Syracuse (3-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) took down Central Michigan (1-2) on Saturday afternoon in overtime, 30-27, despite losing starting quarterback Eric Dungey and wide receiver Steve Ishmael to upper-body injuries.

Here are three quick observations from the win that put SU at 3-0 for the first time in 24 years.

Injury prone

Syracuse lost Dungey to a late hit in the second quarter and CMU defensive lineman Mitch Stanitzek was ejected for targeting. Sophomore Austin Wilson took over, and sophomore walk-on Zack Mahoney even got some snaps under center. SU failed to score in the second half.

Starting wideout Steve Ishmael also suffered an upper-body injury and didn’t return. He had one catch for 62 yards on a play-action bomb from Dungey that almost saw the sophomore wide receiver outrun a CMU defensive back to the end zone.

Starting center Rob Trudo and starting tight end Josh Parris, who were both game-time decisions, also didn’t play.

Riled up

After Syracuse went three-and-out with less than three minutes to go in the fourth, Riley Dixon had his punt deflected by an onrushing Chippewa. But somehow, after the ball landed at the CMU 20, it rolled another 10 yards and pinned the visitors deep in their own territory.

It was the fourth time Dixon pinned CMU inside its own 20 and yet another bomb that gave the SU defense plenty of field position to work with. In all, he averaged 50.4 yards — tied for the 10th best average yards per punt in SU single-game history — on five punts with a long of 60.

On a day where a futile Orange offense didn’t score in the second half, it was Dixon who flipped the field just enough to keep SU afloat for an overtime victory.

Unsung hero

The crowd hung in silence as the referees reviewed a Syracuse touchdown in overtime, after Mahoney flipped a triple-option pitch to freshman running back Jordan Fredericks.

After about 45 seconds, the head official confirmed the score and the crowd erupted.

The freshman running back led the Orange’s running game with 73 yards on 11 carries — good for an average of 6.6 yards per carry. The game-winning touchdown was the second time the freshman has reached the end zone this season.

Syracuse will now face SEC powerhouse Louisiana State with an undefeated record next weekend in the Carrier Dome.

Published on September 19, 2015 at 4:20 pm

Contact Matt: [email protected] | @matt_schneidman