2018 Syracuse Orange football team

2018 Syracuse Orange football
Camping World Bowl champion
Camping World Bowl, W 34–18 vs. West Virginia
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Division	Atlantic Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 15
2018 record	10–3 (6–2 ACC)
Head coach	Dino Babers (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Lynch (1st season as coordinator, 3rd overall season)
Offensive scheme	Veer and Shoot
Defensive coordinator	Brian Ward (3rd season)
Home stadium	Carrier Dome (Capacity: 49,262)
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
v t	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Atlantic Division
No. 1 Clemson x$#^		8	–	0					15	–	0
No. 15 Syracuse		6	–	2					10	–	3
NC State		5	–	3					9	–	4
Boston College		4	–	4					7	–	5
Wake Forest		3	–	5					7	–	6
Florida State		3	–	5					5	–	7
Louisville		0	–	8					2	–	10
Coastal Division
Pittsburgh x		6	–	2					7	–	7
Georgia Tech		5	–	3					7	–	6
Miami		4	–	4					7	–	6
Virginia		4	–	4					8	–	5
Virginia Tech		4	–	4					6	–	7
Duke		3	–	5					8	–	5
North Carolina		1	–	7					2	–	9
Championship: Clemson 42, Pittsburgh 10
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Syracuse Orange football team represented Syracuse University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange were led by third-year head coach Dino Babers and played their home games at the Carrier Dome. They competed as members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. After being picked to finish last in the preseason media poll, Syracuse went 10–3, 6–2 in ACC play to finish in 2nd place in the Atlantic Division. They were invited to the Camping World Bowl, where they defeated West Virginia.

Previous season[]

The Orange finished the 2017 season 4–8, 2–6 in ACC play to finish in last place in the Atlantic Division.

Recruiting[]

Position key[]

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Recruits[]

The Orange signed a total of 18 recruits.

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Gabe Horan TE	Baldwinsville, New York	Charles W. Baker High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	Feb 9, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Atrilleon Williams DB	White Plains, New York	Archbishop Stepinac High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Mar 27, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Cooper Lutz WR	Reading, Pennsylvania	Berks Catholic High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Apr 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Juan Wallace LB	Washington, D.C.	IMG Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	May 4, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Akeem Dixon RB	Vero Beach, Florida	Vero Beach High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	May 17, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Anthony Queeley WR	Orlando, Florida	Lake Nona High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jun 18, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Willem Froumy OT	Exeter, New Hampshire	Exeter High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Jun 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Taj Harris WR	Palmyra, New Jersey	Palmyra High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 24, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Edward Hendrix WR	Washington, D.C.	H.D. Woodson High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Aug 16, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Cameron Jonas S	West Palm Beach, Florida	Dwyer High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	Aug 21, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Qadir White OT	Bronx, New York	Cardinal Hayes High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	334 lb (151 kg)	Aug 24, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Andre Cisco S	Valley Stream, New York	IMG Academy	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	186 lb (84 kg)	Dec 8, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tre Allison LB	Tyler, Texas	John Tyler High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	Dec 10, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Lakiem Williams LB	Tacoma, Washington	Butte College	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Dec 10, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Carlos Vettorello OG	Detroit, Michigan	University of Detroit Jesuit High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	277 lb (126 kg)	Dec 12, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chance Amie QB	Tyler, Texas	Robert E. Lee High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	191 lb (87 kg)	Dec 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jarveon Howard RB	Columbia, Mississippi	East Marion High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Jan 29, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Caleb Okechukwu DE	Washington, D.C.	St. John's College High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Syracuse Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 4, 2018.

Preseason[]

Award watch lists[]

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Maxwell Award[1]	Eric Dungey	QB	SR
John Mackey Award[2]	Ravian Pierce	TE	SR
Ray Guy Award[3]	Sterling Hofrichter	P	JR
Paul Hornung Award[4]	Sean Riley	WR/KR	JR
Wuerffel Trophy[5]	Kielan Whitner	LB	SR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[6]	Eric Dungey	QB	SR
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award[7]	Koda Martin	OL	SR

ACC media poll[]

The ACC media poll was released on July 24, 2018.

