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The last time Syracuse football started a season 5-0, a gallon of gas cost 90 cents, Ronald Reagan was president and Dino Babers had just started as a full-time assistant coach at Eastern Illinois.

A lot has changed since 1987, when the Orange finished the regular season 11-0 and played in the Sugar Bowl. None of SU’s players who helped dictate Saturday’s outcome — notably Sean Tucker (232 rushing yards and three touchdowns), Garrett Shrader (17-for-17 passing) and Steve Linton (two sacks) — were alive when Syracuse last improved to 5-0 on Oct. 3, 1987.

Saturday, Syracuse (5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast) won its fifth straight to open the season, with the outcome never in doubt. The Orange led 21-0 after one quarter, 49-0 at halftime and finished with 59 points. Wagner (0-4, 0-1 Northeast) had zero, giving SU its largest margin of victory since beating Johns Hopkins 85-6 in 1929. The game was so out of control that the third and fourth quarters were reduced from 15 minutes to 10. Syracuse didn’t record a punt for the first time since 1998. And the Orange, once predicted to finish in last place in the ACC Atlantic Division, are now 5-0 with a daunting seven-game stretch to conclude the season.

“It’s a great feeling,” Shrader said. “I’m just proud of our team, where we’re at, and just can’t get complacent. We got an exciting part of the schedule coming up, so we’re definitely excited about that.”

It didn’t take much for Syracuse to earn its fifth win, with Wagner, one of the worst Division I programs over recent years, as the opponent. The Seahawks have now lost their last 24 games, a streak dating back to Sept. 2019. They allow over 500 yards per game, and starting quarterback Nick Kargman didn’t play Saturday due to injury.

The game started as expected, with SU marching 55 yards on eight plays to take a 7-0 lead. Tucker finally found the openings that were missing against Purdue and Virginia, and Shrader connected with Courtney Jackson several times before keeping it himself on a read option at the goal line for his fifth touchdown of the season.

The Orange’s defense forced a punt minutes later, and the offense notched its longest play of the season when Tucker ran up the middle for a 60-yard touchdown. His longest rush attempt of the season up to that point had been 13 against Connecticut. Key blocks by Dakota Davis and Oronde Gadsden II set up the explosion, and with 5:32 to play in the opening quarter, Syracuse already led 14-0. After a Wagner three-and-out, Tucker ran it in again — this time from four yards out — and the Orange had, prectidably, solidified the outcome in less than a quarter.

Tucker was the missing piece of Syracuse’s offense in the last two games. He recorded less than 100 rushing yards in back-to-back games for the first time in two seasons and couldn’t push past the first level of defenses. Against Wagner, though, Tucker totaled 227 yards and three touchdowns in just the first half. He looked like his 2021 self as he moved past defenders, sometimes running around them. Other times, he simply ran over them.

“Every time he runs I get excited,” Babers said. “I really like that when he gets out in the open nobody catches him. That’s really comforting and reassuring for me.”

Shrader, likewise, looked much like the efficient version of himself that led SU to easy wins over Louisville and UConn. After being forced to scramble against Purdue and Virginia, Shrader was given plenty of time in the pocket, frequently finding Gadsden, Jackson and Devaughn Cooper open downfield. Shrader’s pass to Umari Hatcher in one-on-one coverage was thrown perfectly, giving Syracuse a 28-0 lead. The quarterback’s 17-for-17 performance set a school record for completion percentage in a game with at least 10 attempts.

The offense got some help from the defense in the second quarter when Duce Chestnut easily jumped a route intended for Jallah Zeze and ran it back for a 28-yard pick-six, putting the Orange up 42-0. Chestnut said Syracuse had a good disguise on the play, and knowing that Wagner runs a lot of run-pass option plays, he read quarterback Ryan Kraft’s eyes and grabbed the easy interception. Syracuse’s defensive line also got strong pressure up front, earning three sacks, including one by Linton where he got in Kraft’s face right after the snap and dragged him down.

SU entered the game as a heavy favorite, making serious injuries the only possible loss it could suffer on Saturday. Even while holding a seven-touchdown lead midway through the third quarter, Babers opted to keep the starting offense in the game. Tucker got banged up on a five-yard run, and laid on the field for several moments afterwards. He walked off the field without assistance, but didn’t return to the game. Tucker said postgame that he’s “all good.”

Babers explained that typically in blowout games, he likes to give the starters one more series after halftime adjustments are made before taking them out. Tucker said Babers and offensive coordinator Robert Anae approached the offense and wanted them to break some of SU’s offensive records, including the single-game rushing yards one held by Joe Morris (252 in 1979). But Tucker’s injury got in the way, and the Orange’s second unit came out soon afterwards. His backup, freshman LeQuint Allen, notched a 90-yard run later that capped off the third quarter and set up an Andre Szmyt field goal.

Defensive lineman Denis Jaquez Jr. also left the game with an injury, and defensive back Rob Hanna was ejected for targeting at the start of the second half, meaning he could miss the first half against NC State.

But Saturday was a success for the Orange. The offense got back into rhythm, Tucker registered the best statistical game of his career and the defense continued its strong play. And after 35 years of 1-4, 2-3, 3-2 and 4-1 starts, Syracuse has opened a season 5-0. Whether things turn out the way they did in 1987 remains undetermined. But its next matchup, against a top-10 NC State team, could prove indicative.

“We’re ready to go for NC State. I could play tomorrow,” Shrader said.

Published on October 1, 2022 at 7:54 pm

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_