SYRACUSE, N.Y. – With just under 36,000 fans in attendance, the Syracuse Orange stunned the Purdue Boilermakers in the final seconds of arguably the most exciting game the JMA Wireless Dome has seen in years.While the Orange came into the game favored by just one and a half points (per Caesers Sportsbook), they knew defeating Purdue would be a significant challenge.
“They have an outstanding defense, a really good defense,” Coach Dino Babers said in a press conference on Sept. 12 ahead of the Sept. 17 game. “And, as always, he’s got a quarterback that is just through the roof. He’s going to be the second of what I consider one of the toughest schedules for quarterbacks that our football team and our defense has to deal with.”
Getting Started
The first half of game action was rather unexciting offensively. The Orange managed to put up just three points off a 50-yard field goal from kicker Andre Szymt. Szymt missed a 41-yard attempt later in the half.
The Boilermakers were somewhat more successful, scoring a touchdown and a field goal. The Orange defense managed to block the extra point after the touchdown, but were unable to carry that momentum into their offensive drive.
The first half was much more exciting defensively. The Orange looked solid, forcing field goal attempts and punts. The Boilermakers, however, outperformed the Orange defense. Syracuse was forced to punt several times in the first half.
Interestingly, All-American running back Sean Tucker was virtually nowhere to be found in the box score, which comes as a shock to Orange fans who are used to watching him pick opposing defenses apart.
Game of Halves
With the second half kickoff, the chaos began.
After the defenses took turns forcing punts, the Orange offense was finally able to find the endzone. Quarterback Garrett Shrader found wide receiver Isaiah Jones in the back left corner of the end zone to give the Orange a 10-9 lead after a perfect extra point from Szymt.
Soon after the fourth quarter began, Purdue responded with a touchdown of their own. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell found tight end Payne Durham for the score. In a risky move, the Boilermakers decided to attempt a 2-point conversion.
The risk didn’t pay off. O’Connell sailed a pass over wide receiver Charlie Jones’ head. Purdue led 15-10.
A few minutes later, the Orange found themselves facing the decision of whether to go for it on a fourth-and-1. The Orange took the risk, and it paid off in the biggest way possible. Shrader found wide receiver Oronde Gadsden II for the score.
Coach Babers opted to go for the 2-point conversion. Shrader was easily able to run the ball into the end zone to put the Orange on top 18-15.
The defense was tasked with keeping the momentum on Syracuse’s side. It was defensive lineman Caleb Okechukwu that delivered.
Under pressure, Aidan O’Connell had to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible. Instead of launching it out of the reach of Orange defenders, he floated the ball right into Okechukwu’s hands. He ran it right into the end zone. After Szymt’s extra point, the Orange led 25-15.
Purdue cut the Orange lead to 3 after a 55-yard completion from O’Connell to Jones and an extra point from Fineran. The Orange offense couldn’t get into scoring position, but the defense forced Purdue to attempt a 41-yard field goal.
Shockingly, Mitchell Fineran missed the kick, keeping the Orange on top.
Just two minutes later, Purdue found the end zone yet again to retake the lead. The Boilermakers led 29-25 with under a minute to play. The pressure was on the Orange offense.
The fateful drive began with an excellent kick return from Courtney Jackson. The Orange began their drive at the 50-yard line. A holding penalty on Purdue handed 10 free yards to Shrader and the offense, placing them at the Purdue 40-yard line.
With 17 seconds to play on a third-and-10, Garrett Shrader soared a pass to Oronde Gadsden II, who caught it at the pylon for the score. Szymt knocked the extra point through with seven seconds on the clock to put Syracuse back on top, 32-29.
Amidst the backdrop of a roaring crowd, the Boilermakers last-ditch attempt to win the game was a failure. After the most chaotic fourth quarter in recent Syracuse football history, the Orange upset the Boilermakers at home.
Up Next
This is obviously great momentum going into Friday night’s game against UVA at home, but the biggest question coming out of the Purdue game was this: what happened to the usually dominant Sean Tucker?
The success of the Orange offense so far this season is due largely in part to the typically stellar performances of Tucker. Yet, he did virtually nothing for the Orange in this game. He rushed for just 42 yards and picked up 23 yards on two receptions. He was “not pleased” with his performance, per his Twitter.
The Orange are a 10-point favorite over the Virginia Cavaliers this weekend, but the question remains of whether they can keep up their stellar performances, and perhaps even crack the AP top 25.
The game will kickoff at 7 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome.