Keldorf, Tar Heels Surprise Syracuse

Chris Keldorf, who played at St. Bernard High in Playa del Rey, was cool under the heat of Syracuse’s Carrier Dome, completing 22 of 32 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns Saturday night as No. 24 North Carolina upset No. 9-ranked Syracuse, 27-10.

Great things were expected of Syracuse (0-1), but that will have to wait for another week as the Tar Heels (2-0) reversed a season-opening loss to the Orangemen in 1995 in the first-ever meeting between the teams.

And it was the 6-foot-5 Keldorf who outshone his more highly publicized Syracuse counterpart, Donovan McNabb.

Keldorf, a transfer from tiny Palomar Junior College outside San Diego, led the Tar Heels to a 17-0 halftime lead and then quieted the raucous hometown crowd with some key completions in the fourth quarter after a furious Syracuse rally cut the lead to 17-10.

Keldorf, who redshirted his 1993 season at El Camino College, completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Jones to seal the Orangemen’s fate with 9:10 left.

Syracuse, without the receiving talents of Marvin Harrison, moved in fits and spurts all game as McNabb misfired, never sustained a convincing drive, and quickly fell behind 17-0. McNabb, the highly touted sophomore who established an NCAA record for passing efficiency by a freshman last year, completed 11 of 32 passes for 125 yards, and was only three for 15 for 41 yards in the first half.

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Ryan Clement threw four touchdown passes in the first half and Dyral McMillan ran for 156 yards to lead 11th-ranked Miami past The Citadel, 52-6, at Miami. . . . Quarterback Chris McCoy atoned for two fumbles with a 15-yard touchdown run and Rashad Smith intercepted a pass at the goal line to stop a late Rutgers drive as Navy opened its season with a 10-6 victory at Piscataway, N.J. The Midshipmen ended a seven-game losing streak against the Big East Conference by handing Terry Shea his first loss at Rutgers (1-1). . . . Amos Zereoue rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns to lead West Virginia to a 34-9 win over Western Michigan at Morgantown, W.Va. . . . Billy West rushed for 115 yards, his first 100-yard game since breaking a leg last season, as Pitt routed Kent, 52-14, at Pittsburgh to stop a school record-tying 10-game losing streak. . . . Shyrone Stith ran for 119 yards and two short-yardage touchdowns as 15th-ranked Virginia Tech beat Akron, 21-18, at Akron, Ohio, after spotting the Zips an eight-point lead.

SOUTH

Marcus Crandell tossed three touchdown passes to eclipse the school record of Jeff Blake as East Carolina downed East Tennessee State, 45-21, at Greenville, N.C. Crandell connected twice with split end Larry Shannon and once with tight end Scott Richards to give him 45 career touchdown passes. Blake, now the starting quarterback with the Cincinnati Bengals, had 43 during his East Carolina career. Crandell finished 22 for 39 for 265 yards.

WEST

Beau Morgan passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as Air Force spoiled Nevada Las Vegas’ debut in the Western Athletic Conference with a 65-17 rout at Las Vegas. Morgan had 303 yards in total offense, rushing for 150 yards in 14 carries and completing eight of 16 passes for 153 yards. . . . Donald Sellers threw four touchdown passes and Ramos McDonald returned a first-half interception 46 yards for a score as New Mexico recorded a 49-33 victory over Northern Arizona at Albuquerque, N.M.

SOUTHLAND

Abu Wilson became the Big West Conference’s all-time career rushing leader as he rambled for three touchdowns to lead Utah State to a 57-27 rout of Cal State Northridge at Logan, Utah. Wilson, who gained 139 yards in 19 carries, also tied the Aggies’ 35-year-old record for career rushing touchdowns (29). Jack Ramirez completed 17 of 27 passes for 320 yards and five touchdowns as Pomoma-Pitzer routed Grinnell of Iowa, 63-24, at Pomona. Pomona generated 567 yards of total offense to Grinnell’s 323 yards in the first meeting between the schools. . . . Rino Marconi replaced Redlands starter Danny Green as the Bulldogs tried to rally from a 32-0 deficit but they lost to Lewis & Clark College at Portland, Ore. Marconi finished the game with 340 yards passing. . . . Shane Griggs threw three touchdown passes to rally Idaho State from a 25-0 deficit to beat Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 35-32, in overtime at Pocatello, Idaho.