West Virginia Falls to Syracuse in 2018 Camping World Bowl Without QB Will Grier

After scuffling for three quarters, Syracuse woke up late to earn its first postseason victory in five years by knocking off West Virginia 34-18 in the 2018 Camping World Bowl. 

The Mountaineers didn't have the services of Will Grier after announcing earlier this month he would sit out the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft, and his absence could be felt. 

Orange quarterback Eric Dungey overcame a slow start to finish his college career on a high note. The senior finished 21-of-30 for 303 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rewrote the Syracuse record books during the game:

West Virginia was well aware of Dungey's playmaking ability coming into Friday's contest. Defensive end Ezekiel Rose went so far as to compare the Syracuse star to Grier. 

“He can make things happen in the air and, if he needs to, with his feet,” Rose told reporters. “They extend plays, he knows how to run, and he’s a very versatile guy. He brings everything. He’s actually really smart, so I’m expecting him to do some things like I see in practice from Will.”

Dungey used that dual skill set to help set up the game-sealing touchdown. West Virginia defenders appeared to have him stuffed behind the line of scrimmage, but he was able to float a pass to Moe Neal behind the line of scrimmage for a 42-yard gain. 

Jarveon Howard capped off the drive with a four-yard touchdown run on the next play to put Syracuse up 34-18 with 9:59 remaining. 

Head coach Dino Babers has turned the Orange around in just three seasons. They won 10 games in a season for the first time since 2001. 

Sophomore Jack Allison, who transferred from Miami last year, made his first career start Friday. That inexperience showed as he finished 18-of-34 for 279 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. West Virginia was held to its second-lowest point total of the season. 

The running game tried to support Allison with eight players combining for 146 yards on 36 carries. Kennedy McCoy accounted for their lone touchdown in the second quarter. 

Even though kicker Evan Staley would miss the extra point after McCoy's score, he made up for it by setting a new Camping World Bowl record with four field goals:

But when Syracuse started scoring touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Allison was unable to make enough plays to get his team into the end zone. 

West Virginia's once-promising season ended up taking a dark turn. Head coach Dana Holgorsen's squad lost their last three games to finish 2018 at 8-4 after a high-water mark of No. 6 in the Associated Press Top 25. 

Now, the Mountaineers will head into the offseason needing to replace Grier at quarterback if they want to compete with the cream of the Big 12 crop next year. Allison didn't answer questions about his ability to take over, but he did gain valuable experience on a big stage to carry with him. 

The Orange have a lot to build off of heading into 2019. Babers has proven himself to be an excellent coach capable of maximizing the talent on his roster. Recruiting hasn't taken off, with 247Sports currently ranking Syracuse's incoming class 13th out of 14 ACC teams. 

As long as Babers finds the right players to fit his system, Syracuse's overall ranking won't matter as much if he continues to develop it like he did this season.