In the Huddle: Florida State

huddle in the • october 10–11, 2014

syracuse vs. florida state

state of play Orange enters matchup against top-ranked Seminoles with QBs, offense in flux

2 october 10-11, 2014

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Full circle game

Straight shooter

Julian Whigham left last year’s game against Florida State after coughing up blood on the Seminoles’ end zone. It’s driven his comeback to Saturday.

See page 5

Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo set the single-season points record and sealed the national championship with one kick last season. He’s only a sophomore now.

See page 9

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october 10-11, 2014 3

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TIM LESTER now calls plays for a Syracuse offense he didn’t design after being promoted in the wake of George McDonald’s demotion. He does so with the Orange missing its starting quarterback, Terrel Hunt, due to a fractured fibula. Lester faces No. 1 Florida State with an injury-wracked offense and inexperienced quarterbacks. frankie prijatel asst. photo editor

HIS TURN

Lester, a teacher, number-cruncher, disciplinarian takes control of SU attack, shapes untested quarterbacks

By Jacob Klinger asst. sports editor

G

irls in the room drooled a little the first time Tim Lester walked into Barry Brennan’s math class. High cheekbones, tight jawline, brown eyes and all, Lester was about to become their student teacher.

“But he was a taskmaster,” Brennan said. “So they were not going to get away with not doing work.”

Lester was preparing for the 2000 NFL Combine after a record-setting quarterback career at Western Michigan while student-teaching algebra and geometry at Wheaton Warrenville South (Illinois) High School. He didn’t get drafted. He never played a down at any level higher than the XFL or the Arena Football Leagues.

Sternly but patiently, though, he kept teaching and learning. First and briefly, math as a student teacher in actual classrooms. Then on small college football fields around the Midwest.

So on Saturday, a man who both dug trenches for a plumber and secretly slipped algebra and geometry students congratulatory jolly ranchers will sit in a booth above the Carrier Dome turf. Lester, 37, will be calling out plays for a Syracuse (2-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) offense he took over from George McDonald a week before facing No. 1 Florida State (5-0, 3-0) at noon on Saturday.

“He just needs an opportunity and this is it,” McDonald said.

The teaching and the pushing are in him as much as his value of controlling the line of scrimmage. His father was his best friend, but his mother was a physical education teacher who made him field extra grounders after poor defensive games of baseball.

Bruising starts are part of his past, too. An 8-year-old Lester came home from his first football practice with black-and-blue arms, upset with the sport.

He had begun playing football a year or two later than his teammates and it was a tradition for them to beat up on the new kid. But his parents got him lineman arm pads and Lester immediately became a quarterback.

“After that day when he realized it’s just a little bit of hitting and it’s not going to kill you, he really took to the game,” said his mother, Pat Lester.

He’ll debut as a Division I offensive coordinator with a battered offensive line, without Brisly Estime and potentially Ashton Broyld and a set of unproven quarterbacks — including freshman AJ Long and sophomores Austin Wilson and Mitch Kimble — that he’s supposed to both develop and contend with.

“You got to game plan differently, you got to understand, you got to communicate with them to figure out what they know and what they don’t know, when they’re lying when they say ‘I got it, Coach,’” Lester said. “… Cause they always say they got it. They never want to say they don’t got it.”

The SU quarterbacks need the Orange to run. They need the rushing game that Syracuse has lacked in all but one of its last three games. Lester needs it too. see lester page 4

4 october 10-11, 2014

from page 3

lester He just knows it better and more harshly than his quarterbacks.

In his junior year of college, WMU’s starting running back went down injured. Lester still threw for 3,311 yards, but said he struggled to do it. He took a beating along the way, too, losing 0.7 yards per carry himself.

“It’s affected me as a coach ever since,” he said of the experience.

When Division II Saint Joseph’s (Indiana) College hired Lester for his first head coaching job in 2004, Ron Tyner was a redshirt freshman, set to start for the first time in his collegiate career.

As a lineman, he didn’t trust Lester, “this quarterback guy.”

“O-linemen don’t want to go out there and pass block every play so we’re thinking ‘Oh sh*t, here we go, we’ve got a quarterback guy, wants to sling it every down,’” Tyner said. “And he made it very clear that we were going to establish the run and control the line of scrimmage.”

Lester also taught Tyner to stop playing cautiously, Tyner said, while also making him hate disappointing the coach.

A call to Lester was the second one Tyner made after he found out his wife was pregnant and he’ll be in town visiting Lester on Saturday and watching the game. But to this day, after coaching with and befriending the SU offensive coordinator for five years, he’s never called Lester by his first name.

As a coach, Lester speaks publicly almost as freely as he does precisely. Privately, he likes to instruct and mold, simplify and calculate.

“Numbers are good and bad because they can get to the truth and they can also be used to totally

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fool you,” Lester said.

Lester revels in the late-night silence of his office. There, he grades offenses and quarterbacks, turning most every decision and action they make or take into a statistic.

He keeps his stats on himself, too. Like his record as a head coach in games after days he kicked his team off the practice field. He’s undefeated.

“It really makes no sense,” he said.

Sometimes football lives don’t either. In high school, Lester lived two doors down from a boy named Ronnie Grego in Wheaton, Illinois. They were best friends, who, by their senior years had each played their way to Division I football.

Grego, an all-state linebacker, was set for Northwestern. The quarterback, Lester, was Western Michigan-bound. But encephalitis, a brain-inflaming infection, left Grego disabled.

Like Lester, he’s 37 now, but struggles to speak or balance. He can’t drive a car or work and he lives in a group home in Michigan, near where his mother works.

But when Lester was the head coach at Elmhurst from 2008–12, he and Brennan would take Grego out for dinner once a month. They’d go to Chili’s — Grego’s favorite — or Joe’s Crabshack.

