Ervin Philips sets Syracuse career receptions record in loss vs. Florida State

While we’re obviously bummed about the results of yesterday’s 27-24 loss to Florida State, things weren’t all bad for the Syracuse Orange. Most notably, senior wide receiver Ervin Philips earned himself quite an honor while catching 12 passes during the contest.

Going into the game, Erv needed just seven passes to leapfrog Alec Lemon for the most receptions in school history, and he wound up flying past the number. For now, the mark stands at 207, though he’ll have at least three more weeks to continue padding that figure.

While it was assumed records would fall with Dino Babers’s offensive system, this one is particularly impressive for Philips given the way his career has tracked at SU. He started off as a running back, then transitioned to a “hybrid” in year two. In just two full seasons as a true wide receiver, he’s managed to catch 163 balls (with more to come).

Lemon, the previous record holder, was a wideout the whole time, obviously. Though the best offense he was part of was the final one in 2012.

It’s likely that Erv keeps this record for a few years, though Steve Ishmael isn’t that far behind him at this point. The fellow senior is at 192 career receptions following his own 12-catch day against FSU. That puts him eight away from becoming the third Orange wideout to ever catch 200 passes or more.

We’ll recap some more record-related things on Monday, but for now, congrats to Ervin for the big milestone.