UPDATED: Sept. 8, 2018 at 11:31 p.m.

Sitting at the podium after Syracuse’s 62-10 destruction of Wagner, Dino Babers admired Andre Cisco’s haircut. He said that he wished he would have sported that hairstyle when he was younger. He likes Cisco’s name too, citing the War song “The Cisco Kid.” He also highlighted the “good looking cat’s” sure hands.

Through two games, the ability to convert on turnover opportunities has made the Cisco kid a friend of Babers.

“Normally you have opportunities for interceptions, it’s just what’s your percentages are when the ball touches your hands of catching it,” Babers said. “And someone says ‘oh that guy doesn’t have to catch, he’s a DB.’ Well if there’s a DB that knows how to catch it can be a huge weapon.”

Through eight quarters of football the freshman defensive back has picked off three passes, two of which came in the first quarter of Syracuse’s win over Wagner on Saturday night in the Carrier Dome. Cisco became the first SU player to snag two interceptions in a game since 2012 and the first Orange player with three INTs under Babers. With five interceptions, Syracuse has surpassed its interception total (four) from a year ago.

“With our offense they need the ball as much as possible,” Cisco said. “They don’t stay on the field long so the more opportunities they get the better for us.”

Cisco, a three-star recruit, recorded one interception last year in eight games for IMG Academy (Florida). He tied that mark in the second drive of the season at Western Michigan. Three plays into game two, he surpassed it.

On 3rd-and-7 from the Wagner 17 yard-line, Syracuse shifted its defense just before the snap. Cisco, who had previously stood roughly five yards behind defensive back Antwan Cordy, rolled down and filled the void Cordy left on his blitz. Cisco trailed the back hip of Wagner’s Andrew Celis as Cordy and SU’s defense pressured the quarterback. When the ball came to Celis on a drag route across the middle, Cisco undercut it, diving for his first interception of the game.

“It’s great just seeing young guys do their job,” Cordy said. “I was in that position my freshmen year. It felt good.”

A week ago against Western Michigan, Cisco’s interception was followed by several mistakes in the backfield. On one play in the third quarter, with Cisco playing as lone safety over top the defense, the Orange was burned for an 84-yard touchdown. Babers explained Monday those types of things happen to freshmen and compared his new players to babies’ eating habits.

Against Wagner, Cisco followed up his first interception with a second. On the Seahawks’ second drive of the game, facing another third down deep in their own territory, Cisco once again shifted positions before the snap. This time the Orange “disguised” zone coverage to appear as man coverage, Cordy said.

Cisco filled in at the robber position, standing about five yards off the line of scrimmage and five yards to the outside of the tackle and bounced in anticipation. An unblocked defensive end, Kendall Coleman, rushed at Wagner quarterback T.J. Linta and planted him into the ground as the ball was released.

When the ball reached its targeted area, it went to Cisco’s hands, not a Wagner player. Cisco hadn’t been there when Linta checked the coverage pre-snap but a late fill-in put him in the right spot.

“I was dropping down and the slant kind of just ran towards me,” Cisco explained. “My job was just read the quarterback’s eyes and I just fell into position.”

Cisco popped up and ran to the sidelines while various blue jerseys congratulated him. He shoulder bumped defensive back Christopher Fredericks before raising two fingers in the air.

“I like the things that he’s doing,” Babers said. “I like the way he’s rebounded from the first game. And I really like the fact that he’s a freshman, and he’s going to be with us for a long long time.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, Christopher Fredericks was misnamed. The Daily Orange regrets this error. 

Published on September 8, 2018 at 9:03 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44