Jackson, No. 13 Cardinals thump Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — If Louisville Cardinals sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson wasn’t in the serious Heisman Trophy discussion before, he is now.

Jackson accounted for five touchdowns and 610 of Louisville’s school-record 844 total yards as the No. 13 Cardinals jumped out to a 21-0 lead and thumped the Syracuse Orange 62-28 Friday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams before 32,184 fans at the steamy Carrier Dome.

Before this season, Jackson was listed by Las Vegas oddsmakers as 50-to-1 for the Heisman. But in the Cardinals’ lopsided wins over Charlotte and Syracuse to start the campaign, Jackson has either rushed or thrown for 13 touchdowns and has accounted for 1,015 yards.

On Friday night, Jackson completed 20 of 39 pass attempts for 411 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and rushed for 199 yards on 21 carries with four touchdowns. It is believed that Jackson is the first quarterback in FBS history to throw for 400 yards and run for more than 175 in the same game.

After Syracuse (1-1) closed the gap to 35-21 at halftime, the Cardinals’ defense forced a three-and-out on the Orange’s first possession of the second half and Jackson promptly led Louisville on a five-play, 81-yard scoring drive that ended with wide receiver Traveon Samuel’s 21-yard run on a reverse.

Seeking its first victory over a ranked opponent since 2012, when it defeated No. 11 Louisville at the Carrier Dome, the Orange bounced back again as quarterback Eric Dungey directed an 11-play, 76-yard drive and scored on a 1-yard sneak. Dungey, who like Jackson is a sophomore, completed 25 of 51 passes for 255 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Kicker Evan O’Hara added to Louisville’s lead with 26- and 41-yard field goals early in the fourth quarter. Cardinals running backs Brandon Radcliff (48 yards) and Jeremy Smith (30 yards) closed the scoring with touchdown runs.

The Cardinals led 35-21 at the half after scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions and four of their first five. Louisville ran six plays in the first 4:43 of the game and scored three touchdowns on Jackson’s 72-yard strike to wide receiver James Quick, Jackson’s 7-yard scamper that was set up by Jackson’s 61-yard pass to wide receiver Jaylen Smith, and Jackson’s 72-yard scoring jaunt.

After two three-and-outs, Syracuse answered with a 75-yard scoring drive capped by quarterback Eric Dungey’s 15-yard scoring pass to Brisly Estime. But Jackson’s 55-yard pass to Jamari Staples set up Jackson’s 13-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter, and Jackson scored his fourth touchdown of the game in the second quarter on a 10-yard run punctuated by Jackson’s leap over diving Syracuse cornerback Cordell Hudson.

The Orange fought back as Dungey completed a pair of touchdown passes (47 and 4 yards) to wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo within a 2-minute span at the end of the half. Syracuse safety Daivon Ellison intercepted Jackson deep in Orange territory and returned the ball to the Louisville 38 with 2 seconds left, but Syracuse kicker Cole Murphy’s 55-yard field goal attempt was wide left as the half ended.

NOTES: Louisville S Dee Smith was disqualified midway through the third quarter when he was called for targeting Syracuse WR Ervin Phillips. Smith may miss the first half of next week’s home game against No. 3 Florida State if the call is upheld after a review by ACC officials. … The Cardinals aimed to snap the ball every 16 seconds in practice this past week to simulate the speed at which the Orange’s new hurry-up offense operates. … Louisville held Charlotte to 0 for 13 on third-down conversions in its season-opening 70-14 rout. The Cardinals made it 0 for 15 before Syracuse converted on third down during its third possession…. In last week’s 33-7 win over FCS-member Colgate, Syracuse connected on 40 of 46 pass attempts for an 87.0 completion percentage — the highest by an ACC team with a minimum of 40 attempts this century.