Editor’s note: The article below is a fully republished game story from Sept. 13, 1999. All errors and AP style mistakes are from the original copy. 

Syracuse’s extended preseason officially came to a close Saturday.

The Orangemen made it 2-0 against their weak MAC compatriots, thrashing Central Michigan 47-7 in front of 45,563 in the Carrier Dome.

After beating up the equally unqualified Toledo Rockets 35-12 last week, SU steps up the level of competition next week and brings No. 5 Michigan to the Dome.

While the competition has not been stellar, Syracuse took the two contests to try some things out and work out its roster, top to bottom, before facing the Wolverines.

Saturday looked similar to last week in Toledo, as SU coasted on offense and dominated on defense, building a comfortable lead and allowing a laundry list of players to see action.

Syracuse piled up 495 yards on offense, blocked a punt for a touchdown on special teams and totaled eight tackles for a loss on defense.

Senior Quinton Spotwood had a break-out game, notching 135 yards on six catches for two touchdowns. Troy Nunes again posted efficient passing numbers, going 8-for-13 for 170 yards and three TDs.

The rout marked the first time since 1993 the Orangemen won their home opener.

“I think we have some confidence,” head coach Paul Pasqualoni said. “Tonight was good to get on track and really be explosive and score the number of points we did. I think we have as much confidence as two wins can give you. I think the kids are looking forward to preparing this week for Michigan.”

One of the primary sparks of that explosion was Spotwood, who was dormant last week against the Rockets. The senior comes off a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered last season against Cincinnati.

After catching no passes and gaining only five yards on three punt returns last week, Spotwood displayed the game-breaking ability that made him an All-American punt returner in 1997.

Spotwood gave SU a 17-0 lead with just over two minutes to play in the first quarter, slowing up to catch an under-thrown Nunes pass and taking it 56 yards into the end zone. Then in the second quarter on third and 29 from the CMU 43-yard line, Spotwood caught a 15-yard bullet from Nunes, faked out Brian Leigeb and Tedaro France and then outraced Wayne Dudley to the sideline and into the end zone.

Spotwood had another pretty touchdown called back in the second half.

“I think I look at it differently,” Spotwood said. “In 1997, I was looking to catch the ball. Now I look to score when I catch it.”

Syracuse came out quickly against the Chipps, building a 17-0 first-quarter lead after Dee Brown’s opening 41-yard scamper on the first series. Brown’s legs and Nunes’ arm combined to lead the Orangemen on six of the nine first-half series.

At halftime, Brown racked up 69 yards on seven carries and Nunes threwfor 135 yards on 5-of-7 completions. The running back didn’t play in the second half because of a leg injury, which he said was not serious.

Nunes fired a third-down bullet to Pat Woodcock for the first touchdown on Syracuse’s first drive of the night. SU stalled on the next drive as Leigeb batted away Nunes’ pass on third down. But Syracuse came back, this time with Madei Williams, and Nate Trout hit a field goal to make it 10-0.

Two Spotwood scores and a Jamarl O’Neal touchdown for CMU sandwiched a rare back-to-back fumble in the second quarter. Woodcock fumbled the kickoff return after the touchdown, giving Central Michigan the ball at the SU 37-yard line. But Donald Dinkins forced a Pete Shepherd fumble on the next play, and Rickie Simpkins dove on the loose pigskin to regain possession. Another Trout field goal with three seconds left in the half gave SU a comfortable 34-7 halftime lead.

The revolving door of quarterbacks continued, but Nunes again appeared to boast an edge over Williams. Brown did not see any snaps behind center. Of SU’s 11 offensive series, Nunes quarterbacked seven, including four of the first five and the first two of the second half. The Nunes-led Orangemen scored 28 points and accounted for 306 yards.

Williams helped engineer scoring drives of 50 and 80 yards in the second half. And after fumbling away three balls against Toledo, he appeared to have more confidence and a better handle with his injured pinky against CMU.

But Nunes showed poise and creativity similar to his play in the Toledo game, helping ignite the first-half offensive outburst and going 6-for-8 on third downs. The redshirt freshman even, gasp, drew comparisons to Donovan McNabb from Spotwood.

“I gotta tell you, sometimes when he starts to scramble I get a little nervous,” Pasqualoni said. “But the thing that he’s done, he’s taken care of the ball. He’s used real good judgement and he’s made real, real good decisions with the ball. And that has turned out to be productive.”

The defense also played a solid game, despite working without injured Dwight Freeney and suspended Keith Bulluck. The senior co-captain missed the game early in the week for violating team rules.

Bulluck was certainly the biggest cheerleader on the sideline, and his absence helped fire up the defense. Senior Matt Klaus and true freshman Clifton Smith filled in for Bulluck, while Dinkins moved out to end to replace Freeney.

The linebacking unit led the way, as Marlon Greenwood, Vernon Banks and Klaus combined for 20 tackles, including two for losses. Smith played well in his first collegiate action, registering four tackles, including one on his first play.

The defense did not allow the Chips to break into Syracuse territory until their fifth series. CMU ran six more plays than SU, but managed only 241 yards and went 4-of-15 on third downs.

“I think our defense proved something, that we are not just a one-man defense,” said Dinkins, who notched one of SU’s three sacks. “This is a great unit and we showed that today.”

Published on September 11, 2014 at 12:08 am