IN THE

HUDDLEWes

t Vir

gini

a AT

Syr

acus

e

A publication of

October 21-23, 2011

Into the fi reSyracuse must stop West

Virginia’s explosive offense to earn 1st Big East win

Pregame breakdownCheck out key matchups and starting lineups for Syracuse’s game with West Virginia. Pages 12-13

Moment in MorgantownSyracuse upset a ranked West Virginia team on the road last year as a result of its opportunistic defense. Page 5

Heavy liftingSyracuse will have its hands full against one of the best passing attacks in the nation. Page 3

s p o r t s @ d a i l y o r a n g e . c o m2 o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1

g a m e da y w e e k e n d

Sports Editor Michael CohenPresentation Director Becca McGovernPhoto Editor Brandon WeightCopy Chief Laurence LeveilleAsst. Presentation Director Ankur PatankarAsst. Sports Editor Mark CooperAsst. Sports Editor Ryne GeryAsst. Photo Editor Stacie FanelliAsst. Copy Editor Stephen BaileyAsst. Copy Editor Andrew Tredinnick

t h e i n d e p e n d e n t s t u d e n t n e w s p a p e r o f s y r a c u s e , n e w y o r k

Amrita Mainthia mAnAging EDitor

Dara McBride EDitor in ChiEf

general manager Peter Waackit Director Mike Escalanteit manager Derek OstranderCirculation manager Harold HeronAdvertising Designer Cecilia JayoAdvertising Designer Yoli WorthAdvertising representative Bianca Rodriguez Advertising representative Kelsey Rowland Advertising representative Andrew Steinbach Advertising representative Yiwei WuClassifieds manager Michael KangCirculation Joyce PlacitoCirculation Olivia St. Denismarketing manager Assel BaitassovaStudent Business manager Brooke WilliamsBusiness intern Tim Bennett

today tomorrow sunday

h54| L45 h61| L45h56| L39

w e at h e r

cover photo: mitchell franz | staff photographer

s p o r t s @ d a i l y o r a n g e . c o m o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1 3

By Mark CooperAsst. sports Editor

T he past week has been merciless on Scott Shafer’s arm. The Syracuse defensive coor-dinator has given extra emphasis to throw-

ing deep balls and testing his secondary in an effort to improve a pass defense that has been one of the 10 worst in college football in 2011.

With one of the most proficient quarterbacks in the nation coming to Syracuse on Friday, it’s needed. But that doesn’t mean the effort hasn’t taken a toll on the 44-year-old Shafer.

“My arm’s sore,” Shafer said. “Throwing a lot of deep balls, trying to give them opportuni-ties to play the ball with their eyes.”

More than likely, West Virginia’s method of bombardment will be through the air. The Mountaineers currently rank fourth in the country in passing offense, as quarterback Geno Smith has embraced the “air-raid” offen-sive scheme of first-year head coach Dana Hol-

gorsen. Three of the top four receivers in the Big East in yards per game line up for the Mountaineers, and Smith averages nearly 360 yards per game passing.

For a reeling Syracuse (4-2, 0-1 Big East) pass defense that has given up 300 yards passing to four of its first six opponents, Friday’s game against the No. 11 Mountaineers (5-1, 1-0) at 8 p.m. in the Carrier Dome could be its stiffest test yet.

“The thing is, for Toledo, we had one wide receiver that was really dangerous,” SU line-backer Marquis Spruill said, “and for Wake Forest, we had another one. But for this team, it’s a whole lot of threats.”

Although Syracuse has already played per-haps the best singular receiver in the nation in Southern California’s Robert Woods, the Moun-taineers provide multiple matchup problems with its deep receiving corps.

Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Ivan

McCartney combine to form the most dynamic trio of receivers in the Big East. All three have more than 30 receptions, and six players total have double-digit receptions for WVU.

McCartney believes the Mountaineers receiving group’s depth and talent are unparal-leled.

“Me, personally, I don’t believe there’s no other receiving corps like ours, and we haven’t released our full potential yet,” said McCartney, who has 34 catches and three touchdowns this year. “And I’m pretty sure that the rest of our receiving corps feel the same way.”

The Mountaineers come to Syracuse look-ing to exact revenge for last season, when the Orange upset a then-ranked WVU team 19-14 in Morgantown, W. Va. That Orange defense gave Smith fits, forcing him to throw three interceptions and holding him to less than 200 yards passing.

mitchell franz | staff photographerSiriki diabate (18) and the syracuse defense face a tough test Friday in West Virginia’s explosive offense. the orange defense must contain WVU quarterback Geno smith.

Aerial bombardmentWest Virginia’s Smith to test Orange defense,

secondary with passing game

see west virginia page 4

4 o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1 s p o r t s @ d a i l y o r a n g e . c o m

But this Syracuse defense has yet to dupli-cate the successes of its predecessor. Shafer’s unit has been torched by the likes of Wake For-est, USC, Toledo and Tulane, giving up 29 points or more to each of those teams.

That’s why Shafer has been working vig-orously to improve the secondary’s efforts on deep balls. The Orange was burned on two deep touchdowns in its last game Oct. 8 at Tulane, with both starting cornerbacks, Kevyn Scott and Keon Lyn, giving up long touchdowns.

Smith has completed a pass of more than 40 yards in five straight games for WVU.

“More than anything is making sure where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there and how the offense is going to try to attack us,” Shafer said. “So really that’s been the focus.”

Shafer said it starts with a player’s eyes because if he can locate the ball first, his hands and feet will follow and come through.

That’s something Lyn said he looks to improve this week as SU takes on a quarter-back in Smith who threw for 450 yards and four scores in his last game against Con-necticut.

“I had a lot of plays this year I should have made plays on,” Lyn said. “But I got the cast and just having trouble seeing the ball, so we’ve just been working deep balls this week, getting our eyes well prepared so I can be able to make bet-ter plays when the ball’s deep.”

The cast Lyn referred to is on his left hand. Both Lyn and cornerback Ri’Shard Anderson have been playing with casts on their hands,

something that has hindered their ability to haul in interceptions. Especially during jump ball situations with a defender.

After Syracuse’s loss to Rutgers on Oct. 1, Orange head coach Doug Marrone said he has been a part of coaching staffs that see a cast on the hand of an opponent’s cornerback and imple-ment more go routes in their game plans.

Rutgers began throwing deep balls in the sec-ond half of that game. Tulane did it to Syracuse all game.

West Virginia has been throwing deep, successfully, for six games this season. And McCartney said the Mountaineers will be going at Syracuse the same way.

“We’re just looking at this game as the same as we look at every game,” McCartney said. “Just a game to improve, a game to win, and we don’t feel like no team can touch us.”

mcooperj@syr.edu

west virginiaf r o m p a g e 3

Mountains of statsWest Virginia quarterback Geno Smith entered the 2011 season with the expec-tations to be the best player in the Big East, and so far he’s lived up to the bill-ing. The junior has completed 64 percent of his passes and has led the No. 11 Mountaineers’ offense to more than 30 points in five of six games. Here’s a look at Smith’s game-by-game statistics this season:

OppOnent COmp-Att YArds td/IntMarshall 26-35 249 2/0Norfolk State 20-34 371 4/0Maryland 36-49 388 1/1LSU 38-65 463 2/2Bowling Green 18-30 238 3/0Connecticut 27-45 450 4/0

s p o r t s @ d a i l y o r a n g e . c o m o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1 5

Chandler Jones glanced up at the scoreboard as the clock dwindled down to the one-minute mark. He knew Syracuse was on the verge of turning in one of its best performances of the season. But it would all be for naught if the defense could not buckle down in the 60 seconds to halt one last West Virginia drive.

