Syracuse, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Jamison Crowder scored on a 52-yard punt return to break a tie and spark a big fourth quarter that lifted No. 22 Duke to a 27-10 win over Syracuse on Saturday.
Anthony Boone passed for 161 yards with two touchdown throws to Issac Blakeney and the Blue Devils (8-1, 4-1 ACC) scored 17 unanswered points in the last 12:45 of the game to finish off their fourth straight win.
They moved to 16-1 in their last 17 regular-season games.
The Orange (3-7, 1-5) have lost three in a row.
It was the first football game between the two traditional basketball powerhouses since 1939.
Austin Wilson completed 11 of his 19 passes for 68 yards for Syracuse and Mitch Kimble went 6-of-13 for 37 yards after, with an 8-yard touchdown run that tied the score at 10-10 in the third quarter.
"I thought our defense played really well. I was really pleased with our effort on that side of things," said Syracuse coach Scott Shafer. "Offensively we knew we were going to have some difficulties. ... But I was also pleased with some of the performances on offense. I was nice to see Mitch come in and do some things."
Crowder avoided one would-be tackler after catching a punt near the orange "S" at midfield, then slipped between two more before racing down the middle of the field for his go-ahead touchdown with 12:45 remaining.
"Our coaches felt like we had a lot of opportunities. Syracuse was backed up obviously. They just told me to be a little bit more aggressive," said Crowder. "I was able to field the punt, see a lane, and the blocking was great, and I was just able to return it for a touchdown. I think I did get touched when I went up the middle, but other than that it was pretty much clear."
Ross Martin's 34-yard field goal followed a failed fourth-down attempt by the Orange and Breon Borders intercepted Wilson for the second time soon after, leading to Blakeney's 54-yard touchdown catch for a 27-10 Duke advantage with 7:13 left.
Earlier, the teams traded field goals on back-to-back drives in the first quarter -- with Martin and Syracuse's Cole Murphy each drilling a 27-yard kick.
Following four combined punts, Boone's 22-yard touchdown pass to Blakeney gave the Blue Devils a 10-3 lead with 5:16 remaining in the second quarter.
Game Notes
Duke is 3-0 in the all-time series with two pre-war wins in 1938 (21-0 in Syracuse) and 1939 (33-6 in Durham). The basketball teams are tied 3-3 in the all-time series, splitting two games last season (Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013) ... Duke played its last road game. The Blue Devils will host their last three games, starting next week against Virginia Tech ... After a bye week, Syracuse plays at Pitt on Nov. 22.
