![](http://www.syracusenewtimes.com/newyork/file-172-.jpg")
Syracuse University quarterback Ryan Nassib took a knee to run out the clock and end the Orange’s stunning 45-26 rout of No. 10 Louisville on Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Carrier Dome. Nassib flipped the ball to a referee and found wide receiver Alec Lemon near midfield. Nassib and Lemon—two of Syracuse’s 15 seniors who had just played their final game at the Dome—shared a long hug and heartfelt words.
“Alec and I have been through a lot together since we have been here,” Nassib said. “We have experienced a lot and played a lot and having him go out and have a game like he did today {nine receptions for 176 yards}, I couldn’t ask for a better teammate.”
Nassib and Lemon teamed up for two of SU’s three touchdowns in the second quarter that turned a 10-10 tie into a 31-10 laugher. After four years of too many lows and not enough highs, Nassib and Lemon were able to end their Carrier Dome careers in the best way imaginable: with a convincing Homecoming Weekend win over an undefeated, Top 10 opponent before a lively crowd of 40,312.
“I told {Nassib} that I loved him,” Lemon said of their post-game hug. “We’ve been through a lot, and I wouldn’t be where I am without him. It felt special to share that moment with him.”
Meanwhile, senior safety Shamarko Thomas—who led the Orange with six solo tackles against the Cardinals—jumped into the stands to celebrate with fans when the game ended. “I was just excited. Like I said, we’ve been through a lot,” Thomas said. “The win was for the fans, it wasn’t really for us. Just to see the crowd so happy, it got me excited and I just jumped in.”
Even SU head coach Doug Marrone, who was probably starting to think about next week’s game plan as soon as Nassib’s knee hit the ground, allowed his players to celebrate a little more than usual in the locker room. “I have a problem because I usually take away the victory quickly in my mind because I’m already going ahead,” Marrone said moments after the game. “I don’t want to do that for these players.”
“We were so excited,” senior defensive tackle Brandon Sharpe said in the post-game news conference. “Everyone is in the locker room still partying.”
The victory over the Cardinals, who were 9-0 and ranked No. 9 in the Bowl Championship Series standings, was Syracuse’s first over a Top 10 team since a 50-42 triple-overtime win over No. 8 Virginia Tech in 2002.
It also evened SU’s record at 5-5 (4-2 in the Big East Conference), meaning the Orange needs to win one of its final two games—at Missouri this Saturday, Nov. 17, or at Temple Nov. 23—to become eligible for its second bowl game in the last three years. Before the Orange defeated Kansas State in the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium, SU hadn’t been in a bowl game since 2004 and hadn’t won one since 2001 (also against Kansas State).
“We really haven’t thought about the bowl game,” junior center Macky MacPherson said. “What we were focused on was beating a very good Louisville team. Now we need to focus on the Missouri team. We are not focused on win No. 6 as much as we are about beating Missouri.”
The Tigers are 5-5 (2-5 in the Southeastern Conference) after defeating Tennessee 51-48 in four overtimes in Knoxville this past Saturday. The game will be televised by ESPNU.
If the Orange plays the final two weeks the way it played against Louisville, there’s no reason the team can’t run the table and finish with its second winning season in Marrone’s four years. Of course, that kind of consistency has eluded the Orange this season and during Marrone’s tenure, which is why the seniors spoke of the “ups and downs” following Saturday’s game.
“It was a big win and it’s a great way to send our seniors out,” said senior offensive tackle Justin Pugh. “I’ve been here for four years and there have been some ups and downs, so it’s nice in the last game here to come out winners.”
Nassib, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 246 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, continued his assault on the SU and Big East record books by connecting with Lemon on touchdown passes of 13 and 37 yards in the second quarter. Prince-Tyson Gulley’s 55-yard touchdown run boosted the Orange lead to 31-10.
Junior halfbacks Gulley (98 yards on 15 carries) and Jerome Smith (a career-high 144 yards on 18 carries) combined for 242 of SU’s 278 rushing yards. Smith’s 35-yard touchdown run increased SU’s lead to 38-13 in the third quarter. “It feels a lot better than having to fight the whole day,” said Smith, who recorded his fourth consecutive 100-yard day. “We got up early and like I said, if we make the mistakes, it’s going to be ugly every time.”
Junior linebacker Lewellyn Coker, who in the first quarter recovered a muffed punt that led to SU’s first touchdown (Gulley’s 8-yard run), capped the Orange scoring with a 3-yard touchdown catch from Nassib early in the fourth quarter. Coker, the blocking back in SU’s “tank” goal-line offense, turned the wrong way, juggled the ball and was hit by two defenders but still held on for his first career touchdown.
The 45 points were the most allowed by Louisville since Rutgers scored 63 against the Cardinals in 2008. “It felt great, but at the end of the day I was doing it for the team and I was doing it for the seniors,” Coker said. “It’s Homecoming, playing the top-ranked team and we did our thing out there.”
While the SU offense was slicing up a Louisville defense that entered the game allowing just 22 points and 337 yards per game, the Orange defense limited the Cardinals to 48 yards on the ground and kept sophomore quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Teddy Bridgewater in check. The Orange also forced two turnovers on the muffed punt and a fourth-quarter interception by sophomore linebacker Dyshawn Davis. During its 2-4 start, the Orange was minus-10 in turnovers. In winning three of its last four, SU is plus-nine.
The lesson: When SU doesn’t beat itself, it can beat anybody. “I think we all know what our potential is when we go out there and don’t commit mistakes, play physical tough football, don’t have turnovers and don’t have too many penalties,” senior guard Zack Chibane said. “It’s just not a surprise to us. I don’t want to sound overly confident. We knew watching them on film that if we brought our ‘A’ game, then we could beat them.”
