Donovan Hero For Syracuse

College football

Donovan or Dayne?

In the Kickoff Classic, it was Donovan McNabb and No. 17 Syracuse - by a ton.

McNabb, the Orangemen’s shifty quarterback, ran for one touchdown and threw for another Sunday in a 34-0 victory over No. 24 Wisconsin.

Dayne, the Badgers’ record-setting tailback, found the going tougher, managing just 46 yards on 13 carries and sustaining a slight neck injury that weakened his right arm.

“I wanted to become a leader on this team and make the plays when I have the ball in my hands,” said McNabb, who finished 11 of 14 for 211 yards and ran for 27 more on five carries. “We did well today.”

As for Dayne, the 5-foot-10, 262-pounder, who ran for an NCAA freshman record 1,836 yards last season, his effort was the least productive of the 14 games he’s played.

“I did the best I could,” said Dayne, who missed the final series of the first half and the final 8:41. “And I saw my linemen do the best they could, too.”

With Tennessee’s Peyton Manning the top Heisman Trophy contender, Dayne and McNabb entered the season as challengers. McNabb remains a challenger.

“He is possibly a great quarterback,” Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said. “He puts on a lot of pressure and he has a good supporting cast. … He can make things happen. He caused a lot of problems for our defense.”

The Orangemen, who started last season with two losses, got off to a fast start against the Badgers. Kevin Johnson returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown and Syracuse was on its way to its first opening-game shutout since 1967.

The shutout was the third in 15 Kickoff Classics, and marked the fifth straight time the losing offense has failed to score a touchdown.