Eric Dungey rolled loose from the pocket, popped a short pass to the sideline and buckled to his knees as a chaser latched onto his legs.

On that same timeline, Central Michigan defensive end Mitch Stanitzek saw his chance. He barreled toward Dungey and lowered his head to where Dungey’s chest would appear in a split second.

Instead, it was Dungey’s head in Stanitzek’s path. There was no stopping. Their helmets crashed and Dungey fell face-forward into the turf. His body looked lifeless.

One targeting call and two years later, Stanitzek is back with Central Michigan (2-0) for another bout against SU (1-1) this weekend. He was the first one to deliver the type of blow that has brought a heavy focus on Dungey’s running habits, a constant in Syracuse’s offense two games into 2017.

Dungey said this week that he’s never spoken to Stanitzek and doesn’t plan on worrying about their history come Saturday.

“You can’t make things personal,” Dungey said. “… The only thing I’m focused on is getting a win.”

Dungey has more than just Stanitzek to worry about. He was sacked five times last week in a loss against Middle Tennessee State. His receivers dropped balls. SU’s two primary running backs, junior Dontae Strickland and sophomore Moe Neal, have combined for less than 100 yards on the ground in two games. Dungey’s responsibility to lead the SU offense has been magnified by the failures of those around him.

Daily Orange File Photo

His mobility has factored into a response and is essential to an otherwise lifeless run game. Dungey’s 104 rushing yards are more than any other SU player. He has averaged 14 rushing attempts per game. Three of his six touchdowns came on the ground. One of those, a 29-yard dash up the middle of the field for SU’s longest run of the season, tied the game in the fourth quarter last week.

The play was by design, but any time Dungey tucks the ball and runs, by plan or by force, it comes with a known risk. In the season opener, Dungey front-flipped in midair to avoid a tackler in the open field. He slid last week, but also took a nasty knock from MTSU’s defensive end Walter Brady. The hit earned Brady an ejection for targeting.

“As long as I’m being smart with the ball, I’m just trying to help my team win any way I can,” Dungey said.

Dungey cannot control the actions of those chasing him. Still, he missed three games last year and four his freshman year because of “upper-body injuries.” Missing time has consequences when fighting to string together enough wins for bowl eligibility.

“As you know with (Dungey), moving is not always a good thing,” said Jamar McGloster, SU’s fifth-year senior right tackle, “but the fact that he can get out of pressure takes the relief off of us.”

McGloster and his counterpart at left tackle, junior Cody Conway, both said this week that they’ll be checking over their shoulder to make sure no Chippewas partake in any post-play shenanigans with Dungey. Holding blocks to “the echo of the whistle” was an emphasis in practice this week, McGloster said.

Based on player comments this week, the concern for SU is not to amend what happened two years ago, but to right the course of the season that endured its first loss earlier than most expected. But nobody has forgotten. CMU head coach John Bonamego said Monday he’ll probably discuss the possibility that Stanitzek could have a bullseye on his back, but that “this is football.”

“I think Mitch in his heart knows what he did was not intentional,” Bonamego said. “I think when you know inside and you have the trust and you have the faith of the people around you and the people that are important to you and the people that care about you, quite frankly, I don’t think anything else matters.”

Published on September 14, 2017 at 8:02 pm

Contact: jtbloss@syr.edu | @jtbloss