The meals would sometimes take two hours because Grego also struggles to swallow.

“Even when Tim got bigger and bigger, he hadn’t forgotten people like Ronnie,” Brennan said. “He hadn’t forgotten where he came from.”

Lester shared that hometown with Joe Furco, who Lester eventually started as a true freshman at Elmhurst. Throughout Furco’s career at Elmhurst, Lester also told him that basic execution of a game plan could win football games against any opponents as long as the quarterback kept his offense ticking.

He shared stories of his own playing career with Furco, and called a lot of run plays to ease the freshman’s transition.

But when Furco overslept his alarm and missed a rehab appointment for his ankle, Lester sent a graduate assistant to yank Furco out of his dorm room and ultimately, into a meeting in Lester’s office.

“If you’re going to be a starting quarterback as a freshman, you got to be where you need to be as a leader of the offense,” Furco said Lester told him.

Lester is again preparing an inexperienced quarterback to lead his offense. But this time there are three of them.

He will switch them out, Lester said, but not by quarter or drive. He doesn’t think that’s fair to the quarterbacks or any good for the team. It forces too much pressure on each play and pushes quarterbacks to hold onto the ball too long, he said.

Lester’s been in Long’s position, a true freshman waiting in the wings, knowing he’d only

play if the starter was “hurt, hurt.” He admires Wilson’s arm, calling it “special.” Kimble aces every test in the quarterbacks room, but needs to process reads better.

And with all of the Orange’s young quarterbacks, heading toward whatever lessons Florida State teaches, Lester thinks back to his own children.

“I tell my kids all the time, ‘Don’t touch that, it’s hot, don’t touch that,”’ Lester said. “They touch it every time. And then once they touch it, they never touch it again.”

After Tuesday’s practice, Lester said he would go back to his office and cross out about half of his game plan. The Orange didn’t look good enough to run it, he said. As much as he expects the players to simply deal with the decision, he expects them to complain about it.

Said Lester: “But they’ll be happy with me on Saturday.” jmklinge@syr.edu | @Jacob_Klinger_

once upon a combine After finishing his college career fifth on the NCAA’s all-time passing yards list, Tim Lester attended the 2000 NFL Combine. “At the NFL Combine I really wanted to be 6-1, but I was 6-foot and three-quarters,” Lester said. “That hurt, that hurt.”

Here are some of the more notable quarterbacks he worked out with in Indianapolis:

Player

College

Most recent NFL team

Tom Brady* Marc Bulger Doug Johnson Chad Pennington Tim Rattay Chris Redman

Michigan West Virginia Florida Marshall Louisiana Tech Louisville

New England Patriots St. Louis Rams Tennessee Titans Miami Dolphins Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons

*Active

october 10-11, 2014 5

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JULIAN WHIGHAM was taken to the hospital during SU’s game against Florida State on Nov. 16 of last year after coughing up blood due to a tear of scar tissue in his esophagus. He missed the remainder of the 2013 season. But now he’s fully healthy and working toward becoming the best cornerback in the ACC. logan reidsma staff photographer

state of recovery

By Sam Blum asst. copy editor

J

ulian Whigham has been preparing for this moment for 11 months.

The last time the Syracuse cornerback took the field against Florida State, he left it on a stretcher with his own blood staining the Seminoles’ end zone. A game of football in front of family and friends near his West Palm Beach, Florida home had turned into a life or death situation.

“That injury, that down time and all that thinking, you find a lot of things to go after,” Whigham said. “Over the spring and during the summer, it was like, ‘Why can’t I be the best?’… Being cut short last year was difficult. It hurt, because I love those platforms.”

On Saturday at noon, a fully healthy Whigham will get a chance to take on No. 1 Florida State (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) almost a year after suffering a season-ending injury on the Seminoles’ field.

Late in the first quarter of what would end up being a 59-3 Syracuse loss at FSU on Nov. 16 last season, Whigham hit the ground after Florida State’s Rashad Greene caught a touchdown pass.

At first, Whigham had thought the wind had just been knocked out of him. Then he got a choking feeling in his throat and he started vomiting blood.

Acid came up as well and he couldn’t breathe.

In the ambulance ride, he cried and feared for his life. Around him, paramedics were working on him, looking at him, telling him he’d be all right.

Old scar tissue had ripped in his esophagus where he had surgery to deal with a rare disorder called achalasia, which makes it hard for food to move to the stomach.

Once Whigham got to the hospital, he was stabilized. He wanted to make it back in time for SU’s bowl game on Dec. 27, but that was unrealistic.

Instead, he built up his strength, recovered and prepared. He entered the 2014 season boasting that he wanted to be the best in the ACC. And

Since leaving Syracuse’s 59-3 loss to Florida State last season fearing for his life, Whigham has launched into a mission to become the ACC’s premier cornerback

while he admits that goal hasn’t been achieved, he believes it’s still attainable.

“Not being able to play last year was that big

That injury, that down time and all that thinking, you find a lot of things to go after.

Over the spring and during the summer, it was like, ‘Why can’t I be the best?’…

Being cut short last year was difficult. It hurt, because I love those platforms.

Julian Whigham su cornerback

motivation for being one of the best in the ACC this

year,” Whigham said. “I love top competition, like Florida State or Clemson, and I want to play as well as I can for these types of games.”

Whigham’s issues with his esophagus started after his sophomore year at Dwyer (Florida) High School. He went from a player Dwyer head coach Jack Daniels said could have been an All-American safety to one that had trouble keeping his weight above 150 pounds.

His surgery forced him to lay off solid foods.

While his friends went out for wings after practice, he’d be on a smoothie and ice cream diet. In his junior season, he had lost 20 pounds, was frail and couldn’t practice with the energy he’d once had, Daniels said.

