Wake Forest University
8-4 , 4-4
Syracuse
5-7 , 2-6
Syracuse Stifles Wake Forest in Regular Season Finale
11/30/2019 4:31:00 PM | Football
Complete recap of Wake Forest’s overtime loss at Syracuse on Saturday afternoon.
Syracuse, N.Y. – Despite a 24-point second half and gaining 572 total yards of offense during the entire game, Wake Forest dropped its regular-season finale at Syracuse on Saturday afternoon, 39-30, in overtime. Syracuse kicker Andre Szmyt drilled a 40-yard field goal in the first half of the overtime period, and the Orange defense scored defensive touchdown on Wake's lone possession to seal the game.
WHAT HAPPENED:
- Four turnovers, one turnover on downs and a rash of injuries hurt the Deacs in the first half. Meanwhile, good field position and one-long drive helped the Orange to 17 first-half points and a two touchdown halftime lead, 17-6.
- Wake's only points of the first half came on a pair of sophomore Nick Sciba field goals, which extended his own NCAA record of consecutive field goals made to 34. The other two positives from the stanza were defensively when Manny Walker (first of his career) and Ja'Sir Taylor (second of the season) caught interceptions for the Deacs.
- The Demon Deacons completely flipped the script in the second half as they score a pair of third quarter touchdowns, sandwiched by a Syracuse field goal, to knot the contest at 20 apiece heading into the fourth quarter.
- Wake Forest scored on 19-yard touchdown run by senior captain Cade Carney and a 75-yard pass from Sam Hartman to Donavan Greene.
- With Syracuse driving early in the fourth quarter with the opportunity to take the lead, redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Tyler Williams forced a fumble that led to Sciba's first missed field goal in over a year. Following the miss, Syracuse recorded a 7-play, 70-yard touchdown drive to give the Orange a seven-point advantage, 27-20.
- Undaunted, Wake answered with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that was capped off by a fourth-and-goal touchdown pass from Hartman to Kendall Hinton.
- In the final minute of the first hald the potential momentum swing, Syracuse marched down the field and got Szmyt in range for the win.
- In overtime, Wake Forest forced a three-and-out, which led to another Szmyt field goal. On Wake's possession, Hinton fumbled and the Orange defense returned it the distance to seal the win.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
- Rookie Donavon Greene tallied 172 yards on seven receptions and a touchdown during the game on Saturday. He scored on a 75-yard pass that tied the game at 20 late in the third quarter.
- Greene became the first true freshman with a 100-yard receiving game since Todd Dixon in 1990. Meanwhile, Greene the fourth Deacon to have a 100-yard receiving game this year, joining Scotty Washington, Sage Surratt and Kendall Hinton.
QUOTES FROM COACH DAVE CLAWSON:
- "Congratulations to Syracuse. They really came out ready to play. They had their guys ready to go, so credit to Dino and his staff. We didn't take care of the football early. We had four turnovers in the first half. We were fortunate to be in the game. Credit to our kids. They battled back. Every time they took the lead, we responded and tied it. It came down to just one more play — they made one more play than us."
- "I'm proud of our players' effort. Like all season, we played hard and battled to the final whistle. We just made too many critical mistakes in the first half. We weren't on. We were misfiring, overthrowing and not taking care of the football. That's uncharacteristic of us, but we did that today. It's a tough way to finish the regular season."
UP NEXT:
- The Deacs wait to find out their bowl assignment on Dec. 8. While the exact timing is not known, Wake Forest is typically notified of our bowl bid in the mid-to-late afternoon. Fans can tune into ESPN for the selection show, but all official announcements and information will be sent out on social media, so be sure to follow @WakeFB and @DemonDeacons.
- Either that evening or first thing Monday morning, Wake Forest will release complete details on tickets, travel packages and special bowl-related events.
- As always, fans can find more information on GoDeacs.com.
Team Stats
WF 3, SU 0
WF - Sciba, N 43 yd field goal 10 plays, 58 yards, TOP 3:43
WF 3, SU 7
SU - Jackson, T. 12 yd pass from Welch, C. (Szmyt, A. kick) 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:35
WF 3, SU 10
SU - Szmyt, A. 24 yd field goal 4 plays, 7 yards, TOP 1:38
WF 3, SU 17
SU - Benson, L. 29 yd pass from Welch, C. (Szmyt, A. kick) 5 plays, 56 yards, TOP 1:12
WF 6, SU 17
WF - Sciba, N 45 yd field goal 9 plays, 49 yards, TOP 0:48
WF 13, SU 17
WF - Carney, C 19 yd run (Sciba, N kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:49
WF 13, SU 20
SU - Szmyt, A. 20 yd field goal 13 plays, 66 yards, TOP 7:14
WF 20, SU 20
WF - Greene, D 75 yd pass from Hartman, S (Sciba, N kick) 1 plays, 75 yards, TOP 0:12
WF 20, SU 27
SU - Neal, M. 13 yd run (Szmyt, A. kick), 7 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:11
WF 27, SU 27
WF - Hinton, K 2 yd pass from Hartman, S (Sciba, N kick) 12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:17
WF 27, SU 30
SU - Szmyt, A. 49 yd field goal 10 plays, 46 yards, TOP 3:28
WF 30, SU 30
WF - Sciba, N 43 yd field goal 8 plays, 50 yards, TOP 0:44
WF 30, SU 33
SU - Szmyt, A. 40 yd field goal 4 plays, 3 yards, TOP 0:00
WF 30, SU 39
SU - Williams, T. 94 yd fumble recovery ()
