No. 13 Syracuse bat Louisville 54-23 _ Perfect dome | Sports News

By MARK FRANK, Associated press

SYRACUSE, NY (AP) – After humbling losses over the last four seasons in Louisville, the return on investment was good for Syracuse.

Moe Neal s' rushed for a record 159 yards and two touchdowns, senior quarterback Eric Dungey scored two more goals and another goal, and the No. 13 Syracuse took advantage of Louisville's five misunderstandings to put rout the Cardinals 54-23 on Friday night.

The Orange (8-2, 5-2 ACC, # 13 CFP) scored 27 points on five Louisville errors (2-8, 0-7 ACC), 292 yards and 518 total offensive yards . Syracuse finished the unbeaten season in six games in the Carrier Dome for the fourth time since the opening of the building in 1980.

"These guys have put their hands on us in recent years," said Syracuse linebacker Kielan Whitner. "It was good to go there and avenge what had happened to us in the past." He (coach Dino Babers) made sure we saw what they did to us. , and it has been very profound for many of us. "

The Cardinals had beaten Syracuse four times in a row by 187-61.

"Louisville is the only team that has really hit us in the last three years," Dungey said after celebrating with the fans following his final match in the Carrier Dome. "It did us good, I really wanted to win a lot, so I'm happy to have done it."

The Cardinals were penalized 17 times for 125 yards and Syracuse collected two passes from Louisville. Louisville also lost two fumbles and their quarterbacks, under pressure for most of the game, were fired five times.

"I can not say enough about the defense," said Syracuse coach Dino Babers. "Four turnovers in the first period and someone said they had four turnovers on four consecutive possessions – I'm not even sure to have been part of that stuff for 35 years."

The win is a showdown for Orange next Saturday against No. 3 Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium.

"It's a game that gives us the opportunity to prove that we belong, that we are perhaps better than what people think we are," Babers said. "That does not mean we're going to prove it, it just means we have an opportunity, and when you think about where this team was chosen, where we are, and where we are now, it's up to us now. On the map, we are on the map, but now we may have a red circle if we can do something. "

"It's a great opportunity," said senior receiver Jamal Custis. "It's a good team, we're going to play like every other game, we're not going to make it big, we'll just get ready as if we are preparing for another team."

Syracuse has scored 50 points or more in five games this season and scored 30 points in the second quarter only to put the game out of reach with a 37-7 lead at halftime.

Jarveon Howard gave Orange a 7-0 lead, scoring a goal one meter after an attempted placement on the bottom 50 yards of Blanton Creque blocked by nose tackle Josh Black.

An interception of Andre Cisco, his fifth pick of the season, allowed Dungey to reach a 2-yard touchdown.

"We had far too many penalties that killed us," said Louisville coach Bobby Petrino. "Their defensive line has played well all year long, they have a good pass and they have caused some penalties because we were anxious to get out of our position."

Neal scored at two meters following an interception of linebacker Kielan Whitner.

Andre Szmyt scored 39 goals and 35 yards following two other cardinal errors.

The victory was the fourth in a row for the orange wave as Louisville lost his seventh straight line. The eight wins have equaled the most Syracuse wins in the regular season since 1998.

Dungey was 14 out of 27 for 192 yards and 62 yards on the ground. His touchdowns have earned him 12 for the season.

Three-quarters of Louisville was a combined total of 14 out of 31 for 210 yards.

Placekicker Andre Szmyt, with 18 points, makes Syracuse the leader of the season with 132 points. The offensive half Walter Reyes had already broken the record with 128 points in 2003.

Szmyt has scored 27 goals on the field this year, equaling the record of one season of VAC.

NOT ONLY A BASKETBALL SCHOOL:

Supporters of Syracuse showed that they could also support football. The largest crowd of the season – 42,797 – attended Senior Night.

Louisville: The Cardinals are returning home for their last two games of the year, but the season is lost. Big changes are coming out for Cardinals and the future of coach Bobby Petrino is very uncertain.

Syracuse: These are great times for orange football. Six wins and a bowl match would have been considered a successful season, but Syracuse now has more ambitious goals. Saturday's game against Notre Dame, number 3, is the program's most important match for years, and the Orange's big-power offensive gives them a chance to be upset.

Louisville: The Cardinals welcome Saturday the state of North Carolina. Wolfpack # 22 will be thrilled with its defeat at Wake Forest.

Syracuse: The Orange will travel to Yankee Stadium on Saturday to face Notre Dame in a game that will decisively determine the destination of Syracuse – and Notre Dame – in the post-season.

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