“I don’t think he wanted anyone to know what was going on with him,” Daniels said. “I had to find out from (his mother) exactly what was going on. Julian wasn’t forthcoming with any of it, he didn’t make excuses or anything. He see whigham page 6

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from page 5

whigham went out and played.”

His senior season was a better one. He gained back his strength and his abilities followed suit.

And in order to play this current season, he had to go through a similar process.

During spring practices, SU defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough said Whigham wasn’t hitting as hard. It was a process to get back that took longer than Whigham wanted, but one he was determined to make fully.

“His diligence to work hard and get through

an injury is admirable,” SU head coach Scott Shafer said.

It was against Florida State last year where a season went off the rails, This week Whigham posted the FSU grade sheet on his board and looks at it every time he wakes up — it’s motivating him to want to do more.

He’s no longer recovering. He’s preparing.

“I need to get better, I need to get better, work on technique, work on something,” Whigham said.

“It’s really pushed me to get to where I’m at and then pushed me to keep getting better.

“I expect to play the whole game.” sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3

JULIAN WHIGHAM has fully recovered from an injury he suffered against FSU last year. He hopes to limit a potent Seminoles attack on Saturday. sam maller staff photographer

october 10-11, 2014 7

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SU releases injury report for FSU; Shafer talks QB approach

By Phil D’Abbraccio and Jesse Dougherty the daily orange

Syracuse released an injury report in advance of Saturday’s game against No. 1 Florida State, and revealed that the team is pretty banged up The notables who won’t be participating include: H-back Brisly Estime (ankle), cornerback Wayne Morgan (lower body), right tackle Ivan Foy (lower body), nose tackle Eric Crume (upper body) and tight end Kendall Moore (concussion).

H-back Ashton Broyld (lower body), who was injured during the Orange’s loss to Maryland on Sept. 20 and missed the last two weeks, is listed as doubtful. Estime will miss his second consecutive game, leaving Syracuse without its fastest receiving threat again.

Quarterback Terrel Hunt is out, as expected, and will miss his first full game with the fractured fibula he suffered during Syracuse’s loss to Louisville last weekend. His recovery is expected to take 4–6 weeks.

The other players listed as out are linebacker Luke Arciniega, safety Rodney Williams and wide receivers Alvin Cornelius and Jeremiah Kobena.

Shafer discusses QB situation With Hunt out for the foreseeable future and FSU rolling into the Carrier Dome this weekend, Shafer said Thursday morning he wouldn’t mind a definitive starter at the quarterback.

But that’s not in the cards in the Orange’s hand.

“In an ideal world I’d like to know who my Tom Brady is right now, you know what I mean?” Shafer said. “That would be an ideal world. The reality

is, let’s see what these different kids can do at the quarterback position.”

Those kids are most likely sophomore Austin Wilson and freshman AJ Long, and potentially sophomore Mitch Kimble. Wilson is the only one who’s thrown a pass for SU, having taken over for Hunt when he was ejected before the second half against Villanova on Aug. 29, and playing in two series when Hunt left with an injury against Louisville last week.

SU’s approach is to not put too much on one quarterback’s plate, partly because Shafer doesn’t feel like one is ready for that load and because it will allow the Orange to use the best skill sets in certain situations. Whatever the rotation of snaps looks like, the quarterbacks will face no small task when SU (2-3, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) hosts FSU (5-0, 3-0) at noon in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

“If you were to say, ‘Give me three things that so and so at this position can do well,’ you start there and say hey, ‘You can do this, hey he does this well,’ and then you say ‘What in our scheme fits. If it’s not in our scheme, how do we create a scheme that fits to that kid’s ability levels?’” Shafer said of the offensive thought process.

“Because now when you get in position when you’re dealing with that, whether it’s offense or defense, then you make the decisions that fit the who’s ... I’ve always had a ton of respect for high school coaches because they don’t get to pick who is coming into the program.”

That’s the kind of situation that Shafer, newly minted offensive coordinator Tim Lester and the whole Syracuse offense is in — with the starting quarterback out for 4–6 weeks and three inexpe-

SCOTT SHAFER plans to use multiple quarterbacks against No. 1 Florida State on Saturday, with Terrel Hunt sidelined with a fractured fibula. spencer bodian staff photographer

rienced signal-callers funneling into the picture.

Shafer didn’t say much about any individual player — aside from touching on Long’s development

and competitive fire — and gave no indication of whether one quarterback will see a primary role. see notebook page 8

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from page 7

notebook Wilson’s more of a pocket passer and has been praised for his strong arm while Long hasn’t taken a snap but has been pegged as a make-somethingout-of-nothing signal-caller who creates plays with his legs. And putting inexperience aside, Shafer said that their varying abilities will have them sharing the load.

“It’s ability to adjust to who you have and what

I’m having a hard time with your questions because I’m not looking forward to going backwards and I’m not going to do it.

Scott Shafer su head coach

they’re ready to do,” Shafer said. “... What we’re trying to do is put together a recipe for each kid to go in there and say here’s the six, seven things that we really want you to work hard and get good at.

And by the way, we probably won’t ask you to do these six or seven things. We’ll let this guy do ‘em.”

Shafer puts staff change talks to bed Regardless of how the questions were phrased, Shafer shot them down.

At his weekly press conference, the Syracuse head coach didn’t entertain questions about his demotion of George McDonald from offensive coordinator to solely wide receivers coach and his subsequent promotion of Lester from quarterbacks to the head of the offense. The switch was

announced Monday following the Orange’s third consecutive loss on Friday.

In interview sessions earlier in the week, Shafer discussed the matter and how the staff has handled it. But as a meeting with FSU loomed 50 hours away, Shafer put his foot down Thursday morning.

