After taking the handoff from Eric Dungey, it looked like Jordan Fredericks was going to be swallowed up at the line of scrimmage.

But the freshman running back found a small hole, ran 11 yards untouched and met four Rhode Island defenders around the Rams’ 3-yard line. Fredericks made one miss with a spin move, regained his balance after taking a hit and stumbled into the end zone with two defenders grabbing at his back.

“I just run, that’s it,” Fredericks said after Syracuse (1-0) beat Rhode Island (0-1) 47-0 in the Carrier Dome on Friday night. “I try not to think about anything, and when I get tackled I get tackled.”

Except on that play, a 13-yard touchdown run that was the first of his career, Fredericks never went to the ground. It was the highlight of his college debut — with strong competition from his first rush, a 31-yard dash down the middle of the field — in which he collected a game-high 103 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries

Starting running back Devante McFarlane did not play in the game and junior running back George Morris started in his place, but Fredericks came in and made the most of an early-season opportunity.

“Jordan’s a beast man,” SU wide receiver Steve Ishmael said. “He just plays football, that’s one thing I love about him. He doesn’t think twice about anything. If he sees a brick wall he’ll run into it without even thinking.”

Fredericks was the headliner for a great offensive performance by Syracuse’s freshmen, even if it was against a Football Champion Subdivision team that went 1-11 last season.

Freshman quarterback Eric Dungey took over for an injured Terrel Hunt at the 7:33 mark of the first quarter, and went 10-for-17 for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman hybrid Dontae Strickland ran twice for 42 yards, and his second resulted in a 21-yard touchdown. Even freshman walk-on Jacob Hill saw action in the second half, rushing for 75 yards on 17 carries.

In all, freshmen accounted for 359 of total offense in the game, which was 84 percent of the Orange’s 426.

“I’m just really excited for these freshmen man,” Ishmael said. “All these guys are just contributing, and I’m looking forward to seeing them down the stretch.”

Published on September 5, 2015 at 12:07 am

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse