Syracuse Football: Top graded players against Florida State

Which players stood out the most during the Syracuse football team’s big win over Florida State inside the Carrier Dome on Saturday?

Well, well, well, the defense of the Syracuse football team stepped up in a major way against the Florida State Seminoles this past weekend.

It was a sort of coming out party for all units of the Orange defense. The line generated a tremendous pass-rush all day, the linebackers didn’t miss many tackles in the open field, and the defensive backs were active all day, giving up just 178 yards through the air against a tremendous Florida State passing attack.

Credit goes to Syracuse defensive coordinator Brian Ward and his players for coming in with a game plan and executing it to near perfection.

The Orange offense struggled big time in the early going on Saturday against a very well-schooled Seminole defense.

Syracuse did move the ball decently, but poor penalties and lack of execution in key moments prevented them from scoring early. Despite the fact that Florida State playing poorly this season, they still have a tremendous defense with four and five-star recruits all over the field.

Backup quarterback Tommy DeVito was a difference maker on the day for the Orange offense.

DeVito played the entire second half after senior signal-caller Eric Dungey was dealing with blurred vision from an apparent poke in the eye. It appeared that Dungey hurt his right shoulder too on Saturday as he was seen coming off the field favoring it multiple times.

DeVito came in and commanded the Syracuse offense. He looked much better than he did against Western Michigan, and even against Wagner. The New Jersey native showed off his quick release, getting the ball to receivers on the outside quickly and in space.

The Orange defense kept up the heat on a steamy day in the Carrier Dome, while the offense was able to put together three touchdown drives in the second half to take control of the game. It was an impressive performance by DeVito, the Syracuse defense, and their coaching staff on Saturday.

Now, let’s see which players’ performances stood out for the Orange during their big win against Florida State.