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With its worst field position of the game, Syracuse turned to freshman LeQuint Allen from its own 4-yard line. Allen eluded unblocked linebacker Jordan Francois, made another defender miss and found himself in the open field. Wide receiver CJ Hayes provided another block, and Allen took off down the left side of the field alongside Umari Hatcher.

Allen didn’t have enough to finish the run though, and was taken down at the opposite 6-yard line. Still, it was a 90-yard run that led to three more insurance points for SU. The Orange won 59-0, allowing them to give snaps to younger players like Allen. The running back finished with four carries, 112 yards and a touchdown.

Sean Tucker had gone down with an injury on the previous possession, inserting Allen into the game. It was the third time that’s happened this season, following instances against Louisville and Virginia, where Tucker laid on the field for several moments before eventually getting up and walking off the field. Tucker said postgame that he feels fine, something head coach Dino Babers also iterated. But the injury gave Allen another opportunity to prove why he was one of SU’s top recruits in this year’s class, and why he earned the No. 2 spot on the depth chart over New Mexico State transfer Juwuan Price.

“It looks like he’s going to be really good, we just have to wait and see,” head coach Dino Babers said of Allen. “He gave you guys a little taste of it today.”

Allen’s touchdown run came after he bulldozed Wagner’s Travis Laster to make it 55-0 SU. In response to questions about the offensive line’s play against Purdue and Virginia,  Babers said “everything’s under consideration” on how to fix the struggles. The unit responded by locking down Wagner on Saturday.

“The o-line did a fantastic job today,” Allen said. “They got on their blocks, they knew who to block. So they just played a huge part in my performance.”

Allen enrolled at Syracuse in January, something he said helped him significantly adjust to the college game, particularly playing in SU’s spring game, which Tucker and others sat out for precautionary reasons. Allen said he’s learned a lot from Tucker, who leads the way in meetings and work on and off the practice field.

The running back earned New Jersey’s Gatorade Player of the Year honor last year, and was SU’s second-highest recruit in the Class of 2022, per 247Sports. Babers and Syracuse recruited Allen out of Millville (New Jersey) High School in the southern part of the state. Allen said he developed a close relationship with running backs coach Mike Lynch during the recruiting process, and considers Lynch to be a father figure to him.

SU has hosted several players from Millville on recruiting visits this season, including 3-star Class of 2024 receiver Ta’Ron Haile, who has offers from Penn State, Pitt and Maryland. Allen said players from Millville don’t typically get a lot of recognition, but the school has a “lot of dogs.”

“For me to put on for them, help them get to where they need to be in life, it means a lot,” Allen said.

Tucker will likely continue to get 20-30 touches a game for SU, barring a more serious injury that forces him to miss significant time. But having a No. 2 running back who can contribute will be important for the Orange. And if Tucker chooses to declare for the NFL Draft after this season, Allen will likely be handed the keys in SU’s backfield.

The game was won when…

Tucker recorded his career-long 60-yard rush with less than six minutes to go in the first quarter. It put Syracuse up 14-0 after the extra point, and solidified the Orange’s control over Saturday’s game.

Up to that point, Tucker’s longest rush of the season was only 13 yards against UConn, but when Shrader handed him the ball out of the shotgun, the running back used a cutback and blocks from Dakota Davis and Oronde Gadsden II to burst into the secondary. Tucker’s top-end speed took care of the rest, and his two touchdowns later in the half helped take SU into halftime up 49-0.

Quote of the night: Garrett Shrader

Shrader and Tucker were asked postgame about the decision to stay in the game late in the third quarter, something Babers said he always does in blowouts since he likes to give his starters the chance to adapt to halftime adjustments. Tucker said Babers and Anae approached the offense, wanting them to break some offensive school records, including SU’s single-game rushing yards record of 252 held by Joe Morris in 1979. Tucker finished 20 yards short with a career-high 232.

Stat to know: 100%

Shrader’s completion percentage on Saturday was the first time in Syracuse history that a quarterback recorded at least 10 passing attempts without an incompletion. Two weeks into the season, Shrader had led the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranked third nationally with a 79.2% completion percentage, but that number slipped after going 13-for-29 (44.8%) against Purdue. He rebounded against Virginia, throwing for 277 yards and completing over 60% of his passes, and looked dominant again against the Seahawks.

Game ball: Sean Tucker

Tucker recorded his best collegiate game statistically, averaging over 10 yards per carry and scoring three times. His speed and strength overwhelmed Wagner, and given Syracuse’s huge advantage up front, it was easy for Tucker to find and navigate his way through holes all game. The Orange also used him in the passing game, where he registered two catches for 15 yards.

Tucker’s performance Saturday also moved him into seventh all-time on SU’s rushing yards list with 2,668.

“It means a lot,” Tucker said. “It represents the hard work I put in through the offseason and during the season. All those guys up front and my receivers outside blocking for me, just being out there, and passing those guys feels great.”

Three final points

Linton makes an impact

Redshirt sophomore Steve Linton notched two sacks against the Seahawks, the first time he took down the quarterback since SU’s season opener. Linton is arguably the Orange’s most talented defensive lineman, but was bothered by injuries through the first few games of the year. He said postgame that he’s at full strength now. Linton’s impact is especially significant since Syracuse has been trying to replicate the pressure linebacker Stefon Thompson provided prior to his season-ending injury.

“We work every day, practicing hard every day,” Linton said of the defensive line. “So it’s showing on the field. We can step it up probably a little more, but for the most part I like what we’re doing.”

Quarters shortened

The third and fourth quarters of the game were shortened from the typical 15 minutes to 10. Babers wouldn’t share specifics postgame on how the decision came about, but said it was an automatic “let’s do it” for fear of players getting hurt if the extra 10 minutes were played. Syracuse has already lost Thompson, Chris Elmore, Isaiah Jones and Terry Lockett to season-ending injuries, and defensive lineman Denis Jaquez Jr. suffered an injury against Wagner.

“There’s no need for me to play an extra 10 minutes and risk more injuries to what we have to do going down the stretch,” Babers said. “Five games, five players hurt. There’s going to come a point where the dam is going to break.”

Other notable stats

Despite Tucker not breaking SU’s single-game rushing record, Saturday’s performance helped SU hit several milestones. The 59-0 win was the Orange’s largest margin of victory since beating Johns Hopkins 85-6 in 1929. The last time SU won a game by at least 50 points was in 2018 when it took down Wagner 62-10, led by Eric Dungey’s five touchdown passes.

SU also didn’t record a single punt for the first in a game since 1998 and registered a shutout for the first time since beating Liberty 24-0 in 2019. The Orange held Wagner to only 50 yards, and Seahawks quarterback Ryan Kraft finished with a stat line of 2-for-6 passing for 19 yards.

Next up: Bye week, NC State

Syracuse has next weekend off to prepare for its final seven games of the season, which includes three games against top-25 teams as well as Notre Dame, Florida State and Pittsburgh. The Wolfpack fell 30-20 on Saturday night at No. 5 Clemson, slipping to No. 14 in the AP Poll. But their visit to the JMA Wireless Dome on Oct. 15 could be one of the most crucial home games Syracuse has had in recent memory.

Published on October 2, 2022 at 5:37 pm

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_