Chuck Bullough laughed off the question about the Syracuse defense’s priority.

“The quarterback,” the SU defensive coordinator said.

Villanova’s dual-threat signal-caller John Robertson torched SU for 115 yards rushing and 199 more in the air. C.J. Brown of Maryland dominated with 280 yards passing and 25 on the ground.

“We’re always facing (dual-threat) quarterbacks. The Maryland guy could run. The Villanova guy could really run,” Bullough said. “That’s just college football now. As you’re watching the games on TV, everyone’s struggling with those guys.”

On Saturday at 8 p.m., Syracuse (2-1) will face its toughest opponent at quarterback of the season so far, when it plays No. 8 Notre Dame (3-0) and dual-threat Everett Golson at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The senior has scored 11 of the 13 Fighting Irish touchdowns this season — seven passing and four rushing.

In 2012, he led Notre Dame to the national championship game in his first season as a starter. After being suspended last season due to “poor academic judgement,” he’s set to give Syracuse a headache.

“You’ve got everybody covered, you’ve got everything good and all of a sudden he gets out and he can move,” Bullough said. “You can’t chase him down, you can spot him, you can do all that stuff, but guys can’t run him down.”

During practice, the Orange has used third-string freshman quarterback AJ Long to replicate Golson’s prowess as a speedy quarterback with passing ability, but senior linebacker Cameron Lynch said he’s taken some sacks.

Lynch said it’s been difficult to replicate his speed and execution, but also that having a similar quarterback of Golson’s prototype has been an asset in practice.

“He’s done a very good job getting us that look,” Lynch said. “That’s just his type of playing style, running around playing backyard football.”

Golson has passed for 780 yards this season and his 126 rushing yards gained leads the team as well. He’s filled the void on a team that lacked a star player all last season.

Two years ago, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said that he didn’t need Golson to be as much of a playmaker. He said his defense held down the fort and didn’t put his quarterback in difficult offensive situations. This year, he said, he needs Golson to be more of a playmaker.

“I think it’s been at the journey that he’s on and that journey started when he was a freshman,” Kelly said. “Obviously, when he got his opportunity to come back here, he wanted to take control of his destiny on offense.”

Notre Dame wide receiver Corey Robinson didn’t play with Golson during his freshman year, but said the receivers know all they have to do is run their route, and Golson will get them the ball.

He specifically noted a Golson 53-yard throw to C.J. Proise to end the first half of Notre Dame’s game against Rice on Aug. 30 as a moment that left him in awe.

“At any given moment the play looks dead and he’ll pop out of swarm right there,” Robinson said. “And you have to make sure you’re open. “It makes it a lot of fun. Anything can happen.”

Both SU head coach Scott Shafer and defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough agree that, despite SU’s stout defense, he’s a player that can take control of the game.

Bullough said he hopes to “plaster” Golson if he breaks the pocket. Shafer said he’s seen first-hand his ability to complete a 60-yard pass while getting hit, an ability that doesn’t put the Orange defense in a particularly good position.

“You want to be a game manager early on in your career, learn how to manage the game, not get your team beat,” Shafer said of Golson. “When you take it to the next level, you continue to do those things well, but you also give your team an opportunity to be a big play-maker.

“That’s definitely what Everett has become there. He’s a hell of a football player.”

Published on September 26, 2014 at 6:02 pm

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3