“Every decision I’ve made is in the direction that points towards ... becoming a better football team,” Shafer said. “I’m not going to go backwards and rehash all these things. I don’t believe in living life that way.”

When a reporter tried a follow-up question, Shafer cut him off before the question was finished.

“I’m having a hard time with your questions because I’m not looking forward to going backwards and I’m not going to do it,” Shafer said. “You want to keep asking them, you can. But I’m done.

I answered them. I feel good about where we’re going and it’s not in the best interests of this team to continue to go backwards, so I won’t.”

About six minutes later, Shafer was asked if he was concerned about the trend of coaches leaving programs and bringing recruits with them.

McDonald’s demotion raises doubt about his future in SU — and the Orange’s recruiting future — but Shafer again took a firm stance and declined to discuss the matter.

“You’re asking backwards again,” Shafer said.

“You two need to get together because I don’t want to talk about this and I’m not going to because it’s not in the best interests of our team. The best interest of our team is to say we’re fighting our butts off as a family to get better every single day. I know you guys get paid to look backwards, but that’s not what we’re doing because that’s a waste of time.

“I’ve addressed it. I’m done addressing it and I really can’t say any more.” pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse

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kicking ace Aguayo continues dominance as country’s best kicker after breaking record, winning national championship in 1st season

By Matt Schneidman asst. copy editor

R

oberto Aguayo had only played 13 games in his college football career, but he’d already won the Lou Groza Award for the nation’s top kicker. He had only missed one of his 22 field goals. He had made 93 straight extra points.

But as Aguayo trotted onto the Rose Bowl field with 13 seconds left in the national championship game, he needed a 94th. With Florida State leading Auburn by two, one more extra point not only stood between the Seminoles and a national title, but also Aguayo and the NCAA single-season points record.

He took a practice swing, looked at the uprights and aimed. He took three steps back, two to the side, nodded to his holder and booted it through.

On top of last year’s dominance, the sophomore is 12-for-12 on field goals and 22-of-22 on PATs this year. He most recently won Atlantic Coast Conference specialist of the week for the No. 1 team in the country, and with a combination of confidence, pinpoint accuracy and consistency, remains the best kicker in all of college football.

“I’ve never seen it,” said Marcus Banks, Aguayo’s high school coach at South Lake (Florida)

High School. “I’ve never heard of a kicker being so consistent and accurate. The balls look alike.

Everything is straight down the middle. Everything is so perfect.

“Right now he thinks he’s the best kicker in the

They’re the front guys, the guys that everyone sees like Jameis, but we’re the guys that are undercover, sniping people you know, kind of like that.

Roberto Aguayo fsu kicker

NFL. I call it a little bit of arrogance, but not like arrogance in a bad way.”

Aguayo has shared the Florida State sideline with high-profile names like Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston and reigning NFL offensive rookie of the month Kelvin Benjamin.

He knows they get all the credit. He says he doesn’t really do that much, but the man who says

ROBERTO AGUAYO won the award for the nation’s top kicker in his first year playing at FSU. He’s made 149-of-150 total kicks in 19 career games. courtesy of florida state athletics

he’s “kind of like a sniper or a stealth guy” knows his job matters, too.

“They’re the front guys, the guys that everyone sees like Jameis, but we’re the guys that are undercover, sniping people you know, kind of like that,” Aguayo said of his role as a kicker. “People might not notice it, but at the end of the day, I notice it and I know that I did what I have to do.”

But a year before Aguayo hit that extra point in front of 94,208 people he was strictly a bystander.

Stuck behind former Buffalo Bills’ kicker Dustin Hopkins, Aguayo redshirted his first year at FSU and was watched as E.J. Manuel led the Seminoles to only two losses and a blowout win over Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl.

“I had started all four years in my high school

career, so it was kind of weird at first, practicing every day then going out Saturday and not playing,” Aguayo said. “I grasped a lot of things that year, just learning, just observing what Dustin did and how the process was here in college.”

When Aguayo was given his time by FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher, though, he seized it. Through his first eight college games, Aguayo had made all 12 field goals and each of his 53 extra-point attempts. At that point, the media blew up, he said, and discussion started to arise that a first-year player could take the Groza Award.

Banks said he knew his four-year kicker had been ready for this moment.

In high school, when South Lake was in punting

see aguayo page 12

october 10-11, 2014 11

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time machine

Unranked Orange knocks off No. 1 Nebraska, 17-9, in 1984 This was a gamer written by Joe Guise after SU beat No. 1 Nebraska for the Orangemen’s only win against a top-ranked team. The story was published in The Daily Orange on Oct. 1, 1984.

Dick MacPherson knew something special was going to happen on Saturday afternoon.

The night before, the Syracuse University football coach and his staff made their usual rounds at 9 p.m. to “check on the players and bring them lunches.” This time, however, most of the team was sound asleep.

“They have to get up at 7 a.m., so we usually give them the food at nine and they’re asleep by 10,” MacPherson said. “Only on Friday night, I knew something was up because we had to wake up 70 percent of the guys.

“It reminded me of the time I was coaching at UMass and we were playing Western Illinois the next day for the championship,” he continued. “Those guys were sound asleep early also, and we went on to win that game. So I knew we were going to do something special this Saturday. It’s amazing they were asleep, because you know how hungry football players get.”

On Saturday, the Orangemen showed just how hungry they can be by feasting on some corn. Well, Cornhuskers to be more exact, as SU registered a stunning 17-9 upset of topranked Nebraska before 47,280 delirious fans at the Carrier Dome.

For SU, the victory marked the school’s biggest win since the 1959 Orangemen defeated Texas, 23-14, in the Cotton Bowl to win the national championship. And it was the first time in 95 years of football that the Orange beat the nation’s top ranked team. SU’s previously highest-ranked victim was No. 4 UCLA in 1967, when the Orangemen held Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Gary Beban to just 17 yards in a 32-14 victory.

