SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Garrett Shrader hit Oronde Gadsden II with a pair of touchdown passes, Sean Tucker scored on a 25-yard run late, and No. 18 Syracuse beat No. 15 NC State 24-9 on Saturday to remain unbeaten and become eligible for the postseason.
Syracuse (6-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) started a season with six wins for just the third time since 1935, taking advantage of the absence of the Wolfpack’s injured star quarterback, Devin Leary. Hurt last week in a win over Florida State, Leary was declared out for the rest of the season before the game. The preseason conference player of the year suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will undergo surgery next week in Florida. He’s expected to make a full recovery.
The Orange took the opening kickoff and scored in short fashion, driving 65 yards in five plays in just 2:04. Tucker’s 38-yard run set up Shrader’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Gadsden, his fourth scoring catch of the season.
NC State (5-2, 1-2), with Charleston Southern graduate transfer Jack Chambers making his first start at quarterback, struggled on offense. Syracuse outgained the Wolfpack 113-55 in the first half and the Orange’s 10-3 lead at the break almost seemed too much to overcome in front of a raucous sellout crowd in the newly renamed JMA Wireless Dome.
Still, Chambers got the Wolfpack rolling on the first possession of the second half. He hit Christopher Toudle for 21 yards on a third-and-10 play and an 8-yard completion to Thayer Thomas moved the ball to the Syracuse 12. But a bad snap and a false start penalty on consecutive plays forced the Wolfpack to settle for Christopher Dunn’s 22-yard field goal.
Shrader’s 17-yard scoring pass to Gadsden late in the third boosted the Syracuse lead to 17-6.
The Wolfpack couldn’t answer as Chambers, who had moved the team to the Orange 8-yard line, was sacked leading to a third field goal.
Tucker’s touchdown run came with just over 2 minutes left to ice the game.
Shrader was 16-of-25 passing for 206 yards and rushed for 85.
Chambers finished 18-of-29 passing for 160 yards, rushed for 68 yards on 19 carries and was sacked three times. The Wolfpack were held to 95 yards rushing a week after netting a season-high 182 and finished with 255 total yards.
The Orange entered the game allowing 14 points and 271.6 yards per game, just ahead of the second-place Wolfpack (15.7 and 297.8). NC State’s defense kept the Wolfpack in this one for a while, intercepting Shrader on consecutive possessions in the second quarter, but could not hold up throughout as they allowed 389 yards to the Orange.
The Wolfpack have a bye next week, which will give coach Dave Doeren time to make adjustments to his offense with the loss of Leary.
