Syracuse, Wake Forest Set for Saturday Showdown

Syracuse (2-3, 0-1 ACC) at Wake Forest (4-1, 1-1 ACC)
Game Details: Saturday, Oct. 8 | 7 p.m.
Location: BB&T Field | Winstom-Salem, N.C.
Game Links: Tickets | Listen | Watch | Live Stats
Television: RSN
Radio: Syracuse IMG Radio Network
Twitter: @CuseFootball | @Cuse
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes
Wake Forest Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Syracuse football team (2-3, 0-1 ACC) resumes conference play when it takes on Wake Forest (4-1, 1-1 ACC) Saturday night at BB&T Field in Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. The Orange have won four straight against the Demon Deacons, including a 30-7 triumph the last time Syracuse traveled to Wake Forest in 2014.

The Orange are looking to bounce back from a 50-33 loss against Notre Dame on Oct. 1. Sophomore quarterback Eric Dungey eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark for the fourth time in five games last week against the Irish. Redshirt senior wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo, the nation's leader in receiving yards, recorded his fifth straight 100-yard game, setting a new program record.

After winning their first four games of the year, the Demon Deacons lost the first time in 2016 by the score of 33-16, at NC State on Oct. 1. Junior defensive lineman Duke Ejiofor is among the top pass rushers in the league. He has 5.5 sacks through five games.

Saturday's game will be broadcast on RSN with Bob Rathbun (play-by-play), Takeo Spikes (analyst) and Kelsey Wingert (sideline) on the call. A list of RSN affiliates carrying the game can be found here.

COACHING CONNECTION
Two former Bowling Green head coaches will square off when the Orange and Demon Deacons meet Saturday. Dino Babers and Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson both led the Falcons in recent years. Clawson coached BGSU from 2009-13. Babers succeeded Clawson when he accepted the Wake Forest job and guided the program in 2014 and 2015 before coming to Syracuse.

The Falcons were 32-30 and three bowl appearances in Clawson's five seasons. In his last year, Clawson guided Bowling Green to a 10-3 overall record and its first MAC Championship since 1992, beating undefeated Northern Illinois in the conference title game.

Babers recorded an 18-9 overall mark at the helm of BGSU, building on the success Clawson had. The Falcons won the MAC East Division title both seasons under Babers and captured the 2015 MAC Championship.

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
Redshirt senior wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo set a new Syracuse single-game record with 270 receiving yards at Connecticut on Sept. 24 and he is one of three FBS players with 250 receiving yards in game in 2016 (James Washington of Oklahoma State, Allenzae Staggers of Southern Miss).

Etta-Tawo is only the third player in ACC history to record multiple 200-yard receiving games in the same season, joining Torry Holt (NC State, 1998) and Craphonso Thorpe (Florida State, 2003). It's the second straight year a player coached by Dino Babers eclipsed the 200-yard receiving mark multiple times during a campaign. Bowling Green's Roger Lewis did it three times in 2015.

Etta-Tawo leads the FBS in receiving yards (840), receiving yards per game (168.0), ranks fourth in receptions per game (9.4) and fifth in touchdown catches (6).

ORANGE IS THE NEW FAST
As promised the Orange offense is moving at a speed never before seen in Central New York. Thus far, Syracuse has run an FBS-best 433 offensive plays (86.6 per contest). By comparison, the Orange totaled 751 offensive snaps and averaged 62.6 plays per game last year. Houston sits behind Syracuse with 431 total plays in 2016, while Baylor is third with 420.

Through five games, Syracuse is averaging one play every 20.4 seconds of possession time. For comparison, Baylor is averaging an offensive snap every 19.4 seconds in 2016. Texas, under the direction of Dino Babers' pupil Sterlin Gilbert, has run a play every 20.6 seconds. Oregon, the perceived standard in up-tempo offense, is managing a snap every 20.9 seconds.

ESTIME ACTIVE FBS LEADER IN PUNT RETURN AVERAGE
Senior wide receiver Brisly Estime averaged 42.7 yards per punt return (3/128) last weekend against Notre Dame, the second-best, single-game average in school history (min. 3 returns). The performance elevated him to second in the country this season in punt return average. Estime has 153 yards and seven runbacks, good for an average of 21.9 yards per return. Only Trever Ryan (22.3 avg.) has been better.

Estime's career average of 19.0 yards per return is tops among active FBS players and is on pace to rank second in Orange history behind only College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Floyd Little's mark of 19.7.

NOSE FOR THE BALL
Junior linebacker Parris Bennett has 31 tackles (15.5 per game) in the last two outings. Bennett made 14 stops in SU's win at Connecticut on Sept. 24 and followed it up with a career-high 17 tackles last week against Notre Dame. Bennett's 17 stops against the Irish were the most for a Syracuse defender in more than a decade (Jerry Mackey made 17 tackles at Virginia in 2004).

The Detroit, Mich. product leads the Orange with 42 tackles on the season and ranks 10th in the ACC in tackles per game (8.4).

WAKE FOREST AT A GLANCE
Pror to last week's loss to NC State, the Demon Deacons were off to their best start since 2006. The Demon Deacons enter Saturday's tilt 4-1, including a 1-1 record in conference play.

The Wake Forest running game flows through Matt Colburn, who has already exceeded his season total from 2015 five games into the season. Colburn has 82 carries for 337 yards. The Demon Deacons rank eighth in the ACC in rushing with 173.8 yards per game. Their ground game could also get a boost if freshman Cade Carney is able to play. Carney started the first two games, but has missed the last three do to injury. Carney averaged 5.4 yards a carry against Tulane at Duke before gettting hurt.

Quarterback John Wolford is a three-year starer. He's completed 66 out of 116 passes for 686 yards and three touchdowns. Wolford threw for a season-high 263 yards in last week's loss to NC State. Wolford's top target is receiver Tabari Hines (17 rec., 226 yds, 1TD).

Defensively, Wake Forest is allowing less than 20 points a game. Strong safety Jessie Bates is the team's top tackler with 41 stops. Defensive end Duke Ejiofor has been one of the most disruptive players in the conference thus far. He has 5.5 sacks, tied for third in the ACC, and he ranks second in the conference with nine tackles for loss. Cornerback Amari Henderson is second in the ACC with six pass breakups.

SERIES HISTORY
Syracuse and Wake Forest have played five times previously. The Orange own a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series, winning each of the past four meetings.
Since becoming a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013, Syracuse owns a perfect 3-0 mark against the Deacs..

Last season, quarterback Eric Dungey tossed two second-half touchdowns to lead Syracuse to a 30-17 victory. Dungey completed 8-of-13 attempts for 221 yards in the contest, including 186 yards in the second half. His 89-yard touchdown to Brisly Estime late in the third quarter was the third-longest pass in school history.

UP NEXT
After three straight games away from the Carrier Dome, the Orange return home to rekindle their rivalry with Virginia Tech Saturday, Oct. 15 at 3:45 p.m. The game will be televised to a national audience on ESPNU.

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Players Mentioned

Parris Bennett

Eric Dungey

Brisly Estime

Amba Etta-Tawo

Syracuse University Athletics