Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse football team takes on Army at noon on Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome.
The game will be broadcast on ACC Network.
See in-game team and individual stats here.
Note: Refresh this page throughout Syracuse’s game vs. Army to see the latest updates
Final: Syracuse 29, Army 16
Syracuse outlasted Army in a game of contrasting styles to move to 4-0 on the season and sweep the non-conference schedule for the first time since it started conference affiliation back in 1991.
Up next is the season’s stiffest test yet: Clemson, which heads north with two rare early season defeats after a gut-wrenching, 31-24 overtime loss to Florida State.
For a time Saturday, Army made Orange fans sweat.
The Black Knights’ methodical, option-based scheme grinded SU on the opening possession, chewing up nearly 10 minutes of clock to build an early 7-0 lead. Army finished the half possessing the ball for nearly 24 of 30 minutes, leaving SU with just 17 snaps and a 10-3 deficit.
The Orange beat back Army with enough explosive plays in the second half to take a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Garrett Shrader connected with Damien Alford time and again, favoring his top target with two of the team’s best receivers (Oronde Gadsden II and Isaiah Jones) out due to injury.
Shrader uncorked a 21-yard touchdown on the ground one play after the dome fell silent as Army defensive lineman Andre Miller was taken off the field and transported to a nearby medical center.
Running back LeQuint Allen breached the 100-yard mark, gashing a defense that had to spread out and account for Alford and SU’s pass game. Two of Allen’s bursts up the middle covered 13 and 26 yards.
Syracuse, favored by 13.5 points against the Black Knights, surrendered an 80-yard touchdown on a busted coverage late in the game for the final margin.
Fourth quarter
Syracuse drive starts 2:30 at Army 45-yard line
Garrett Shrader is back in with the starting offense.
LeQuint Allen hits the 100-yard mark on the day.
Shrader throws it up to Alford on fourth down, and the receiver caps a nice day with a great grab. He finishes with nine catches for 135 yards.
That’s the ball game.
Army drive starts 2:43 at own 20-yard line
Avert your eyes if you picked Syracuse to cover.
Army tacks on a late touchdown on a busted coverage. Bryson Daily to Noah Short for 80 yards.
Syracuse drive starts 3:32 at own 17-yard line
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson enters the game, and the Orange will move to 4-0 with Clemson on deck.
A couple extra possessions before it’s official as SU punts it away.
Army drive starts 6:05 at own 25-yard line
Update on Army DL Andre Miller from ACC Network broadcast: He was taken to Upstate Medical’s Trauma Center.
Jeremiah Wilson comes off the field favoring his shoulder.
Army putting together its most promising drive of the second half, but it comes a bit too late to turn the outcome.
Jaeden Gould intercepts Daily’s pass in the end zone, and Syracuse is on its way to pitching a shutout in the second half.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 29, Army 10 with 6:05 remaining fourth quarter
Justin Barron comes up with the interception, as SU’s defense washes out the sour taste of the first half with a dominant performance in the second half.
It’s been a particularly eventful day for Barron, a defensive captain. He met Army QB Bryson Daily in a hard collision in the first half as Army imposed its will on the SU defense and controlled the clock for nearly 24 minutes.
In the second half, Barron injured Army receiver Ay’Jaun Marshall by twisting his ankle at the end of a tackle. Marshall couldn’t put any weight on his leg after the play.
SU tacks on three more points off the turnover.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 26, Army 10 with 9:46 remaining fourth quarter
Syracuse drive starts 10:15 at Army 27-yard line
Dome has grown near silent as medical personnel tend to Army defensive lineman Dre Miller. He collided helmet-to-helmet with teammate Trey Sofia.
It’s led to a stoppage in play as they remove Miller’s helmet and shoulder pads and prepare to move him off the field for further evaluation.
Babers and Army coach Jeff Monken spoke with each other as Miller was being worked on.
On the next play, Shrader bursts ahead for a 21-yard rushing touchdown.
Hard for the broadcast to get excited given the seriousness of Miller’s injury.
Syracuse, which trailed 10-3 at the half, is on its way to a 4-0 mark with Clemson coming to town.
Army drive starts 11:36 at own 25-yard line
Syracuse has now doubled up Army in yards and has the Black Knights on the ropes with a two-score lead in the fourth quarter.
On 3rd-and-4, Leon Lowery swarms the backfield and throws Army for a loss. Kevon Darton blows up the play bull-rushing the center.
