Syracuse, NY – Ryan Nassib threw three touchdown passes, Prince-Tyson Gulley ran for two scores and the Syracuse Orange stunned the 11th-ranked and previously unbeaten Louisville Cardinals, 45-26, at the Carrier Dome.
Nassib had 246 yards on 15-of-23 passing for Syracuse (5-5, 4-2 Big East), which snapped a three-game losing streak in the series. Jerome Smith rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
"We were able to get the ball vertically down the field. We had a good balanced attack," said Syracuse coach Doug Marrone.
Teddy Bridgewater connected on 36-of-49 throws for 424 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for the Cardinals (9-1, 4-1), who entered play tied with Rutgers atop the conference standings.
The Scarlet Knights beat Army in a non-conference matchup on Saturday.
"I am very embarrassed today for our program," said Louisville coach Charlie Strong. "We didn't play well - the preparation and the execution weren't there. We didn't play well in all three phases - offense, defense and the kicking game. We have a lot to learn from this game."
Syracuse started the game with three consecutive runs by Smith, the last being a 7-yard carry on 3rd-and-1, before Jeremiah Kobena made a sliding catch at the Louisville 19 for a 45-yard gain. But a dropped pass on third down by Jarrod West forced the Orange to settle for a 20-yard Ross Krautman field goal.
The Cardinals' first series featured the loss of running back Senorise Perry to a leg injury and ended with John Wallace kicking a 37-yard field goal. Perry, who did not return, entered the game as the team's leading rusher.
The second Syracuse possession resulted in a three-and-out, but Scott Radcliff fumbled the punt and linebacker Lewellyn Coker recovered the ball for the home team. The turnover set the Orange up at the Louisville 24-yard line and led to an 8-yard touchdown run by Gulley. The score came after the Cardinals were flagged for pass interference on third down.
Louisville answered on the ensuing drive as Corvin Lamb reached the end zone late in the first quarter on a 53-yard catch-and-run.
Syracuse's next two drives culminated with touchdown passes of 13 and 37 yards from Nassib to Alec Lemon. After another Cardinals punt, Gulley darted for a 55-yard score, extending the lead to 31-10.
Wallace connected on a 35-yard field goal prior to halftime, but Smith capped the Orange's first drive of the second half with a 35-yard dash to the end zone.
Later, Bridgewater and Eli Rogers hooked up for a 44-yard scoring strike down the middle of the field. Louisville, though, had the extra point blocked and wound up falling behind 45-19 in the fourth quarter on Coker's 3-yard touchdown reception.
Bridgewater closed out the scoring with an 8-yard TD pass to DeVante Parker.
Game Notes
Nassib (8,460) is six passing yards shy of matching Marvin Graves for the school record ... Lemon caught nine passes for 176 yards, while Gulley had 98 yards on the ground ... Rogers totaled 97 yards on 10 receptions ... Louisville was limited to 48 rushing yards ... Syracuse converted 14-of-19 third-down attempts.
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