WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – No. 19 Syracuse racked up 264 yards on the ground Saturday, running in five touchdowns and picking up a 41-24 win against Wake Forest at BB&T Field.

Behind 119 rushing yards from Eric Dungey and a dominant day from the front seven — including a strong individual performance from middle linebacker Ryan Guthrie — SU won its first ACC game in November during the Dino Babers era.

Here’s whose stock rose and fell from the weekend.

STOCK UP

Chris Fredrick

Despite nursing a sprained ankle, Fredrick made seven tackles and snagged an interception in the fourth quarter.

Lined up wide against Scotty Washington on the left side, Fredrick played inside the receiver as the pair ran into the end zone. Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman’s throw came to the inside of Washington, right into Fredrick’s hands.

Without Ifeatu Melifonwu, who didn’t travel due to a hamstring injury, and Scoop Bradshaw struggling on the other side of the formation, Fredrick was a steady presence in the secondary.

 Eric Dungey

Dungey didn’t throw a touchdown pass on Saturday, but it didn’t matter — SU opted to attack Wake Forest on the ground.

With the Demon Deacons honed in on passes, Babers made the adjustment to run the ball. His workhorse of choice: Dungey. The senior quarterback took 24 rushes for 119 yards and a touchdown.

Facing a weak pass rush, Dungey felt little duress, but with no options downfield, he often opted to dash from the pocket. He took a 26-yard scramble for a dagger touchdown in the third quarter that put Syracuse ahead 35-17, at the time.

A week after turning in one of his best passing performances, Dungey shouldered the load and went to work against Wake Forest.

Ryan Guthrie

Guthrie is in the midst of a three-game tear, most recently turning in an 11-tackle (five solo) performance that featured two sacks.

Against the pass and the run, Guthrie found the football and made several tackles in space. He chased down a Wake Forest receiver inside the 10-yard line as the pair ran parallel to the goal line.

Twice, Guthrie got to Hartman. On his second sack, Guthrie came downhill at Hartman as he rolled left out of the pocket. With no blockers, Guthrie pounced on the quarterback and swung him down for a seven-yard loss.

In his last three games, Guthrie has had 31 tackles, including two sacks and three more tackles for loss.

STOCK DOWN

Health

With linebacker Lakiem Williams and Melifonwu missing the trip with injuries, Syracuse got further banged up Saturday, as defensive back Tyrone Perkins, defensive end Alton Robinson and running back Moe Neal all went down with injuries.

Neal and Robinson both walked off the field and appeared to be OK after the game. Babers didn’t offer much detail on the nature of their injuries but generally indicated they’re fine.

Perkins spent Saturday night in a local hospital after injuring his left leg on a kickoff in the first quarter. Perkins will miss the rest of the 2018 season, and because he’s played in more than four games, he is not eligible for a conventional redshirt.

 Scoop Bradshaw

Bradshaw got beat twice on double moves by Scotty Washington.

The first time, fortunately for Bradshaw, Hartman overthrew Washington. He didn’t miss the second chance, though, as Washington easily strode into the end zone.

Late in the game, while the game was in hand for SU, Bradshaw got called for a facemask in a scrum of tacklers.

A week after being torched by Kelvin Harmon, Bradshaw followed up with another bad performance.

Published on November 4, 2018 at 10:34 pm

Contact Andrew: aegraham@syr.edu | @A_E_Graham