Syracuse Opens ACC Play Versus Louisville

Syracuse (1-0) vs. No. 13 Louisville (1-0)
Game Details: Friday, Sept. 9 | 8 p.m.
Location: Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
Game Links: Tickets | Listen | Watch | Live Stats
Television: ESPN2
Radio: Syracuse IMG Radio Network
Twitter: @CuseFootball | @Cuse
Syracuse Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes
Louisville Links: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse University football team (1-0) begins Atlantic Coast Conference play on Friday, Sept. 9 against No. 13 Louisville (1-0) inside the Carrier Dome at 8 p.m. The game is being tabbed as an 'Orange Out' and fans are encouraged to wear their favorite Orange gear. It will also be Medical Appreciation Night, as the Orange honor of all members of the medical profession for their dedication to keeping our communities healthy.

In addition, SU Athletics will recognize some of this year's Olympians during the second quarter. Jim Boeheim, Mike Hopkins, Alyssa Manley and Flings Owusu-Agyapong are all Syracuse alums who represented their country during this year's Rio Games.

The Orange are coming off a 33-7 victory in their season opener against Colgate on Sept. 2. Sophomore quarterback Eric Dungey was 34-for-40 passing for 355 yards and two touchdowns. Redshirt senior wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo hauled in 12 receptions for 210 yards and one score on his way to winning ACC Receiver of the Week honors, while junior wide receiver Erv Phillips matched the program record with 14 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Louisville notched a 70-14 victory in its campaign starter against Charlotte on Sept. 1. Quarterback Lamar Jackson accounted for a school-record eight touchdowns and 405 offensive yards of offense in only one half of play. Jackson completed 17-of-23 passes for 286 yards and rushed 11 times for 119 yards.

Friday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Adam Amin (play-by-play), Mack Brown (analyst) and Molly McGrath (sideline) on the call.

ORANGE IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
Syracuse owns a 14-11 overall record in conference openers in program history. As a member of the BIG EAST, Syracuse was 13-9 in its league openers. The team has opened up league play in the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome each of the past five years. The Orange own an even 9-9 overall mark in home conference openers.

FAST START
It took only one possession to prove what first-year head coach Dino Babers had promised about the tempo his team would play at when he took over the Orange program in December. On their first series, the Orange moved 79 yards in six plays, while taking just 1:45 off the clock. Quarterback Eric Dungey capped the drive with a 43-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo.

At the end of the night, Syracuse ran 81 plays in 30:26 of possession time, averaging 22.5 seconds per play. For comparison, the Orange averaged one play every 28.1 seconds in 2015. Bowling Green got a play off every 20.7 seconds of possession time last season under Babers.

Syracuse moved the ball mainly through the air. As a team, the Orange were 40-for-46 passing for 437 yards against Colgate. Dungey and Zack Mahoney combined for an .870 completion percentage, setting a new program single-game record. The previous top mark was a 16-of-19 (.842) performance against Army West Point on Nov. 16, 1996. It also marked the highest completion percentage by an ACC team with a minimum of 40 attempts this century.

WEEKDAY WARRIORS
Syracuse owns a 7-4 overall record in 11 weekday games at the Carrier Dome and has won seven of the last nine non-weekend Dome clashes since the start of 2011. Prior to 2011, Syracuse had only hosted two weekday Dome games (1989 vs. West Virginia, 2007 vs. Washington). Both were losses.

Overall, the Orange hold a 10-2 mark in weekday games dating back to their 36-34 win against Kansas State in the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl, a game that was played on Thursday, Dec. 30. Louisville was the last team to beat Syracuse on a weekday, winning 28-6 on Friday, Oct. 3, 2014.

LOUISVILLE AT A GLANCE
Louisville's 70-14 win over Charlotte on Sept. 1 was the largest margin of victory in an opener for the Cardinals since a 73-10 win over Murray State in 2007. Louisville is 1-1 all-time in ACC openers and is 10-6 overall in the ACC since joining the league in 2014.

The Cardinal defense limited Charlotte to 208 yards of total offense in the season opener, including 48 yards on the ground marking the 14th time in the last 27 games that Louisville has held opponents to 100 or fewer rushing yards in a game. Louisville set new school records against the 49ers with six first-half passing touchdowns and eight passing touchdowns.

In addition to Lamar Jackson, the Cardinals' offense features a pair of veteran receivers in James Quick and Jamari Staples. Staples was Jackson's favorite target versus Charlotte, catching four passes for 83 yards.

Defensively, senior linebackers Devonte Fields and Keith Kelsey lead the way. A 2015 All-ACC First Team selection, Kelsey notched six tackles in the victory over Charlotte. Fields had five, including a sack and a pass breakup.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday's meeting is the 15th between the Orange and the Cardinals. Louisville holds the edge in the all-time series with 8-6 overall record against the Orange. Louisville has won each of the past two meetings.

In their last matchup, Louisville scored a 41-17 win on Nov. 7, 2015. Steve Ishmael and Ervin Phillips accounted for Syracuse's two touchdowns. Phillips' score came on a 10-yard run, while Ishmael hauled in a nine-yard touchdown reception. Cardinals quarterback Kyle Bolin was 24-of-35 passing for 362 yards and three touchdowns.

Quarterback Andrew Robinson led Syracuse to a 38-35 upset of then-No. 18 Louisville on Sept. 22, 2007. It marked the team's first win against a ranked opponent since a 43-17 win against No. 17 Boston College on Nov. 27, 2004. Robinson threw for 423 yards and four touchdowns against the Cardinals. His performance stands as the third-best passing effort in program history.

UP NEXT
The Orange wraps up a three-game homestand at the Carrier Dome it hosts USF on Saturday, Sept. 17 during Orange Central Weekend (Homecoming). Kickoff between the Orange and Bulls is set for 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

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Players Mentioned

Eric Dungey

Amba Etta-Tawo

Steve Ishmael

Zack Mahoney

Syracuse University Athletics