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BOWL GUIDE 2018 Game changer Two years after playing quarterback for his high school’s “B” team, Cody Conway now anchors the SU front five as a three-star lineman. Page 3
Jump to the top Andre Cisco’s goal was to become a freshman all-American. This season, he accomplished that and became SU’s first defensive honoree since 2001. Page 4
Superfan Don Waful, Syracuse football’s oldest-living fan, has missed just three SU home games since he started attending them after enrolling at Syracuse in 1933. Page 5
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Cody Conway’s athleticism rooted in versatile high school career By Josh Schafer
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senior staff writer
wo years before Cody Conway committed to Syracuse as a three-star offensive tackle, he learned to play the position. As a freshman at Plainfield North (Illinois) High School, Conway played for the freshman “A” and “B” teams. In the first game, he played tight end and defensive line. In the second game of the day, he stayed on the field and played his second position: Quarterback. Conway remembered his team ran one pass play. Standing slightly above six feet tall as a freshman, Conway rolled out to the right side and searched for a receiver. If the first option wasn’t open, he’d tuck it and run. “To see the fear in a bunch of the kids,” Said Plainfield North assistant coach Lawrence Wayne. “You think about it — a bunch of 14, 15-year-old freshman kids looking at this giant that’s going to run them over.” Conway switched to offensive and defensive line full-time as a sophomore in high school, Plainfield North head coach Tim Kane said. At 6-foot-6, the move to offensive line is what would make Conway a Division I player. And then came the added bonus of Conway’s athleticism. A winner of several mile races in middle school, a fouryear basketball player at Plainfield North and standout member of the SU line’s walking football game, Conway has always been a big man that can move. Conway’s stayed mobile despite weighing near 300 pounds at Syracuse (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) during his three seasons starting at left tackle. The senior and All-ACC honorable mention, along with fellow offensive tackle Koda Martin, has a chance to be drafted to the NFL in the spring. It’s a feat no Syracuse offensive lineman has accomplished since Justin Pugh in 2013. “For a little bit, I didn’t enjoy football as much personally,” Conway said. “I feel like quarterback was something that I grew up playing and it was so exciting for me because you’re the guy out there, so then moving to o-line was a little bit like, I don’t know, it took the excitement out of the game. “But then I started to realize it was something I could excel at and love just as much, so I bought into it, and it was something I ended up loving.” Two years removed from quarterback, Conway terrorized the position from the other side of the ball. Wayne and Kane remembered opposing teams purposely running away from Conway.
CODY CONWAY (FAR RIGHT) didn’t learn to play offensive line until two years before college. He’s been a threeyear starter for Syracuse, though. josh shub-seltzer staff photographer
On the first play of Conway’s senior highlight tape from Plainfield North, he lined up as the far side defensive end as the opposing team ran an option play to the outside. Traditionally, Conway’s job as the unblocked lineman would be to hit the quarterback and trigger a pitch to the running back, whom a linebacker or secondary player would tackle. But Conway stepped toward the quarterback and forced the pitch. Then, he chased down the running back and swung him down for a five-yard loss. Conway’s recruiting picked up the previous year. After starting one season at right tackle, Conway attended Big Man Elite Camp, an invitation-only national exposure camp for the top linemen in the Midwest. Conway’s father, Brian, remembered his son battled into the top group consisting of five to 10 linemen on both sides of the ball. That performance led to phone calls and interest from both Illinois and Rutgers, though he’d commit to Syracuse before his senior season. “Cody makes my job easy because even if I mess up, he can get me right,” said Syracuse left guard Aaron Roberts. “The play can still work because Cody will get the job done. It’s great playing next to him, I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else but him.” On the first third down of a Syracuse scoring drive against Clemson in late September, Conway halted Dexter Lawrence, who has seven tackles for loss on the season. Lawrence snuck
