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SYRACUSE, New York (Ticker) -- Syracuse has made a habit of playing classic early-season games inside the Carrier Dome. Unfortunately for the Orangemen, heartbreak again was the outcome. Fifth-ranked Michigan exacted some revenge and held on for a controversial 18-13 victory when Madei Williams' pass into the end zone for Pat Woodcock fell incomplete with two minutes to go. In their first trip to the Carrier Dome, the Wolverines (3-0) barely escaped with a victory. After Jeff Del Verne's third field goal with 3:40 remaining provided Michigan with a five-point advantage, Syracuse (2-1) drove to the Wolverines 9-yard line before facing a 4th-and-4. Orangemen coach Paul Pasqualoni called his final timeout and designed a play that put the ball in the hands of sophomore quarterback Williams, who rolled left before unloading a pass that fell just beyond Woodcock's reach. "In those situations, everyone must play their assignments," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "Against a team like Syracuse there are a lot of things to be prepared for. Everyone did their job." Michigan cornerback James Whitley appeared to be draped on Woodcock's back but the officials did not throw a flag. The Wolverines took a knee on the next three plays to run out the clock. "I thought there should have been a flag at the end," Williams said. "We were looking for a touchdown. I thought the ref would throw the flag, but he didn't." "You've got to take the good with the bad and move on," added Orangemen receiver Quinton Spotwood, who was held to 59 yards on four receptions. Syracuse has lost a September home game in each of the last six seasons, including one to eventual national champion Tennessee on the last play of the game last season and an overtime loss to North Carolina State in 1997. "It's heartbreaking," said Syracuse linebacker Keith Bulluck. "Every year we seem to lose one of these games in the Dome. As a fifth-year senior, I know I won't get a chance to win one of these games against a big-name team, but I'm confident that one of these years, this program will do it." "Rankings are for people who make the rankings," Michigan nose tackle Rob Renes said. "We knew they were a good football team, and they showed it tonight." The Orangemen rebounded from the loss to Tennessee a year ago to post a 38-28 victory at Michigan the following week, a game in which Donovan McNabb threw three touchdown passes while also running for a score. "Tonight was not all about revenge, we just wanted to come out and play our game," said Wolverines running back Anthony Thomas, who carried 26 times for 97 yards and added 30 yards on eight receptions. Troy Nunes, who started behind center but wound up splitting time with Williams, tried to imitate McNabb's scrambling ability later in the third quarter but wound up costing Syracuse two points. After a wild scramble that left him inside his own end zone, Nunes was flagged for intentional grounding when he tried to throw the ball out of bounds, resulting in a safety that gave Michigan a 15-13 advantage. "It was a frustrating night," said Pasqualoni. "In a game like this, one or two plays make the difference. It was really frustrating because we were so close so many times. There is no question in my mind we could have won this game." Not only did Nunes' mistake put the Wolverines ahead, it changed the dynamic of what had been a field-position game. Two of the Orangemen's next three possessions stalled quickly, and on the second, a fake field goal attempt was snuffed. Several penalties on the third possession forced Syracuse to punt from deep in its own territory, giving the Wolverines terrific field position and resulting in Del Verne's important field goal. Although the Wolverines offense was not fantastic -- Drew Henson completed 16-of-28 passes for 151 yards -- Del Verne bailed out Michigan with field goals of 41 and 24 yards in the second quarter. Williams and Spotwood hooked up on a six-yard touchdown with 4:07 left in the first half, but Henson hit tight end Aaron Shea for a 22-yard score 54 seconds from the intermission to give Michigan a 13-7 lead at the break. Nunes' three-yard pass to wide-open running back James Mungro in the back left corner of the end zone gave Syracuse a one-point lead 4:15 into the third quarter. "It certainly was as difficult as it gets," Carr said. "I don't care how well you prepare in practice, you can never be prepared for the noise in this Carrier Dome. I think Syracuse will be one of the better defenses we will play this year." Williams completed 7-of-12 for 128 yards, while Nunes was 6-of-18 for 72 yards and two interceptions. David Terrell hauled in seven passes for 110 yards for Michigan, but hometown star Marquise Walker was held to one catch for a meager seven yards. Walker, who attended high school in the shadow of the Syracuse campus, was booed when he made the reception.
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