Media poll (Atlantic)
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Clemson	1,031 (145)
2	Florida State	789 (1)
3	NC State	712 (2)
4	Boston College	545
5	Louisville	422
6	Wake Forest	413
7	Syracuse	232

Schedule[]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	6:00 p.m.	at Western Michigan*		Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI	CBSSN	W 55–42	20,628
September 8	3:30 p.m.	Wagner*		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ACCN Extra	W 62–10	29,395
September 15	12:00 p.m.	Florida State		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ESPN	W 30–7	37,457
September 22	4:00 p.m.	UConn*		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ESPNews	W 51–21	36,632
September 29	12:00 p.m.	at No. 3 Clemson		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	ABC	L 23–27	80,122
October 6	12:20 p.m.	at Pittsburgh		Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ACCN	L 37–44 OT	37,100
October 20	12:20 p.m.	North Carolina		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ACCN	W 40–37 2OT	35,210
October 27	7:00 p.m.	No. 22 NC State		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ESPN2	W 51–41	40,769
November 3	12:00 p.m.	at Wake Forest	No. 22	BB&T Field Winston-Salem, NC	ACCRSN	W 41–24	26,136
November 9	7:00 p.m.	Louisville	No. 13	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ESPN2	W 54–23	42,797
November 17	2:30 p.m.	vs. No. 3 Notre Dame*	No. 12	Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY	NBC	L 3–36	48,104
November 24	12:00 p.m.	at Boston College	No. 19	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (rivalry)	ESPN	W 42–21	34,959
December 28	5:15 p.m.	vs. No. 15 West Virginia*	No. 17	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Camping World Bowl)	ESPN	W 34–18	41,125
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Schedule Source:^[8]

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	NR	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	NR	NR	NR	22	13	12	19	18	17	15
Coaches	NR	NR	NR	RV	RV	RV	RV	NR	RV	24	13	12	19	18	17	15
CFP	Not released									19	13	12	20	20	20	Not released

Game summaries[]

at Western Michigan[]

Syracuse at Western Michigan

1 2 3 4 Total • Orange 24 10 14 7 55 Broncos 7 0 28 7 42 Date: August 31 Location: Waldo Stadium Kalamazoo, MI Game start: 6:02 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 4:02 Game attendance: 20,628 Game weather: 82°F • SSE 9 • Sunny Referee: Jeff Heaser TV announcers (CBS): Play-by-Play: Dave Ryan Analyst: Corey Chavous Sideline reporter: Lauren Gardner

Scoring summary 1 11:36 SU Jamal Custis 27-yard pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 7–0 1 9:32 SU Andre Szmyt 26-yard field goal SU 10–0 1 6:39 SU Moe Neal 1-yard run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 17–0 1 3:10 WMU LeVante Bellamy 7-yard run (Josh Grant kick) SU 17–7 1 0:51 SU Moe Neal 3-yard run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 24–7 2 11:53 SU Dontae Strickland 1-yard run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 31–7 2 9:52 SU Andre Szmyt 43-yard field goal SU 34–7 3 14:06 WMU D'Wayne Eskridge 21-yard pass from Jon Wassink (Josh Grant kick) SU 34–14 3 7:32 WMU D'Wayne Eskridge 84-yard pass from Jon Wassink (Josh Grant kick) SU 34–21 3 5:19 WMU LeVante Bellamy 64-yard run (Josh Grant kick) SU 34–28 3 2:45 SU Jamal Custis 21-yard pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 41–28 3 1:56 WMU Jon Wassink 4-yard run (Josh Grant kick) SU 41–35 3 0:48 SU Dontae Strickland 1-yard run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 48–35 4 14:46 SU Eric Dungey 27-yard run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 55–35 4 2:50 WMU Jayden Reed 17-yard pass from Jon Wassink (Josh Grant kick) SU 55–42

Wagner[]

Wagner at Syracuse

1 2 3 4 Total Seahawks 7 0 0 3 10 • Orange 21 24 14 3 62 Date: September 8 Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Game start: 3:35 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3:22 Game attendance: 29,395 Referee: Todd Boyd TV announcers: Play-by-Play: Doug Sherman Analyst: Al Groh

