SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) Tommy DeVito passed for four touchdowns to four different receivers, the Syracuse defense held Holy Cross to 18 yards rushing and the Orange defeated the Crusaders 41-3 Saturday.
The win was Syracuse’s 13th straight against the Crusaders (1-3) in the team’s first meeting since 1973, when the Orange (3-2) won 5-3.
DeVito was 19 of 31 for 269 yards and had completions to eight players before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent injury. Taj Harris and Trishton Jackson led the Orange with six receptions each.
”The big thing is the turnovers. Three turnovers in the fourth quarter and we scored, what, seven points,” Syracuse coach Dino Babers said. ”If you don’t have the turnovers you might add 10 points and it might feel different. It’s not as clean as I would have liked.”
Babers didn’t second-guess himself for leaving DeVito in when the game was well in hand.
”He had the first team offensive line in front of him. He’s going to be out there a lot in those situations the next three years so we don’t see it as a dangerous situation,” said Babers. He said DeVito gave him a ”thumbs up” after the game but had no more information.
The Syracuse defense held Holy Cross to 138 yards total offense, sacked Connor Degenhardt four times and held the Crusaders quarterback to 13 of 28 and 104 yards passing. Holy Cross was averaging nine points a game entering Saturday’s contest.
”I thought our defense was fantastic,” Babers said. ”Holding a team to no touchdowns in college football is a big deal.”
”That was a good defense, that was a good team all around,” Degenhardt said. ”They have a lot of good athletes, they’re fast, and they did a good job out there, but I thought we were able to move the ball a little bit, not as much as we would’ve liked, but we’re onto next week, and we’re onto league play, and I’m excited.”
Aaron Hackett and Jackson, who scored two touchdowns each against Western Michigan the week before, added one each against the Crusaders. Freshman tight end Luke Benson scored his first touchdown on a 70-yard pass play and Harris took a DeVito pass 47 yards for a score.
Syracuse wasted little time getting on the board in their first possession as DeVito hit Hackett on 14-yard scoring strike for a 7-0 lead. Less than three minutes later, the Orange recovered a Jon Jon Roberts fumbled punt on the Holy Cross 17 and capitalized immediately. On the first play, DeVito hit Jackson on 17-yard pass play and a 14-0 lead. A 52-yard field goal by punter Sterling Hofrichter made it 17-0 midway through the first quarter.
Syracuse took a 24-3 halftime lead on a 23-yard run up the middle by Abdul Adams and was never threatened.
WALKING WOUNDED:
Syracuse played without three starters: All-America free safety Andre Cisco, offensive lineman Sam Heckel and cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu.
OUCH:
Tyrell Richards crushed Degenhardt for a 2-yard loss in the second quarter but was called for targeting on what seemed to be a legal hit.
IN THE RECORD BOOK:
Syracuse running back Moe Neal picked up 37 yards rushing, becoming the 23rd player in school history with more than 2,000 yards on the ground.
THE TAKEAWAY
Holy Cross: The Crusaders couldn’t get much going against Syracuse, which has been par for the course this season. Unless Holy Cross finds some answers it could be a long season in the Patriot League.
Syracuse: Orange fans will hold their breath on DeVito’s status. It’s hard to take much out of the Holy Cross game, but the offense sputtered for much of the time after a quick start. On the other hand, Syracuse managed to get over .500 and has two weeks to get healthy for the resumption of ACC play.
UP NEXT
Holy Cross: The Crusaders kick off Patriot League action Saturday at Bucknell, the team’s third-straight road game.
Syracuse: The Orange has a bye before heading off to Raleigh, NC for an Oct. 10 ACC matchup with North Carolina State.
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