Cincinnati's Collaros terrorizes SU

SYRACUSE — It seemed as if Zach Collaros could do no wrong Saturday.

The Cincinnati quarterback made simple plays, but he tossed in occasional tricks that were a treat for the Bearcats. It was fitting that the sophomore horrified Syracuse with four touchdown passes in a 28-7 victory before a crowd of nearly 34,000 on a Halloween afternoon in the Carrier Dome.

"I think it was a nice job by him," Orange coach Doug Marrone said. "He's a young quarterback. I think he did a very nice job. I think he's a strong runner. You know we all saw the play against South Florida, but he really can run and he's elusive."

Syracuse (3-5 overall, 0-3 Big East) has a recent history of anxious performances against dual-threat quarterbacks. Collaros got the call for fifth-ranked Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0) as regular starter Tony Pike sat out with an injured left forearm. Collaros didn't disappoint, piloting an offense to 422 total yards, including 295 through the air.

"He's a great athlete, you know," said SU defensive tackle Arthur Jones. "I had him in the backfield a couple times, but he has great speed. He's fast, definitely shifty."

The athleticism was on display during Cincinnati's opening drive. Facing a third-and-10 and scrambling to one sideline, Collaros connected on a pass to Armon Binns on the other end of the field, which resulted in an 81-yard touchdown. The possession took 89 seconds to complete.

While the Bearcats have been lauded for their prolific offense, SU managed to move the ball effectively against Cincinnati's assertive defense. The Orange interchanged quarterbacks Greg Paulus and Ryan Nassib to keep the Bearcats guessing on the ensuing possession. The drive resulted in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Paulus to tight end Cody Catalina to knot the score at 7-7 late in the first quarter.

But Collaros's creativity emerged seconds into the second quarter. On a field-goal attempt, Collaros fumbled the snap as the holder, and he rolled away from the SU defense. He bought enough time to hit Kazeem Alli on a 16-yard touchdown pass. Marrone was irate, trying to get a penalty on the Bearcats for having an ineligible player downfield. Instead, the Orange was back in a seven-point hole.

"They just caught us off guard," said Doug Hogue, Syracuse's junior linebacker. "We weren't expecting that to happen. They just got the play done."

The Orange made sure its immediate future wasn't entirely gloomy. SU erected an 11-play drive that lasted more than six minutes later in the frame. But an errant pass from Paulus on first-and-goal from Cincinnati's 8-yard line was picked off by Bearcats redshirt freshman Drew Frey in the end zone.

"We executed to get all the way to that certain point," Paulus said. "To turn the ball over in the red zone, it is not going to get it done, especially against a top five team."

Luckily for SU, Jacob Rogers booted a 43-yard field goal attempt wide left before halftime. But Collaros went to work in the second half, polishing off a seven-play drive with a 13-yard TD toss to Binns.

"I thought he was outstanding, actually," Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said of his quarterback. "He was better than he was last week."

The red zone follies sealed SU's fate in the third quarter. Another promising Orange possession concluded with a Delone Carter fumble on first down at the Bearcats' 7-yard line. It was a sad sequence for Syracuse, which marched into Cincinnati territory on five of its first seven drives. The Orange finished with a modest 283 yards of total offense. Yet, it only had seven points to show for the effort.

"It's tough," Catalina said. "You drive the ball down the field and you make good plays to get first downs, then you get down in the red zone, and you have turnovers and stalls. It's hard not only on the offense, but on the defense, too."

Marrone praised SU's defense for its production against one of the nation's top offenses. The Orange finished with eight tackles for a loss, including one sack. Junior free safety Michael Holmes collected a team-high 10 tackles.

"Just like (defensive coordinator) Coach (Scott) Shafer said after the game," Jones said. "He wouldn't change anything with the game plan. We had a good game plan trying to eliminate some of the big plays."

Collaros orchestrated most of the havoc for Cincinnati, which has won 14 consecutive regular season games. In Kelly's spread system, almost every quarterback has thrived since his arrival in 2006. In the last two games, Collaros is 37-for-45 for 548 passing yards and seven touchdowns.

Even if he's forced to relinquish the starting role upon Pike's return, Collaros is taking the opportunity in stride.

"It's a blessing," Collaros said. "It is not a blessing that Tony got hurt, but being able to get my chance. It feels great to play this well."