The players getting the most recognition for Syracuse’s drastic turnaround on defense have largely been the veterans.

Senior linebacker Zaire Franklin is a three-time captain and addresses the media more than any other player. His counterpart Parris Bennett has racked up an ACC player of the week award and is tied for fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 9.2 tackles per game. Redshirt junior defensive tackle Chris Slayton has been SU’s most forceful player across an improved defensive line.

In the back end, though, it’s been two underclassmen who’ve sparked the change for Syracuse (4-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast). Redshirt sophomore Chris Fredrick and true sophomore Scoop Bradshaw earned additional playing time toward the end of last season — with Fredrick becoming a starter — due to a mix of injuries and disappointing play from the incumbents.

They’ve been locked in as starters since the 2017 season opener and have been instrumental in preventing the big plays that plagued the Orange a year ago. If the Orange plans on stopping Wake Forest’s (5-4, 2-3) 38th-ranked passing offense on Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome, it’ll be on Fredrick and Bradshaw to stop the big plays.

“When you get two guys who are playing at such a high level,” head coach Dino Babers said, “that’s what’s enabled us to do a lot of the things on defense that has allowed us to really slow down some really, really good offenses.”

The two weren’t just handed the starting jobs, either. SU brought in graduate transfers Devin M. Butler and Jordan Martin to shore up the secondary. Bradshaw and Fredrick beat both out. Butler has since excelled as the primary nickel cornerback while Martin transitioned to safety before his season-ending surgery.

Redshirt junior Juwan Dowels started a game last season before tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 2 against Louisville. He’s since become the third corner on the outside. He played most of the Miami game after Bradshaw missed it due to injury.

Fredrick’s best quality is the physicality he brings at the line, Dowels and Butler said. At 5-foot-11, 193 pounds, Fredrick has found success in press coverage while jamming receivers and has the strength to punch out balls that get in receivers’ hands.

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Meanwhile, Bradshaw, at 5-foot-11 and 167 pounds, is the speedier cornerback. When he first came to SU last summer, the coaching staff toyed with moving him to wide receiver before moving him back to corner for good. He’s had a few plays this season, including against Pittsburgh and Clemson, in which he’s broken up passes as the only defensive back around on a deep ball. Bradshaw leads the team with six pass breakups while Fredrick is tied for second with four.

“It’s like a very good combination,” Dowels said. “When you have that it makes it hard on the other side, deciding which side you want to go to.”

Fredrick credits Dowels for helping him adjust to his new role as a starter toward the end of last season. The experience last year helped them pinpoint what they needed to improve on entering the year.

For Fredrick, it was playing balls in the air. He said he’d ask some of the quarterbacks to go to the Ensley Athletic Center for extra practice, having them throw deep balls for him to field. Bradshaw said that he worked generally on improving his techniques and gaining a better understanding of the defensive scheme.

“I give (Scoop) a lot of advice,” Fredrick said. “Obviously he’s younger than me … I feel like I have a lot I try to teach him.”

It’s helped. Bradshaw, who is naturally confident and outgoing, said that he’s playing with a higher confidence level this year because he understands the system better. He always feels good on the field, but the fact that he consistently knows where needs to be helped him grow.

As Babers has mentioned, the best thing about this duo is their age. Both are already regular starters and should conceivably be at SU for a few more years to come.

“I can’t even explain it, how much we improved,” Bradshaw said. “Because you just know, once you’ve seen it you know. Like gosh. We weren’t doing this last year.”

Published on November 9, 2017 at 8:23 pm

Contact Tomer: tdlanger@syr.edu | @tomer_langer