COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Sandwiching the sloppy, disjointed mess that was the Syracuse-Maryland matchup at Byrd Stadium was a pair of highlights from the running back who thrives most in slugfests like on Saturday.

Jerome Smith’s first score capped the Orange’s best drive of the season. A 1-yard plunge on fourth down put SU ahead early — and for good. The run was vintage Smith as he lowered his shoulders to power his way into the end zone.

And when not much else worked throughout the game, Syracuse could keep giving it to him and he rewarded the Orange with the dagger in the fourth quarter.

“We take pride in being hard-nosed. That got it done today,” Smith said. “Being hard-nosed got it done today.”

Smith plunged in from a yard out to give SU (5-4, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) its first touchdown and darted in from 21 out to ice the game with the final touchdown in the fourth quarter of a 20-3 win over the Terrapins (5-4, 1-4) in front of 37,213 in College Park, Md.

With Prince-Tyson Gulley knocked out early with an ankle sprain, Smith’s role expanded. He carried the ball a season-high 28 times for 118 yards and the two touchdowns. He accounted for almost a third of Syracuse’s offense by himself. A second-quarter fumble was the lone blemish.

“We knew with Tyson going down, I had to pick up the load a little more,” Smith said. “George (Morris II) and Devante (McFarlane) are younger guys, so they couldn’t really take a big load.”

The Orange, which has been so inept in the first quarter this season, opened the game with perhaps its best offensive series of the year.

Eighty yards. Eight minutes. Sixteen plays. Smith had his number called on six of those, including twice on fourth downs.

He gave SU 7 yards and a first down on the second play from scrimmage, and then made up for a false start with an 8-yard run on the next play. No matter the situation, Syracuse could give him the ball.

“It’s nice,” wide receiver Jarrod West said. “He’s one of the best running backs in the country.”

With a 4th-and-2 in UMD territory, offensive coordinator George McDonald took his first gamble. He could’ve punted away or opted for a 52-yard field goal. Or even called a passing play with multiple yards needed. But he called a handoff to Smith, right up the middle for a 7-yard gain and a first down.

The Orange kept driving and found itself with another fourth down at the 1-yard line. Again, McDonald could have taken three points, but he let Smith take another handoff. Touchdown.

Those six carries set the tone for the heaviest workload Smith has seen all season. Head coach Scott Shafer said the increased carries didn’t have to do with Gulley’s absence — “We got plenty of those,” he said of running backs — but with SU leading for the entire game and faltering in the passing game, there were plenty of carries for the running back.

His yardage came in small chunks throughout the day as Syracuse turned to him to convert third downs and burn up the clock. On both of the Orange’s field goal-scoring drives, Smith carried the ball at least three times and picked up a first down.

“Jerome’s a great player. I lean on him a lot sometimes,” SU quarterback Terrel Hunt said. “We have a little talk in the backfield that if, say, pressure’s coming, he’s like, ‘Don’t worry, I got that.’

“That just makes me more comfortable. My dropback is slower. I’m not in a rush, I’m not nervous of getting blindsided.”

Syracuse has thrown out all the stops on offense this year, but Smith’s production has remained consistent. McDonald has changed starting quarterbacks, moved Ashton Broyld out wide and made Brisly Estime a starter all this season. He’s regularly given the ball to four different running backs, occasionally used tackle Sean Hickey as an eligible wide receiver and has utilized almost every formation imaginable.

But when he needs a short pickup or a safe call on any down, he has Smith ready to take the handoff and run straight ahead. Whether it’s for 1 yard or if SU needs a whole bunch, it’s always a safe choice.

“He gives us someone to rely on in crunch time and just times in general. By him being consistent,” Morris said, “it makes everybody else be consistent.”

Published on November 9, 2013 at 9:10 pm

Contact David: dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2