The win may not have put Syracuse in the same position as that illustrious team, but it did put Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne inane unfamiliar situation. For the first time in 24 regular-season games, Osborne had to explain why his team last. Not since the Cornhuskers dropped a 27-24 decision to Penn State back in 1982 was he forced to do that.

But the nation’s third winningest active coach behind Oklahoma’s Barry Switzer and the Nittany Lions’ Joe Paterno had a simple explanation for the biggest college football upset of the year thus far.

“They were more physical than we were,” said Osborne, who has featured a program of virtual man-eaters for the past 11 years. “We got banged around pretty good today, and their defense probably played as good a game of football as anybody has played against us in three or four years.

“I said before the season that Syracuse would be one of the two toughest teams we’d play this year,” he continued. “They certainly showed that today. We made too many mistakes (including two fumbles and one interception) and they didn’t make many at all.

Syracuse just outplayed us.”

One week ago, that didn’t seem possible.

After a humiliating 19-0 loss to Rutgers in its home opener, SU entered the game a 25-point underdog. But the Orangemen (3-1) used stingy defense and ball-control offense to hand the Cornhuskers their worst defeat since a 20-7

loss to Alabama in the 1978 opener.

“We went from the doghouse to the penthouse in one week,” MacPherson said. “We played outstanding defense. Anytime you hold the nation’s premier offense to just seven points, you have to be happy.

“But you also have to give a lot of credit to our offense,” he continued. “They bounced back from all the turnovers last week and moved the ball really well today. If they hadn’t held on to the ball for so long (SU enjoyed a possession time margin of 37 minutes to 23), our defense may not have been had the game it did.”

Sparking defense Except for the Orange’s two touchdown drives, though, the defense did steal the spotlight.

Ranked fourth in the nation in total defense and second in pass defense prior to the game, SU held the Cornhuskers’ 531-yard, 40.7 pointper-game offense to just 214 total yards and a lone first-quarter score. It was Nebraska’s lowest output since a 6-0 victory over Missouri in 1981, and it marked the eighth consecutive time the Orangemen held their opponent to only one touchdown.

“We said to ourselves that they had 11 men on the field just like we did,” said SU defensive tackle Tim Green, who recorded two sacks and breezed past Nebraska’s left offensive tackle Mark Behning so often the 6-foot-7, 290 pound giant looked more like a Dome revolving door.

“They execute better than any offense I’ve ever seen, but it wasn’t like they had twice as many guys on the field as we did, though it sometimes looks that way on the field,” he continued.

At that point, we knew we could sustain a drive with no problem. We were just mad we didn’t punch it into the end zone.

Jaime Covington 1984 su halfback

“Who’s to say just because it’s Nebraska or the Pittsburgh Steelers that we can’t beat them?”

That attitude surfaced in the game’s opening series as the Orangemen forced the Cornhuskers to punt for only the ninth time all year. Nebraska did, however, open the game’s scoring 7:09 into the first quarter as quarterback Craig Sundberg followed a beautiful play-action fake to running back Doug Dubose with a perfect 25-yard touchdown strike to tight end Todd Frain.

But that was the last time the Cornhusker offense put any points on the board. Sundberg, bothered by a sore shoulder, did not throw the ball particularly well, completing just fiveof-13 passes for 60 yards and throwing an interception to SU’s Ron Hobby in the second quarter that looked more like a dying quail plummeting to earth than a forward pass.

The running game was also not up to par.

Though DeBose led all ball carriers with 107 yards, the Nebraska backfield’s longest run from scrimmage was only 20 yards. And even that came on a broken play when Sundbuerg was flushed

HAROLD GAYDEN plunges in for a score in a 1984 upset of No. 1 Nebraska. It was Syracuse’s most recent, and only, win over a top-ranked team. daily orange file pohoto

out of the pocket. In defense of the Cornhuskers, the unit may have suffered slightly from the loss of I-back Jeff Smith, who rushed for 476 yards in Nebraska’s routs over Wyoming, Minnesota and UCLA but sat out Saturday’s contest with a sprained ankle. But Osborne doesn’t agree.

“With or without Jeff Smith, this was a tough game for us and I hope they don’t get any tougher,” he said. “I don’t think he would’ve made any difference because they beat us at the line of scrimmage, both offensively and defensively, and that’s where games are won.”

That the Orange were able to dominate the trenches was quite a surprise, especially when the Nebraska program has always been known for the players at those positions with the strength of a moving freight trains. But the SU offensive line began to take charge late in the second quarter as the Orange drove from its own 17-yard line to the Nebraska six, using up more than eight minutes. Though the Orangemen hat to settle for a 24-yard field goal, it gave them confidence that they could move the ball against the nation’s second-ranked defense.

“We got killed by them last year (63-7 at Lincoln) and they just beat UCLA, 42-3, the week before, so that drive and being down only 7-4 really got our confidence up,” said SU halfback Jaime Covington, who rushed for 99 yards on 30 carries. “At that point, we knew we could sustain a drive with no problem. We were just mad we didn’t punch it into the end zone.”

There was plenty of time for that. SU did find the end zone with 4:50 left in the third quarter. On a second-and-21 situation, quarterback Todd Norley (9-18-1 for 106 yards) threw a 40-yard rainbow to Mike Siano at the gaol line. The 6-foot-4 junior wide receiver out jumped Nebraska defensive backs Dennis Watkins and Bret Clar and grabbed the ball to give the Orangemen their first lead of the game.

Strangely enough, Norley never saw Siano catch the ball. The junior was on the ground at the time after Cornhusker defensive and Scott Strasburger leveled him from behind.

“I looked up from the ground and saw the referee’s hands go up,” said Norley, who suf-

fered a slightly sprained knee and had to be helped off the field. “The crowd’s reaction was enough to know we’d scored.”