“I looked back at the clock and there was one minute and three seconds left, and I was like, ‘This is it, the game is on our shoulders,’” Jones said after the game.

With Syracuse holding a slim five-point lead and the Mountaineers just 20 yards from the end zone, the Orange turned away three straight attempts for West Virginia to break through. And on fourth-and-22, SU humbled the dynam-ic Mountaineer offense one last time. Jones, Anthony Perkins and Shamarko Thomas sent WVU quarterback Geno Smith to the turf for the team’s fifth sack of the afternoon, securing a 19-14 victory on the road on Oct. 23, 2010.

In SU’s arguably most impressive game of last season, the Orange earned a hard-fought win over the Mountaineers in front of 58,112 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W. Va. Syracuse took home the Ben Schwartzwalder

Trophy, awarded to the game’s winner, for the first time since 2001.

SU’s defense was at the forefront of the upset victory. The Orange allowed just 99 yards of total offense. After West Virginia scored touch-downs on two of its first three possessions, the defense settled in and held the Mountaineers scoreless for the final three quarters.

A week after surrendering 45 points to Pitts-burgh in an embarrassing loss in the Car-rier Dome, SU ended up spoiling West Virginia’s homecoming with an upset win.

“We weren’t playing to (preserve) the win,” defensive end Mikhail Marinovich said after the game. “We were playing to attack, attack, attack. … That’s the mindset we went out with.”

The Orange defense made crucial plays down the stretch — in addition to the final drive — to fuel the victory. Phillip Thomas intercepted Geno Smith on the goal line, and linebacker Doug Hogue added two interceptions of his own on the afternoon.

The Orange was able to capitalize off of those miscues, tallying nine points off turnovers. SU simply took advantage of its opportunities to score points.

Ryan Nassib threw a touchdown pass to Van Chew in the first quarter, and Ross Krautman added four field goals to shock the Mountaineers.

“West Virginia is a great football team,” SU head coach Doug Marrone said after the game. “There is no plan or anything to beating a West Virginia football team. The only way is you go out there and you play your heart out. … And at the end of the day, you hope you can execute bet-ter and take advantage of maybe some miscues. And we were able to do that.”

The win over then-No. 20 West Virginia was the signature win for Marrone in his second year at the helm of the Orange. The 2010 team went 5-1 on the road, and this game epitomized SU’s ability to win away from home in a hostile environment.

It was a career-defining win for the SU players.“There was a lot of pressure to keep them out

of the end zone,” Hogue said after the game. “But it was amazing. We just played solid football, stayed disciplined and got the job done.

“It’s still settling in on me. It’s just a great feeling.”

—Compiled by Andrew Tredinnick, asst. copy editor, adtredin@syr.edu

Last time they played

Syracuse 19West Virginia 14

Oct. 23, 2010

6 o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1

“When will you beat a Top 25 team?”

Brendan McCauleySophomore aeroSpace engineering major

“What changed from last year?”

Brian WeberSophomore in the college of artS and ScienceS

P e r s P e c t i v e scompiled by stephen bailey and stacie fanelli | the daily orange

If you could ask Doug Marrone one question, what would it be?

“Why don’t you throw the ball more?”

Richard AckahSophomore Sport management major

“Why did you invest all your time in football?”

Evan BianchiSophomore political Science and muSic major

“Who is your favorite quarterback?”

Liang YinSophomore in the college of artS and ScienceS

“What’s the pregame meal, the dinner before the game?”

Brian Grovejunior advertiSing major

“Would you allow a girl to play on your team?”

Courtney PerdiueSophomore in the School of information StudieS

“What do you do to relieve stress?”

Michele DiLellafreShman biology major

s p o r t s @ d a i l y o r a n g e . c o m

o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1 7

By Michael CohenSportS Editor

Syracuse left tackle Justin Pugh has helped anchor an offensive line that seems to be finding its stride in recent weeks. The unit helped pave the way for running back Antwon Bailey to eclipse 100 yards in each of the past three games, and it’s done a solid job of protecting quarterback Ryan Nassib all season long.

Friday, the Orange offensive line faces a West Virginia defense that runs a 3-3-5 scheme. The Mountaineers defense ranks 36th in the country against the run and 16th in total defense.

The Daily Orange caught up with Pugh to discuss the challenges of facing West Virginia on Friday. The Daily Orange: West Virginia’s defense is different than a lot of other teams with that 3-3-5 look. Is that different for the offensive line blocking-wise?Justin Pugh: It’s different for us, but we started the year with Wake Forest, which is a three-down

front team. We’ve kind of seen a lot of different fronts this year, which has been good for us, obvi-ously, as the offensive line. And also having the bye week gave us a couple extra days to prepare, so I think that will helps us. And now, now it’s kind of second nature, this West Virginia defense. Whereas last year as a freshman — I wouldn’t tell you guys this last year — but last year, I went into the game and I was like, ‘Oh, my god.’ I was kind of confused. But now going into this year, I’ve really looked back and learned from last year, and I think it’s definitely going to pay off for me. And I’ve kind of been able to help other guys along the line like Macky (MacPherson), so we’ll be good. You mentioned you wanted to see 125 yards running the ball. Between those four guys, would you like to see 150 or 175 total on Friday?I’d like to see 200 total. I mean, it depends how the game is, what the score is. Obviously, I would love to run the ball. Instead of them bull rushing me every play, I get to get after them a little bit, so that will be good.

This is a high-scoring team in West Virginia. If you guys can run the ball and control the clock, I’ve got to think that’s going to help you on Friday. We saw last year that we were able to keep them off the field. I mean, a little bit. Our defense obviously forced a lot of turnovers, so if we can generate some turnovers on defense and we can establish the run game and not go three-and-out. I mean, every drive you obviously want to score. It’s somewhat unrealistic, but you just want to make sure you’re not going three-and-out every time and establishing drives. If you establish drives, it gives you good field position, puts the defense in better position, and it’s just positive for everyone. You never want to have a slow start, but against a team that is in the Top 25 in the country that’s coming into the Carrier Dome, is it even more important to jump on top of them early?You definitely want to get on them early because

a team like West Virginia, after they get things rolling they start to really get going. You see the teams they played, they’ll score once and then a turnover, score again, score again. Like against UConn, they got up by 21 points just like that in the third quarter. So we want to make sure that we stay on them, and it’s always good to have a close game. It’s more competitive, and it allows us to be more versatile on offense.

It’s another game where you get to go with that underdog mentality that I know the team likes. Talk about how that plays into this week.

