CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Eric Dungey escaped right outside the pocket. The two chasing Boston College defenders dove and missed at the senior quarterback’s ankles. After dropping the ball following one of his three rushing touchdowns of the afternoon, he blew a kiss to the BC student section.

Dungey threw for 362 yards and set a single-season program record with his 32nd total touchdown. In No. 20 Syracuse’s (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) 42-21 win over Boston College (7-5, 4-4) at Alumni Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Orange’s senior quarterback was responsible for every touchdown. In past years this would’ve never happened. It couldn’t have. In Dungey’s first three seasons under center for the Orange, head injuries and a broken foot prevented him from playing beyond on the first week of November and the Orange went 1-11 during those stints. On Saturday, as Syracuse clinched its highest win total since 2001, 2018 continued to be different for the Orange.

“It’s faith,” SU head coach Dino Babers said. “Belief without evidence that this thing’s going to work even though you’ve never heard it before. That’s kind of how this season was.”

Josh Shub-Seltzer | Staff Photographer

In the second quarter, Dungey tossed the ball at a Boston College defensive lineman’s face after the whistle. The unsportsmanlike penalty forced SU to punt on fourth down. The next series, Dungey barreled over, and injured, a Boston College defensive back during an 18-yard touchdown run. On the first drive of the first half, he threw an interception. Two series later he lobbed a touchdown pass. For the first time in four years, Syracuse finally had what it desperately desired: A quintessential Eric Dungey performance to cap off a winning season.

“When he hot, the whole offense is hot,” wide receiver Taj Harris said. “It’s hard to stop Dungey but I mean when he gets it going and he’s warmed up, fired up, we’re right behind him ready to get it chugging.”

Josh Shub-Seltzer | Staff Photographer

As Syracuse, a team picked to finish last in the preseason ACC Media Poll, made its improbable run to 12th in the College Football Playoff, something had to go to wrong. In 2016, two weeks after an upset win over a ranked Virginia Tech a Clemson linebacker ended Dungey’s season. In 2017, two weeks after a victory over then-No.2 Clemson, Dungey played through a broken foot week only for a game-tying field goal to be blocked in a loss at Florida State. In 2018, Dungey grabbed his back during the third series of a Notre Dame and collapsed to the ground. Syracuse limped through the rest of the 36-3 loss in a way reminiscent to November’s past albeit against a top-tier opponent.

But this season, the one in which things have started falling Syracuse’s favor, Dungey came back. Babers said a play stuck out on Wednesday or Thursday of this week. His starting quarterback pulled the ball on a read option and burst forward. As another defender came at Dungey, he rifled a pass to a receiver.

Babers remembered approaching his quarterback after the play and asking if his back bothered him. Dungey said he was better.

“All the hair started standing up on my arm,” Babers said,  “I knew right then we had a chance to win.”

Trailing 7-0 midway through the first quarter, Dungey capitalized on a defensive miscommunication. As both Boston College defensive backs stayed near the line of scrimmage, Sean Riley broke free down the seam. With no defender within five yards of him upon the catch, Riley finished off the rest of a 75-yard touchdown pass.

A kickoff fumble and recovery preceded Dungey’s first rushing touchdown. Then came the kiss. Two hands touched Dungey’s blue facemask and released out into the crowd. It was the first sign that Dungey, the player who started a fight on the Alumni Field sidelines two seasons ago, had his spunk back.

“We like when people try us,” Dungey said after the game sitting next to fellow senior Kielan Whitner. You don’t fold under pressure. You elevate.”

Josh Shub-Seltzer | Staff Photographer

Most of Dungey’s throws came on simple throws to the outside. Twice swing passes to running backs hit for more than 10-yards. Seam routes from the slot led to first downs. When a snap flew over Dungey’s head in the second quarter, Dungey didn’t dive on the ball more than 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Instead, he scooped it and lofted it safely to the sideline. The next play he completed a 35-yard pass to Taj Harris.

Babers said Saturday he came to Syracuse for many reasons, one of them was Dungey’s film. Then a freshman, Babers thought Dungey was raw but he had courage.

“I think Eric Dungey needed us and I think that Syracuse needed Eric Dungey,” Babers said. “And it’s like a marriage together. We’re making this thing work.”

With a little more than nine minutes remaining in the game and SU already leading by 14, Dungey took the snap at the BC 3-yard line. He dropped back with a few short steps and lobbed a pass into the corner of the end zone. Harris ran underneath the ball and caught Dungey’s final touchdown of the afternoon, a perfect timing route.

After Dungey celebrated in the end zone he returned to the sideline and waved at the BC fans shuffling out the exits.

“It felt great walking off the field,” Dungey said. “We’ve been through a lot here.”

Published on November 24, 2018 at 3:34 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44