While it first appeared Norley might be finished for the game, the Warriongton Pa. native came back on the very next series. And even though the dramatic Norley-Siano connection was all the scoring SU needed for the victory, fullback Harold Gayden provided some insurance 1:29 left in the game. He capped a 60-yard, 13-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run around right end — the first rushing touchdown this season against the previously miserlike Nebraska defense.

Celebration That play initiated a celebration in the stands that filtered on to the field for almost an hour after the game had ended. SU punter Jim Fox closed out the game’s scoring by deliberately taking a safety as time ran out.

“Everybody had piece of this victory,” said Steve Villanti, SU’s right guard, who made the key block on Gayden’s touchdown run. “This type of game can only happen when everybody helps. They (Nebraska) come at you so hard, but we just went right back at them and maybe even a little harder. That’s the kind of football I like. It was great, great, great.”

Now, all that remains is whether the upset will be enough to catapolt the Orange into either the AP or UPI Top Twenty or both. Those polls will come out on Monday and Tuesday respectively. But for the time being, the Orangemen can sit back, relax and enjoy the fact that they shocked the college football world.

“This wasn’t a fluke,” MacPherson said. “We played hard. I’m sure they’ll tell you that.

Maybe now, some people will realize that we have a decent football team. That’s what we’re after — some respect.”

And they certainly earned it Saturday.

“We’re not embarrassed,” Nebraska’s All-American center, Mark Tranowicz, said.

“Like Coach (Osborne) said, we didn’t fall on our face. Down deep, I don’t quite understand what happened to us — except that they just played better than us.”

12 october 10-11, 2014

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from page 9

aguayo position, Banks would send out his kicker. From his own 40-yard line, Aguayo would line up for a 70-yard field goal. Banks knew it wasn’t splitting the uprights, but if the ball reached the end zone, it was considered a touchback regardless. So he’d send Aguayo out instead of his punter to ensure the ball made it there.

“His mental toughness was off the charts at the age of 14,” Banks said. “I knew kicking in front of 80, 90,000 people wouldn’t bother him at all. He had that it factor at the age of 14 and the big stage didn’t bother him.”

Aguayo’s consistency and accuracy persisted and by the end of the 2013 regular season, he was in contention to receive an invitation to the college football awards ceremony in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was one of the nation’s top-three kickers after just 13 collegiate games.

“Wow, you know you really can win the Groza, blah, blah, blah” is what Aguayo said he repeatedly heard.

He didn’t care though, and when Aguayo’s long snapper and holder joked that he was a finalist, he responded, “Nah, nah.”

But FSU associate sports information director Kerwin Lonzo broke the news to Aguayo hours before the finalists were announced nationally. A few days later, Aguayo headed to West Palm Beach where he eventually won the award.

“Of course his fundamentals and talent are tremendous, but when you combine that with a very intelligent young man, a guy that works very hard,” Fisher said. “… I mean, he’s a tremendous, tremendous football player, there’s no doubt.”

Now that Aguayo’s reputation as the nation’s

best kicker has become commonplace, it’s become a habit and a routine, he said.

Each time Aguayo steps on the field, it’s the same practice kick, glance at the uprights and aim.

Then comes the same three steps back, two to the side and nod to his holder.

“And it’s off,” Aguayo said.

“I’m just glad that people appreciate a good kicker.” mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman

JUST FOR KICKS Roberto Aguayo has established himself as the nation’s best kicker just 19 games into his college career at Florida State.

157 Aguayo’s total points in 2013, an NCAA single-season record

99.3 Total percentage of extra points and field goals Aguayo has made through 19 college games

12 1

Number of extra points separating Aguayo and second-place Aaron Jones for most PATs made in 2013 Player in the country who had a higher fieldgoal percentage than him last year.

october 10-11, 2014 13

around around the acc the nation dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

As Syracuse takes on the defending national champions, here is a preview of Saturday’s showdowns throughout the ACC

On Saturday afternoon, the nation’s best continue their scramble toward the college football playoff from sea to shining sea

Duke at No. 22 Georgia Tech, 12:30 p.m., ESPN3

No. 13 Georgia at No. 23 Missouri, noon, CBS

Duke (4-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) travels down to Atlanta to face the undefeated Yellow Jackets (5-0, 2-0), the only other undefeated team in the conference along with No. 1 Florida State. The Blue Devils are led by dual-threat quarterback Anthony Boone, who’s accounted for 10 total touchdowns, while GT also poses a dynamic option behind the helm in quarterback Justin Thomas, who’s accounted for 10 of his own scores. Duke ranks second in the ACC in scoring defense, allowing only 13.6 points per game. Georgia Tech is 10th, surrendering 23.8 points per contest.

Georgia (4-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) travels to Columbia, Missouri for a bout with the Tigers (4-1, 1-0), but without its top offensive weapon and maybe the best offensive threat in the country. The NCAA indefinitely suspended running back Todd Gurley on Friday and now the Bulldogs will have to match Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk — ­ who has accounted for 15 total scores — with someone other than their star running back on Saturday.

No. 2 Auburn at No. 3 Mississippi State, 3:30 p.m., CBS Louisville at Clemson, 3:30 p.m., ESPNU Louisville (5-1, 3-1 Atlantic Coast) travels to Clemson, South Carolina to face the Tigers (3-2, 2-1) in a battle of one-loss teams in conference. The Cardinals are coming off a 22-point win against Syracuse in which the Orange was held to two field goals. Louisville boasts the nation’s top rush defense, but true freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson has accounted for 15 total touchdowns for Clemson, four of which came in a 41-0 win over North Carolina State last week.

