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A publication of

October 5-7, 2012

TAKEDOWNSyracuse’s defense looks to improve tackling against a high-powered offensive team in Pitts-burgh.Page 3

MORE THAN A GAMEThe winner of the Syracuse, Pitts-burgh game will enter the ACC next season with an elevated status.Page 4

KEY MATCHUPSPittsburgh Post-Gazette sports-writer Sam Werner breaks down the Panthers heading into the game on Friday night.Page 8

SecondSyracuse aims to turn season around with start of Big East play

chance

FUTURE FOESTake a look at the seven confer-ence opponents planned for Syra-cuse in the 2013 season.Page 6

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Sports Editor Ryne GeryPresentation Director Ankur PatankarCopy Chief Cheryl SeligmanAsst. Sports Editor Jon HarrisAsst. Sports Editor Chris IsemanAsst. Photo Editor Chase GaewskiDesign Editor Beth FritzingerAsst. Copy Editor Jacob KlingerAsst. Copy Editor David Wilson

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

Laurence Leveille MANAGING EDITOR

Mark Cooper EDITOR IN CHIEF

General Manager Peter WaackIT Director Mike EscalanteIT Assistant Alec ColemanAdvertising Manager Kelsey RowlandAdvertising Representative Joe BarglowskiAdvertising Representative Allie BriskinAdvertising Representative William LeonardAdvertising Representative Sam WeinbergAdvertising Designer Olivia AccardoAdvertising Designer Abby Legge

For live tweets of the game, follow @DOsports

TODAY TOMORROW SUNDAY

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W E AT H E RAdvertising Designer Yoli WorthAdvertising Intern Jeanne Cloyd Advertising Intern Carolina GarciaAdvertising Intern Paula VallinaBusiness Intern Tim BennettCirculation Manager Harold HeronCirculation Michael HuCirculation Alexandra KoskorisCirculation Arianna Rogers Circulation Suzanne SirianniCirculation Charis SlueDigital Sales Lauren SilvermanSpecial Projects Rose PiconSpecial Projects Runsu Huang

sam maller | staff photographer

Editor’s noteDear readers,

This In the Huddle is the first edition in a series of previews for each Syracuse home football game to be distributed during the 2012 season. These special issues will provide you with an in-depth look at the Orange and its upcoming opponent. In this issue, you will find a comprehensive breakdown of SU’s Big East opener against Pittsburgh on Friday night. This includes a column on the significance of the game between the future Atlantic Coast Conference foes, insight from linebacker Marquis Spruill com-ing off the bye week and predictions by our three beat writers. You can also check out the biggest games around the nation this weekend and an early look at the Heisman Trophy race. We hope this edition enhances your game-day experience on Friday.

Sincerely,

Ryne GerySPORTS EDITOR

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 5 - 7, 2 0 1 2 3

sam maller | staff photographerBRANDON REDDISH and the Syracuse defense have been plagued by sloppy play this season. Missed tackles have led to breakaway runs by opposing running backs in all four games. The SU defense ranks seventh in the Big East in rushing yards allowed per game. Pittsburgh’s two leading rushers combine for more than 150 yards on the ground per game.

Tackling the problem

By Chris IsemanASST. SPORTS EDITOR

T he scene forces Jay Bromley and the Syracuse defense to think.

The missed tackles look bad on film. When the unit watches those plays on the screen, though, it doesn’t see failure as much as it sees a chance to improve.

Syracuse used the bye week to work on its tackling after opposing backs and receivers repeatedly broke free in each of SU’s first four games. Bromley and the rest of the defense will see how much they learned on Friday when the Orange (1-3) begins Big East play against Pitts-burgh (2-2, 0-1 Big East) at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Panthers feature two power running backs in Ray Graham and Rushel Shell, who are going to do everything they can to expose SU’s

SU looks to shore up sloppy defense against Pittsburgh in Carrier Dome

SEE PITTSBURGH PAGE 10

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

O n July 16, Syracuse received the details of the pseudo-audition. There would be 12 phases scattered

between September and December, with some at night and others during the day. Some indoors and others exposed to the elements.