Army turns it over on downs. First time this season Army has not converted on fourth down.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 19, Army 10 with 11:36 remaining fourth quarter
Syracuse drive starts 0:49 at own 41-yard line (third quarter)
Allen slips on the turf one play after a 7-yard gain.
On 3rd-and-4, Shrader scrambles to keep the play alive and checks down to Allen, who breaks through a couple tackles and keeps his balance for a first down.
Shrader turns a broken play into an interesting wire-act but is tripped up short of the sticks.
Brady Denaburg sinks his second field goal of the game, and SU makes it a two-possession game.
Third quarter
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Syracuse 16, Army 10
Syracuse drive starts 0:49 at own 41-yard line
Alford gains 7 yards after the catch at the line of scrimmage.
Allen then picks up 17 yards and collides with the umpire at the end of the third quarter.
That’s about the only thing slowing down Allen and the SU offense here in the second half.
Army drive starts 1:56 at own 32-yard line
Bryson Daily takes a shot on first down, but Isaiah Johnson is stride for stride with the receiver as the pass is long.
Justin Barron bottles up the option pitch for a big loss.
On 3rd-and-15, Daily heaves one downfield but overshoots everyone. Army has stalled out offensively.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 16, Army 10 with 2:01 remaining third quarter
Syracuse drive starts 5:42 at own 9-yard line
Shrader finds Allen out of the backfield for 8 yards, then Allen picks his way through scrimmage for a first down.
Syracuse bunches its receivers as Shrader finds Dan Villari leaking out for another first down.
Three-straight plays move the sticks as Shrader finds Brown.
Allen then bursts up the middle for 27 yards. The Orange using the pass to open up the run game, and it has gotten Army off balance defensively.
Quick strike to Brown moves SU inside the red zone with a fresh set of downs.
Shrader tries Hatcher on a slant near the goal line.
On 3rd-and-9, Shrader finds Hatcher open in the end zone, and SU grabs its first lead the game.
Hatcher is flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the touchdown. He spun the football in front of the defender.
Denaburg missed the extra point.
Army drive starts 7:59 at own 25-yard line
Caleb Okechukwu flagged for a late shove and gifts Army a first down.
Marlowe Wax plugs the hole and throws Army back for a short loss.
Justin Barron twists the ankle of the Army receiver Ay’Jaun Marshall at the end of a tackle, and Marshall can’t put any weight on the leg.
Wax comes up with the third-down stop.
Army will punt on 4th-and-6.
SCORE UPDATE: Syracuse 10, Army 10 with 7:59 remaining third quarter
Syracuse drive starts 9:43 at own 33-yard line
Shrader takes a deep shot downfield toward Alford, and the big receiver comes down with it against man coverage. That’s good for a 31-yard gain.
Those two connect again a couple plays later on a 19-yard gain to move inside the 15-yard line.
SU sets up at the Army 13-yard line: Allen scores on a run up the middle.
SU ties it up behind three explosives.
Army drive starts 11:51 at own 32-yard line
Syracuse buttons up defensively out of the break and forces a three-and-out.
Kevon Darton with the third-down stop to force an Army punt.
Syracuse drive starts 15:00 at own 25-yard line
Shrader locking in on Damien Alford today for 6. LeQuint Allen gets stopped no gain running off the right tackle.
On 3rd-and-4, Shrader finds Donovan Brown over the middle for a much-needed first down near midfield.
Shrader then picks up a chunk gain scrambing to the Army 41-yard line. The QB then goes back to Brown, and the Orange is in field-goal range.
On 3rd-and-4, Allen is stopped short of the first-down marker.
On 4th-and-1 from the 32-yard, SU is stopped short. Turnover on downs.
SU’s warts lay bare on the fourth weekend in September.
Halftime: Army 10, Syracuse 3
Syracuse trails 10-3 at halftime in a game that has been played exactly the way Army wants it. The visitors have dominated possession and churned out first downs.
Army has 129 rushing yards to 18 for Syracuse. Army averaging 3.9 yards per rush, which is enough to keep the chains moving.
Army is 3-for-3 on fourth down, remaining perfect on the year in fourth-down conversion (13-for-13).
Quarterback Bryson Daily has been the game’s most effective player, rushing 14 times for 57 yards.
