SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A crowd of 6,029 watched head coach Greg Robinson lead the Orange for the first time as the Syracuse defense tallied a 34-30 victory versus the offense in the Orange's annual spring scrimmage on Saturday at the Carrier Dome. As a team the defense recorded 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including three sacks, while the offense scored three touchdowns through the air. The crowd was the largest for a Spring Game that did not include a doubleheader with lacrosse in the history of the Dome.
The defense could score on tackles for a loss, forcing three-and-outs, creating turnovers and stopping extra points. In addition to touchdowns and field goals, the offense earned points for long gains and three consecutive first downs on one drive.
Junior Luke Cain and redshirt freshman Jake Flaherty each tallied seven tackles for the Orange defense. Senior defensive end Ryan LaCasse finished with six tackles, including three in the backfield and one sack. At the other end, senior James Wyche had three stops, two behind the line of scrimmage. Senior defensive tackle Eugene Brown and sophomore defensive tackle Tony Jenkins each registered one sack. Senior Steve Gregory made his return to cornerback and tallied three stops and one interception. Redshirt freshman safety A.J. Brown recorded an interception and returned it for a defensive touchdown.
Junior quarterback Perry Patterson finished with 101 yards on 9-of-22 passing and one touchdown. Sophomore Joe Fields went 10-of-20 for 72 yards and an interception. Sophomore Matt Hale finished with two touchdown passes and was 5-of-9 for 76 yards and one interception.
Senior tailback Damien Rhodes rushed nine times for 43 yards, while junior Tim Washington had nine carries for 39 yards. Junior Landel Bembo led the SU wide receivers with five catches for 65 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore Kyle Bell had two catches for 32 yards and one touchdown. Freshman Richard Abney had one reception, a 24-yard touchdown from Hale on the final play of the game.
Sophomore kicker Ricky Krautman made two field goals, a 27-yarder and a 33-yarder. He also had four punts for an average of 45.3 yards per punt. Junior punter Brendan Carney had seven punts for an average of 48.0 and a long of 55 yards.
Season tickets for the 2005 season are $168 in all non-preferred seating locations and $135 for third level end zone area seats. Youth season tickets, for ages 18 and younger, cost $80 and are located in the end zones.
Season tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased by calling the Carrier Dome Box Office at 443-2121 or 1-888-366-3849 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Single game tickets will go on sale August 3.