In The Huddle: Wagner by The Daily Orange

huddle in the sept. 8, 2018

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First look J

unior cornerback Scoop Bradshaw’s hit jarred the ball loose from Western Michigan’s D’Wayne Eskridge. With the ball floating free over the Waldo Stadium turf, freshman safety Andre Cisco stepped in and grabbed Syracuse’s first interception of the 2018 season. “At first I had the ball in my hands, and I just couldn’t believe it for a second,” Cisco said on Tuesday. “I just had to step back and I was like, ‘Wow this is really an interception.’” “I’d say it helped me settle in,” Cisco continued. “Made me feel like, I’m one of them. It’s not me being out there being a freshman.” Cisco was Syracuse’s (1-0) only true freshman to start Friday against the Broncos. He was later joined for spells in the defensive backfield by cornerback and fellow freshman Trill Williams. Both altered the course of the game, whether it be positively or negatively, in Friday’s opener and hope to become consistent installments in SU’s secondary. Initially, it didn’t look like Cisco would get

Freshmen Andre Cisco, Trill Williams show inexperience at WMU By Andrew Graham senior staff writer

the start Friday as SU sent out a 4-3 defense, keeping him on the sideline. But before the first snap of the game, the Orange switched to a nickel look — its base 4-2-5 — and linebacker Andrew Armstrong came sprinting off for Cisco. Cisco announced himself early with a first quarter interception. That takeaway ended WMU’s second drive on its first play and set up the Orange’s offense in enemy territory. SU collected a field goal off the turnover, taking a 10-0 lead. Williams made his debut later, spelling a over-

matched Bradshaw as Eskridge and Broncos running back LeVante Bellamy shredded the Orange’s secondary on chunk plays. Eskridge, who at that point had repeatedly beaten a tired Bradshaw, wasn’t smothered but slowed. On his first play in the game, Williams gave Eskridge a check in the back as the wideout stumbled out of bounds. “I mean,” Williams said, “you just gotta let the receiver know that you’re a physical corner and he’s not going to catch the ball after a while.” But both freshmen allowed an Eskridge catch or touchdown. Eskridge beat Cisco on an 84-yard touchdown with roughly seven and a half minutes left in the third quarter. From his own 16, WMU quarterback Jon Wassink lined up in the shotgun, took a one-step drop and launched a 45-yard rainbow apparently dropping right to Cisco and Bradshaw. Instead, Eskridge burst between the pair and took Wassink’s pass to the endzone. For Cisco, it was simply a matter of depth from see freshmen page 10

ABOVE: TRILL WILLIAMS did not start in Syracuse’s season opener but did see signifcant time on the field after Scoop Bradshaw struggled to cover Western Michigan’s D’Wayne Eskridge last Friday while the Orange were on the road. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer

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STERLING LOWRY went to high school three miles from Syracuse. On Saturday he returns to the city. In 2017, Lowry started all 11 games and recorded 39 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer

Coming back Sterling Lowry, a Nottingham High School graduate, returns to play against Syracuse after injury By Adam Hillman staff writer

s a senior in high school, Sterling Lowry had outlined the next few years of his life. He wanted to play his senior year of football at Nottingham (New York) High School, graduate with a diploma and move on to college football at either the Division III or Division I level, something he dreamt of since he was 5 years old, he said. On the first play from scrimmage in an exhibition against Waterloo High School, things changed. His head coach at the time, Nick Patterson, called a zone read running play. At quarterback, Lowry watched the defensive lineman zoned in on stopping the running back. Lowry, keeping his eye on the defender, sprinted toward the edge, around the side of his left tackle. The opposing linebacker raced toward Lowry and chose to dive at his lower body. As the Waterloo defender plunged forward, Lowry heard a pop in his left knee. see lowry page 8

I have ... wonderful people in my corner. They played a big part in my rehab and getting back to full strength. Sterling Lowry wagner wide reciever

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lowry Four years removed from a torn ACL and LCL in that knee, Wagner (1-0) senior captain and starting cornerback Lowry leads the Seahawks into the Carrier Dome this weekend to face Syracuse (1-0). The Syracuse native attended Nottingham, which is located about three miles east of SU. Last season, he started all 11 games for Wagner and recorded 39 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. After the ACL tear, Lowry completed extensive rehab during his senior season. Lowry’s stepfather, Shedrick Williams, was perhaps his biggest help. He made sure that his son was never just sitting idly by as he wallowed into despair over the possibility of a derailed football career. Dragging him along to the grocery store or forcing him to watch his brother’s basketball games, Lowry’s parents wanted to keep his mind active. “I have ... wonderful people in my corner,” Lowry said. “They played a big part in my rehab and getting back to full strength.” About half a year later, Lowry was cleared by his doctors to return to action, said Sheldon Lloyd, Lowry’s defensive