Scoring summary 1 11:47 SU Sean Riley 16-yard pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 7–0 1 9:47 SU Dontae Strickland 1-yard run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 14–0 1 7:56 WAG Chris Woodard 24-yard pass from T.J. Linta (Eric Silvester kick) SU 14–7 1 0:38 SU Taj Harris 24-yard pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 21–7 2 9:43 SU Ravian Pierce 3-yard pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 28–7 2 5:48 SU Andre Szmyt 38-yard field goal SU 31–7 2 4:23 SU Trill Williams 2-yard return of a blocked punt (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 34–7 2 0:34 SU Nykeim Johnson 28-yard pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 41–7 3 13:07 SU Dontae Strickland 20-yard run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 48–7 3 6:25 SU Jamal Custis 4-yard pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 55–7 4 12:53 WAG Eric Silvester 26-yard field goal SU 55–10 4 11:45 SU Andre Szmyt 50-yard field goal SU 62–10

Florida State[]

Florida State at Syracuse

1 2 3 4 Total Seminoles 0 0 0 7 7 • Orange 3 3 14 10 30 Date: September 15 Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Game start: 12:02 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 3:39 Game attendance: 37,457 Referee: David Epperley TV announcers (ESPN): Play-by-Play: Mark Jones Analyst: Dusty Dvoracek Sideline reporter: Molly McGrath

Scoring summary 1 7:23 SU Andre Szmyt 22-yard field goal SU 3–0 2 1:40 SU Andre Szmyt 19-yard field goal SU 6–0 3 6:55 SU Tommy DeVito 3-yard run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 13–0 3 3:33 SU Ravian Pierce 3-yard pass from Tommy DeVito (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 20–0 4 12:55 SU Andre Szmyt 23-yard field goal SU 23–0 4 6:16 FSU Deondre Francois 2-yard run (Ricky Aguayo kick) SU 23–7 4 3:19 FSU Dontae Strickland 13-yard run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 30–7

UConn[]

UConn at Syracuse

1 2 3 4 Total Huskies 7 7 0 7 21 • Orange 24 7 10 10 51 Date: September 22 Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Game start: 4:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 36,632

Scoring summary 1 09:15 SU Eric Dungey 2 yd run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 0–7 1 06:24 SU Eric Dungey 9 yd run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 0–14 1 03:53 SU Gabe Horan 7 yd pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 0–21 1 03:43 UCONN David Pindell 75 yd run (Michael Tarbutt kick) SU 7–21 1 01:52 SU Andre Szmyt 33 yd FG SU 7–24 2 11:41 UCONN Zavier Scott 2 yd pass from David Pindell (Michael Tarbutt Kick) SU 14–24 2 09:10 SU Eric Dungey 1 yd run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 14–31 3 10:35 SU Sean Riley 69 yd punt return (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 14–38 3 04:27 SU Andre Szmyt 27 yd FG SU 14–41 4 14:18 UCONN Tyler Davis 26 yd pass from Marvin Washington (Michael Tarbutt kick) SU 21–41 4 11:21 SU Sean Riley 49 yd pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 21–48 4 07:43 SU Andre Szmyt 25 yd FG SU 21–51

at Clemson[]

Syracuse at Clemson

1 2 3 4 Total Orange 6 10 0 7 23 • No. 3 Tigers 7 0 6 14 27 Date: September 29 Location: Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC Game start: 12:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 80,121

Scoring summary 1 09:49 SU Andre Szmyt 35 yd FG SU 3–0 1 08:26 SU Andre Szmyt 51 yd FG SU 6–0 1 00:54 CLEM Travis Etienne 1 yd run (Greg Huegel kick) CLEM 6–7 2 07:31 SU Eric Dungey 1 yd run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 13–7 2 00:24 SU Andre Szmyt 32 yd FG SU 16–7 3 04:09 CLEM Greg Huegel 43 yd FG SU 16–10 3 02:13 CLEM Greg Huegel 37 yd FG SU 16–13 4 12:58 SU Eric Dungey 1 yd run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 23–13 4 11:08 CLEM Travis Etienne 26 yd run (Greg Huegel kick) SU 23–20 4 00:41 CLEM Travis Etienne 2 yd run (Greg Huegel kick) CLEM 23–27

at Pittsburgh[]

