For the second year in a row, the Syracuse Orange (4-2, 0-1 Big East) are looking to knock off a ranked West Virginia (5-1, 1-0) team, and they are well on their way to the upset of the No. 11 team in the nation if they can duplicate this first quarter performance for three more stanzas.
The Orange have done their best to keep the ball out of the hands of Geno Smith and a Mountaineers offense that ranks in the top 15 in the FBS, averaging a gaudy 504 yards and 41 points per game. Syracuse controlled the ball for over 10 minutes in the first quarter, scoring their touchdown on a Ryan Nassib to Nick Provo three yard pass which capped a 14 play, 84 yard drive that chewed up over six minutes of clock.
Almost a year to the day after defeating a then-No. 20 ranked West Virginia 19-14 in Morgantown, Syracuse is hoping a ball control attack and a Carrier Dome-inspired effort from their defense will help them retain the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy, awarded annually to the winner of the Mountaineers/Orange clash.
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