Syracuse Football: The Dome is officially (re)-opened

Syracuse football defeated Georgia Tech, 37-20 in the first athletic event ever played in the brand new dome. Orange fans couldn’t be happier.

Out with the old and in with the new. Syracuse football did that to the highest degree with a win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the newly renovated dome. (Who even knows if it’s called the Carrier Dome anymore, so I’m just rolling with ‘the dome’ from here on out).

‘Touchdown’ Tommy DeVito passed for 194 yards, which included two touchdowns and one pick. But it was Sean Tucker who stole the show. The freshman running back had 112 yards on 24 carriers and found the endzone twice. Nykiem Johnson led Syracuse in receiving with 87 yards and a score.

Defensively, Trill Williams showed up after Andre Cisco was ruled out of the game due to a pre-game sustained injury. Williams picked off one pass, knocked down two, and scored a touchdown off a Ja’Had Carter interception and lateral. Williams took ‘defend the dome’ to a new level.

Even more impressive was Syracuse’s ability to win the game without leading some of the more important team stat categories. The Yellow Jackets held on to the ball for 10 more minutes and had nine more first downs. Syracuse had over 100 less rushing yards and just 16 more passing yards.

However, it was the five GTech turnovers to just one by SU which led to the win. Syracuse took advantage of the turnover margin, which proved to be the main difference in the game.

The Williams touchdown score sealed the deal, putting the Orange up 17. Neither team scored from that point on, but it didn’t matter, as Syracuse closed the game strong for the win.

Before the Carrier Dome was built, John Thompson declared that ‘Manley Field House’ was officially closed. Of course, this epic statement was in reference to a Georgetown basketball win over SU, but the thought still stands.

Today, Syracuse football was able to re-open the dome with a big win, albeit with no fans in attendance. Rather, it was an empty stadium that played host to the first ‘Cuse win it held.

Can Syracuse continue the trend? The Orange have a bye week before Duke comes to town. But for now, they can cherish the win and enjoy keeping the dome undefeated.