Rhode Island Rams vs Syracuse Orange Match Player Stats On Sep 04, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Sep 4, 2015

Freshman quarterback Eric Dungey replaced injured senior Terrel Hunt and tossed a pair of touchdown passes to running back Ervin Philips as Syracuse rolled to a 47-0 victory over FCS member Rhode Island on Friday at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

Hunt suffered a right leg injury while scrambling for a 2-yard gain midway through the first quarter and needed help getting off the field. Cornerback Corey Winfield returned an interception for a touchdown and wide receiver Brisly Estime took a punt 74 yards for a score on the final play of the first half for the Orange (1-0).

Freshman running back Jordan Fredericks rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown while Dungey finished 10-of-17 for 114 yards before being replaced late in the third quarter. Syracuse, which led 31-0 at the half, recorded its first shutout since a 13-0 decision over Wake Forest on Nov. 2, 2013 after holding the Rams to 64 yards.

Quarterback Paul Mroz was 10-of-20 for 60 yards and an interception for Rhode Island (0-1), which fell to 0-13 versus FBS schools after totaling 39 yards and one first down while committing four turnovers in the first half. Defensive back Isaiah Hill was ejected for targeting in the second quarter following a late hit on Dungey.

Rhode Island fumbled the opening kickoff and the teams combined for three turnovers in the first 55 seconds before Syracuse opened the scoring on another giveaway. Mroz's first pass was deflected by tight end Charlie McKeeman and it bounced to Winfield, who returned it 24 yards 4:04 into the contest.

Dungey's first throw was a jump pass in the flat to Philips and the sophomore ran through several defenders for a 32-yard touchdown to put the Orange on top 14-0. Syracuse recovered a fumble deep in Rams' territory and two plays later, Dungey found Philips for a 9-yard score and a 24-0 lead in the second quarter.

Estime fielded Connor McHugh's kick and broke down the left sideline to record the Orange's first punt return for a touchdown since 2003 to make it 31-0. Phillips did not play in the second half because of a lower-body injury, but Syracuse was already well on its way to its 32nd straight victory over current FCS members.