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

Syracuse Football finally got things back on track with a win over the Central Michigan Chippewas at the Dome. Inside the Loud House replays some of the game’s best plays.

Many Syracuse Football fans may have had doubts coming into the game against Central Michigan on Saturday. Luckily, for Orange fans some of them were eased. Not all of them, but some.

There was a lot to like about the Orange’s performance against the previously undefeated Chippewas. For one, Syracuse Football once again got their offense back. Not all issues are fixed with that offensive line, as the running backs still need bigger holes to run through, but at least it was an improvement over a horrific performance against Middle Tennessee.

The defense also was great forcing three turnovers and a rare pick six. That got the special teams pumped and led to multiple long punt and kick returns by Sean Riley.

For about a quarter and a half the team struggled to get going. However, once they got rolling they would not be stopped, not allowing another score for the rest of the game. If the Orange can play like they did on offense and defense in the second half of the game against Central Michigan then they have have a shot at LSU next week.

The Orange were favored in this game and they looked the part. As such that led to a lot of highlight plays and scores for the Orange. Don’t remember all of them or miss the game? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered. Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Plays from this weeks game.

10. Eric Dungey Quarterback Keeper for Score

This was a pretty typical play for the Orange and one we see from Eric Dungey just about every week near the end zone. It was a big score though which is why it ended up as one of the highlights this week.

The Orange had ended the first half with a lead, considering how poorly they started offensively in the first quarter, the play was huge. Up 24-17, the Syracuse Football team moved down the field quickly in their first possession after halftime. This happened in large part due to a 71 yard run by Moe Neal to set up the Orange inside the red zone.

After a few plays, the Orange faced a First and Goal at the Central Michigan 1 yard line. Doing what Dungey does best. He took a quick snap and just went around a lineman into the end zone. He didn’t have to push by a defender, he just walked right in.

To many Orange fans this may seem like an easy play, but its not. Defenses don’t want to give you the points, so you have to catch them off guard and give them little time to react to the play that’s happening. That’s what Dungey did which is why he walked in untouched.

The score was the first of many for the Orange in the third quarter, but it was huge at the time because it put the Orange up by two touchdowns early in the second half. It created distance on the scoreboard that hadn’t been there all day.

For all we know, it might have been the final blow for the Chippewas, they just didn’t know it at the time. It felt crippling to be down that much in a game they had led and were controlling. However, this score really felt like the Orange were starting to put them away which is why to me it was so much more than a typical one yard score by Dungey.

9. Erv Phillips Tips, Recatches Football

Erv Philips usually has pretty sure hands. Heck last year, according to ESPN.com, he was tied for 13th in the nation with 90 receptions! That’s a heck of a lot over 12 games! That averages out to be 7.5 catches per game. On this play though, it wouldn’t look like he had great hands.

In this highlight, Dungey passed him the ball over the middle. The pass was a little high and did have some zip to it, so Erv had to adjust. He tipped the pass, which was sort of dangerous, almost straight up into the air but moving forward. Luckily, no defender was close enough to pick it off. Therefore, Philips dived for the ball that he had just tipped up and caught it rolling to the ground.

It was a ridiculous play, and definitely not one you see often. It almost looked like he had butter fingers but still managed to find a way to come up with the catch. I can’t blame Philips too much, but the Orange receiving core struggled holding onto catches a lot and dropped a bunch versus Middle Tennessee in Week 2. So when I saw this play form the stands it made me feel a little sick. I was feeling like it was happening all over again for the Orange.

Luckily the Orange did much better throughout the game. They actually did some of their best work through the air once the third quarter came around. Hopefully that carries into next week.

8. Dontae Strickland Catch and Score

Dontae Strickland has really struggled running the ball the last couple weeks. One of the issues is the offensive line not making holes for him to go through, but some of it lies on him to be more creative and find a way.

Something he has done really well though at this season is catching passes. On this play he would roll out to the left and Dungey would find him with single coverage but wide open at the time.

After making the catch, Strickland made that one man miss with a quick juke, then evaded some other defenders near the goal line on way to a touchdown for the Orange. The score came from 18 yards out and was a smart throw from Dungey as he quickly found the opening running back who then did the rest.