Auburn (5-0, 2-0 SEC) will take on the Bulldogs (5-0, 2-0) in a battle of top-three teams in Starkville, Mississippi. MSU quarterback Dak Prescott has made an early claim to be the Heisman Trophy frontrunner, scoring 19 total touchdowns through five games. The Tigers, led by quarterback Nick Marshall, are coming off a 34-point win over then-No. 15 Louisiana State in which Marshall accounted for four scores.

No. 9 TCU at No. 5 Baylor, 3:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN2 Boston College at North Carolina State, 3:30 p.m., ESPN3 The Wolfpack (4-2, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) comes in having lost its last two games to ACC powers Florida State and Clemson. After a close game with the Seminoles that included a double-digit lead in the second half, NCSU dropped a 41-0 decision to Clemson a week before. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett has compiled 13 touchdowns and 1,399 yards in the first six games. Boston College (3-2, 0-1) is coming off a bye week and hasn’t won since a 40-10 drubbing against Maine on Sept. 20. It’s most impressive win came a week before that when the Eagles defeated then-No. 9 Southern California.

The Horned Frogs (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) are coming off a 37-33 win over then-No. 4 Oklahoma, which allowed TCU to jump 16 spots in the rankings. Bryce Petty and Baylor (5-0, 2-0) have continued their offensive dominance from a year ago, leading the nation with 51 points per game. TCU boasts the nation’s seventh-best defense but will be tested by Bears’ running back Shock Linwood, who has eight rushing touchdowns and averages five yards per carry.

No. 12 Oregon at No. 18 UCLA, 3:30 p.m., FOX North Carolina at No. 6 Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m., NBC The Tar Heels (2-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) will have a tough time snapping a three-game losing streak when it plays its toughest opponent yet on the road. The Tar Heels allow 42 points per game, and have scored 36 per game. Notre Dame (5-0) is looking to continue its undefeated season playing its second of four ACC games. Everett Golson has already thrown for 13 touchdowns this season in his return from academic suspension last year.

Coming off an upset loss to Arizona, the Ducks (4-1, 1-1 Pac 12) will look to rebound against a UCLA (4-1, 1-1) team that was knocked off by Utah last week, courtesy of a last-second missed field goal by the Bruins’ Ka-imi Fairbairn. Heisman contenders in Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and UCLA’s Brett Hundley will square off in what should be an offensive expedition in Los Angeles.

14 october 10-11, 2014

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

pregame playbook beat writer predictions PHIL D’ABBRACCIO florida state: 54

key players

syracuse

syracuse: 10

We’re here to…

FSU completes the perfect storm. A ton of injuries, a coaching staff shake-up and the reigning national champions — and Heisman winner, too — don’t equate to a pleasant day for SU.

JESSE DOUGHERTY florida state: 48

riley dixon punter HT: 6’5 WGHT: 221 YEAR: SENIOR

Arguably Syracuse’s best offensive threat — he’s accounted for half of SU’s passing touchdowns and its second-longest run — Dixon will likely play a big role on Saturday.

In a game of field position, Dixon’s powerful leg will be vital to keeping Florida State deep in its own territory.

julian whigham

cornerback

HT: 6’1 WGHT: 185 YEAR: JUNIOR

The Florida native will need to dig deep against one the best passing offenses in the nation. Whigham played well against Louisville, recording an interception, and assisting Eric Crume on a sack.

syracuse: 13

If a tree falls in a forest If the Carrier Dome is empty by 3 p.m. on Saturday, the loss could sting just a little bit less.

florida state

JACOB KLINGER florida state: 69 syracuse: 17

Long way back Regardless of who plays at quarterback, it’s going to get worse before it gets better for this depleted Orange team.

jameis winston

quarterback

HT: 6’4 WGHT: 230 YEAR: REDSHIRT SOPH.

The redshirt-sophomore quarterback led the Seminoles to a national championship in his first season as a starter last season.

Now, the Seminoles are 5-0 and No. 1 in the nation. So yes, he’s a key player.

reggie northrup

linebacker

HT: 6’1 WGHT: 220 YEAR: JUNIOR

The linebacker has done an admirable job helping to fill the voids left by Christian Jones and Telvin Smith. He leads the team with 43 tackles and scored a touchdown on a fumble return.

