The Syracuse Orange (1-1, 0-0) will face the Central Michigan Chippewas (2-0, 0-0) in the Dome on Saturday before they hit the road for their next two games, including a trip to LSU next weekend.
Last weekend, the Orange lost 30-23 to Middle Tennessee State in a lackluster defensive game for the team. The offense also struggled to find its rhythm and disappointed fans late in the game as senior wide receiver Steve Ishmael fell one yard short of a first down, ending Syracuse’s final possession of the game.
Central Michigan is coming off a 45-27 win at Kansas and a 30-27 win in triple overtime at home against Rhode Island the weekend before. Already without starting senior tight end Tyler Conklin, the team’s third leading receiver last year, CMU head coach John Bonamego announced this week that wide receivers Corey Willis and Brandon Childress would be out for the game as well.
Syracuse is also competing with injuries, as redshirt junior and starting receiver Jamal Custis left the game against MTSU last week with an upper-body injury and returned to the sideline in a sling. His status for tomorrow’s game is still unknown but the Orange could definitely use his talents as they try to go 2-1 before they head to Baton Rouge to face LSU.
Coming off a great performance against Central Connecticut State two weeks ago throwing for 328 yards and having his hand in five touchdowns, junior quarterback Eric Dungey fell short last week. If Syracuse wants to beat the Chippewas this week and get back to a winning record, Dungey will have to do better than passing for 180 yards and running for one touchdown as he did against MTSU.
As the Orange continues to find its momentum defensively, the team looks to Dungey and wide receivers Ishmael and Ervin Phillips to move the ball offensively.
The last time Syracuse lost to a Mid-American Conference opponent was in 2008, when the Orange fell to Akron 42-28 at home.