Field Level Media
Nov 24, 2018
Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey passed for 362 yards and accounted for all six touchdowns in his return to the lineup as the No. 20-ranked Orange beat Boston College 42-21 in Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Saturday.
Dungey, who left last week's loss to Notre Dame with a back injury, passed for three touchdowns and ran for three more as the Orange won for the fifth time in their last six games.
An injury kept Dungey out of last year's 42-14 home loss to Boston College as the Orange lost five straight to end a 4-8 campaign, and speculation surrounding Syracuse's starting quarterback in Saturday's regular-season finale continued all week.
However, the senior quarterback was sharp almost the entire game, finishing 21 of 34 as he posted his 11th career 300-yard passing performance.
Sean Riley, Jamal Custis and Taj Harris caught touchdowns for the Orange (9-3, 6-2 ACC), and Dontae Strickland rushed for 129 yards as Syracuse gained 559 total yards while finishing second in the ACC's Atlantic Division.
Quarterback Anthony Brown fired TD passes to Jake Burt, Jeff Smith and Ben Glines for the Eagles (7-5, 4-4), who lost their third straight. Leading rusher AJ Dillon sat out the second half with an ankle injury after rushing for 56 yards in the first half.
After the Eagles took a lead late in the first quarter when Burt caught a TD, Dungey found Riley wide open on the next play from scrimmage for an easy 75-yard score to tie it 7-7.
A fumble recovery by Syracuse on the ensuing kickoff eventually resulted in Dungey barely eluding two BC defenders to the pylon for his 13th rushing TD, this one from 4 yards out. On the next series, Dungey rolled right, cut back and scored on a 2-yard run early in the second quarter for a 21-7 lead.
After Brown found Smith all alone for a 69-yard score - the receiver's team-leading sixth TD catch -- Dungey dashed in from 18 yards just before halftime.
An interception of Dungey by BC's Taj-Amir Torres set up Glines' 29-yard TD catch early in the second half to cut it to 28-21 to give BC a chance.
Dungey led the Orange on a 76-yard drive for the answer, though, lofting a 22-yard score to Custis to move the advantage back to two scores, then found Harris on a short TD pass in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
--Field Level Media