Syracuse Football: Healthy Eric Dungey key to Orange’s success

Syracuse football found their quarterback of the future in 2015. Now it’s time for Eric Dungey to prove he can lead them back to a bowl game.

Syracuse football took a step in the right direction last season. They were finally able to take down the “wanted” sign at the quarterback position. Eric Dungey proved to Syracuse that he is their quarterback of the future with an impressive 2015. Dungey threw for 1,298 yards, 11 touchdowns, five interceptions while completing 59.7 percent of his passes. He also added 351 rushing yards and five touchdowns in his eight starts.

He didn’t necessarily light up pass defenses. But, he didn’t make poor decisions through the air either. He needs to improve his accuracy so the Orange can average more than 156.9 yards per game. However, Fellow quarterbacks Zach Mahoney and Terrel Hunt displayed an even lesser consistency in the passing game.

Hunt failed to find the end zone through the air and tossed too many interceptions. The one-time starter for the Orange threw just 10 touchdowns to eight interceptions in 2013.

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Mahoney saw action last season during Dungey’s absence from the lineup. Mahoney completed under 50 percent of his passes last season and although he carried a 7-to-2 TD-to-INT ratio he never could play down-after-down successfully.

Unfortunately for the Orange, his production didn’t translate into wins. Dungey went just 3-5 on the season. All five losses were in his final five starts of the season. Syracuse football suffered through a miserable schedule in those five losses. Four of them were against perennial bowl squads including Florida State and Louisville.

Despite Dungey’s shortcomings, the Orange were 1-3 without him so his absence was clear. Syracuse football returns its top receiver and running back from 2015. Running back Jordan Fredericks is in the same class with Dungey and the two make a lethal, young duo. Fredericks led the team in rushing with 607 yards and four touchdowns on 5.7 yards per carry.

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Leading receiver Steve Ishmael returns with two years of eligibility remaining. In Ishmael’s first two seasons with Syracuse, he caught 66 passes for 985 yards and 10 touchdowns. His next few years with quality play at quarterback could make him a star in the ACC. Same goes for Dungey’s development, a two-time starter returning should aid in his progression.