Syracuse going back to its roots
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net June 3, 2013

By Ed McGranahan.

By Ed McGranahan

Serious students of college football know the Syracuse legacy, and serious Clemson football fans know the teams crossed paths on a gray, wet day in Jacksonville, Fla., 17 years ago.

Clemson’s first visit to the Carrier Dome in early October will be the second – and certainly drier – game between the two programs.

Switching from the Big East Conference to the ACC, the Orange will face a huge year of transition. Doug Marrone parlayed a .500 record in four seasons into the head job with the Buffalo Bills leaving the program to Scott Shafer, his first year as a head coach.

Shafer needs to find a quarterback to replace Ryan Nassib, who started every game for three seasons and was a third-round NFL draft pick. Among the four or five most logical candidates is a transfer fromOklahoma.

Until then, Syracuse may have to go “old school.” During a decade in which Syracuse won a national championship, and one of its players a Heisman Trophy, the Orange established the game’s gold standard for running backs.

That should be the strength of this team with two backs who last season combined for 2,000 yards.

SYRACUSE

Oct. 5 @ Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY

2012: 8-5 including a 38-14 win over West Virginia in the Pinstripe Bowl

Big East:  5-2, four-way tie for first place

The series: On a miserable day inJacksonville,Fla.,Syracuseand quarterback Donovan McNabb pounded Clemson, 41-0.

Offense registers concealed weapons

Returning starters: 5

QB: After searching through spring to identify Nassib’s successor, the job remained unclaimed. Terrel Hunt reportedly jumped ahead of Charley Loeb and John Kinder, butOklahomatransfer Drew Allen will be eligible to practice in August. Somebody asked Shafer if he had a quarterback controversy. “I said ‘Hell yeah,’ we have a quarterback controversy.” Shafter said that at this stage he wouldn’t discount using more than one.   “We don’t want to put all our marbles in what happened in 15 days.”

RB: Powerful Jerome Smith rushed 228 times for 1,176 yards with three touchdowns and is ranked by Athlon Sports as the No. 2 running back in the ACC behind Duke Johnson ofMiami. Back surgery forced Prince-Tyson Gulley to miss spring practice, but he rushed for 825 yards on 157 carries, caught 33 passes for 282 yards and scored a team-high nine rushing touchdowns in 2012. In the Pinstripe Bowl win over WVU he rushed for 205 yards, scored three touchdowns and was named the bowl MVP. Redshirt freshmen George Morris and Devante McFarlane were impressive. Another interesting option is Tebow-type Ashton Broyld, a converted quarterback who rushed for 224 yards on 43 carries.

WR: Nassib’s two most productive targets are also gone. Shafer anticipates Jarrod West (43 catches in 2012) emerging as the principle receiver.Arkansastransfer Quinta Funderburk needs to fight through a knot of prospects to become a factor.

TE: There’s depth and size with senior Beckett Wales atop the list after catching 35 passes.

OL: Senior center Mack MacPherson, son of a former Orange head coach, is a Rimington candidate at center, anchoring a line that lost two starters.

Defense

Returning starters: 6

DL: Among the three starters to be replaced was all-conference tackle Brandon Sharpe, but the cupboard wasn’t bare. Jay Bromley should be anchor the front with five to seven experienced players in the mix for the other spots.

LB: Leading tackler Siriki Diabate has graduated, but Dyshawn Davis (14 tackles for loss) and Marquis Spruill (9 TFL) were productive. Spruill, a senior, has more experience than any returning player on the roster with 36 starts.

DB: Safety Durell Eskridge could be back for fall practice after undergoing surgery after the spring game to repair his right wrist and ring finger. Eskridge, who practiced through spring with no indication of the injury, could be a fixture with Jeremi Wilkes replacing all-conference strong safety Shamarko Thomas. Corner Keon Lyn had 10 pass breakups. The other job remains open for the best option.

Special teams

PK: Ross Krautman hit 15 of 23 field goals

P: Jonathan Fisher averaged 39.2 per kick

Bottom line: Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little (with teammate Larry Csonka) established the gold standard for running backs for a decade starting in the mid-1950’s. They all wore “44,” the only retired number at Syracuse.