We went down there last year and no one gave us a shot, and that’s the way we’re going to go into this game. They’re like 15th in the country, 11th in the country, something like that. So we’re going to go into this game thinking, I mean, everyone around this area thinks we’ve got a shot. And we’ve just got to go out there and show the world what we’ve been working on for the past two weeks.

mjcohe02@syr.edu

By Mark CooperASSt. SportS Editor

Keon Lyn is taking Friday’s game personally.The Syracuse cornerback will be lining up

against one wide receiver, Ivan McCartney, who played with him when they were seniors at Mira-mar (Fla.) High School. He’ll be facing two other Miramar products — quarterback Geno Smith and receiver Stedman Bailey — who, although they never played with Lyn, are familiar to the Orange sophomore.

Lyn said he and McCartney have been talking about going up against each other since the sum-mer.

“Every day. We’ve been talking about it every day since before the season started,” Lyn said. “We were working out together back at home, so it’s going to be a great game on Friday. I can’t wait for the world to see it.”

Smith and Bailey graduated from Miramar a year before Lyn and didn’t play with him, but Lyn said he’s familiar with their games and tenden-cies. And the Orange may need Lyn’s familiarity to help him make a play against a Mountaineers team that ranks fourth in the nation in passing yards per game.

The Daily Orange talked to Lyn this week about West Virginia’s biggest playmakers and what Syracuse will need to do on defense to limit the Mountaineers’ success through the air.The Daily Orange: How much do you know the tendencies of these players from Miramar and

what makes each of them so talented?Keon Lyn: I know everybody, they’re all bringing something different to the table. So it’s about adjusting to their elements. Geno’s a great quar-terback, the great receivers, they’re all great. They got all their own attributes in different ways, so it’s going to be fun on Friday, and I just got to bring something different to the table.Coming off the bye week, you guys had some time to correct some things on defense. Now you’re going up against a high-powered pass-ing offense. What’d you guys do to get ready for this type of offense?You just got to look at the elements, and you just got to look at how they make their plays and the great offensive coordinator. They have great playmakers all around the ball, so you just got to attack it straight up, hands up, to be able to make plays on the ball and make turnovers.Did you kind of use that bye week to get back to better health, too?Yeah, we evaluated the hand, it got smaller, we are still evaluating it, anything can happen, it could come off tomorrow, anything can happen. We’re just going to keep evaluating the hand, and it was a good bye week to get some extra film on West Virginia, extra game plan on West Virginia, so I think it will be a better outcome.With Geno Smith, what are his biggest strengths and weaknesses?A lot of quarterbacks, they can’t make plays once their main target’s not open. A lot of quarterbacks

fold. He’s able to still create something else if where he’s going is not open. He’s able to move out of the pocket, move around the pocket, throw down the field, throw short. Great accuracy, he’s been like that for a long time. So I told my team what we’re going against, and they know we got a great quarterback with great receivers coming into our house.You played with WVU receiver Ivan McCartney, and Stedman Bailey went to Miramar the year

before you. What do they do that makes them great?They’ve been doing it since high school. Their hands are great. (Ivan’s) great down the field. Sted, if the ball is thrown anywhere to him he’s going to catch it, he’s got good body control. They’re good off the line, all of them bring something different to the table and all of them are good in their own way, so it should be good this week.

mcooperj@syr.edu

Q & A with Syracuse left tackle Justin Pugh

Scouting West Virginia with Syracuse cornerback Keon Lyn

s p o r t s @ d a i l y o r a n g e . c o m

NO. NAME POS. HT WT CLASS43 Mario Tull RB 6-0 207 So. 45 Jerome Smith RB 5-11 213 So. 46 Jonathan Fisher P 6-1 209 Fr. 47 Sam Rodgers LS 6-1 215 Fr. 48 Carl Cutler FB 6-3 250 Sr. 49 Adam Harris FB 6-2 248 Sr. 50 Femi Aliyu LB 5-11 215 So. 51 Eric Crume NT 6-0 332 Fr. 52 Ollie Haney NT 6-2 290 R-Sr. 53 Lucas Albrecht DT 6-2 255 Fr. 54 Mikhail Marinovich DE 6-5 253 Sr. 55 Rob Trudo C 6-3 300 Fr. 56 Cory Boatman NT 6-1 281 Sr. 58 Lewellyn Coker LB 6-1 218 So. 59 Macky MacPherson C 6-2 269 So. 60 Sean Hickey OT 6-6 282 So. 61 Eric Morris LS 5-9 227 Jr. 62 Andrew Phillips OT 6-6 279 Jr. 63 Ryan Sloan DT 6-4 324 Fr. 65 Jarel Lowery OG 6-3 309 Sr. 66 Andrew Tiller OG 6-5 334 Gr. 67 Justin Pugh OT 6-6 292 Jr. 68 Nick Robinson OT 6-6 295 Fr. 70 Jesse Wolf-Gould OL 6-4 321 Fr. 71 Ivan Foy OG 6-4 318 Fr. 72 Nick Lepak OG 6-5 363 Sr. 74 Michael Hay OT 6-5 283 Sr. 75 Zack Chibane OG 6-5 293 Jr. 76 Ian Allport C 6-5 296 Sr. 77 Lou Alexander OG 6-4 331 Jr. 79 Kristofer Curtis OT 6-3 291 Fr. 80 Nick Provo TE 6-4 249 Gr. 81 Louie Addazio TE 6-3 241 Fr. 82 Van Chew WR 6-1 175 Sr. 83 Max Beaulieu TE 6-3 240 So. 84 Michael Acchione WR 5-11 174 Sr. 85 Beckett Wales TE 6-3 253 So. 86 David Stevens TE 6-3 231 Sr. 87 Kyle Foster WR 6-3 207 Fr. 88 Jarrod West WR 6-2 204 So. 89 Thomas Trendowski TE 6-2 242 R-Sr. 90 Cayden Feifer WR 5-11 169 Jr. 91 Brandon Sharpe DE 6-2 245 Jr. 92 Riley Dixon K/P 6-5 202 Fr. 92 Robert Welsh NT 6-2 260 So. 93 Micah Robinson DE 6-4 252 So. 94 Daniel Anyaegbunam DT 6-3 288 So. 95 Torrey Ball DE 6-4 253 Sr. 96 Jay Bromley DT 6-3 280 So. 97 Macauley Hill WR 6-0 198 Fr. 98 Kyle Ishman WR 6-1 181 So.99 Chandler Jones DE 6-5 265 Sr.