Second quarter
0:29: Syracuse takes over on its 25 following a touchback
SCORE: Army 10, Syracuse 3
0:29: Army picks up another 3 points on a field goal by Quinn Maretzki.
4:50: Army picks up a second 4th down, now 3-for-3 this game and 13-for-13 for the season. Army now out near midfield.
5:04: Army converts with a 4th-and-1 from its 24. That’s how Army plays. Now 12-for-12 on fourth downs this year. Now calls timeout before a 4th-and-1 from its 35.
9:49: Army ball on its 15 following a punt
10:00: Another quick possession for Syracuse as the orange go 3-and-out. Shrader overthrew Umari Hatcher deep on 3rd-and-5.
11:09: Syracuse ball on its 40 following a punt
12:52: Another strong drive for the Syracuse defense which benefits from a rare Army holding penalty on 2nd-and-9. Orange then get a sack and forced fumble from Denis Jaquez Jr. Army falls on it and punts from its 22.
Some controversial officiating negates a nice return from Trebor Pena. SU called for holding on the return, while Army looked like it clearly got away with a hit out-of-bounds.
13:29: Army ball on the 25 following a touchback
SCORE: Army 7, Syracuse 3
14:06: Syracuse’s drive stopped when Garrett Shrader was sacked on 3rd-and-5. Brady Denaburg connects on a 46-yard field goal to put the Orange on the board.
First quarter
1:39: Syracuse with its first first down on a LeQuint Allen run and a pass to D’Marcus Adams, then another on a short throw to Damien Alford and a third on a short throw to Donovan Brown. Syracuse will open the second quarter on the Army 28.
2:16: Syracuse ball on the 30 following an Army punt.
2:48: Syracuse tightens up against the run and forces a 3-and-out on Army’s second drive. D’Marcus Adams with a fair catch on the SU 30.
4:35: Army takes over on its 17-yard line following a punt.
4:44: Syracuse’s first two plays are keepers by Garrett Shrader. He’s almost picked for a pick-6 on the third play. Instead it’s an incomplete pass. Not a good start for the Orange.
5:35: Syracuse ball on the 25 following a touchback
SCORE: Army 7, Syracuse 0
5:35: Jakobi Buchanan charges in from the 1 for Army. That drive was exactly what Army likes. Five first downs and 17 plays. Fifty-two yards on the ground and picking up 4.1 yards per carry to move the chains.
9:22: Army keeps picking up positive yards in big enough amounts to move the chains. Quarterback Bryson Daily runs up the middle on 3rd-and-1. Army now at the SU 34.
10:49: Army takes over on its 25 following a touchback. Army picks up a first down on two runs and a short pass on 3rd-and-5. Noah Short broke a tackle and got some nice blocking to move chains.
Terry Lockett sets up a 4th-and-1 with a tackle for loss. Army converts with a short run and is now 11-for-11 on 4th downs for the season and out past midfield.
Syracuse wins the toss and defers to the second half. Army gets the ball first.
Pregame
Some early injury updates for Syracuse. Wide receiver Isaiah Jones is out with an injury. He was moving around on the sidelines and doesn’t have any obvious signs of what the injury is. Offensive lineman Kalen Ellis is also out before the game in casual clothes.
On the good side, both offensive lineman Joe More and kick returner/receiver Trebor Pena participated in warm-ups in pads.
Syracuse (3-0) enters the game unbeaten and looking for its first perfect non-conference record since it joined a conference and began play in the Big East in 1991.
While this year’s schedule hasn’t been particularly grueling it does have the Orange in position to welcome Clemson to the JMA Wireless Dome next week with an unbeaten record.
First, though, the Orange need to defeat Army.
The Cadets are 2-1. Syracuse will be their first Power-Five challenge after a season-opening loss to Louisiana-Monroe and wins over Delaware State and Texas-San Antonio.
Syracuse’s defense has said that staying disciplined against an option-based approach will be its biggest focus this week. The Orange prides itself on swarming to the ball quickly. Against Army, SU’s defenders are going to have to be careful before leaving their man to help out teammates.
On offense, Syracuse will be looking to get Garrett Shrader more help than he had against Purdue.
In its first full game without star Oronde Gadsden II, SU’s receivers had issues with dropped passes, forcing Shrader to do a lot of running. Shrader is capable, but the Orange would prefer not to see him absorb so many hits and be able to get to that Clemson game healthy.
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