After losing quarterback Terrel Hunt to a broken fibula, chances for a bowl game this year for the Central New York representatives of the ACC looked quite dim. However, freshman QB AJ Long came in to see if he could lead the team to victory last week against the #1 Florida State Seminoles, and actually played admirably. A handful of missed opportunities in the redzone and freshman mistakes from Long doomed the Orange to defeat, but the potential of Long was obvious. Could the youngster get Syracuse back on track this week against the helpless Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and start leading the charge for a bowl berth for the Orange?

At first, things looked dreary for the Orange, as the Cameron Lynch-led Syracuse defense gave up a touchdown to John Wolford and the Deacs, on a 10 yard pass to Cam Serigne. It took a while for Long and the Cuse offense to get their heads in the game, but they finally scored near the end of the first quarter with a field goal.

In the 2nd half, a big turning point of the game was the loss of John Wolford for Wake Forest. Wolford was blindsided by Dyshawn Davis and left the game with a head injury. This left Wake Forest dealing with his 2 inconsistent backups, Tyler Cameron and Kevin Sousa. Cameron played mediocrely well, going 6-8, but couldn't jumpstart the offense with any big plays.

The 2nd and 3rd quarters were all Syracuse, as Long and his 2 star running backs, Devante McFarlane and Prince-Tyson Gulley, charged through the WF defense, especially McFarlane, who garnered 114 yards on the day, including a massive 86 yard run. In the 3rd, WF's Tyler Cameron was sacked by CB Brandon Reddish, and Micah Robinson returned it for a touchdown. The game was completely out of hand for the Demon Deacons by that point, and Wake Forest simply couldn't get anything going on offense.

A key problem for WF was their lack of a rushing game. Only 71 yards on the day for the Deacs, led by Dezmond Wortham with 57 yards on 19 carries. Now without Wolford for potentially a game or two, the now 2-5 Deacs have to have a miracle now to get themselves bowl-eligible.

Syracuse is now 3-4, and has already played the toughest part of their schedule. They now must travel to Clemson, their hardest competition the rest of the way. Syracuse fans have to be happy with the job head coach Scott Shafer has done with the team, as they are up-and-coming in the ACC. We shall see if he can lead them to another bowl.