The touchdown was also big for the Orange as it followed not long after the Evan Foster pick-six which changed the game. That play we’ll discuss later on in these highlights.

In addition, it tied the score at 17-all. That was huge because the Orange had trailed much of the first half and a tied game meant a lot to the Syracuse football team. It meant that they were still hanging around and had a shot. That was a feeling the team did not have a ton of against Middle Tennessee.

The Orange would go onto to score 24 more points after this score, while the Chippewas would score zero the rest of the way.

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.

6. Long Pass Along Sideline to Sean Riley

Speaking of setting up a score, this was the play that set up that 9-yard touchdown run by Strickland that I mentioned in the previous highlight. This pass was incredible as it really showed off Sean Riley’s possible impact going forward in the passing game.

On the play, Dungey rolled right and was looking for an option down field. He waited as long as he could for Riley to make some separation from his defender. The ball fell perfectly in Riley’s hands and over the defender.

It was an awesome play as it really showed that Riley had wheels, and could be an option going forward when the Orange needs separation in the passing game or a deep ball. It also showed Dungey has great accuracy on throws on the run, and ones that go deep.

The play ended up going for 44 yards and was by far one of the most impressive catches of the day. It was yet another example (of many that day), that Riley can be a difference maker in not just the return game but in the running and receiving game as well.

One play later the Orange would score on a Dontae Strickland 9 yard run up the gut. That score, as mentioned before, gave the Orange a 24-17 lead, and one they would not give up the rest of the game. The drive only lasted three plays, but this play was the biggest one in term of yardage and also the most telling going forward.

5. Ravian Pierce Catch Above Defender for Score

This play sort of reminded me of the David  Tyree catch when the Giants took down the New England Patriots in Superbowl XLII. It wasn’t in as big a spot or on a helmet or anything special, it just had that kind of crazy-catch feeling to it.

On the play, Dungey faked the handoff to the running back, which he does so well. Meanwhile the Tight end Ravian Pierce went into the end zone and looked back for the throw. The defender guarding Pierce never had a chance to turn around as Dungey threw the ball quickly in Pierce’s direction.

He knew a pass was coming though as Pierce had stopped in his tracks and was jumping up to receive the ball for the score. The defender tried to get his hands up in time but didn’t make it.

Pierce proceeded to reach out his hands over the receivers head and bring the ball back to his chest. He used the defenders body and maybe his helmet to help maintain possession of the ball. It was one of those plays you had to see again after it happened because you couldn’t believe he had actually brought in the catch.

Its not often receivers have to reach that far over a defenders head as they defend you to reel in the pass. However, on this play that’s how it went down. It was an amazing catch, and one of many for the Syracuse Football team in this game.

4. Sean Riley Returns Kickoff 64 yards

It kills me to say this, but this one does not have video to go with it. However, take it from me that this play was unbelievable as I watch it from the stands. It definitely deserved a spot in the top three this week.

The Chippewas of Central Michigan had just scored a touchdown to take back the lead at 17-10. Sean Riley received the kickoff from Central Michigan at the 4 yard line. He would get a nice block along the right sideline near the 20 yard line so he followed it.

From there he evaded and juked past a defender using his speed at the 25. At the 30 yard line, he slipped to the left, right towards Central Michigan defenders. Luckily, he quickly got around a block to the right that yet another Syracuse special teams player had set for him.

After that, he proceeded to travel along the right sideline. He would use his speed to get past the first and hoping that the one blocker he still had yet in front of him would hold out against the last man to beat.

Riley would continue to kick it into high gear as he approached the Central Michigan 45 yard line, across the 50. As a result though, this put his blocker in the dust and let the defender chase after him. That defender would eventually end up catching Riley at their 32 yard line. It was return of 64 yards after a kickoff of 61 yards.

It was an amazing return and showed Central Michigan they needed to be more careful when kicking to him. They now knew  he was a threat to return it long each time he got the ball. Riley would be such a threat that later in the game Central Michigan would opt not to kick his way on punts. A lot of that strategy probably stems from this play here, as they feared his ability to make plays with his feet and run past them.

