Syracuse tackles Boston College, 21-6, for second ACC win
SU football picks up second ACC win over Boston College
Syracuse pulled out a 21-6 win Saturday night against Boston College at the Dome. The Orange would qualify for Bowl Season with one more win, something they haven’t accomplished since 2018.
The story of the first half was the trouble both teams had with converting third downs. Both Syracuse and Boston College went 2-8 on third-down conversions throughout the night.
The Eagles changed quarterbacks between the first and second quarters. Freshman QB Emmett Morehead led the Eagles downfield to a 31-yard field goal by Connor Lytton early in the second quarter.
Boston College created pressure and forced turnovers that the Orange had trouble fighting against. The Eagles marched down the field to start the second half but were stopped by the Orange defense. The Eagles kicked another field goal and extended their lead to 6-0.
SU head coach Dino Babers applauded the Orange defensive efforts to prevent Boston College from putting the game out of reach.
“Being able to keep those touchdowns off the board and keeping them to field goals and keeping us within reach, within hope of one quick strike,” Babers said.
The Orange responded with two 10+ yard runs by QB Garrett Shrader , setting up a 51-yard touchdown run by RB Sean Tucker. It was a spark to Syracuse’s offense after a slow first half. The scoring drive changed SU’s momentum, which carried throughout the game.
“We were only one play away and that really carried the momentum,” Shrader said.
On special teams, Courtney Jackson scored a touchdown with a 64-yard punt return.
“When he caught that thing and he stepped up I actually thought he cut the wrong way,” Babers said. “And wow, I mean what a momentum swing.”
The Eagles didn’t see the end zone once during the entire game. Syracuse will take its bye next week after winning its second game in its last five matchups.
“The key thing about a bye week is don’t lose the bye,” Babers said. “The way you don’t lose the bye week is you get into the next game with people more healthy than they’ve ever been.”
The Orange will take on the Louisville Cardinals in Louisville on November 13.