NO. NAME POS. HT WT CLASS1 Phillip Thomas FS 5-11 190 Jr. 2 Olando Fisher SS 5-10 207 Sr. 3 Durell Eskridge FS 6-2 196 Fr. 4 Brandon Reddish CB 5-10 179 Fr. 5 Marcus Sales WR 6-0 183 Sr. 6 Ritchy Desir CB 5-11 168 Fr. 6 Terrel Hunt QB 6-3 203 Fr. 7 Jonny Miller QB 6-1 212 So. 7 Oliver Vigille LB 6-3 212 Fr. 8 Corey Edsall QB/P 5-11 211 Fr. 8 Keon Lyn CB 6-1 190 So. 9 Ri’Shard Anderson CB 6-1 189 Jr. 10 Dorian Graham WR 5-10 185 Sr. 11 Marquis Spruill LB 6-1 216 So. 12 Ryan Nassib QB 6-2 229 Sr. 13 Deon Goggins DT 6-1 272 Sr. 14 John Kinder QB 6-3 181 So. 15 Alec Lemon WR 6-2 202 Jr. 15 Shu Mungwa SS 6-1 207 Fr. 16 Keenan Hale WR 6-2 185 Fr. 16 James Jarrett SS 6-2 202 Jr. 17 Charley Loeb QB 6-4 212 Jr. 18 Siriki Diabate LB 5-10 210 Jr. 18 Nick Raven TE 6-4 230 So. 19 Ryan Lichtenstein K 5-11 161 Jr. 20 Mitchell Piasecki FB 5-11 252 Fr. 20 Greg Tobias RB 5-10 169 So. 21 Shamarko Thomas SS 5-10 208 Jr. 22 Adrian Flemming WR 6-3 196 So. 23 Prince-Tyson Gulley RB 5-9 181 So. 24 Jaston George CB 5-10 159 Fr. 25 Jeremiah Kobena WR 5-11 180 Fr. 26 Kevyn Scott CB 5-11 208 Gr. 27 Nathaniel Forer QB 6-3 228 Fr. 27 Joe Nassib CB 5-9 170 So. 28 Jeremi Wilkes FS 5-9 189 So. 29 Antwon Bailey RB 5-7 201 Sr. 30 Steve Rene RB 5-7 176 So. 31 Clay Cleveland FB 6-0 236 So. 32 Travon Burke RB 6-1 253 Fr. 33 Dan Vaughan LB 6-2 219 Sr. 34 Tombe Kose FB 5-9 240 Sr. 35 Dyshawn Davis LB 6-3 213 Fr. 36 Adonis Ameen-Moore RB 5-10 244 Fr. 37 Ross Krautman K 5-7 155 So. 37 Chris McKenzie FS 5-10 206 So. 38 Cameron Lynch LB 5-11 223 Fr. 39 Dom Anene LB 6-1 224 Jr. 40 Zachary McCarrell LB 5-11 188 So. 41 Shane Raupers P 5-9 184 Jr. 41 Donnie Simmons DE 6-2 226 Fr. 42 Shane Kimmel FB 6-1 232 Sr.

SYRACUSE

NO. NAME POS. HT WT CLASS1 Tavon Austin IR 5-9 176 Jr.2 Brad Starks WR 6-3 193 R-Sr.3 Stedman Bailey IR 5-10 190 R-So.4 Devon Brown IR 5-10 188 R-Sr.6 Pat Miller DB 5-10 188 Jr.5 Ivan McCartney WR 6-3 178 So.7 Trey Johnson RB 5-10 183 So.7 Mikal Mayo DB 5-10 170 Fr.8 Keith Tandy DB 5-10 199 R-Sr.9 Vernard Roberts RB 5-9 184 Fr.10 Michael Dorsey DB 6-3 219 So.11 Bruce Irvin DE 6-3 245 Sr.11 Rob Kressler QB 6-0 200 R-So.12 Geno Smith QB 6-3 214 Jr.13 Andrew Buie RB 5-9 191 Fr.14 Paul Millard QB 6-1 218 Fr.15 Anthony Vecchio DB 5-10 180 R-Fr.15 Coley White IR 6-0 174 R-Jr.16 Michael Burchett QB 6-2 205 R-Fr.16 Terrell Chestnut DB 6-0 177 Fr.17 Josh Francis LB 6-1 221 Jr.17 Mack Van Gorder DB 6-1 200 Fr.18 Brantwon Bowser DB 5-11 188 R-Sr.19 William Marable DB 6-1 192 Jr.19 KJ Myers WR 6-2 185 Fr.20 Nana Agyire DB 6-1 185 Fr.20 Shawne Alston RB 5-11 221 Jr.22 Avery Williams DB 5-11 181 Fr.23 Dustin Brown IR 5-9 182 R-Fr.23 Brodrick Jenkins DB 5-10 184 R-So.24 Anthony Gutta RB 5-11 230 Fr.24 Matt Shull WR 6-4 185 Fr.24 Eain Smith DB 5-11 202 R-Sr.25 Darwin Cook DB 5-11 204 R-So.25 Eric Gerber IR 5-8 160 Fr.26 Travis Bell FS 6-2 202 So.27 Trent Lusk LS 5-9 208 R-Jr.27 Vance Roberts DB 5-8 170 Fr.28 Terence Garvin DB 6-3 222 Jr.29 Dustin Garrison RB 5-8 165 Fr.30 Dominick Bryan LB 5-11 215 R-Fr.30 Steve Paskorz LB 6-1 242 R-Sr.31 Isaiah Bruce LB 6-2 215 Fr.31 Nate Majnaric RB 5-11 225 R-Fr.32 Ryan Clarke RB 6-0 228 R-Jr.33 Jared Barber LB 6-1 215 Fr.34 Ishmael Banks DB 5-11 181 R-Fr.34 J.D. Izon RB 5-9 175 Fr.35 Nick Kwiatkoski DB 6-2 215 Fr.35 Lawrence Smith DB 5-9 181 R-Jr.36 Shaq Petteway LB 6-0 200 Fr.37 Wes Tonkery DB 6-1 203 R-Fr.38 Matt Lindamood RB 6-0 236 R-Jr.39 Nick Cadwell DB 5-9 185 R-Jr.40 Tyler Bitancurt K 6-1 203 R-Jr.40 Alex Burdette DB 5-10 175 Fr.41 Lucas Henn DB 6-0 196 R-Fr.41 Ricky Kovatch RB 6-1 235 Sr.42 Jerry Cooper LS 5-11 206 R-Fr.42 Donovan Miles LB 6-1 242 R-Jr.

NO. NAME POS. HT WT CLASS43 Casey Vance LB 5-9 222 R-Sr.44 Ismail Showell DB 5-11 175 Fr.44 Corey Smith K/P 5-11 208 R-Jr.45 Cecil Level DB 5-10 184 R-Jr.46 Matt Moro DB 5-11 190 Jr.47 Doug Rigg LB 6-1 235 So.48 Pete Miller IR 5-9 175 R-Jr.48 Michael Molinari K 6-1 196 R-Fr.49 Troy Gloster LB 6-0 227 R-Fr.50 Juan Guerra LB 6-0 230 R-Fr.50 Taige Redman LB 6-0 227 R-So.51 Josh Contraguerro LB 5-11 228 R-Jr.52 Najee Goode LB 6-1 241 R-Sr.53 Tyler Anderson LB 6-2 235 R-So.54 Hunter Bittner LB 5-11 223 R-Jr.55 Tyler Rader OL 6-3 296 R-Sr.56 Chidoziem Ezemma LB 6-2 203 R-So.56 Jewone Snow LB 6-3 230 R-Fr.57 Jeff Braun OL 6-4 322 R-Jr.57 Kelvin Owusu LB 6-3 240 Fr.60 John Bassler OL 6-4 300 R-Jr.62 Curtis Feigt OL 6-6 314 R-So.64 Don Barclay OL 6-4 310 R-Sr.65 Chad Snodgrass OL 6-4 298 R-Sr.67 Quinton Spain OL 6-5 338 R-Fr.70 Brandon Jackson OG 6-4 320 Fr.71 Marquis Lucas OT 6-4 310 Fr.72 Cole Bowers OL 6-5 298 R-So.73 Russell Haughton-James OT 6-6 280 Fr.74 Joe Madsen OL 6-4 301 R-Jr.76 Pat Eger OL 6-6 301 R-So.77 Josh Jenkins OL 6-3 305 Sr.79 Nick Kindler OL 6-6 295 R-So.80 Ryan Nehlen WR 6-2 203 R-Jr.81 J.D. Woods WR 6-0 195 R-Jr.82 Kendrick Barnes WR 6-0 175 R-Fr.82 Dante Campbell WR 6-5 205 Fr.83 Connor Arlia IR 5-10 185 Fr.84 Andrew Goldbaugh WR 5-9 182 R-Jr.85 Willie Milhouse WR 6-0 207 R-Sr.86 Matt Sokoloski LS 5-11 220 Fr.87 Cody Nutter LS 6-3 243 R-Sr.88 Cody Clay IR 6-4 250 Fr.88 Blair Strejeck TE 6-3 230 R-Fr.89 Tyler Urban IR 6-5 251 Sr.90 Derrick Bryant DE 6-3 251 R-Fr.90 Shaq Rowell DL 6-4 308 So.91 J.B. Lageman DE 6-3 274 R-Jr.91 Soraya Alsien-Ogbebar IR 6-5 255 R-Sr.91 Arthur Johannes DL 5-11 280 Fr.92 Trevor Demko DE 6-6 255 R-Fr.92 David Slonski DL 6-3 230 R-So.93 Kyle Rose DE 6-4 240 Fr.94 Josh Taylor DL 6-1 285 R-Sr.95 Ben Tomasek DL 6-0 230 Fr.96 Ted Rietschlin DE 6-5 270 R-Fr.97 Julian Miller DL 6-4 268 R-Sr.98 Will Clarke DE 6-6 265 R-So.99 Jorge Wright DL 6-2 289 R-Jr.

