass from Shane Morris.

On the play, Shane Morris, as he had done many other times in the game dropped back to pass. He had lots of time to read his options and make a throw. He saw a receiver in the slot do a slant over the middle in single coverage. It seemed like the right time to make the throw.

Luckily for the Orange, Chris Fredrick was following the quarterbacks eyes, read the pass and stepped in front of the receiver causing him to fall. As a result, Fredrick had no one defending his return so he returned the ball around the right edge 23 yards before being tackled. It would take Syracuse out to the 47 yard line.

At that time, the game was tied at 17-all, and Central Michigan was trying to respond to Dontae Strickland’s last catch and score. They had driven the ball down to the Syracuse 39 yard line and were hoping for a least a field goal to take back the lead. The interception stopped the Chippewas in their tracks. Fortuitously, the Orange would score three plays later on a 9 yard run from Strickland up the gut.

Though the pick-six we’ll mention later got the ball rolling for the Orange, this interception by Fredrick helped the orange take back the lead; one they would not relinquish.