inside late, but Conway’s bump allowed SU quarterback Eric Dungey time to complete a 31-yard pass down the sideline. On a first down later in the drive, a likely first round draft pick, defensive end Clelin Ferrell (10.5 sacks), failed to rush outside before escaping inside. Only Conway moved with Ferrell and forced him to overcommit inside the pocket, allowing Dungey to escape for a nine gain to the outside. In a game many expected to be highlighted by a terrorizing Clemson defensive line, Conway didn’t allow a sack. “Conway’s best ability is how well he pass blocks,” wrote Joe Marino, a senior draft analyst for The Draft Network, prior to the 2018 season. “He does well to initially frame rushers while remaining patient and under control.” Marino continued: “While Conway won’t be confused as a big-bodied road-grader, his technique and pass blocking upside meshes well with today’s NFL.” Conway is keeping his post-graduation options open with his parents mentioning the possibility of returning to school to pursue engineering, or even taking a stab at the PGA Tour. But those are the secondary options. West Virginia and the Camping World Bowl give him one final shot at a college victory. And then it’s on to what’s always been the end goal, no matter where he played: The NFL. jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44
Opponent preview: Learn about WVU’s Mountaineers By Andrew Graham senior staff writer
For the first time in five years, No. 20 Syracuse (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) football is playing in a bowl game, against former Big East rival and No. 16 West Virginia (8-3, 6-3 Big 12), in the Camping World Bowl. The Orange enter the game coming off their best season in nearly two decades and a second-place finish in the ACC Atlantic Division. Syracuse is aiming for the seventh 10-win season in program history. The Mountaineers finished their campaign with a loss to College Football Playoff-bound Oklahoma. WVU will play without star quarterback Will Grier on Dec. 28. Here’s what to know about the Mountaineers.
All-time series: 33-27, SU leads. Last time they played: In the 2012
New Era Pinstripe Bowl, SU topped WVU 38-14, rushing for 369 net yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Nassib tossed another two scores. Geno Smith, then the Mountaineers quarterback, was West Virginia’s lone bright spot offensively. He went 19-of-28 for 201 yards and two touchdowns passing, both well under his averages in a season in which
he was a Heisman contender. Syracuse locked down West Virginia’s high-octane offense by first stopping the run. WVU ran for 103 yards on 3.4 yards a carry and only got seven first downs via the ground. With Smith only adding 201 through the air, the Mountaineers entire offense was outgained by SU’s rushing attack. Leading the SU charge was Prince-Tyson Gulley, who carried the ball 26 times for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Jerome Smith had 29 carries for 152 more yards. SU averaged 5.7 yards a carry against the Mountaineers on their way to the Pinstripe Bowl title. The West Virginia report: West Virginia’s best player, quarterback Will Grier, is not going to play in the Camping World Bowl. A first round talent, his focus has moved to the NFL Draft as he follows a new trend of sitting out bowl games to prevent unnecessary injury. Grier’s backup, Jack Allison, has attempted 10 passes all season and likely takes the Mountaineers white-hot offense down a notch. Wide receivers David Sills V and Gary Jennings have combined for 28 touchdowns and still pose downfield threats. Expect the Mountaineers to take some shots, even without Grier. Defensively, the Mountaineers offer little
resistance and Syracuse should be able to move the ball on the ground or in the air. WVU does feature All-American linebacker David Long Jr. in the middle of the defense, but it will struggle to match up with all of SU’s weapons on the outside. How Syracuse beats WVU: Score a lot and have a productive pass rush. Points will be there for the taking in this game, so Syracuse cannot let drives stall or settle for field goals when it could get in the end zone. Even without Grier, WVU’s offense should still muster a decent outing, and the Orange are more than capable of beating whatever that output is. SU head coach Dino Babers more or less runs a Big 12-style offense, so expect the Orange to really open it up offensively in this game and take shots down the field, while simultaneously trying to establish the inside run game with Dontae Strickland, Moe Neal and Eric Dungey. Defensively, there is no better way to disrupt an offense than a good pass rush, which Syracuse has. Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman were two of the more productive defensive ends in the country this season. With W VU offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste sitting out, that pair, and
