First half by the numbers: Syracuse 24, Central Michigan 17
Sophomore running back Jonathan Ward runs with the ball during the football game against the University of Rhode Island on Aug. 31 in Kelly / Shorts Stadium.
Coming off of a 45-27 win over Kansas in week two, head coach John Bonamego wanted to see his team “move on” and be ready for a challenge against Syracuse.
Through two quarters of play, his team is in a dog fight at the Carrier Dome.
The Orange scored a pair of quick touchdowns late in the second quarter to hold a 24-17 advantage over CMU heading into halftime.
With a pair of slow possessions to open the game for CMU offensively, a big play was what got the Chippewas going.
Quarterback Shane Morris was able to connect with sophomore wideout Cameron Cole for a 56-yard touchdown pass. Cole’s first collegiate touchdown put CMU in front 7-3 late in the first quarter.
On the following possession for SU, junior linebacker Alex Briones made a one-handed interception to give the Chippewas the ball deep in the Orange territory.
CMU went 3-and-out and wasn't able to score a touchdown, but transfer senior Michael Armstrong hit a 30-yard field goal to extend the Chippewa lead to 10-3.
The Orange responded with an interception off a deflection, with SU’s Evan Foster turning it into a 24-yard touchdown return to tie the score at 10.
After a dry start to the second quarter, CMU’s offense rallied for an 11-play, 91-yard drive that resulted in a 17-yard touchdown reception from sophomore running back Jonathan Ward. CMU took the lead at 17-10 midway through the second quarter.
SU took the kick-off back 64 yards to set up its offense on the CMU 32-yard line. That led to a 18-yard touchdown catch from running back Dontae Strickland to tie the score again at 17-17.
A drive was forming for the Chippewas into the Orange’s territory until Morris threw his second interception of the day to kill CMU's momentum.
A couple of big plays later for the SU offense and the Orange was in the lead. Strickland ran nine yards up the middle for his second touchdown, giving SU a 24-17 advantage.
Here is the first half broken down by the numbers:
Passing yards: CMU 171, SU 136
Rushing yards: CMU 47, SU 58
Total yards: CMU 218, SU 194
First downs: CMU 11 , SU 8
Turnovers: CMU 2, SU 2
Penalties-yards: CMU 3-18, SU 3-30
Highlight of the Half: When SU and CMU met at the Carrier Dome in 2015, it resulted in a 30-27 Syracuse overtime win. Redshirt junior Mitch Stanitzek was thrown out of the game for a targeting call on current SU quarterback Eric Dungey. In the first quarter of Saturday’s game, sophomore defensive lineman D’Andre Dill forced a fumble that Stanitzek jumped on top of for the first turnover of the game. It had to be an emotional play for Stanitzek after what happened two years ago.
