Syracuse quarterbacks coach Tim Lester will take over as offensive coordinator for the Syracuse football team and offensive coordinator and associate head coach George McDonald will be demoted to wide receivers coach, according to an SU Athletics release published Monday morning.

Pete Roussel of 247sports.com first reported the news Sunday night, anonymously, and the Post-Standard’s Stephen Bailey confirmed the story Monday morning.

“I’ve made the decision to change roles to use our staff’s talents together more effectively. Coach Tim Lester will call the plays and coordinate the offense moving forward,” Shafer said in the release. “He, George and the offensive staff will continue to work alongside one another striving to improve our offense together. George will continue to coach our receiver unit.”

The Orange offense under McDonald had scored just three touchdowns in the past three games – all losses. After SU’s 28-6 loss to Louisville on Friday night, McDonald took full responsibility for the offense’s struggles.

“Like I said, everything starts and ends with me in terms of how this offense produces and what it’s doing,” McDonald said after the game. “And right now the offense isn’t good enough and I have to do a better job of finding ways to make sure that we can put points on the board.”

Both McDonald and Lester joined Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer’s staff in 2013 when Shafer, then SU’s defensive coordinator, took over when Doug Marrone left for the Buffalo Bills. Lester was the head coach at Division III Elmhurst College at the time and worked as the quarterbacks coach at Western Michigan from 2005-06, when Shafer was the defensive coordinator for the Broncos.

McDonald coached alongside Shafer at Northern Illinois as a wide receivers coach from 2001-03 and was the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at WMU, working with Shafer and Lester from 2005-06.