SU’s other defensive linemen, need to get after Allison or whoever else is at quarterback for the Mountaineers. Even if sacks don’t come, getting in the backfield, collapsing the pocket and forcing a quarterback to leave his spot can be enough to break a play down, especially against a backup. Stat to know: 6 — The Orange has produced six 10-plus win football seasons in its history and hasn’t had one since 2001. In that season, SU started 0-2 and won 10 of its last 11 games, including an Insight. com Bowl win over Kansas State to get to 10 wins. A win against West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl would put Syracuse at 10-3 in 2018. Player to watch: David Sills V, wide receiver, No. 13 Sills has been Grier’s go-to all season long, catching 61 passes for 896 yards and 15 touchdowns, the second-most receiving touchdowns in the nation. At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Sills plays with a blend of speed and size, capable of getting down the field for deep shots and then winning the ball over defensive backs. If he gets hot, it could be a long afternoon for Syracuse’s secondary. aegraham@syr.edu | @A_E_Graham
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Andre Cisco’s experience helped him become all-American By Andrew Graham senior staff writer
Andre Cisco wanted to be a freshman AllAmerican. He wrote it down, as one of his team and individual goals, on a sheet given out to players prior to the season. In the months that followed, Cisco rose from three-star early enrollee to SU’s first defensive All-American since Dwight Freeney. He totaled seven interceptions and 41 solo tackles in his first 12 collegiate games, relying on his elite high school background and a refinement of his catching skills. As No. 20 Syracuse (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) prepares to face No. 16 West Virginia (8-3, 6-3 Big 12) in the Camping World Bowl, Cisco hopes to punctuate his historic first season. “There’s been some surprises here and there,” he said, “I’ll be honest. But either way it’s just hard work and I’m glad I was able to benefit from all that work.” When Cisco and fellow freshman and IMG Academy graduate Juan Wallace enrolled at SU this January, a semester early to try and play sooner, they weren’t sure what to expect. The two had expectations of the intensity, the way practice would be run. They knew it would be different from IMG, but not how much. At IMG, they had state of the art technology and facilities, including a weight room that rivals some Division I setups, multiple turf fields to practice and play on and even a STRIVR virtual reality system, similar to the one SU employs. The conditioning, in particular, hit hard. It was at a new level. “The first spring practice, oh my God,” Wallace said. To go through the transition in the spring, rather than summer, was key. Cisco slotted in as the starting free safety — a position with no clear incumbent — in spring ball while other incoming freshman were still waiting to graduate high school. SU
ANDRE CISCO has seven interceptions this season, tied for the most in the NCAA. He practiced at SU this summer to improve his hands. max freund staff photographer
operated in a 4-3 and nickel defense that IMG ran. He steadily picked up the new lingo and by practice No. 15 he felt comfortable in the defense. Between spring football and fall camp, Cisco stayed in Syracuse, frequently going to Ensley Fieldhouse with Wallace and other players who were around. They worked on everything — footwork, speed drills, agility — and lifted weights and conditioned. Cisco wanted to work on his hands, in particular. As a free safety his senior year at IMG, he only had one interception. He played cornerback the year prior, focusing heavily on coverage, before the free safety spot opened and he shifted into the safety-valve role, eyeing tackles more than interceptions. He knew he could nab more than one interception a season, though, so he and Wal-
lace used a Jugs machine, which simulates a thrown ball from a quarterback. Wallace fed footballs while Cisco practiced. He’d stand all over, trying different catching angles. A popular repetition was putting his hands within inches of the launch point, trying to secure the ball the moment it shot out from the machine. In Syracuse’s first game, at Western Michigan on Aug. 31, all of Cisco’s work in the spring, summer and camp worked. On the fifth play of his college career, he nabbed an interception off a deflection from a wide receiver’s foot. He ran off the field with the ball clutched in both hands. In the moment where all the work in the spring, summer and camp needed to work, it did. “I’d say it helped me settle in,” Cisco said of the interception. “Made me feel like, I’m
