By John Nestor

Syracuse, NY

The Orange were supposed to face one of the most difficult tests of their 2011 schedule Friday night, but Syracuse instead went on to completely dominate the West Virginia Mountaineers with Ryan Nassib throwing four TD passes in a stunning 49-23 victory at Carrier Dome.

Nassib not only exploited a porous Mountaineer defense but also relied on SU's solid offensive line as he hooked up with his tight ends. He threw three TD passes to Nick Provo and one to David Stevens.

Nassib completed 24-of-32 passes for 229 yards. He also ran for a score for the Orange, who were just averaging 333.5 yards per game but went on to amass 443 against a highly touted defense Friday night.

The Orange (5-2, 1-1 Big East), coming off a bye, showed that they can be a potential force in the Big East if they can maintain composure and focus for the entire game.

In its demolition of the nation's 11th ranked offense, Syracuse dictated the tempo early and controlled the clock. It also ran more plays as it built a 21-9 lead at halftime.

The Orange's defense also stepped up, making two interceptions on WVU quarterback Geno Smith. The Mountaineers star signal-caller was also sacked four times and clocked several times just after he released the ball.

Also key in the upset victory was Syracuse's special teams.

Provo finished with six catches for 61 yards, while Dorian Graham, who returned a kickoff 98 yards in the second quarter that hiked the lead to 21-9, had five catches for 66 yards as Syracuse beat WVU for the first time at Carrier Dome in a decade.

It also marked the second consecutive victory by Syracuse over the Mountaineers. WVU succumbed to the Orange 19-14 last season in Morgantown.

Smith connected on 24-of-41 passes for 338 yards and two TDs in the loss that snapped a two-game winning streak for West Virginia (5-2, 1-1).

 

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Syracuse Overwhelms West Virginia in Big East Football Clash