Syracuse football ends the misery vs. Louisville behind a resurgent quarterback, dominant defense

Syracuse, NY — Syracuse lost several things during its game against Louisville on Saturday night.

Starting quarterback Garrett Shrader lost his helmet twice, forcing backup Carlos Del Rio-Wilson in on two third-down plays. The offense lost 107 yards on 18 penalties, several of which were false starts.

SU also lost three players to injury in the first half — fullback Chris Elmore, linebacker Stefon Thompson and running back Sean Tucker, the only one to return in the second half.

The one thing Syracuse didn’t lose was by far the most important: an early lead that swelled to a huge margin behind a resurgent quarterback and pass game. It was never threatened thanks to a dominant defensive performance.

All told, it ended three years of misery against the Louisville Cardinals, which had gotten used to putting a beating on the Orange.

This time, it went the other way. Syracuse beat Louisville 31-7 to open its season Saturday night at the JMA Wireless Dome in front of 37,110 fans. It’s the first time the Orange has defeated the Cardinals since 2018, also the last time the two programs met in the Empire State.

Key plays by Syracuse’s defense allowed wiggle room for some of the offensive misfires and misfortunes throughout the game. A goal-line stand in the first half prevented Louisville from narrowing the game to a field goal, and three second-half turnovers sealed the game for the Orange.

It was the fewest points allowed by the Orange (1-0, 1-0 ACC) against the Cardinals (0-1, 0-1) since the 1992 season. The Orange held Louisville to just 282 total yards.

Malik Cunningham, one of the top-rated ACC quarterbacks entering the season, was held to 152 yards on 16 completions and only 34 yards on his feet. The Cardinals’ lone touchdown was scored by transfer running back Tiyon Evans on a fluke 36-yard breakaway with 1:10 to go in the first quarter.

Shrader, on the other hand, played a dynamic game even despite his loose helmet issues early on.

SU’s starting QB went 14-for-17 in passing for 158 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He picked up an additional 59 yards on his feet, including a 24-yard conversion on third down that led to Tucker’s second touchdown.

Shrader continued to put on a show in the second half, alleviating pressure from an injured Tucker and closing the game with 332 total yards of offense and two touchdowns.

Whether it was enough to put to bed fans’ doubts about his position as QB1 remains to be seen, but early indicators point to yes.

Tucker’s debut might not have had the flashy numbers some were hoping, but the running back had a solid performance.

Most important, he finished the game after his early exit just before halftime.

Even with a few missed plays, Tucker finished the game with more rushing yards (98) than he had in the team’s 2021 game against the Cardinals (95). He also led the team in receiving with 85 yards, tacking on another touchdown on a 55-yard catch-and-run.

Contact Emily Leiker anytime: E-mail | twitter

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