Back to business:
Take your pick. Just about every type of distraction blindsided Syracuse’s football team this week. The blizzard of bad news never seemed to stop.
In a matter of days, students booed their starting quarterback every time he stepped on the field, the team’s star wide receiver abruptly quit, three players were suspended, a key defensive end was forced to have his second season-ending knee injury and, for the cherry on top, cornerback JohnMark Henderson quit the team.
A lot for a team to handle in one year, let alone one week. In a faintly audible tone, linebacker Derrell Smith assured that life, in fact, goes on.
‘We’re just playing our game,’ Smith said. ‘It’s unfortunate, but we have to move on. We still have four games to go.’
How Syracuse deals with its laundry list of distractions – particularly the loss of its NFL-bound receiver – may determine its fate Saturday against No. 14 Pittsburgh (7-1, 4-0 Big East) at Heinz Field (noon, ESPNU). For the first time in eight weeks, the Orange (3-5, 0-3) will play on the road.
Always-smiling, always-glass half-full Art Jones helped cheer up the mood Wednesday. While joking that he was a ‘prima donna’ at Tuesday’s cold, outdoor practice, Jones found one silver lining. One of those suspended players, running back Antwon Bailey, has masqueraded as Pittsburgh’s star freshman running back Dion Lewis to a ‘T’ during practice.
Bailey may be suspended, but he has been serving a pretty important purpose this week.
‘(Bailey) is the best scout team back I have ever had,’ SU defensive tackle Art Jones said. ‘He shook me a couple times yesterday. I was surprised. He’s giving us a good look.’
Lewis is the reason Syracuse has no time to wallow in self-pity. As a true freshman, he has mesmerized teams with his cutback ability and greasy elusiveness. Lewis’ 1,029 rushing yards rank fourth in the country. His latest reel of ankle-breaking jukes came two weeks ago against South Florida’s vaunted front four. On Oct. 24, the team’s last game, he tore up the Bulls for 111 yards and two touchdowns to up his season total to 11.
After seeing this game on film, Smith admitted, ‘We’ll have our hands full.’
‘(Lewis) has done a tremendous job coming in for LeSean McCoy,’ Smith said. ‘He’s probably one of the best backs in the country.’
Not too long ago, the Orange faced another game-breaking back in West Virginia’s Noel Devine. The difference, Smith says, is Lewis’ ‘shimmy.’ Whereas Devine prefers to race to the end zone north-south, Lewis makes people miss.
‘It’s strength against strength,’ Smith said. ‘We have a good rush defense. They have a very good running attack. So may be the best man win.’
Then again, Syracuse’s biggest enemy could be itself. Mentally, the team needs to recoup fast. When Williams bolted, he took SU’s offensive punch with him. Even after being suspended in the Orange’s win over Akron, Williams accounted for 46 percent of SU’s entire passing offense.
Backup quarterback Ryan Nassib said he looked up to Williams last spring when he was SU’s starter.
‘He taught me a lot,’ Nassib said. ‘Not only are we losing a great competitor, but a great leader and great teammate.’
Williams, Bailey, offensive guard Andrew Tiller and defensive end Torrey Ball were involved in a car accident 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Williams quit the team and the other three players were suspended. The link between Williams and the suspensions remains murky.
While players mostly abstained from discussing Williams, they lauded Tuesday as one of the best practices all year. Players were more focused. Sometimes at practices a player is transfixed in la-la land, ‘picking their nose or something like that,’ Jones said.
But not Tuesday. The hard-hitting practice was somewhat of a wake-up call for a team that must win three of its final four games to reach a bowl game.
‘It was physical, it was physical,’ Jones repeated. ‘Every hit hurt. …Everyone was locked in and tuned in the whole practice. I don’t think there were many mistakes as far as alignments and things like that.’
As for the boos that showered Greg Paulus and the cheers for Nassib last weekend, SU’s backup said he didn’t hear about them until he got to the locker room afterward.
‘It’s mixed feelings,’ Nassib said. ‘Greg didn’t deserve getting booed like that. He’s a great competitor and great teammate. He works just as hard if not more than any player on this team.’
As if this weren’t all enough, the team announced defensive end Jared Kimmel would need season-ending knee surgery. A day later, Henderson quit the team, making him the 21st scholarship player to leave the program since the spring. Adversity is blasting Syracuse from all directions.
More than anything, players are itching to get back on the field. This weekend particularly, they’re embracing the underdog role.
‘We’re ready to shock the world,’ Nassib said. ‘We know what we have and what we can do. It’s just a matter of getting the job done.’
Published on November 4, 2009 at 12:00 pm