WEST VIRGINIA

167 Marshall St.Second Floor

Above Acropolis Pizza!315.472.4200

Open late 7 days a week!

EXSCAPE

s p o r t s @ d a i l y o r a n g e . c o m

west virginia Offense12 QB Geno Smith29 rB DuStin GarriSon3 wr SteDman Bailey1 ir tavon auStin89 ir tyler urBan5 wr ivan mccartney64 Lt Don Barclay57 Lg Jeff Braun74 C Joe maDSen55 rg tyler raDer76 rt Pat eGer

syraCuse Defense99 De chanDler JoneS13 nt Deon GoGGinS96 Dt Jay Bromley54 De mikhail marinovich33 sLB Dan vauGhan11 MLB marquiS SPruill35 wLB DyShawn DaviS26 H CB kevyn Scott21 ss Shamarko thomaS1 fs PhilliP thomaS8 CB keon lyn

starting lineups

did you know?

key matchups

phillip thomasfs

geno smithqb

Smith has thrown for more than 370 yards in four of west virginia’s six games this year. he has 16 touchdown passes to just three inter-ceptions. Su will need someone in the second-ary to be a playmaker, and thomas leads the orange with three picks.

chandler jonesde

don barclaylt

Pressure might be the key for Su to slow down this dynamic offense, and expect Jones to come out on a mission in his first game back since suffering a lower body injury in the sea-son opener.

antwon baileyrb

najee goodeslb

Bailey has three consecutive 100-yard rushing games entering friday’s matchup. Su will try to keep its defense on the sideline as long as pos-sible by establishing a strong ground game, led by Bailey. Goode is tied for the team lead with 41 tackles on the season.

kevyn scottcb

stedman baileywr

Scott didn’t have a great game against tulane, but he has proved he can step up when his teammates need him to — evidenced by his play late against wake forest and toledo. if he can hang with the mountaineers’ receivers and make some big plays, it could spark a huge upset.

they said it

UP Next >>

26

1

12

745764 55 763

29

99 96 13 54

35 11 33

211

24 25

11

43 52

99

28

56

6

597567 66 74

12

29

49

15

11west virgiNia at syracUse

west virginia Defense11 De Bruce irvin99 nt JorGe wriGht97 Dt Julian miller52 sLB naJee GooDe56 MLB Jewone Snow43 wLB caSey vance8 CB keith tanDy28 ss terence Garvin24 fs eain Smith25 Bs Darwin cook6 CB Pat miller

97at the halfway point of the season, ryan nassib is on track to have the best season for a quarterback in Syracuse history. he is on pace to set the school record for completions, attempts and yards in a season. and he is on track to tie the Su record for touchdown passes.

west virginia’s 643 yards of offense against Bowling Green on oct. 1 was the third-highest total in a single game in school history. the best performance was a 674-yard outburst against washington and lee in 1923, and the second best was 654 yards against Syracuse in 1993.

at louisVilleOct. 29, noon

at connecticutNov. 5, TBD

syraCuse Offense12 QB ryan naSSiB29 rB antwon Bailey49 fB aDam harriS82 wr van chew15 wr alec lemon80 te nick Provo67 Lt JuStin PuGh75 Lg Zack chiBane59 C macky macPherSon66 rg anDrew tiller74 rt michael hay

“I think I would be naive not to think that we had gone to Morgantown (last year) and might have caught them off guard a little bit. … I don’t think that will be the case this year.”

Doug MarroneSu heaD coach

“Losing to Rutgers has put us in a hole in the Big East. We’ve got to go out there this week and definitely it’d be great to win. But West Virginia’s a great team, so we’ve got to come out and play our game.”

Justin PughSu offenSive lineman

Friday, 8 p.m., esPN

89 5

8

8

80 82

syracuse on offense

west Virginia on offense

1 2 o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1

o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1 1 3

BY THE NUMBERS

BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS

SOUTH FLORIDANov. 11, 8 p.m.

9The number of 100-yard performances by West Virginia receivers this season, the

most in one year in team history. Four sepa-rate Mountaineers have surpassed the cen-

tury mark through six games.

463The number of passing yards West Virginia

racked up against No. 1 Louisiana State earlier this season. Particularly impressive against LSU’s No. 4 defense in the country.

293Passing yards allowed per game by the

Syracuse defense. The Orange is 112th in the country against the pass.

4The number of 100-yard rushing games by SU running back Antwon Bailey this year.

He is tied with Pittsburgh’s Ray Graham and Connecticut’s Lyle McCombs for most 100-

yard games in the Big East.

73The number of yards rushing by UConn’s

McCombs last week against WVU. He aver-aged 3.7 yards per carry in the Huskies’

43-16 loss to the Mountaineers.

MARK COOPERWest Virginia 42

Syracuse 27Geno Smith will pad his stats. Many West Virginia receivers

will score touchdowns. Fans will likely be able to leave early. No fault to Syracuse, the Mountaineers are just on another

level.

MICHAEL COHENWest Virginia 45

Syracuse 20The Mountaineers scored 33 points in 13:53 against UConn. Apply that rate to a full game and West Virginia could put up more than 132 points on Friday. Math doesn’t lie, and neither

does Zach Brown.

ZACH BROWNWest Virginia 41

Syracuse 17The Orange is not going to catch West Virginia off guard this

time around. Look for Geno Smith to have a monster game, and this one could get out of hand quickly.

