By now, Nick Speller has heard George Selvie’s name so much he’s sick of it. George Selvie this, George Selvie that. It’s been ongoing and unrelenting.

Speller isn’t sure how many times he’s heard the name of South Florida’s NFL-bound defensive end. But the man responsible for blocking Selvie this weekend has suffered somewhat of an identity crisis in the process.

‘(Coaches) call me Selvie now,’ Speller said. ‘For this week, my name is not Nick Speller. It’s Selvie. It’s crazy. But I can say I am ready for this game.’

He better be if Syracuse (2-2) has any chance of upsetting South Florida (4-0) on Saturday and climbing over .500 for the first time since Sept. 30, 2006. The Bulls boast one of the best defensive lines in the nation.

Speller didn’t play at all last season. Now as a sophomore, he starts at one of the most important positions in football – left tackle. With Selvie on tap, all eyes will be on him. Last week, the Bulls thoroughly whipped then-No. 18 Florida State, 17-7, in Tallahassee. South Florida’s violent defensive line paid rent in Florida State’s backfield, racking up five sacks with constant pressure.

‘It would be a challenge for an NFL offensive line against this team,’ SU head coach Doug Marrone said. ‘Without disrespecting anyone I haven’t seen on film yet, these will be the most talented, best defensive ends we play against.’

Syracuse’s offensive line has been up-and-down all season. It was demolished by Penn State, burned for four sacks against Northwestern and then somewhat rejuvenated in last week’s win over Maine.

A repeat of last year would be devastating. In the Bulls’ 45-13 win over SU in 2008, the pocket caved around quarterback Cameron Dantley all day. He was sacked four times and completed only 11-of-27 passes.

This year, Selvie and his teammates will be coming after Greg Paulus.

And Paulus knows South Florida is just as fast as they were then.

‘They put really good pressure on the quarterback,’ Paulus said. ‘They close gaps really quick. So if I throw a ball thinking a guy may have one or two steps on them, it closes real quick.’

It’s Speller’s job to prevent another aneurysm. The Orange has never beaten South Florida. Speller is the one that must keep the backdoor latched and locked on Selvie.

‘As soon as you turn on the film, the first thing that stands out is quickness,’ Speller said. ‘He reminds me of a basketball player. It’s kind of like a basketball game with him. You have to move your feet and stay with him.’

Basketball was always Speller’s sport. Not football. He didn’t play football until his sophomore year of high school at Edmondson-Westside (Md.) And even that was more of a ‘redshirt’ year, he admits. Playing defensive end, he mostly stood idly by on the sideline. The next year, coaches moved Speller to offensive tackle. Speller told them he didn’t know how to block. He lacked the Pop Warner fundamentals rooted in everyone else.

‘So at my first practice, I was blown up,’ Speller said. ‘I said, ‘This ain’t going nowhere for me.”

Then suddenly in one game – Speller snaps his fingers for effect – something clicked. He began pancaking defenders, and Edmondson-Westside advanced to the state championship. Division I schools from all over the country started flooding his school. Speller thought they were checking out his teammates, not him. College was never in his plans. He didn’t even know what an SAT was.

‘So I actually sat down and watched some of the film myself and thought, ‘Wow, I don’t look that bad.”

He earned All-state honors as a senior, chose Syracuse, earned a starting job under Marrone, and is now facing a future pro. Despite everyone reminding him of Selvie all week and the fact that the defensive end is ‘one of the quickest dudes I’ve ever seen,’ Speller insists he isn’t worried.

‘Every time we go against a heavily favored opponent, for some reason I always wake up in those games,’ Speller said. ‘Especially, when you have a D-Line where somebody is going to the NFL with Selvie, it’s like a wake-up game for me.’

Maybe most importantly, Speller will need a thick skin and a short memory. He plays a humbling position. Perform well, you’re not noticed. Perform poorly, the quarterback’s on his back and you’re sprayed with vulgarities.

Speller said this dynamic has never been a problem. As a kid, he was grilled harshly by his recreational basketball coach on the court, and back home where the coach was his mother’s friend.

‘So whenever these coaches up here yell, I never break down,’ Speller said. ‘You have to have thick skin as a lineman.’

Then again, this isn’t rec basketball. This is South Florida. A new season begins for Syracuse Saturday, and its first predicament is how to neutralize USF’s pass rush. There’s a good chance the Orange will shade a tight end inside to help Speller. But only if he’s struggling. With starting tight end Mike Owen sitting next to him, Speller makes it clear.

If he’s doing his job, just leave him alone.

Said Speller: ‘Because of my personality, I like going head-up, one-on-one first.’

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on October 1, 2009 at 12:00 pm