Should Syracuse left tackle Cody Conway miss Saturday’s game against North Carolina State, right guard Evan Adams will have an amplified role, head coach Dino Babers said Wednesday morning.

Last weekend at Louisiana State, Conway, a left tackle, suffered an apparent hand injury. Babers said Adams is SU’s (2-2) third-best offensive lineman and may have to step up against N.C. State’s (3-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) explosive front seven, which owns the country’s 11th-ranked rushing defense.

Because of Conway’s minor injury against the Tigers, Jamar McGloster bumped to left tackle and Adams slid to right tackle. Colin Byrne played right guard.

Adams played in all 12 games his redshirt freshman season last year, including nine starts at guard. He joined the starting lineup after an injury to right guard Omari Palmer and was second on the team with 29 knockdown blocks on an offense that totaled the second-most total yards in program history.

Babers credited Adams’ measurables (6-foot-6, 338 pounds) and footwork. He has not played tackle since last spring, though, which would make some of his assignments against N.C. State’s leading defensive tackle Bradley Chubb a challenge. Babers said he thinks Chubb, who has 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble, is better than LSU’s Arden Key, a First Team All-SEC honoree.

“How about this for an answer: IDK,” Babers said when asked how to block Chubb. “The guy is flying all over the field, ripping balls out, making plays on backs. He’s very, very active. I’m not sure we’ve seen someone better this year.”

Last year against Connecticut, Adams recorded three knockdown blocks. He tallied four in the season-ending loss at Pittsburgh. The last time SU played the Wolfpack, last November at the Carrier Dome, Adams matched his season high with four knockdown blocks. Still, he will be tested Saturday afternoon in Raleigh.

“Our front seven is playing at a high level,” N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren said. “In exploiting Syracuse, the challenge with them is the ball gets out so fast. The coverage has to help the rush, and the rush has to help the coverage. We have to do a great job of getting to the quarterback and forcing some tipped balls.”

N.C. State is coming off a 27-21 upset win at then-No.12 Florida State, while Syracuse is coming off a loss at then-No. 25 LSU, 35-26. Kickoff between the Wolfpack and the Orange is slated for 12:20 p.m. from Carter-Finley Stadium. The game will air on ACC Network Extra.

Other notes from the Babers and Doeren teleconferences:

• Doeren on SU junior quarterback Eric Dungey: “He gets out of trouble, extends drives and makes plays on his feet all of the time.”
• Babers: “We’ve got two heartbeats. We’ve got Zaire Franklin on defense and Eric Dungey on offense.”
• Doeren said N.C. State is using two scout teams to prepare for SU’s up-tempo offense. “Getting guys ready for how fast it comes at them is a challenge.”

Published on September 27, 2017 at 1:29 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21