one of them. It’s not me being out there being a freshman.” Later that week, Cisco attributed his early playing time and starting job to his early enrollment and to IMG, for being a closer surrogate to college football than maybe any other program in the country. One weakness did keep popping up early on: tackling. He didn’t struggle wrapping opponents up and taking them down, but as a free safety — frequently the furthest player downfield — he was too often out of position. Early in the season, he was lining up too close to the line of scrimmage, relying on speed that worked in high school. But it didn’t work against college wide receivers. By midseason, he sat back more, dictated largely by SU’s frequent Cover 1 defense. Still, Cisco occasionally overran a play or took a poor angle. Against Pittsburgh on Oct. 6, the Panthers ran power to the left, sending running back Qadree Ollison behind a fullback, who took linebacker Kielan Whitner out of the play. Cisco had a shot at Ollison, but came too close to the line of scrimmage and missed Ollison entirely. But as the weeks rolled by, Cisco studied the film. Each game made him feel more comfortable, more confident. Cisco started taking better angles and making more tackles. His name popped up on year-end awards lists. In the first half of the season, Cisco had 15 solo tackles. He racked up 26 in SU’s final six games. On Dec. 6, he was announced as a Walter Camp Football Foundation second-team All-American. He enrolled early with the goal to start and he did. He not only bolstered a thin safety group, but also excelled at the back end of the defense. Cisco hasn’t always played perfectly, but he tied for the national lead in interceptions, broke up a team-high 11 passes and was one of two SU players with All-American honors. Cisco didn’t just do what he wrote down before the season. He did better. aegraham@syr.edu | @A_E_Graham
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DON WAFUL has never missed a Syracuse home game in the Carrier Dome. At 102 years old, he doesn’t have season tickets anymore, but every year he buys two tickets to each game to watch his alma mater.
Through the years Syracuse football in the eyes of its oldest-living fan Story by Matt Liberman staff writer
Photos by Alexandra Moreo senior staff photographer
W
hen Don Waful received the invitation to his friend Roger’s wedding, he was furious. Roger, who entered the World War II draft and served with Waful, had elected to get married on Nov. 17, 1945, the same day as Syracuse’s season finale against Colgate, SU’s most bitter rival. Waful had been looking forward to his first SU-Colgate game since he entered the Army in 1941 and served overseas until 1945. He pleaded with Roger to move the wedding to a Sunday. “I said ‘Roger you son of a b*tch,’” Waful remembered telling Roger at the time, “‘you can’t do this.’” He attended Roger’s wedding in New York City and missed SU’s 7-6 loss to the Raiders. Since then, Waful has only missed two more games over the course of the next 72 years, which he didn’t attend for military reunions. Now, at age 102, one of Syracuse’s oldest-living alumni and its longest-tenured football fan is getting ready to watch No. 20 Syracuse (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) finally return to its former glory ahead of its matchup in the Camping World Bowl with No. 16 West Virginia. A lifelong Syracuse resident, Waful has lived in Syracuse since he was 1. In 1933, Waful enrolled at Syracuse University and attended every single game during his four years of undergraduate work, followed by another year as a graduate student at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. In his five years at Syracuse, the Orange mustered just five points against rival Colgate in their annual meetings — a field goal and a safety. During his senior year, Syracuse lost to Baldwin-Wallace College, renamed to Baldwin Wallace University in 2012. Waful wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of it. “That was hard to take,” Waful said. “I’ve always joked that Baldwin won the first half, and Wallace won the second half.” He remembers nearly every game from the 1930s and tells the stories of Syracuse athletes from those days long-forgotten in the shadow of the historical seasons that followed. Waful recalls the heartbreak he experienced when he couldn’t attend SU’s game against Northwestern in 1940 because he had to work for United Way that Saturday. He loves telling the story of the “reverse center,” which Syracuse used during the 1941 season. Instead of having the center line up facing the opposing team, the center faced the backfield, with his rear to his opponent. Waful laughed in the Cornell stands in Ithaca as Big Red head coach Carl Snavely “went bananas” after SU’s first snap. He chuckles see superfan page 8
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superfan even harder now remembering the scene. Waful can even point out specific games in 1942 and 1944, which he missed while a prisoner of war in Europe. SU disbanded its football team in 1943, but Waful didn’t mind. Those were just four less missed home games on his lifelong track record. When Waful settled back in Syracuse in 1945 with his wife Cassie, a nurse who he served with in WWII, he worked as an insurance salesman at The Bruns Insurance Agency. He represented former SU Chancellor William Tolley and former SU head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who remains the only coach at SU to win a national championship. His boss, Albert C. Deisseroth, gave Waful four season tickets for SU football every year. Deisseroth said to bring whomever Waful wanted.
