Syracuse football pulls off magic trick, beats NC State on the road

Seven minutes left on the clock, Syracuse is down 31-20 on the road against NC State. Doesn’t sound like a particularly winnable situation, does it? 

Well, with this Orange team, there’s not much out of the realm of possibility. Syracuse’s turnaround and win of this game in the final minutes of the game.

Syracuse has a three-headed monster at WR

Calvin Russell III tied a school record for most receptions in a game, bringing down 17 to total 137 yards on the day. His production, combined with the consistency of Umari Hatcher and the clutch capability of Justus Ross-Simmons accounted for most of Syracuse’s offensive production on a day where they couldn’t establish the run well while trailing. 

The defense has a knack for closing out games, when they can

NC gained 27 yards in the final six minutes of the game, with quarterback CJ Bailey taking a game-changing sack and throwing two interceptions in the span. The second of those interceptions, collected by Chris D’Appolonia, sealed the game for Syracuse, letting them take a knee while up 34-31. The Wolfpack was in field goal range when Bailey through the interception, able to tie up the game at that point and send it to overtime. 

Angeli’s throwing the ball, a lot.

Over the past two games, Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli has thrown 82 passes. He’s notched over 530 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception in the span. When he has as productive of a receiving core as he does, it’s hard not to trust him to get the ball to Hatcher, Russell, or Ross-Simmons but throwing the ball this much often tells something more about a team: it’s playing from behind. The last decisive win that Syracuse had this season was against New Hampshire in the first week. Angeli’s talent might be working in favor of the Orange, but it could also prove to be its downfall in the final two games of its season. 

Syracuse travels to Chestnut Hill to play Boston College next Saturday.