Syracuse dominates Colgate in 2023 opener
Colgate quarterback Michael Brescia dropped back to deliver a third and 5 pass to his left. Syracuse cornerback Jeremiah Wilson jumped the route and intercepted the ball with nothing but the end zone in front of him.
Wilson jogged into the end zone giving Syracuse a 20-0 lead with 3:41 left in the first quarter. The defensive touchdown put Colgate in a hole that they would not come close to recovering from.
In the end, Syracuse took care of business, beating Colgate 65-0 in the first game of the 2023 season. From start to finish, the Orange had control.
SU's first game under defensive coordinator Rocky Long showed great signs of potentially being a successful defense this season.
Following Wilson's interception, the next snap from scrimmage was another Syracuse forced turnover. Colgate running back Jaedon Henry fumbled the ball at the end of his run. Rover Alijah Clark recovered the fumble giving SU the ball right back.
The drive would end with a SU field goal to give the team a 23-0 lead.
The Syracuse defense was flying all over the field. On Colgate's second possession, captain Marlowe Wax made a third down sack to not only force a fourth down punt, but also give the SU offense better field position. After a positive return from punt returner D'Marcus Adams, Syracuse would score on the possession to take the lead.
Long's defense ended the day allowing zero points on 106 yards. The four forced turnovers and recorded three sacks allowed the Orange defense to give Shrader and the offense plenty of opportunities to add on to the lead.
An unexpected spark in Syracuse's blowout win was the special teams unit, specifically punt returner D'Marcus Adams. Adams is playing in place of Trebor Pena who was out with an injury.
Adams took his opportunity and ran with it, having a career day against the Raiders. Adams ended the game with 72 return yards, an average of 10.3 per return.
The Syracuse offense started the game slower than it would have liked, however, once it got started, it never stopped. The team finished the day with eight offensive touchdowns and 677 total yards.
The first possession for the Orange resulted in a punt after moving the sticks twice. A struggle for Syracuse early was getting the snap count down. Left guard Chris Bleich committed two false start penalties in the first quarter.
After the first possession punt, SU would score on the next five consecutive drives.
The scoring barrage started with new starting running back, LeQuint Allen. On first and 15, Allen hit the gap through the center of the field for 35 yards. A few plays later, Allen scored the first touchdown of the season for Syracuse.
The rushing attack was consistent throughout the game. Whether it was Allen, Shrader or even Juwuan Price, the attack ran through the Raider defense. Shrader who finished the 2022 season with 453 yards finished todays game with 40 rushing yards.
Allen had a stellar performance in his opening game as the starting running back. Allen totaled 107 yards at the end of the first half. While Allen and the offensive line will surely play against bigger and more skilled defensive lines later in the season, Allen looked the part of the next SU star tail back against Colgate.
Shrader exited the game with 9:55 left in the third quarter, finishing with a 75% completion percentage, 257 yards, and three touchdowns.
"I wish I could have played a little longer," Shrader said after the game. "They were talking about taking me out at halftime, but I didn't want to end on that pick.
On the first drive of the second half Shrader scored a quick touchdown before exiting the game.
SU's receiving threats all had quality days as Shrader was able to share the ball throughout. Three different players caught touchdowns in the first half.
Oronde Gadsden high pointed a pass from Shrader for a 14 yard score in the middle of the third quarter. Gadsden had many short and intermediate receptions that in the end totaled up to a greater total. SU's returning leading receiver has the chance to be just the third Syracuse receiver to be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft this upcoming spring. Art Monk and Marvin Harrison were the previous two.
Gadsden finished the day with 57 yards on six receptions, a great sign of things to come from Syracuse's breakout star.
Aside from Gadsden, Isaiah Jones, Donovan Brown and Damien Alford were big contributors to the Orange air attack as well.
Jones had one of the biggest scores of the day. Shrader rolled to his left on a third and 11 at the Colgate 44 yard line. With two defenders in his face, he threw across his body to the right corner of the end zone. A wide open Isaiah Jones waited patiently for the ball to come down from the air into his hands at the 5 yard line. Jones walked in for the score. Jones finished the game with two touchdowns, and 71 yards on three receptions.
Alford scored the first receiving touchdown for SU while Brown added a few receptions.
On the first drive of the second half, Umari Hatcher had a 47 yard reception down the left sideline followed by a three yard touchdown a few plays later.
"One you win the football game you want to come out of it healthy," head coach Dino Babers said. "Based off of my talks with the trainers, I feel that we have accomplished that."
With backup players entering the game early in the second half, the route was on. SU had done more than take care of business. They won the game by the largest scoring margin since 1900 against Rochester and advanced to 1-0 in 2023.
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