You can mark down, in my football history at Syracuse, that game against Cornell in 1938 was probably the greatest game I’ve seen. Don Waful syracuse alumnus
He and Cassie had two sons, and the three of them became Waful’s guests to every game. They brought an old GI blanket from the war that Cassie rescued, Waful said. If it was cold, all four would huddle close and wrap themselves in the blanket. If it was warm, they used it as extra padding on their seats. Waful watched many games where Syracuse had beaten the odds: it had no right toppling Nebraska in 1984, he said. When Michael Owens ran around the left side on the two-point conversion against West Virginia in 1987, Waful was sitting so close, he said he could’ve reached out and touched him.
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SU’s win over Clemson in 2017 proved current head coach Dino Babers’ potential to Waful, who has seen SU rise and fall throughout his entire life. But after that victory, Syracuse failed to win another game last season, and the Orange were pegged to finish last in the ACC this season. Many thought the Orange had no right being ranked where they are, but Babers led them to their best season since 2001. Waful’s favorite game in SU history wasn’t a national championship, or the 1987 win against West Virginia, or 1984 against Nebraska, or 2017 against Clemson, although those make up the rest of the top five, he said. His favorite game in Syracuse history came in 1938 against Cornell, back in Archbold Stadium. “We were ordinary. Very ordinary,” Waful said. “We had no right to be on the same field as Cornell.” Cornell was one of the best teams in the nation, finishing the season at No. 12. Meanwhile, Syracuse was just two years removed from that blowout defeat to Baldwin-Wallace. But on the back of quarterback Wilmeth SidatSingh, Syracuse triumphed over the Big Red, 19-17, to move to No. 10 in the country, its lone ranking of the season. “You can mark down, in my football history at Syracuse, that game against Cornell in 1938 was probably the greatest game I’ve seen,” Waful said. “That was a headline story in New York.” For many years, Syracuse struggled to beat its rivals at home. Colgate dominated its central New York rivalry in Syracuse, where the two faced off every year after 1897. The matchup, which began in 1891, rivaled Army and Navy at the time, Waful said. And from Waful’s first game in 1932 until he returned from WWII, Syracuse won just three times. But following his return in 1945, SU took control of the series. In 1961, Syracuse dismantled Colgate 51-8, its 11th win in a row against the Raiders. Following the crushing defeat, Colgate terminated its football contract with Syracuse, ending one of the most famous rivalries in college football. After the announcement, Tolley was irate, Waful said, and bashed the Raiders the next time he and Waful met. “‘Mediocrity is easy enough to obtain with-
Memorabilia lines Don Waful’s wall. There are photos of Archbold Stadium, the Carrier Dome, former SU players and former coaches.
out making it your objective,’” Waful remembers the chancellor saying. “(Terminating the deal) blew Chancellor Tolley’s mind.” As he told the story, he gloated about the feats of Jim Brown — who Waful calls “Jimmy” — against Colgate, especially in 1956, when Brown scored a then-NCAA-record 43 points en route to a 61-7 shellacking. Syracuse and Colgate have only played five times since that fabled game in 1961. Tickets are no longer $3.30 like they were during Waful’s time at Syracuse — the Colgate game was the most expensive game, he said — and he no longer has those four season tickets he once used from his insurance company. He buys two tickets for every game of the season so that a friend can help bring him to the game after Waful gave up driving in the last two years. The tickets, at $37.50, are pricier than before, but he loves giving back to SU. Waful has never missed a game at the Carrier Dome, and doesn’t plan on it anytime soon. Waful said Pete Sala, Syracuse’s vice president and chief facilities officer, promised to bring Waful to and from every game so that he never misses one.
