02-10-2020, 07:06 AM
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The first game of his tenure at Syracuse is in the books, and Dino Babers has the Orange on the right track. Not getting derailed in Week 2 is another matter.Syracuse (1-0) hosts No. 13 Louisville (1-0) on Friday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams, and the Cardinals, with versatile quarterback Lamar Jackson leading the way, are certainly a big step up from FCS Colgate.Jackson is coming off a record-setting performance in the season opener against Charlotte, a 70-14 blitz in which he only played the first half and still accounted for a stunning 405 yards and eight touchdowns.He reminds me of all the good ones, Babers said. Hes just a fabulous player. And he gets to touch the ball every single snap that theyre on offense.Syracuse opened the season at home with a 33-7 victory over FCS foe Colgate, a veteran team ranked in the preseason. Eric Dungey was 34-for-40 for 355 yards (all career highs) and two TD passes as the Orange completed a school-record 87 percent of its passes and accumulated 554 yards.The home team is hopeful its 12th man will show up for this one. Only 31,336 came to the opener, about 18,000 below capacity.Its a huge challenge, Dungey said. Hopefully, we can get a lot of fans out there. The Dome when it gets loud, its a tough place to play in.Petrino has been making his practices noisy to prepare for a heightened decibel level. The Carrier Dome is usually deafening in tight games, even when it isnt filled.Its a loud place. Its loud no matter how many people they have in there, Petrino said. Its a good challenge for us -- its something that we really need.Other things of note when Louisville visits Syracuse on Friday night:JACKSONS FOLLOW-UP: Jackson set a school record for touchdowns accounted for, including six passing to tie another mark, as Louisville amassed 663 yards in the rout of Charlotte. Jackson wasnt perfect in missing some downfield throws early, but he read blitzes well enough to hit running backs who converted those catches into TDs. Petrino said the mobile sophomore left room for improvement but was pleased with his poise in the pocket. I did think that he really delivered the ball well, the coach said. And it was good to see him keep his focus down field and deliver the ball as hes getting hit standing in there.MOVE THE CHAINS, PLEASE: Syracuses uptempo game puts extra pressure on opposing defenses, and on the game officials to move the chains quickly to get set for the next play. The Orange ran 81 plays in its win over Colgate, and Babers expects the pace to pick up as the season progresses. Theyre playing fast, Petrino said. Thats one of the things they brag about, is how fast they go. Weve got to see if all of thats legal because theres a few times theyre snapping the ball and the down markers havent even been moved yet.Syracuses record for plays in a regulation game is 98, set in a 35-21 over Kansas in 1959, when the Orange went unbeaten and won its lone national championship.RUN SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE: Syracuse has a solid stable of tailbacks, led by Jordan Fredericks, Dontae Strickland, and freshman Moe Neal, who scored on a 49-yard run last week on his first college carry. Subtract that long run, and the team gained another 49 yards on 27 carries, an average of 1.8 yards per carry.MONEY-DOWN MASTERS: Playing second-year FBS member Charlotte didnt matter to Louisvilles defense, which held the 49ers to 208 yards with the first-teamers allowing just 92 in the first half. Most notable was the Cardinals success in denying Charlotte any conversions on their 13 third-down chances, their best effort since holding Boston College to 1 of 14 last season.DOUBLE TROUBLE: In its season-opening win, Syracuse had two receivers with double-digit receptions, a school first. Ervin Philips matched Art Monks school record with 14 catches, and graduate transfer Amba Etta-Tawo had an even dozen receptions for 210 yards and a score.---AP College Football Website: http://www.collegefootball.org---AP Sports Writer Gary Graves in Louisville contributed.---Follow Kekis on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Greek1947 Colin Kaepernick Super Bowl Jersey . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Frank Gore Super Bowl Jersey . PAUL, Minn. http://www.49ersofficialfanshop.com/tren...sales.html .Y. -- Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone has drawn on his Syracuse connections once again by hiring Rob Moore to take over as receivers coach. Jalen Hurd Super Bowl Jersey . -- On the field, it was business as usual for Jameis Winston and No. Marquise Goodwin Super Bowl Jersey . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright will miss about eight weeks with a high-ankle sprain, Wildcats coach Sean Miller said on Monday.Jackson-Cartwright was injured last Wednesday in No. 20 Arizonas home win over Texas Southern and did not play in the Wildcats loss to No. 8 Gonzaga in Los Angeles on Saturday.The loss of Jackson leaves Arizona with its top distributor -- 5.dddddddddddd3 assists per game -- and its roster even thinner.The Wildcats lost forward Ray Smith to a season-ending knee injury during an exhibition game and Allonzo Trier has yet to play this season due to unspecified reasons. ' ' '