2014 ROSTER

dailyorange.com sports@dailyorange.com

SYRACUSE

october 10-11, 2014 15

FLORIDA STATE

1 Ashton Broyld WR

25 Jeremiah Kobena WR

63 Rony Charles DL

1 Tyler Hunter S

24 Matthew McNulty WR

59 Ryan Hoefeld C

1 Julian Whigham CB

27 George Morris II RB

65 Jamar McGloster OT

1 Ermon Lane WR

24 Terrance Smith

59 Andrew Wright LB

2 Quinta Funderburk WR

28 Antwan Cordy CB

67 Michael Lasker OT

3 Ronald Darby CB

26 P.J. Williams DB

60 Cody Jay OL

2 Wayne Morgan CB

29 Devante McFarlane RB

68 Nick Robinson OG

3 Jesus Wilson WR

27 Marquez White DB

62 Austin Barron C

3 Durell Eskridge FS

30 Parris Bennett LB

69 Keith Mitsuuchi LS

4 Dalvin Cook RB

28 Malique Jackson DB

63 Larry Levy OL

3 Mitch Kimble QB

31 Clay Cleveland FB

70 Jesse Wolf-Gould OG

4 Giorgio Newberry DT

29 Nate Andrews DB

65 Ruben Carter OL

4 AJ Long QB

32 Travon Burke FB

71 Alex Hayes OG

5 Reggie Northrup LB

30 Colin Blake DB

66 Keith Weeks OL

4 Brandon Reddish CB

33 Marqez Hodge LB

72 Ivan Foy OT

5 Jameis Winston QB

31 Tres Copeland DB

67 Adam Torres DT

5 Luke Arciniega LB

34 Adonis Ameen-Moore RB

73 Jon Burton OT

6 Ryan Green RB

31 Ryan Feely K

68 Brock Ruble OL

5 Austin Wilson QB

35 Dyshawn Davis LB

74 Seamus Shanley OG

6 Matthew Thomas LB

32 Steven Williams WR

69 Barrett Kernon LS

6 Ritchy Desir SS

36 Alex Hodgkinson K

75 Denzel Ward OT

6 Nick Waisome DB

33 Kevin Haplea TE

70 Josue Matias OG

7 Troy Green WR

38 Cameron Lynch LB

75 Wayne Williams NT

7 Mario Pender RB

35 Reginald Dixon, Jr. LB

71 Alec Eberle C

7 Oliver Vigille LB

39 Greg Tobias RB

77 Keaton Darney OL

8 Jalen Ramsey DB

35 Nick O’Leary TE

72 Kareem Are OL

8 Steve Ishmael WR

41 Eric Anthony SS

78 Jason Emerich C

8 Kermit Whitfield WR

37 Keelin Smith DB

73 Joseph Hernandez LB

8 Darius Kelly SS

42 Jacob Green TE

79 Taylor Hindy OL

9 Karlos Williams RB

37 Osner Valmeus DB

74 Derrick Kelly OL

9 Brisly Estime WR

42 Joe Stanard CB

80 Tyler Provo TE

10 E.J. Levenberry L B

38 Cason Beatty P

75 Cameron Erving OL

10 Terrel Hunt QB

45 Zaire Franklin LB

81 Jamal Custis WR

10 Sean Maguire QB

38 Chet Iwuagwu WR

76 Marcel Benalcazar OL

10 Josh Kirkland LB

46 PJ Batten TE

82 Alvin Cornelius WR

11 John Franklin III QB

39 Mitchell Zak LB

77 Roderick Johnson OL

11 Colton Moskal LB

47 Sam Rodgers LS

83 Sean Avant WR

11 Derrick Mitchell, Jr. DT

40 Danny Adams LS

78 Wilson Bell OL

11 Corey Winfield CB

48 Cole Murphy K

84 Ben Lewis WR

12 Jarred Haggins WR

40 Nick Patti LB

79 Sean Scott DB

12 Ryan Norton K

49 Alryk Perry LB

86 Adly Enoicy WR

13 Rashad Gholston WR

41 Cameron Budde FB

80 Rashad Greene WR

13 Ron Thompson DE

50 John Raymon NT

87 Kendall Moore TE

13 Ja’Vonn Harrison WR

41 Lorenzo Featherston DE

81 Ryan Izzo TE

14 Ervin Philips RB

51 Donnie Simmons DE

88 Jarrod West WR

14 Javien Elliott DB

42 Lamarcus Brutus DB

82 Bryan LaCivita WR

15 Juwan Dowels CB

52 Eric Crume NT

89 Josh Parris TE

15 Mario Edwards, Jr. DE

43 Desmond Hollin DE

83 Dan O’Neill WR

16 Keenan Hale WR

53 Nathan Hines LS

90 Cameron MacPherson TE

15 Travis Rudolph WR

44 DeMarcus Walker DE

84 Isaiah Jones WR

16 Rodney Williams FS

54 Kennedy Kodua DE

91 Isaiah Johnson DE

16 J.J. Cosentino QB

45 Will Burnham RB

85 Jeremy Kerr TE

17 Jonathan Thomas LB

55 Marcus Coleman DT

92 Riley Dixon K/P

16 Jacob Pugh OLB

45 Delvin Purifoy LB

86 Justin Motlow WR

19 Joe Nassib CB

55 Rob Trudo OG

93 Micah Robinson DE

18 Christian Griffith WR

46 Kain Daub LB

87 Jared Jackson WR

20 Cordell Hudson CB

56 John Miller C

94 Robert Welsh DE

18 Ro’Derrick Hoskins LB

46 Jayon Young TE

88 Mavin Saunders TE

21 Chauncey Scissum FS

57 Omari Palmer OG

95 Chris Slayton DE

19 Roberto Aguayo K

47 Stephen Gabbard LS

89 Christian Green WR

22 Adrian Flemming WR

58 Hernz Laguerre LB

96 Jalen Harvey DT

19 Troy Cook QB

48 Junior St. Louis LB

90 Eddie Goldman DT

23 Prince-Tyson Gulley RB

58 Donnie Foster C

97 Kayton Samuels NT

20 Alfredo Davis DB

49 Jonathan Hernandez P

91 Derrick Nnadi DT

24 Jaston George FS

59 Aaron Roberts OG

98 Trevon Trejo DE

20 Bobby Lyons WR

49 Brandyn Musgrave TE

91 Anthony Valdes LB

25 Eric Jackson CB

60 Sean Hickey OT

99 Ryan Sloan DT

20 Trey Marshall DB

51 Bobby Hart OT

92 Justin Shanks DT

21 Chris Casher DE

52 Ukeme Eligwe LB

93 Brad Bentz DL

22 Tyrell Lyons DB

54 Tre’ Jackson OG

93 Demarcus Christmas DT

22 Jonathan Vickers RB

55 Chad Mavety OL

94 Fredrick Jones DT

23 Je’Twan Smith DB

56 Novisa Petrusich LB

95 Keith Bryant DT

23 Freddie Stevenson FB

57 Corey Martinez OL

96 Brian Crews P

remaining schedule

Oct. 25 — at Clemson Nov. 1 — vs. North Carolina State

Oct. 11 — vs. No. 1 Florida State, noon Oct. 18 — at Wake Forest, noon

Nov. 8 — vs. Duke Nov. 22 — vs. Pittsburgh Nov. 29 — vs. Boston College

LB