SOUTH BEND, Ind. – There was a time this summer when Antwon Bailey thought he would spend his true freshman season redshirting. A time when the trio of Curtis Brinkley, Delone Carter and Doug Hogue looked like it would be toting all the carries for Syracuse this year.

The prospect of being the star figure of a Syracuse victory seemed far off to Bailey. But that’s exactly what happened at Notre Dame Stadium Saturday, when the 5-foot-8 tailback breathed life into the Orange offense during SU’s 24-23 victory over the Fighting Irish. He ran for a game-high 126 yards and a touchdown in relief of an ineffective Curtis Brinkley, 98 of those yards coming in a fourth quarter in which he single-handedly propelled the Syracuse offense down the field.

For a Syracuse offense that has lacked any sort of spark the last two weeks, Bailey was a revelation. He was an unlikely hero in an even more unlikely win.

‘Coming into camp, I was probably about fourth or fifth on the depth chart,’ Bailey said. ‘I was way behind. I pretty much had to work my way out of a redshirt year. I definitely didn’t expect this though.’

Bailey had worked his was into Syracuse’s tailback rotation early in the season, eventually surpassing Carter and Hogue. He was a quick, shifty compliment to Brinkley, SU’s senior workhorse. ‘He’s not a surprise,’ SU head coach Greg Robinson said of Bailey. ‘… He’s a talented young football player.’

Early Saturday, it looked like Bailey’s main role against the Irish would be as the point man for Syracuse’s version of the ‘Wildcat’ offense. The formation is a version of the spread, in which the tailback takes a direct snap and either hands the ball off to another back or keeps it himself.

‘We put it in last week,’ offensive coordinator Mitch Browning said. ‘The guy that kept pounding the table was (offensive line coach) Chris Wiesehan. He kept pounding the table saying we should do it. Somehow, someway when things aren’t going good, you need to find ways to manufacture offense.’

Syracuse used the formation five times against Notre Dame, with Bailey handling the snap each time. The first time the Orange ran the set, Bailey kept the ball and fluttered a 25-yard pass to wide receiver Dan Sheeran. The other four times, Bailey kept it himself, running for 23 yards in those attempts.

But as the game wore on, the Orange started using Bailey in a more traditional fashion. Brinkley sputtered against Notre Dame, running for 46 yards on 17 carries and committed a costly fumble deep in SU territory that led to a Notre Dame field goal.

From that point forward, Bailey became the focal point for the SU offense. He carried 11 times in the fourth quarter. Brinkley carried once.

‘It’s been so hard to get him in the game,’ Browning said. ‘… When you only have so many snaps and one football to go around, it’s hard to get the guys the number of carries you want, sometimes.’

Heading into the fourth quarter, Syracuse’s offense was mired in a funk. It managed 37 yards and two first downs in the third quarter.

Bailey made an immediate difference. Less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, Bailey exploded up the middle and raced for a 26-yard touchdown to make it 23-17.

He was even better on Syracuse’s game-winning drive. He carried six straight times, accounting for 43 of the Orange’s 68 yards on that series.

All facets of the freshman’s game were on display. He used his speed to sweep around the left side and run for 20 yards on the first play of the drive. Later, he used his shiftiness and surprising power to run inside the tackles and get tough first downs.

‘It’s like you’re a 16-year-old all over again, and you get your driver’s license and your mamma lets you have the car,’ Bailey said of Syracuse’s final drive.

Finally, Bailey watched as quarterback Cameron Dantley’s 3rd-down pass sailed to Donte Davis for Syracuse’s game-winning score.

Bailey raised his arms and soaked in the moment. Three months ago, he didn’t know if he’d play any role in Syracuse’s season. On this frigid night in South Bend, the undersized freshman was the brightest star on college football’s most storied stage.

‘I knew it was going to be expanded some, but not to the point it was,’ Bailey said. ‘I had no idea I was going to be this big a part of the game.’

jsclayto@syr.edu

Published on November 21, 2008 at 12:00 pm