Syracuse at Pittsburgh

1 2 3 4 OT Total Orange 14 3 14 6 0 37 • Panthers 14 6 7 10 7 44 Date: October 6 Location: Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA Game start: 12:21 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 4:31 Game attendance: 37,100 Game weather: 82°F • SW 8 • Mostly Sunny Referee: David Epperley TV announcers (Raycom): Play-by-Play: Tom Werme Analyst: Dave Archer Sideline: Lericia Harris

Scoring summary 1 10:54 SU Aaron Hackett 1 yard pass from Eric Dungey (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 7–0 1 6:32 SU Jarveon Howard 2 yard TD run (Andre Szmyt kick) SU 14–0 1 5:47 PITT Qadree Ollison 69 yard TD run (Alex Kessman Kick) SU 14–7 1 4:21 PITT Dane Jackson 35 yard fumble return for TD (Alex Kessman Kick) TIED 14–14 2 12:26 PITT Alex Kessman 54 yard field goal PITT 14–17 2 6:50 PITT Alex Kessman 55 yard field goal PITT 14–20 2 1:30 SU Andre Szmyt 33 yard field goal PITT 17–20 3 14:12 PITT Rafael Araujo-Lopes 68 yard TD pass from Kenny Pickett (Alex Kessman Kick) PITT 17–27 3 8:12 SU Jarveon Howard 5 yard TD run (Andre Szmyt Kick) PITT 24–27 3 0:21 SU Eric Dungey 21 yard TD run (Andre Szmyt Kick) SU 31–27 4 11:11 SU Andre Szmyt 29 yard field goal SU 34–27 4 7:51 PITT Darrin Hall 7 yard TD run (Alex Kessman Kick) TIED 34–34 4 5:53 SU Andre Szmyt 54 yard field goal SU 37–34 4 0:08 PITT Alex Kessman 45 yard field goal TIED 37–37 OT PITT Darrin Hall 3 yard TD run (Alex Kessman kick ) PITT 37–44

North Carolina[]

North Carolina at Syracuse

1 2 3 4 OT 2OT Total Tar Heels 7 0 17 3 7 3 37 • Orange 0 13 7 7 7 6 40 Date: October 6 Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY Game start: 12:20 p.m. EDT Elapsed time: 4:07 Game attendance: 35,210 Television network: Raycom

Scoring summary 1 10:07 NC Newsome, D 6 yard pass from Elliott, N (Jones, F kick) NC 7–0 2 10:58 SU Szmyt, A. 25 yardd field goal NC 7–3 2 1:56 SU Elmore, C. 1 yard run (Szmyt, A. kick) SU 7–10 2 0:00 SU Szmyt, A. 46 yard field goal SU 7–13 3 14:06 SU Dungey, E. 16 yard run (Szmyt, A. kick) SU 7–20 3 10:52 NC Williams, A. 12 yard run (Jones, F kick) SU 14–20 3 6:02 NC Newsome, D. 75 yard punt return (Jones, F kick) NC 21–20 3 0:06 NC Jones, F. 34 yard field goal NC 24–20 4 10:15 NC Jones, F. 25 yard field goal PITT 27–20 4 1:39 SU Johnson, N. 42 yard pass from DeVito, T. (Szmyt, A. kick) TIED 27–27 OT SU Custis, J. 25 yard pass from DeVito, T. (Szmyt, A. kick) SU 34–27 OT NC Corrales, B. 9 yard pass from Elliott, N. (Jones, F. kick) TIED 34–34 OT2 NC Jones, F. 48 yard field goal NC 37–34 OT2 SU Pierce, R. 4 yard pass from DeVito, T. SU 37–40

NC State[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Wolfpack	7	13	7	14	41
Orange	24	3	14	10	51

at Wake Forest[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Orange	14	7	14	6	41
Demon Deacons	10	0	14	0	24

Louisville[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	0	7	7	9	23
No. 13 Orange	7	30	7	10	54

vs. Notre Dame[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Fighting Irish	13	7	9	7	36
No. 12 Orange	0	0	0	3	3

at Boston College[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 19 Orange	14	14	7	7	42
Eagles	7	7	7	0	21

vs. West Virginia (Camping World Bowl)[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 15 Mountaineers	3	9	6	0	18
No. 17 Orange	7	7	3	17	34

2019 NFL Draft[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
7	245	Chris Slayton	DT	New York Giants

References[]