In two weeks, the Syracuse football team will have its first off-week of the season. With their locker room looking more like an infirmary, the Orangemen need it.

Wide receiver Johnnie Morant’s injury in SU’s 38-14 win over Central Florida on Saturday piled on another player to SU’s walking wounded.

Morant left Saturday’s game at the end of the third quarter Saturday with a right ankle injury.

‘Johnnie’s ankle is a little sore,’ SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni said. ‘He (was) limited (Monday). But we think he’ll be OK.’

Coaches sat running back Damien Rhodes out of Saturday’s game because of a lingering ankle injury. If Rhodes missed the remainder of the year, he could redshirt the season because he’s played in less than 25 percent of SU’s games.

Rhodes will practice this week with the intent of playing against Toledo on Saturday, Pasqualoni said.

Tight end Joe Donnelly, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury since late preseason, will return to practice this week, Pasqualoni said. He’ll ‘run around with the team and get his shoulder pads on,’ but will not play against the Rockets. Pasqualoni said the earliest Donnelly can return would be for the Virginia Tech game on Oct. 11, which follows the off-week.

Pasqualoni said he will know early this week if linebacker Jameel Dumas, who was injured in the 49-47 win over North Carolina on Sept. 6, can play Saturday.

Walter the assaulter

It may soon be impossible to overlook Walter Reyes.

After his 241-yard, four-touchdown performance Saturday, the sophomore running back leads the nation in rushing at 173 yards per game. Connecticut’s Terry Cauley is No. 2, averaging 150 yards.

Two days after Reyes’s performance – which earned him Big East player of the week honors – players still buzzed about the career day.

When asked about his favorite Reyes run, Anderson said Reyes’s last touchdown run, a 58-yarder.

‘We were grinding Central Florida down,’ Anderson said. ‘I said to Walter to go for 300 (yards). I was joking around, and then he breaks one.’

The running game was a concern coming into the game after UCF limited Virginia Tech running back and Heisman Trophy candidate Kevin Jones to 83 yards on 22 carries.

‘There’s no comparison (between Reyes and Jones),’ Anderson said. ‘Kevin goes to a great school where they hype everybody. They hype a kid who hasn’t played quarterback yet and he’s God there.’

Speedster

Cornerback Thomas Whitfield started his first career game Saturday, replacing freshman Terrell Lemon.

‘It was great,’ Whitfield said. ‘It was a nice little change. I didn’t play as well as I think I should’ve. I’m not quite there yet.’

Whitfield brings speed to the defensive backfield. He beat cornerback Steve Gregory in a 40-yard dash, and Gregory says he runs it in 4.2 seconds

Sack attack

After three games, SU’s defense has yet to record a sack. Saturday, though, SU came close, recording 10 hurries on UCF quarterback Ryan Schneider.

‘We’re not upset because the way we’ve been playing, we’re playing good football,’ defensive tackle Louis Gachelin said. ‘The statistics aren’t showing that. We were terrible at stopping the run last year. Now, we’ve been stopping the run.’

The Golden Knights ran for 92 yards.

This and that

Safety Anthony Smith turned 20 on Saturday. He celebrated by making 13 tackles. … Pasqualoni said he’s expecting to know the status of wide receiver Jamel Riddle, who has yet to play because of academic issues, on Wednesday. … Defensive end Josh Thomas returned to the starting lineup, playing more than 10 plays in a game for the first time this season. … Saturday marked the 23rd anniversary of the first football game played at the Carrier Dome. … Anderson has yet to throw an interception. He has a 140.4 passing efficiency, three touchdowns and a 62.7 passing percentage. Said guard Matt Tarullo: ‘R.J.’s doing a tremendous job. He gets in people’s faces when they need a little motivation and pats them on the back if they do well. He’s being a true leader.’

Published on September 22, 2003 at 12:00 pm