His teammates weren’t going to let him off the hook that easy. Not when the end zone was merely one juke away.

At the end of the third quarter, linebacker Doug Hogue picked off Maine’s Warren Smith and appeared to be one right cut away from paydirt. Instead, he tried barreling over a Maine player and was brought down at the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Delone Carter punched in one of his four touchdowns to give SU a three-score cushion in its eventual 41-24 win Saturday night.

The end result didn’t stop the postgame heckles.

‘Man, I’ve been hearing about it ever since we got into the locker room,’ a smiling Hogue said with a sigh. ‘I was just so hyper, so crazy, while I was running the ball. Maybe next time.’

Hogue’s pick was precisely what Syracuse’s defense needed – a big play to bail out another rough outing for the pass defense. While the run defense has been solid, ranking 13th in the nation, the pass defense continues to struggle. Through three games, SU ranks 117th against the pass. Maine’s Smith finished 24-of-35 for 305 yards and three touchdowns.

But when Hogue jumped the route and robbed Smith, it didn’t matter. Like safety Max Suter’s pick triggering a thrilling win against Northwestern last week, SU’s defense made a play when it needed to. Down 34-17, the Black Bears never recovered.

‘I was just so happy that I caught the interception and that we got the ball back to the offense,’ Hogue said. ‘(Maine) gets the ball out fast with a timing offense so I just went through my progressions and saw the ball coming my way.’

At his weekly press conference on Monday, Marrone wasn’t overly concerned with a pass defense that has allowed 311 yards per game and 11 touchdowns. The unit hasn’t reached the breaking point to make wholesale changes.

‘I think we’re going to be OK,’ Marrone said. ‘Sometimes we look forward and say, ‘Well, gosh, what’s going on?’ And sometimes you need to look forward and say, ‘Number one, is the kid in position?’ And sometimes you have to tip your cap and say, ‘That’s a heck of a catch.’ That’s how we’ll continue to evaluate it.’

For the past two weeks anyway, the game-changing plays have been enough for the Orange’s defense. Still, Marrone couldn’t help but join the players in ribbing Hogue after the game. One of the first things Marrone did as SU’s head coach last spring was move Hogue from running back to linebacker.

‘We teased Doug a little bit and said that’s why he’s moved to linebacker,’ Marrone said. ‘He couldn’t make the guy miss at the end.’

Jones injured

Syracuse’s win may have come at a price.

Art Jones, SU’s NFL-bound defensive tackle, left the field in the first quarter with what the school labeled an ‘upper leg injury.’ He returned briefly in the second quarter but watched the rest of the game from the sideline.

Marrone didn’t provide any further details after the game Saturday or on Monday. Jones’ status for this week’s game against South Florida is uncertain.

‘(Trainers) just tell me, in or out,’ Marrone said. ‘I don’t ask any questions. Is he in? Is he out? How long is he out for? Is he in or out? He’s out. Move on. It’s either play or go.’

Anthony Perkins and Bud Tribbey took turns replacing Jones next to Andrew Lewis at tackle. Perkins brought Maine’s Smith down for a crucial third-down stop in the second half, while Tribbey also had a tackle.

This and That

Maine and Syracuse combined for 27 penalties…Syracuse’s third-down troubles continued, as the offense only converted 1-of-8 such plays…After Saturday, Syracuse’s passing offense now ranks third in the Big East at 229 yards per game.

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on September 28, 2009 at 12:00 pm