FINAL STATS

Syracuse, NY - After opening the season with losses to Big 10 foes Penn St. and Northwestern, Syracuse hit on all cylinders this afternoon in posting a 54-0 victory over Wagner in front of 33,299 fans at the Carrier Dome in the 2013 home opener for the Orange.
 
In gaining the first victory in the Scott Shafer Era as Syracuse head coach, the Orange moves to 1-2 while the Seahawks also saw their season record fall to 1-2. Shafer took over for Doug Marrone following the 2012 season after Marrone accepted the head coaching position of the NFL's Buffalo Bills.
 
Thanks to a smothering Syracuse defensive effort, Seahawk fifth-year senior All-American running back Dominique Williams (Bridgeton, NJ/ Bridgeton/ Milford Academy) was unable to showcase his vast array of skills as the Orange limited him to 34 yards on 17 carries.
 
Backup quarterback Terrel Hunt came off the bench and sparked Syracuse with five first-half touchdown drives to carry the Orange to a 37-0 halftime lead. For the afternoon, the sophomore signal-caller completed 15-of-18 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns. In Syracuse's last two games combined, a September 7 matchup against Northwestern and today's matchup with Wagner, Hunt has been under center on seven drives which have resulted in six touchdowns and a field goal.
 
Hunt's favorite target vs. the Seahawks was wide receiver Jarrod West, who caught five balls for 147 yards and a score. Running back Jerome Smith gained 61 yards on 14 carries and ran for two scores to lead an Orange ground attack that 236 yards rushing on 48 carries. Through the air, Syracuse was 28-of-35 for 359 yards. Starting QB Drew Allen played sparingly, appearing at the outset and close of the game, and finished 8-of-11 for 62 yards and a touchdown.
 
After Allen took the first three series of the game, he departed in favor of Hunt with 7:07 left in the opening quarter and Syracuse ahead 3-0. While the Wagner defense appeared to have a bead on Allen, the tone and tenor of the game changed dramatically when Hunt entered. He immediately led a 12-play, 68-drive, capped by a two-yard run by Smith around the left side. After a missed extra point, Syracuse led 9-0.
 
On his next chance, Hunt led the Orange on a quick-strike three-play, 64-yard touchdown drive. Syracuse took over on its own 36 following a Wagner punt and the first play of the drive, Hunt hit West over the middle for 42 yards down to the Wagner 22. Following a holding penalty, Hunt then found running back Prince-Tyson Gully on a sideline route for a 30-yard score and a 16-0 Syracuse cushion with 14:01 remaining in the second quarter.
 
Following another Wagner three-and-out, Syracuse took over on its 4 and Hunt navigated 59 yards in eight plays, ending with a Smith eight-yard TD burst on a sweep to the left to make it a 23-0 lead. Running back Devante McFarlane then put the Orange on top 30-0 with a three-yard drive with 5:34 left in the half. Hunt finished the first 30 minutes with a flourish, moving the Orange 73 yards in six plays, highlighted by a 41-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Christopher Clark for a 41-yard scoring strike with 2:20 left before intermission that made it 37-0.
 
Syracuse held a major statistical edge, outgaining the Seahawks in total yards by a margin of 595-87. The Orange, which held Wagner without a first down until the closing minutes of the first half, held a 27-5 advantage overall.
 
Under duress throughout, redshirt junior quarterback Matt Misley (Park Ridge, NJ/ Park Ridge), completed 4-of-11 passes for 11 yards and one interception while being sacked twice before giving way to redshirt freshman Chris Andrews (Queens, NY/ St. Joseph's/Valley Forge). The left-handed  Andrews completed 1-of-8 passes for 14 yards while adding another 12 yards rushing on three carries. Andrews' lone completion went to redshirt freshman wide receiver Patrick Murphy (Staten Island, NY/ Tottenville). For the local product, it the first reception of his career.
 
Junior safety Nevon Williams (Teaneck, NJ/ Teaneck) recorded a game-high eight tackles for the Seahawks while redshirt freshman linebacker Najee Harris (Norristown, PA/ Norristown) and junior linebacker Greg Hilliard (Brockton, MA/Brockton/Suffield Academy/UMass) added seven stops apiece.
 
The crowd of 33,299 was the largest that Wagner has ever played in front of, topping the 18,128 who witnessed North Dakota State's 59-28 win on September 19, 2009. That game, played at the Fargodome in Fargo, ND, also marked the only other time that the Seahawks had played in a domed stadium prior to today.  The only two current Seahawks who played in that game are fifth-seniors Williams and placekicker David Lopez (Plantation, FL/ American Heritage).
 
NOTES
In facing Syracuse, Wagner became the first Northeast Conference (NEC) team to face a team from the Bowl Championship Subdivision as well the only program in NEC history to meet a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
 
The Green & White return to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) next week when the Seahawks travel to Newark, DE for their first-ever meeting with the University of Delaware. The Fightin' Blue Hens will be smarting as well, as they lost to Navy by a 51-7 count today. The Wagner-Delaware game on Saturday, September 21 will be a 6:00 pm kickoff.
 
Wagner has now played in two of the three games in which NEC teams have faced FBS opponents and the conference is 0-3 in these matchups.
 
NEC All-time vs. FBS Opponents
September 14, 2013       Syracuse 54, Wagner 0
August 31, 2013             Florida Atlantic 7, Wagner 3
September 22, 2007       Western Michigan 51, Central Connecticut 14
 
One bright spot for Wagner was the fine punting performance turned in by Misley. His 11 punts covered a distance of 411 yards, which computes to a 41.0 average, a figure that was buoyed by a career-long 51-yarder.
 
The 34 yards gained by Williams was the second-lowest output of his career. In the first game of his collegiate career, on September 5, 2009, Williams had a nine-carry, 29-yard outing vs. Stonehill. Syracuse also held Williams to his lowest rushing day since October 24, 2009 when he rushed for 44 yards on four carries vs. Sacred Heart.
 
The shutout at the hands of Syracuse marked the first time the Seahawks have been blanked since a 24-0 loss at Albany on October 29, 2011, a span of 20 games.
 
The 54 points allowed by Wagner are the most since September 19, 2009 when North Dakota St. posted a 59-28 win.
 
The 54-point margin of defeat is the widest in the 33-year Walt Hameline Era. The previous largest margin of defeat by a Hameline-led Wagner team came on November 3, 1990 when Hofstra posted  48-0 win over the Seahawks on Grymes Hill.
 
The 54-point margin of defeat vs. Syracuse is the widest since November 22, 1969 when the Seahawks lost at Whittier College 56-0. The worst loss in Wagner history was an 82-0 defeat at St. Lawrence during the 1936 season.