S P O R T S @ D A I L Y O R A N G E . C O M

sports.dailyorange.com

s p o r t s @ d a i l y o r a n g e . c o m1 4 o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1

QuarterbacksOther than that stinker of a game against Rutgers, Ryan Nassib had a solid first half of the season, and he is on pace to break multiple Syracuse single-season records. But Geno Smith ranks fifth in the country with 360 passing yards per game and has 16 touchdown passes to just three intercep-tions.

advantage: West Virginiarunning backsAntwon Bailey has had great success since the Orange made a more concerted effort to run the ball, producing three straight 100-yard games. He’s on pace to break the 1,000-yard mark by season’s end. Mountaineer back Dustin Garrison does have 436 yards on the ground this year, but more than half of those — 291 yards — came two weeks ago in a romp over Bowling Green.

advantage: syracuseWide receiVersFour different West Virginia receivers have broken the century mark in a game this season. They have three wideouts with more than 30 catches for more than 450 yards halfway through the season. Alec Lemon is the only SU receiver with more than 30 receptions, and he leads the team with 322 yards.

advantage: West Virginia

tight endsSU’s Nick Provo was just named to the John Mackey Award midseason watch list and ranks second on the Orange with 22 catches this year. West Virginia has no use for a tight end in its spread offense. The only one on its roster is redshirt freshman Blair Strejek, and he hasn’t stepped on the field this season.

advantage: syracuseOffensiVe LineSyracuse’s O-line looked a bit shaky to start the season, but with the new emphasis on the ground game, the unit has opened up big holes for Bailey during the last few games. But on the other side, Smith has thrown more than 250 times this year and has been sacked just seven times.

advantage: West VirginiadefensiVe LineWest Virginia’s three-man front has combined for 4.5 of the team’s very low total of eight sacks. SU has held opponents to less than three yards per carry on the ground, and the pass rush could get a huge boost from defensive end Chandler Jones’ return to the starting lineup.

advantage: syracuseLinebackersThis has been SU’s best unit on defense. The top four all have 25 tackles or more and have pro-duced 6.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries. Two of West Virginia’s starters haven’t broken the 20-tackle mark yet.

advantage: syracusesecOndaryThis has been SU’s worst unit on offense or defense. The Orange ranks 112th in the country against the pass and four of its six opponents have broken the 300-yard mark. West Virginia is 17th in the country in passing defense and gives up an average of 181 yards through the air per game.

advantage: West VirginiaspeciaL teamsSyracuse freshman Jeremiah Kobena has looked like a budding star bringing back kicks for the Orange, but SU has struggled in the kicking game. Mountaineers kicker Tyler Bitancurt has made 11-of-12 attempts, and West Virginia’s dangerous group of wide receivers contribute in the return game.

advantage: West Virginia

cOachingDana Holgorsen is one of the best offensive minds in the country, but it’s hard to give the edge to a guy entering his seventh game ever as a Division-I head coach. Marrone has put Syracuse back on the right path since he took the reins and seems poised to return the Orange to con-tender status in the near future.

advantage: syracuse

tale of the tape

4

AROUND THE BIG EAST

Rutgers 5-1 (2-0)

Cincinnati5-1 (1-0)

11West Virginia5-1 (1-0)

Connecticut3-4 (1-1)

Pittsburgh3-4 (1-1)

Syracuse4-2 (0-1)

Louisville2-4 (0-1)

South Florida4-2 (0-2)

1

2

STANDINGS

2

4

6

8

CINCINNATI (5-1, 1-0) AT SOUTH FLORIDA (4-2, 0-2), NOON, BIG EAST NETWORK

The Bearcats are on an absolute tear entering their matchup with South Florida in Raymond James Stadium on Saturday. Cincinnati has won its last four games by a combined score of 155-44. The Bearcats defense has allowed no more than 16 points in any of those games. Offensively, Zach Collaros is second to West Virginia star Geno Smith in passer rating in the Big East. Isaiah Pead is second in the confer-ence with 104 rushing yards per game and is averaging an impressive 6.8 yards per carry. Coming off two straight losses, USF desper-ately needs a win over the red-hot Bearcats.

FridayRUTGERS (5-1, 2-0) AT LOUISVILLE (2-4, 0-1), 8 P.M., ESPN2

Two premier Big East defenses will face off on Friday night. The Cardinals and Scarlet Knights are ranked in the top 30 nationally in rush defense, total defense and scoring defense. Rutgers has been slightly better statistically. The Scarlet Knights are currently second in the nation in sacks per game and fourth in tackles for loss per game, while the Cardinals are tied for 15th and sixth in those categories, respectively. Louisville has had trouble stopping big plays this season, so look for Rutgers to throw the ball downfi eld.

—Compiled by Stephen Bailey, asst. copy editor, sebail01@syr.edu

Saturday

WEEKEND LINEUP

NAME SCHOOL PASS YARDS/GAMEGeno Smith West Virginia 359.8

B.J. Daniels South Florida 243

Ryan Nassib Syracuse 215.7

Zach Collaros Cincinnati 197.8

Johnny McEntee Connecticut 172.7

NAME SCHOOL RECEIVING YARDS/GAMEStedman Bailey West Virginia 105.7

Tavon Austin West Virginia 94

Mohamed Sanu Rutgers 92.5

Ivan McCartney West Virginia 75.8

Sterling Griffin South Florida 70

PASSIN

G

RUSHIN

G

RECEIV

ING

NAME SCHOOL RUSH YARDS/GAMERay Graham Pittsburgh 134.1

Isaiah Pead Cincinnati 104

Lyle McCombs Connecticut 100.7

Antwon Bailey Syracuse 92.2

Darrell Scott South Florida 80.3

STATISTICAL LEADERSSTATISTICAL LEADERScourtesy of pittsburgh athletics media relations

S P O R T S @ D A I L Y O R A N G E . C O M16 o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1

6

33AnnualAnnual

rdrd !!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

spotlight on S.U. alumni:

10:00am - 6:00pm

Featuring 50 original and independent

designers from Central New Yorkdesigners from Central New York

Live music and local food vendors

King+King Architects

358 W. Jefferson Street

Debbie Urbanski of Smock

358 W. Jefferson Street

suggested donation $1suggested donation $1

www.saltcitycraftmart.com

Debbie Urbanski of Smock

Sunseri gets vote of confi dence

Tino Sunseri is Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback for now. Panthers head coach Todd Graham had pulled Sunseri in favor of freshman Trey Anderson for stretches of the team’s last two games. Pittsburgh has a bye this weekend, but when Pittsburgh faces Connecticut next Wednesday, Sunseri will take all of the snaps, Graham said Monday during the Big East coaches’ teleconference.

“I think that switching the quarter-backs in and out has created more dis-tractions than it has positives,” Graham said. “The idea is to get a spark. Trey has done a good job, has a lot of potential, is going to be a good quarterback for us in the future.

“So our focus is: Let’s get it out of Tino, let’s go to work. I think that really hurt us in the last game, just switching quarterbacks so much.”

Last year, Sunseri threw for 2,572 yards and 16 touchdowns, but this sea-son he has just fi ve passing touchdowns to seven interceptions. Sunseri and the Panthers as a whole are currently 96th in the nation in passing offense.

“Tino, by far and away, has the big-gest grasp of what we’re doing offen-sively from his experience in the spring and in the fall,” Graham said. “And we’ve got to get it out of him.”