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On a late-November afternoon, Waful’s house is filled with memorabilia of three different varieties: family, music and pictures of Syracuse. Of “ol” Archbold Stadium, as he always calls it, the Carrier Dome and the turf, former players and former coaches. Little “S” trinkets line his stairs, and he has a pillow with a picture of family friends surrounded by an orange and blue background. He played a song, an album that the rest of the Syracuse alumni choir and him put together for RC-Victor. The words blast out from the stereo, and a few are recognizable: the alma mater, the SU fight song. But there was a third one. Waful closed his eyes and tapped his right foot and hand along with the beat, singing quietly. “To hell with Pennsylvania, to hell with Cornell too, to hell with every college that ever had a clue, and if we’re going to heaven, we’re yelling Syracuse, and if I’m not so fortunate, then damn it, what’s the use.” The song ended, he opened his eyes wide and looked up. “Now,” Waful said, “that’s real music.”
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Beat writer roundtable: Camping World Bowl matchup By The Daily Orange Sports Staff the daily orange
No. 16 Syracuse (9-3, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) plays in its first bowl game since 2013 on Dec. 28 against No. 16 West Virginia (8-3, 6-3 Big 12) in the Camping World Bowl. In the month leading up to the game, several interesting storylines have developed including WVU star quarterback Will Grier deciding to not play in preparation for the NFL Draft and the possibility of Syracuse graduate transfers playing in their first games for SU. Below our beat writers address pressing questions leading into the Orange’s bowl game.
How much of a difference will the absence of Will Grier make in the game? Andrew Graham: A rather big one. Grier is most definitely NFL bound, which is why he’s sitting this game out. Head coach Dino Babers said he’s not entirely sure what to expect from the Mountaineers’ other quarterbacks, though. The backup is Jack Allison, a redshirt sophomore with 10 attempts to his name this season. With no tape to scout, there’s no “book” on Allison or WVU’s other QB’s, he said. Babers brought up the other quarterbacks because he alluded that WVU may even bring out two quarterbacks, try to run from the QB position or throw other wrinkles out. While this does create a bit of a game planning black hole, none of the quarterbacks on this roster are as talented, polished or accomplished as Grier, and that’s going to show. Matt Liberman: Over the past two seasons, West Virginia quarterbacks have combined for 888 pass attempts. Grier has thrown 788 of those, and the backup, Jack Allison, has thrown just 10 passes this season. West Virginia wins its games through the air. Grier is top-5 in the nation in touchdowns, passing
yards and passer rating. The Mountaineers rank third in the nation in passing yards per game and 75th in rushing. Without its star, who came into this season as a favorite to be a Heisman finalist, West Virginia will likely have to rely on its run game. Barring a Grierlike performance from whomever backs him up, that doesn’t bode well for WVU. Josh Schafer: Will Grier finished his final season with West Virginia averaging 351 passing yards per game with 37 touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Jack Allison threw 10 passes all year. With that said, it’s hard to guess what will come of West Virginia’s offense. But if Allison doesn’t play near Grier’s level, the Mountaineers will rely on their run offense. In the regular season, the WVU offense averaged 162 rushing yards per game, 75th in the nation. Syracuse’s run defense improved as the season went on and can hold its own against an average WVU rushing attack. With the rushing attack in check, the Mountaineers may be forced to drop Allison back at a similar rate they would Grier. And with the seventh ranked pass rush in the country, Syracuse won’t let Allison have anything easy. The bottom line: Anytime a team’s best player sits out, it’s going to be in a bit of trouble.