backs coach at Nottingham. At first, Lowry didn’t trust his athleticism. He was worried that if he pushed himself too hard, he would re-injure his leg. Instead, he focused on improving his mind. Lloyd, who also coached Lowry in Pop Warner, invited Lowry into his office. There, he watched film and studied how to become a better player. “He was always a smart kid and he always knew where to be on the field,” Lloyd said. “After he got hurt, he continued to work hard to get better. He wanted to improve in some way so he went ahead and got his mind right.” Now, as Lowry returns to central New York to face his hometown school, he’s a more complete player, he said. Following an arduous and extensive rehabilitation program, Lowry is quicker, stronger and more intelligent. Even though he’s only watched game tape of the pre-surgery Lowry, and never seeing that version in person, Wagner head coach Jason Houghtaling knows this version is an upgrade. “Ever since day one, he’s really been a team guy but he’s worked his tail off in the weight room,” Houghtaling said. “He’s gotten bigger and faster, and that’s translated onto the football field for sure.” adhillma@syr.edu

LOWRY tore his ACL in his left knee before he started his senior season of high school, leading to a post-graduate year of high school. courtesy 0f wagner

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Under pressure Against Western Michigan, Syracuse’s defensive line looked reminiscent of its struggles in 2017

Last season Syracuse’s defense ranked 113th out of 129 in total sacks with 17 sacks. The Orange recorded one sack in its first game against Western Michigan to accompany a total of three tackles for loss. colin davy staff photographer

By Matt Liberman staff writer

endall Coleman raced after Western Michigan’s Jon Wassink. The Broncos’ quarterback tried to escape the pocket for a first down, but he never reached the line of scrimmage, as Coleman tripped him up from behind for a two-yard loss and turnover on downs. The sack helped Syracuse (1-0) preserve a 20-point lead, which it held onto as the Orange took down Western Michigan (0-1), 55-42, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. But Coleman’s sack was the lone one in a lackluster effort from an experienced defensive line. It came against an offensive unit that allowed two sacks per game last year in a non-power conference. With a healthy Coleman alongside defensive tackle Chris Slayton and 2017 SU sacks leader Alton Robinson (5.0 sacks), Syracuse expected its ability to pressure the quarterback to leap forward this season. Against Wagner, that didn’t happen. “(We) kind of stalled out, a little bit,” Coleman said. “And that resulted in a lot of points being put on the board. We obviously could’ve handled that up front … Could’ve and should’ve.” Syracuse’s difficulties getting to quarterbacks last season hurt the defense tremendously. With 17 sacks last season, SU ranked 113th (out of 129) in total sacks and 110th in

sack percentage, reaching the quarterback on 4.07 percent of plays. As opposing offenses received little pressure, they found success against Syracuse through the air. Opposing quarterbacks completed more than 62 percent of their passes against SU last season, ranking the Orange 97th in the nation.

That third quarter was a big test of us, as a team. Gong through adversity. And I think the way that we responded in the fourth spoke volumes. Kendall Coleman su defensive linemen

Syracuse had the lowest sack rate in the country on passing downs — anything past second down and eight yards to go or third or fourth down and five yards for a first — last season, at 1.3 percent. SU’s secondary played well in the first half, but when the Broncos found their groove in the third quarter (and the Syracuse secondary faltered) the defensive line did not give them any help.

“(Wassink) was definitely able to sit there in his comfort zone,” Coleman said. “That’s on us, as a front. Up front, the front four, we gotta handle that and make sure that the quarterbacks can’t find their comfort zone. Can’t get comfortable and they’re always passing under pressure.” The key issue for the D-line, Robinson said, was an inability to detach from the WMU offensive line. He and the rest of the line struggled to separate themselves from the players in front of them and create open space to get into the backfield. “It wasn’t a lot that they did. Just missed assignment from guys up front,” Robinson said. The line has to work on its explosiveness off the blocks, Robinson said, and disengaging from their opposition, which also hurt SU in stopping the run. WMU running back LeVante Bellamy gassed the Orange for 121 yards on 11 carries. That, combined with 379 yards in the air from Wassink, helped the Broncos storm back from a 27-point deficit to cut the lead to six. “We can’t start pointing fingers and playing selfish ball,” Coleman said. “Can’t start thinking about saving touchdowns and not doing our job and playing our responsibilities. “That third quarter was a big test of us, as a team,” Coleman continued. “Going through adversity. And I think the way that we responded in the fourth spoke volumes.” mdliberm@syr.edu

