The four check-down passes embodied Ryan Nassib’s improvement. On Syracuse’s opening drive against Southern California, Nassib continually dumped the ball off to running back Antwon Bailey as a last resort when receivers were covered downfield.

Four times on the 12-play, 70-yard drive that resulted in a field goal, Bailey acted as an escape valve. He turned possible sacks into positive yards, including chunks of 20 and 14 that sliced into the Trojans’ defense.

‘I think he threw to Antwon three or four times on that drive and that was his last read,’ said Syracuse offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. ‘So he went all the way around the horn and trusted Antwon and got it to him. He’s done a lot better at just believing in the progression and believing in the system.’

Nassib’s belief in the system — combined with hours of film study — has transformed his game through the first quarter of the 2011 season. The inconsistency of a year ago has vanished, leaving a polished passer who is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the nation. His drastic improvements have kept the Orange (2-1, 0-0 Big East) afloat so far this year, as the running game, led by Bailey, has fluctuated between decent at best and ineffective at worst.

Saturday, Syracuse welcomes a Toledo (1-2, 0-0 MAC) team to the Carrier Dome that presents a similar 4-4 defensive scheme as Rhode Island. With a slew of defenders around the line of scrimmage, the Orange might need a heavy dose of Nassib throwing the ball to avoid a two-game losing streak (noon, Big East Network).

Hackett attributed Nassib’s elevated game to his increased comfort level as the SU quarterback. During the course of his career at Syracuse, Nassib was forced to learn three different offensive systems — something that would slow the growth of any quarterback.

But 2011 marks the first time in his career he is playing within the same scheme and playbook for consecutive seasons.

‘When he goes back there, he knows exactly what he’s got to do,’ Hackett said. ‘He understands his drop, he understands where his No. 1 is, he understands where his No. 2 is — and that really helps him. Last year, it was a new system and his third system he’s ever had.’

As a result, he has more than carried the SU offense through three games. His 726 passing yards constitute less than 74 percent of the yards gained by the Orange this season. And against Rhode Island, his passing yards accounted for an unreal 89.9 percent of Syracuse’s offensive total.

But the whole product is a horribly imbalanced Syracuse offense. For a team led by a head coach in Doug Marrone and an offensive line coach in Greg Adkins, who pride themselves on smashmouth football, this year’s SU attack seems foreign.

The Orange has thrown 103 passes so far in 2011, compared to just 76 rushing attempts. Marrone attributes the imbalance to having to play from behind against Wake Forest and USC.

This meant Nassib had to throw the ball more frequently.

‘If you throw the ball and lose, you should have run it. And if you run the ball and lose, you should have thrown it,’ Marrone said in a teleconference Wednesday. ‘I hate to say that and our goal as coaches is to be balanced, but at the end of the day, I think it’s the same thing. We’re trying to win football games any way we can.’

Saturday could require another heavy dose of Nassib against Toledo. The Rockets defense loads the box with at least eight defenders on every play, which makes running the ball extremely difficult.

The Orange players and coaches are expecting pressure from Toledo, meaning Nassib will have to get the ball out of his hands quickly and accurately — one of his strengths this season.

Nassib’s completion percentage has skyrocketed from a less-than-mediocre 56.4 percent in 2010 to an impressive 72.5 percent this year. That’s good enough for ninth-best in the country among Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks.

‘From the mistakes I made last year, I’m making a lot less of them now,’ Nassib said. ‘That film from last year, it’s really hard for me to watch because I left a lot out there.’

Syracuse players and coaches hope previous experience against the uncommon 4-4 defense is something that will help them Saturday.

They’ve studied game tape from Rhode Island extensively, trying to find ways to pick apart the high-pressure scheme they saw against the Rams.

Nassib was nearly perfect against Rhode Island, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns. But the offense was completely one-dimensional.

Though it’s not ideal, Adkins says the team simply has to take what the defense gives it and hope to exploit it.

‘Rhode Island basically forced us to throw the football with the looks that they gave us,’ Adkins said. ‘They pretty much took us out of all the run game. You’ve got to do what’s asked and what the defense gives you. And, unfortunately, it’s been a little more of the throwing aspect that we’ve had to do.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on September 22, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13