How much will SU by boosted if its newly-eligible transfers play? A.G.: It’s hard to say at this point. Wideout Trishton Jackson and running back Abdul Adams both only became eligible about a week ago. As members of the scout team, they’ve been running the offenses of SU’s opponent for 12 weeks. The challenge for them, Babers said, is getting up to speed with SU’s offense. They need to know the playbook perfectly, because, Babers said, if even one guy is off on a play, it can wreck all the timing. I still expect to see a healthy dose of Jackson and Abdul — they’ll provide a nice talent infusion — but as of now, it’s still probably up
to SU’s regular crew of contributors to carry the load offensively. M.L: I would caution anyone who thinks that throwing Jackson and Adams out on the first snap is a good idea. Yes, they’ve been at school for over a year now and have likely learned the playbook enough to go out and run their proper assignments, but they’ve never played it in a game. And working in Syracuse’s no-huddle, fast-paced offense is a completely different animal. I think SU rides with the combination that they have gone with all season long, and if the team is in need of a spark of energy, then Jackson and Adams may see some action. J.S: At this point, we don’t know much about Jackson or Adams other than the whispers of them being explosive in practice. Which is why it’s not unreasonable to go back to their original recruiting profiles and brief college stints with other programs. They were both four-star recruits who transferred from schools with better recent football histories than Syracuse. Adams averaged 9.2 yards per carry last season at Oklahoma. If he gets even a few carries, Syracuse fans might be treated to a hint of his explosion. Jackson, a 6-foot-1 receiver, caught 12 passes for 143 yards last season with Michigan State. Quarterback Eric Dungey likes to spread the ball around in a pass-happy offense, which would benefit Jackson if he plays.
What’s the game’s most important matchup? A.G.: SU’s pass rush versus WVU’s offensive line. Besides Grier, one of the Mountaineers offensive tackles, Yodny Cajuste, is sitting out the Camping World Bowl, too. This is then a ripe opportunity for Kendall Coleman, Chris Slayton and Alton Robinson to wreak some havoc. SU’s pass rush has been good, if not entirely consistent this season. But against a backup quarterback and a weakened offen-
sive line, SU can seriously disrupt everything WVU will try to do offensively. SU’s dominant pass rush can kill plays before they really start. If Syracuse can do that semi-consistently on Dec. 28, it should neuter the Mountaineers vaunted offense. M.L: Can Syracuse get its run game going? Where West Virginia will be suiting up with a second-string quarterback, SU will likely have the upper hand offensively, only if Moe Neal, Dontae Strickland and Jarveon Howard are able to advance the football and be a true threat to open up the sidelines for the Orange’s wideouts. If SU is able to push the ball up the gut, it’ll open the passing lines for Nykeim Johnson and Sean Riley in the flat and over the middle, and that in turn creates one-on-one matchups on the outside for Jamal Custis and Taj Harris. If SU is forced to abandon the run game, then Eric Dungey has to be great in order to take down the Mountaineers, and he has a tendency to be up-and-down. His last game against BC was terrific, we’ll see if he can maintain it. J.S: Syracuse’s passing attack versus the West Virginia secondary. On paper, this is a matchup the Orange offense wins every time. The Orange rank 36th in passing offense while the Mountaineers defense sits at 99th. But in this game, one without Grier, it’s important how much the Orange win this matchup by — for several reasons. A few weeks ago, the thought of the shootout sounded daunting for Syracuse. But now with WVU less equipped to keep pace with the Orange, it must run away with it. Add in that it’s the final game for Dungey, a player who has dictated the tone and performance for this team in the past four seasons, and the significance of the passing game only increases. It’s safe to say Syracuse goes as Dungey goes. So, if Dungey can throw well, complemented by some runs, the Orange will have their best chance to win. sports@dailyorange.com
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