Recap: Orange Beat Demon Deacons in Overtime, 39-30

Saturday, November 30

Syracuse, NY

12:30 PM

Syracuse University

5-7 , 2-6

Wake Forest

8-4 , 4-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Wake Forest

Syracuse

Recap: Orange Beat Demon Deacons in Overtime, 39-30

11/30/2019 4:07:00 PM | Football

Box Score Highlights The Final Play: Trill Williams TD Photo Gallery Dino Babers Press Conference Trishton Jackson & Trill Williams Press Conference Postgame Notes Quotes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Trill Williams stole the ball and the Orange stole the game.

With Wake Forest threatening in overtime, Williams pulled the ball away from Kendall Hinton and raced 94 yards for the game-ending touchdown and the Orange (5-7, 2-6 ACC) emerged with a 39-30 win against Wake Forest (8-4, 4-4 ACC) in the Dome. The victory sent the Orange's senior class out as winners in their last college game.

"The one thought that truly did pop in my mind was a moment that Trill and I had at the beginning of the season," senior Kendall Coleman said. "I walked up to him and spoke to him about making sure that he was putting in the right work and doing
the right things to take the next step forward in his development as a player, and he responded by saying 'Don't worry. We won't let you go out the wrong way.' And that play happened and the first thought that came to my mind was that he held true to his word."

WORKING OVERTIME
Syracuse had the first opportunity in the extra session. Unable to get a first down, the Orange turned to Andre Szmyt, who kicked a 40-yard field goal to make the score 33-30.

Wake Forest took its turn and quickly moved 15 yards to the Syracuse 10. Reserve quarterback Sam Hartman fired a pass to Hinton, who got to the six before Williams' game-saving play.

FURIOUS FINISH IN REGULATION
An afternoon of dramatic plays reached another level in the last five minutes of regulation. It started with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Hartman to Hinton with 4:12 to go. The extra point tied the contest at 27-27.

Syracuse answered by driving 46 yards in 10 plays to set up another field-goal try by Szmyt. The redshirt sophomore drilled the 49-yarder with 44 seconds left to give the Orange a 30-27 advantage.

Wake Forest was not finished and quickly moved 50 yards in eight plays with Nick Sciba converting a 43-yard field goal on the final play of the fourth quarter to force overtime.

THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN
After Wake Forest opened the game's scoring on a 43-yard field goal by Sciba, Syracuse strung together 17 unanswered points to move in front, 17-3.

Quarterback Clayton Welch, making his first Orange start, engineered an 11-play, 65-yard drive that he finished off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to redshirt junior Trishton Jackson.

A Wake Forest fumble late in the first quarter setup the next Orange score as Szmyt converted a 24-yard field goal to put Syracuse ahead, 10-3.

Welch struck again on Syracuse's first series of the second quarter. The drive began at the Syracuse 44-yard line after the Orange defense stopped the Demon Deacons on fourth down. Two key plays in the march came from sophomore wideout Taj Harris – a 10-yard run and an 18-yard reception. That set up Welch, who found a wide-open Luke Benson for a 29-yard touchdown. Szmyt's PAT extended the Orange lead to 17-3.

THE WAKE-UP CALL
Despite losing starting quarterback Jamie Newman to injury, the Demon Deacons regrouped and battled back. Nick Sciba closed out the first half with a 45-yard field goal that narrowed the Syracuse advantage to 17-6.

A 19-yard touchdown run by Cade Carney early in the third quarter pulled the Demon Deacons within four, 17-13. The Orange answered with a 20-yard Szmyt field goal, but on the next possession, Hartman and Donavon Greene teamed on a 75-yard touchdown pass. Sciba's extra point knotted the game at 20-all.

CISCO'S STOLEN GOODS
Sophomore safety Andre Cisco continued to be a takeaway machine. In the first quarter, he intercepted a Jamie Newman pass for his team-leading fifth interception of the season. It was the 12th pick of his career. Cisco entered the game tied for second among active Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) players in interceptions.

On Wake Forest's next possession, Cisco recovered a Newman fumble deep in Wake Forest territory that was forced by senior linebacker Lakiem Williams. The Orange took advantage of the opportunity, getting a 24-yard field goal from Szmyt.

HOFRICHTER GETTING HIS KICKS
Senior punter Sterling Hofrichter capped his stellar collegiate career by becoming the program's career leader in punting yardage. Hofrichter kicked five times for 227 yards to finish his Orange tenure with 11,651 yards on 270 punts. Brendan Carney previously held the mark with 11,534 yards from 2003-06.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Trishton Jackson went over 1,000 yards receiving during the game. It is the sixth 1,000-yard receiving season in school history. He caught 10 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown on Saturday to finish the season with 1,023 yards.
Jackson closed the year with 67 receptions, good for seventh on Syracuse's all-time single-season list.
With his 11th touchdown catch of the campaign, Jackson moved into a third-place tie with Rob Moore on the program's single-season ledger. Tommy Kane and Amba Etta Tawo share the Orange season record with 14 TD catches.
Syracuse had four players notch double-digit tackles – Lakiem Williams (11), Mikel Jones (10), Christopher Fredrick (10) and Alton Robinson (10).
Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba extended his FBS record for consecutive made field goals to 34 with successful kicks from 43 and 45 yards. His streak ended when he missed a 48-yarder in the fourth quarter that would have broken a 20-20 tie.
Clayton Welch started in place of redshirt sophomore Tommy DeVito, who took the opening snap in the first 11 games of the season. Welch completed 21-of-36 passes for 234 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Moe Neal ran 20 times for 98 yards and a touchdown. His fourth-quarter score, a 13-yard run, gave Syracuse a 27-20 lead with 8:29 left.
Syracuse had three interceptions – one each by Andre Cisco, Christopher Fredrick and Ifeatu Melifonwu.
Cisco's 12th career pick moved him into a fifth-place tie on the Syracuse career ledger.
Andre Szmyt's 15-point afternoon (four field goals, three extra points) raised his season total 90 for the year and 241 in his two years of play. He is fifth in Orange history in career kicking points.
The four field goals pushed Szymt's career total to 47, good for a sixth-place tie with Don McAulay on Syracuse's all-time list.
Szmyt's third extra point against Wake Forest gave him 100 in his career, which ranks sixth in team history.

For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).