NEWS NOTESANDAROUND THE BIG EAST

Pasqualoni settles down recruits

The future of the Big East is still uncer-tain. With Syracuse and Pittsburgh defecting for the Atlantic Coast Confer-ence and Texas Christian leaving before even playing a game in the conference, the Big East is searching for replace-ment schools.

Connecticut recruits have asked head coach Paul Pasqualoni about conference realignment, and Pasqualoni has done his best to assure the potential Huskies that the Big East has a bright future.

“What we’ve said to the prospects is that the leadership of the Big East is in great hands and that we’ll move forward here as quickly as we can,” Pasqualoni said during the Big East coaches’ tele-conference Monday. “And we’ll do — the Big East conference and the leadership of the conference — we’ll do the right thing, and we’ll have a great confer-ence with good teams, with outstanding teams.”

The Big East has targeted Air Force, Boise State, Central Florida, Houston, Southern Methodist and Navy to join the conference. The latest plan is to create a 12-team football league.

But as Pasqualoni sees it, the sooner the conference’s future is set in place, the better.

“I think it would help,” Pasqualoni said. “We would all like to know exactly what the landscape all over the country is going to be. ... I just think there’s a certain amount of comfort in knowing exactly where you stand.”

—Compiled by Stephen Bailey, asst. copy editor, sebail01@syr.edu

o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1 1 7S P O R T S @ D A I L Y O R A N G E . C O M

S P O R T S @ D A I L Y O R A N G E . C O M

NO. 19 AUBURN (5-2, 3-1 SEC) AT NO. 1 LOUISIANA STATE (7-0, 4-0 SEC), 3:30 P.M., CBS

Louisiana State rose to the top of the country behind its spectacular defense this season. The Tigers have allowed just 11.7 points per game this season — good for seventh in the nation. And they have done it against four ranked opponents, including No. 9 Oregon and No. 11 West Virginia. Even without star cornerback Tyrann Mathieu — who was among three players suspended for Saturday’s game — LSU’s defense should continue its streak of domi-nance as Clint Moseley makes his fi rst career start at quarterback for Auburn. The sopho-more has only nine career passing attempts, all coming this season, and he will have to make his debut in Baton Rouge, La.

X Factor: Michael Dyer, RB, Auburn — If Auburn wants to pull the upset in Moseley’s fi rst career start, Dyer needs to have a big day on the ground. The sophomore ranks third in the Southeastern Conference in rushing with 752 yards, behind only Alabama’s Trent Richard-son and South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore. Dyer has also scored eight touchdowns. In last year’s win over LSU, he rushed for 100 yards on 15 attempts, complementing Cam Newton’s 217 yards on the ground. This year, Dyer will need to carry the load.

NO. 4 WISCONSIN (6-0, 2-0 BIG TEN) AT NO. 15 MICHIGAN STATE (5-1, 2-0 BIG TEN), 8 P.M., ESPN

Wisconsin has rolled to an undefeated start with quarterback Russell Wilson leading an offense averaging 50.2 points per game, tops in the nation. The Badgers have enjoyed play-ing at home in fi ve of their six games this season, so going on the road to face a ranked Michigan State team will provide a stiff challenge. The Heisman Trophy candidate Wilson leads the Badgers from the quarterback spot. He has 14 touchdowns to one interception so far. The Michigan State defense is currently ranked second in the country in total defense and is coming off a brilliant performance in stifl ing Denard Robinson and Michigan.

X Factor: Kirk Cousins, QB, Michigan State — Cousins has been effi cient for the Spartans, but hasn’t had a breakout performance in 2011. He is completing 65.9 percent of his passes to go with eight touchdowns this season. He has only gone over the 300-yard mark once, in a loss to Notre Dame. Cousins will need to fi nd some holes in Wisconsin’s tough defense for MSU to come out on top.

NO. 22 WASHINGTON (5-1, 3-0 PAC-12) VS. NO. 7 STANFORD (6-0, 4-0 PAC-12), 8 P.M., ABC

Heisman Trophy favorite Andrew Luck has Stanford off to an undefeated start right in the middle of early national championship discussions. But fi rst, the Cardinal has to win the Pac-12, and Washington has proven to be a legitimate threat through six games. The Huskies have thrived with sophomore Keith Price replacing Jake Locker at quarterback. In his fi rst season as the starter, Price is tied for second in the nation with 21 touchdown passes. He has also taken care of the ball, throwing only four interceptions. It’s a battle between the top two quarterbacks in the Pac-12.

X Factor: Chris Polk, RB, Washington — Although Price has been a revelation for the Hus-kies, Polk brings an important balance to the offense. He has rushed for 728 yards and three touchdowns in 2011. The junior has been a consistent option throughout his career, rushing for more than 1,000 yards in each of his fi rst two seasons. Polk is on pace to break that mark again. In a game getting attention for the quarterbacks’ plays, Polk could steal the show and spoil Stanford’s national title aspirations.

NORTH CAROLINA (5-2, 1-2 ACC) AT NO. 8 CLEMSON (7-0, 4-0 ACC), NOON, ESPN

Clemson escaped College Park, Md., with a win last Saturday, erasing an 18-point defi cit to beat the Terrapins 56-45. The Tigers high-scoring offense has been the key to its success all season. Quarterback Tajh Boyd leads the conference with 19 touchdown passes, and his main target, freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins, has emerged as one of the country’s most dangerous playmakers. In the comeback victory over Maryland, Watkins broke C.J. Spiller’s record for all-purpose yards in a game with 345. The freshman returned a kickoff 89 yards for a score to seal the win for Clemson. Though not as explosive, North Carolina’s offense is pretty good, too. Quarterback Bryn Renner sits atop the Atlantic Coast Conference in completion percentage (75.3 percent). And the Tar Heels have an impressive freshman of their own at running back. Giovani Bernard has rushed for 100 yards in fi ve straight games.

X Factor: Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina — The senior wide receiver isn’t as impressed with Clemson’s Watkins as the rest of the nation. When asked who the best receiver in the conference was, Jones replied he knows he’s the top receiver. Jones is third in the confer-ence in receiving yards behind Wake Forest’s Chris Givens and Watkins, and he is tied with Watkins for the most touchdowns with eight. Jones also called Saturday’s matchup with the Tigers a must-win game for the Tar Heels. His words could backfi re, or they could motivate his team to pull the upset on the road.

18 o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1

AROUND THE NATION

GAMES WEEKOF THE

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford129-OF-181, 1,719 YARDS, 18 TDS, 3 INTS13 CARRIES, 65 YARDS, 1 TDLuck has hit his stride in the last few games for the Cardinal. He threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns on the road against Washington State last week. A week earlier against Colorado, Luck was 26-of-33 for 370 yards and three scores. His talent and leadership have proven invaluable for Stanford, and all the recognition Luck has received has been validated. The Cardinal has beaten each of its opponents by at least 26 points this season.

Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama132 CARRIES, 912 YARDS, 15 TDS15 RECEPTIONS, 179 YARDS, 1 TDRichardson had the best game of his career in the Crimson Tide’s 52-7 victory over Missis-sippi last weekend. He broke out for 183 yards and four touchdowns against the Rebels. Richardson has topped 100 yards rushing in six of the team’s seven games this season and found his spot among Heisman-caliber running backs. With other notable tailbacks sidelined by injuries, like South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore and Oregon’s LaMichael James, Richard-son can emerge as the best tailback.

