Syracuse Football Secures Bowl Berth, Takes Down Wake Forest 35-31

Syracuse Football secured the victory on Senior Day. Photo by Patrick Smith.

Syracuse Football is sticking around just a bit longer.

The Orange finished off their regular season with a win over Wake Forest, defeating the Demon Deacons 35-31. The sixth win of the season guaranteed Syracuse a bowl game later this winter. It was also Senior Day, so the seniors capped off their Syracuse careers with a win at home.

Quarterback Garrett Shrader did not hide his emotions after playing his final game in the Dome. He teared up as he spoke about the team’s resilience this year.

Quarterback Garrett Shrader takes his final snap at the Dome. Photo by Patrick Smith.

“Nobody on this team ever for a second gave up,” he said. “It’s just fighting and clawing to find something that can work, and it’s just awesome to see it come to full completion this week and get that sixth win. I’m proud of how these guys fought.”

It was a historic day for running back LeQuint Allen Jr., who eclipsed 1000 rushing yards this season during the game. He rushed a career high 144 yards. Wide receiver Damien Alford found success on the field as well, with 126 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately, his day ended earlier than expected after getting hit hard in the fourth quarter.

Wake Forest Michael Kern tries to outsmart the Syracuse defense. Photo by Patrick Smith.

Wake Forest put up a fight, with quarterback Michael Kern throwing 261 passing yards. Nearly every time Syracuse scored, the Demon Deacons responded immediately and quickly rushed down the field to even it up. However, Syracuse never trailed and kept up their momentum. Syracuse defensive back Jason Simmons Jr. thwarted a last-minute scoring drive for the Demon Deacons by intercepting the ball at the 1-yard line, sealing the deal for the Orange.

With the loss, Wake Forest fell to a 4-8 record and ended their season at the bottom of ACC rankings. Syracuse’s win kept them out of that last place spot.

For Syracuse, Saturday’s matchup was the first game in eight years without coach Dino Babers at the helm. Syracuse fired Babers this past week after losing to Georgia Tech. Interim head coach Nunzio Campanile says it was a tough week for the squad, but they never lost focus on the end goal.

Interim head coach Nunzio Campanile speaks with the media. Photo by Patrick Smith.

“I think these guys did an excellent job of managing those emotions and putting them aside when it’s time to go out and play football,” he said. “But I totally encourage them to address it, communicate it and talk to the assistant coaches about it.”

The game leaves Syracuse in limbo in many ways. There’s no word yet on where or who they’re meeting for the bowl game, and rumors swirl about their next head coach’s identity. Either way, it was an emotional send off to a tumultuous regular season.