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from page 3

freshmen the line of scrimmage. At IMG (Florida) Academy, he could play lower in the box for two reasons: He was on a team chock full of Division I talent so corners were rarely beaten and if they were, he could run down most receivers. On Friday, Cisco played low in the box once

more but with different results. Cisco didn’t record a single tackle. In the third quarter, he came downhill to hit Bellamy 10 yards past the line of scrimmage, dropped his shoulder and spun off Bellamy like a pinwheel. “I’m somebody that learns from mistakes,” Cisco said. “So I have to make the mistake before I learn from it and then I’ll never make the mistake again.” After watching Bradshaw get torched, Wil-

liams knew he needed to be cautious with Eskridge. He used his big frame — 6-foot-2, 202 pounds — to disrupt the smaller receiver’s route running while dodging pass interference calls. He allowed a few catches and recorded three tackles. “As a corner,” Williams said, “you lose some, you win some. But you just gotta come back the next play and forget about the last play.”

With the opener behind them and a home game against Wagner up next, both freshmen expressed their excitement to finally play in the Carrier Dome. But mostly, they’re happy to have finally played some college football. “I was confident about the game,” Cisco said. “I just wanted to really see what it was actually like to go see the live bullets.” aegraham@syr.edu | @A_E_Graham

TRILL WILLIAMS tallied three tackles against Western Michigan. Williams and fellow defensive back Andre Cisco both debuted on defense in the game. Cisco didn’t record a tackle, but caught an interception in the first quarter. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer

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Beat writers predict SU rout of Wagner on Saturday By The Daily Orange Sports Staff

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Syracuse returns for its home opener coming off a 55-42 win over Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Eric Dungey set an ACC rushing record for a quarterback, the defense almost collapsed in the third quarter and the Orange held on to start the season with a W. Wagner comes to the Carrier Dome off a win over Division II Bowie State, 40-23. Last season, the Seahawks played one FBS opponent, WMU, and lost, 49-14. Here’s what our beat writers expect to happen Saturday.

Andrew Graham (1-0) Annihilation Syracuse 52, Wagner 17

On Tuesday, Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey said he wants to “annihilate” teams the rest of the year, starting with Wagner. Long term, we’ll check back on how the annihilation is going, but at least on Saturday, Dungey will get his wish. Syracuse did allow Western Michigan back into a done-deal, but the Seahawks are a different story. Wagner, an FCS team, won its opener against Bowie State, a Division II team, by 17 at home. In that game, Wagner leaned on running back Ryan Fulse for 280 yards and three touchdowns. Against an ACC front seven, I doubt Fulse finds the same success. For Syracuse, look for someone other than Jamal Custis to catch passes and someone other than — or more aptly, alongside — Dungey to run the football as the Orange tunes up to host Florida State.

Josh Schafer (1-0)

“Rock me mama like a wagon wheel” Syracuse 48, Wagner 10 A week after scoring 55 points against a

Mid-American Conference team, Syracuse’s offense shouldn’t struggle against Wagner. The Seahawks played one FBS opponent a year ago, Western Michigan, and lost 49-14. A week ago, Syracuse totaled 560 yards on 88 plays. History indicates a similar display on Saturday. In 2016, when Syracuse hosted FCS opponent Colgate, the Orange totaled 554 yards on 81 plays in a 33-7 victory. In 2017, SU trounced FCS school Central Connecticut State 50-7 behind 586 yards on 93 plays. The offense will be there. Against an FCS school, the defense should be there. And the Orange will pick up its second-straight win headed into a week three matchup against Florida State.

Matt Liberman (1-0) Legion of whom? Syracuse 58, Wagner 13

The Wagner Seahawks’ secondary is not exactly the Seattle Seahawks. If Syracuse has any trouble on Saturday whatsoever, SU fans should be concerned. Wagner, an FCS team, won its first matchup this season against Division II Bowie State, 40-23. If Bowie State can drop 23 on Wagner, assume that an Eric Dungey-led offense can score at least 50 on the Seahawks as it scored 55 against Western Michigan. Syracuse simply has far superior athletes and greater talent on its squad. This shouldn’t be a close matchup. Expect Tommy DeVito to see a good amount of time with the first unit as Syracuse will likely jump out to a huge lead. And expect SU to spread the ball around more on offense. Perhaps Devin Butler and Ravian Pierce will get a good amount of throws their way to incorporate someone into the passing offense beside Jamal Custis. This game is a tune up for FSU. sports@dailyorange.com

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