SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Alec Lemon had eight catches for 166 yards to help set up three touchdowns, caught an 11-yard scoring pass, and Syracuse beat Connecticut 40-10 on Friday night to spoil Huskies coach Paul Pasqualoni's return nearly eight years after he was fired by the Orange.
A loss for Syracuse (3-4, 2-1 Big East) not only would have been embarrassing, it would have made reaching a bowl game a daunting task with five games left. The Orange snapped a five-game losing streak against UConn (3-5, 0-3).
The Syracuse defense repeatedly pressured quarterback Chandler Whitmer, stuffed the Connecticut run game, finally created a turnover that led to a score, and Lemon was unstoppable. He had receptions of 41 yards and a career-long 68 yards to set up scores late in the second period and on the first possession of the third to help break open the game, then caught a short one over the middle as the Orange wreaked havoc on both sides of the ball.
Jerome Smith finished with a career-high 133 yards rushing on 19 carries, Ryan Nassib was 14 of 20 for 251 yards passing, and Ross Krautman kicked four field goals as the Orange racked up 502 yards offensively and did not commit a turnover.