Hopefully the Orange will continue to benefit from this type of play from Riley going forward. It would be a huge boom for the Orange throughout the rest of the season. It was an absolutely awesome kickoff return, and one I am very sad there is no video of. If you watch the replay of the game on the WatchESPN app, it starts around the 1:08:54 mark. (Or 7:52 left in the second quarter)

3. Moe Neal 71 yard Run

Now we’re getting to the two big runs of the afternoon. Both were hugely impressive, but I gave the long quarterback run the slight nod because how often do we see long quarterback runs?! That’s not to say this play wasn’t impressive, it was, but the Dungey play was special. More on that next.

On this play though, Moe Neal would step back in the back of the I-formation. He would come forward after the snap as Dungey handed him the ball. He would immediately run into one of his blockers at the line, per usual, but then a miraculously wide hole opened for him to run through.

Once through, Neal kicked into high gear. He raced forward along the right sideline as the secondary tried to catch him. As he crossed the 50 yard line, he started running out of gas, so he constantly started looking behind him for defenders. That lack of focus on the path in front of him led him to be tripped up and end his run after a 71-yard gain. It got the Orange to the Central Michigan 19 yard line.

Two plays later, Dungey would do a quarterback keeper as we talked about before for one yard for the score. So if this play didn’t already have the big play potential, it also had the glory of setting up the Orange for a touchdown. That score would give the Orange a 14-point lead.

2. Eric Dungey 74 Yard Run

Standing at his own 20 yard line, Dungey took a designed run to the left. However, he soon saw a small gap open to his right in the middle of the line so he darted through it. Evading multiple defenders as he worked through the secondary, he picked up speed. he would weave his way out to the right sideline with no one to in front of him to stop him.

He would take hard shove as a defender  tried to push him out of bounds near the 50 yard line. Dungey though would maintain his balance near the sideline and keep running. Two defenders continued to gain ground him. they would eventually catch him just inside the 10 yard line.

After all was said and done, Dungey had ran 74 yards, and was downed at the 6 yard line. The next play he regained his composure and made a highlight reel pass to Ravian Pierce for the touchdown which was also previously shown in these highlights.

It was heck of a drive for the Orange and the type of long run that you don’t often see from quarterbacks against decent competition, which Central Michigan definitely qualifies as. It also is another example of how gifted Dungey has running the ball when he is given the lane to do so. he can make plays with his legs, its just about being smart with how he finishes. In this case, he finished well, and that’s all that matters.

1. Evan Foster Pick-Six

Syracuse Football had a heck of a defense out there on Saturday afternoon. No play was bigger for the team though than the pick-six play by Evan Foster.

Anyone who has followed the program through thick and thin over the last decade or so know this team has not returned many interceptions for touchdowns. Heck punt and kick returns for touchdowns probably happen more. So it should come as no surprise that Head Coach Dino Babers and myself thought this play was the play of the game.

At this point early in the game, but late in the first quarter, Central Michigan had already proven to the Orange that they had come to play. They clearly looked like the team that beat Kansas on the road the week before. They had already dominated in the passing game and was making our secondary look foolish. However, that all changed on this play.

Pressed up against their own end zone on the 9-yard line, Central Michigan’s Quarterback Shane Morris dropped back to pass. He looked to his left and shrugged off his first read, opting for his second receiver doing a slant across the middle. The pass tucked in just right and in the perfect spot for the receiver to haul it in. Unfortunately for the Chippewas, the receiver mishandled it, bobbling it into the air. That gave the Orange enough chance to tackle the receiver to break up the play even more

Evan Foster then saw the pass fly towards him and he picked it off. He would then just surge straight ahead and barrel into the end zone. The interception took place 24 yards or so from the goal line, so the return didn’t take much effort. Also the offense didn’t have much time to defend the return. As a result, the Orange scored and tied the game at 10.

Next: Syracuse Football: Top 5 Orange Peels- CMU

The Chippewas would take the lead one more time early in the second quarter. After that, the Orange would hold them scoreless the rest of the game. This play turned the momentum of the game and soon after the team would go on a roll. That run effectively ended the game with multiple scores. Hence, it is our play of the game this week.

Make sure to check back next week for another edition of Inside The Loud House’s Top 10 Plays Against LSU. As always come back daily for all your Syracuse Football news!