The Carrier Dome fell silent as Ervin Philips lay on the ground. Shortly before halftime, he had attempted a diving catch. He couldn’t hold onto the football on a wheel route and appeared to have landed on the ball.

With 1:09 before halftime in Syracuse’s (2-1) 31-17 victory over Central Michigan (2-1), Philips grabbed his knee, drank water and left the field on his own. He did not return to the sidelines for the remainder of the game Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome. The senior receiver’s status is unclear.

“I haven’t had an opportunity to see Erv,” Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said after the game. “I haven’t had a chance to see Erv at all.”

Sophomore Devin C. Butler saw more playing time in Philips’ place. Philips left the game with three catches for 32 yards with a long of 13. On a third down, he did a one-man tip drill over the middle, catching an Eric Dungey pass he initially tipped. It was almost picked off, but Philips finished the play for a Syracuse first down.

Senior wide receiver Steve Ishmael and sophomore Sean Riley may have been targeted more as a result of Philips’ absence. Ishmael caught eight passes for 139 yards and Riley hauled in four receptions for 82 yards. Dungey finished with 279 yards and two touchdowns.

In last week’s Syracuse loss to Middle Tennessee State, Philips finished with only seven catches for 36 yards and a pair of rushes for 15 yards.

Before the season, he said his goal was to be the “best receiver in the ACC.”