Follow us on Twitter

@DOsports.

Robert Griffi n III, QB, Baylor142-OF-182, 1,950 YARDS, 22 TDS, 2 INTS72 CARRIES, 295 YARDS, 2 TDSBaylor has already lost two games in Big 12 Conference play, but it has not been because of its quarterback’s play. Some of Griffi n’s best performances this season have come in defeats. In the Bears’ 55-28 loss to then-No. 21 Texas A&M a week ago, Griffi n was 28-of-40 for 430 yards and three touchdowns. Griffi n has thrown for three touchdowns or more in all but one game this season. His Heisman-worthy stat line is impressive, but the trophy will most likely go to a player whose team has a better record.

Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State151-OF-199, 1,729 YARDS, 21 TDS, 4 INTSMoore is playing second fi ddle to Baylor’s Robert Griffi n III at this juncture of the season. The Boise State quarterback is second in the nation in both completion percentage and touchdown passes, trailing Grffi n in both of those categories. But what sets Moore apart? He has yet to lose. Moore leads the Broncos into the Bowl Championship Series discussion yet again this year with a perfect 6-0 record. In Boise State’s fi rst game in the Mountain West Conference, Moore threw for 338 yards and four touchdowns.

Russell Wilson, QB, Wisconsin95-OF-128, 1,557 YARDS, 14 TDS, 1 INT24 CARRIES, 182 YARDS, 2 TDSRussell Wilson is only in his fi rst season under center for the Badgers, but he has already taken the offense to the next level. The transfer from North Carolina State has given Wis-consin a legitimate passing threat to complement its dominant rushing attack that ran for 48 touchdowns in 2010. Wilson leads the Big Ten in all major passing categories. In the Bad-gers’ biggest test this season against then-No. 7 Nebraska, Wilson threw for 255 yards and two scores along with one rushing touchdown in a 48-17 romp of the Huskers.

—Compiled by Andrew Tredinnick, asst. copy editor, adtredin@syr.edu

—Compiled by Ryne Gery, asst. sports editor, rjgery@syr.edu

HEISMAN HOPEFULSAROUND THE NATIONAROUND THE NATION

courtesy of isi photos

S P O R T S @ D A I L Y O R A N G E . C O M o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1 19

These new luxury apartments are located right on the main campus of Syracuse University, at the corner of

Comstock Avenue and Marshall Street - within short walking distance of academic buildings, the E.S. Bird Library,

and off-campus boutiques and restaurants situated on Marshall Street.

Looking for a new

place to live?

Upperclassmen and graduate students now have a housing option that offers more amenities, safety and conveniences.

Leasing Office417 Comstock Avenue • Syracuse, NY 13210

315-414-2400 www.ParkPointSyracuse.com

Visit our website or stop by our Leasing Office to learn more!

Our 2 and 4-bedroom apartments are completely furnished and include:• All utilities • Cable, internet and local phone

• Washer and dryer in each unit • On-site fitness center • Private gated courtyard • Entertainment lounge

South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore is out for the season with a knee injury. Lattimore suffered a torn liga-ment and cartilage damage in his left knee after a Mississippi State player rolled on Lattimore’s leg when he was blocking last Saturday. Lattimore will wear a brace for a few weeks before undergoing surgery. South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said his “worst fears were realized” in losing his star tailback. Lattimore, a Heisman Trophy candi-date, was second in the Southeastern Con-ference in rushing with 818 yards and scored 10 touchdowns to lead the Gamecocks to a 6-1 start.

Louisiana State cornerback Tyrann Mathieu and running back Spencer Ware have been suspended for the team’s game against Auburn on Sat-urday, according to ESPN. The Associated Press reported that defensive back Tharold Simon was also suspended and that the play-ers broke the team’s drug policy. Reports have not indicated for which drug the players tested positive, and head coach Les Miles declined to confi rm the suspensions after the team practiced Wednesday. Mathieu emerged as a star this season making big plays on defense. The sophomore has forced four fumbles, recovered three and returned two for touchdowns to go with 42 tackles and two interceptions on the season. His production has even earned him some men-tion as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Tulane head coach Bob Toledo resigned from his position Tuesday. Toledo has been feeling pressure all season after his team suffered multiple blowout losses. The Green Wave started 2-1 after beating Alabama-Birmingham 49-10, Tulane’s largest margin of victory in Toledo’s four-

plus years at the helm. Tulane followed that performance by getting outscored 93-33 in losses to Duke and Army. Tulane stuck with Syracuse in a 37-34 loss in week six, but another embarrassing loss to Texas-El Paso sealed his fate. Toledo fi nishes his tenure at Tulane with a 15-40 record, with 23 of those losses coming by 20 points or more.

Houston quarterback Case Keenum is only 130 yards away from break-ing former Hawaii quarterback Timmy Chang’s career total offense record of 16,910 yards. Keenum is currently on pace to set NCAA career records for career passing yards and touchdown passes. He is leading the Football Bowl Subdivision with 2,333 yards of total offense in 2011 and will likely surpass Chang when the No. 21 Cougars take on Marshall on Saturday. The NCAA granted Keenum a medical hardship waiver in January, giving him a sixth season of eligibility. The quarterback tore his right anterior cruciate ligament in Houston’s third game of 2010 and missed the remainder of the season. With Keenum back under center this season, the Cougars are 6-0 and have their sights on an undefeated season.

Arkansas announced its plans to spend an estimated $300 million on athletic facilities, including renovations to Razorback Stadium. The major plans call for an expan-sion of the stadium by enclosing the north end zone. Athletic Director Jeff Long also outlined plans to build a basketball practice facility, to renovate the baseball stadium and indoor and outdoor facilities, and to build a 5,000-seat competition venue for sports and concerts. The renovations to the football sta-dium will cost an estimated $78 million to $95 million to add at least 5,000 seats, including fi eld-level suites and club areas.

NEWS NOTESANDAROUND THE BIG EAST

—Compiled by Ryne Gery, asst. sports editor, rjgery@syr.edu

S P O R T S @ D A I L Y O R A N G E . C O M2 0 o c t obe r 2 1 - 2 3 , 2 0 1 1

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT FAMILY WEEKEND?

Spending quality family time with your annoying little sister.

Convincing your parents thatthe frat you’re joining is the most academic frat on campus.

Getting your parents to buy you more stuff.

IT’S TIME TO RESTOCK FOR THE REST OF THE SEMESTER!SHOP TARGET FOR ALL YOUR COLLEGE NEEDS.

TARGET3657 W. Genesee StSyracuse, NY 13219

(315) 233-0600

LOCATED ONLY 10 MINUTES FROM SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY.

TARGET CAMILLUSHome Of The SU Busing Event

POINTS PER GAME

POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME

RUSHING YARDS GAINED PER GAME

PASSING YARDS GAINED PER GAME

TOTAL OFFENSIVE YARDS PER GAME

RUSHING YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME

PASSING YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME

TOTAL YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME

40.821.5123

380.5503.5119.8181.3301.2

26.727.3113.2

220.3333.5104.3293

397.3

QUICK HITS