The objective each week remained the same, though the obstacles varied in prowess. Some were mountains (Southern California), while others were molehills (Stony Brook).

Its opponent in this rat race for approval is Pittsburgh, both literally — Friday night inside the Carrier Dome on ESPN — and figuratively on a week-to-week basis as each of the 12 football members of the Atlantic Coast Conference keeps a watchful eye on its future brethren.

By reaching $7.5-million settlement agree-ments with the Big East in July to ensure entrance into the ACC for the 2013-14 academic year, Pittsburgh and Syracuse kick-started the season-long tryout whose ultimate prize is foot-ball acceptance by the big boys in Tallahassee, Coral Gables and Clemson.

Friday’s game in front of a national-tele-vision audience is a showdown of sorts, with the winner entering the ACC in a slightly elevated status while the loser is truly the rookie carrying shoulder pads. And after unsightly starts by both Syracuse (1-3) and Pittsburgh (2-2), an added sense of urgency should fill the Carrier Dome as the pressure of making a good impression is heaped on top of the game’s final result.

“We have the clean slate (with Big East play), and it just makes us feel like we have

to work harder, very hard,” SU sophomore safety Durrell Eskridge said. “So when we do get out of the Big East, we can go into the ACC with a name.”

While other Syracuse players spewed cliches throughout the week about focusing only on Pittsburgh and ignoring outside distractions on television, Twitter or Facebook, Eskridge spoke candidly — bluntly, even — about distractions and how the Orange compared to some of its previous opponents.

He said there is “a lot of down talk” about the program as a result of the 1-3 record and that critics believe some of Syracuse’s previous opponents “weren’t supposed to be out on the field with us at all.”

When asked how it made him feel to hear members of the media or people on campus say that teams like USC, Northwestern or Minne-sota shouldn’t have been on the same field as the Orange, his response was shocking.

“I could totally agree with them,” he said. “So it makes me feel better (about the losses), but at the same time I really don’t try to buy into that at all. I know they ain’t supposed to be on the field with us.”

It makes Big East play in 2012 a crucial proving ground to dispel the notion that the Pinstripe Bowl season was merely an outlier between two subpar seasons that more accurately reflect Syracuse’s curve of best fit. Avoiding another bottom-of-the-barrel finish — especially after zero impressive nonconference wins — is imperative if the Orange hopes to be taken seriously in the ACC.

The Panthers, though, haven’t been much better. A true case of Jekyll and Hyde, Pitts-burgh opened the season with a horrifying 14-point loss to Youngstown State, a Football Championship Series team that made its last postseason appearance in 2006. Pittsburgh then fell victim to a 24-point shellacking at the hands of Cincinnati before rebounding to knock off then-No. 13 Virginia Tech and leave critics across the country profoundly puzzled.

It adds a level of intrigue to Friday’s contest, which is on display for all to see in primetime. A turnover-fest replete with ugly football and little excitement could be potentially embar-rassing for the ACC, not to mention unappeal-ing to recruits for both schools.

“Everybody is going to be watching,” SU sophomore linebacker Cameron Lynch said. “Facebook is going to be blowing up, Twitter, this is national. You know you’ve got to put on and handle your business.”

Friday night, then, presents a unique opportunity for Syracuse to separate itself

from Pittsburgh with a win and enter the ACC one peg up on the totem pole. A loss would be just another sucker punch to a program that is winless in its last nine games against schools from the power conferences, another hurdle to jump as SU tries to entrench itself in a new region of the country next year.

Head coach Doug Marrone said he hadn’t thought about the game from that perspective, focusing solely on improving his team each day in practice. It was a predictable response — one fans and the media have come to expect from Marrone the workaholic.

But perhaps this time it would have been all right to peek ahead and think about the ways in which a win against Pittsburgh could slingshot the program. How a positive result would right the ship in 2012 and propel it forward for 2013 with a boost in reputation against its newest rival.

A loss on Friday certainly wouldn’t break the program, especially if Syracuse plays well in a losing effort. But it could definitely help make the program, and Eskridge knows it.

“It would really turn the knob tremendous-ly,” Eskridge said. “It really would put a name out there for us, and say we’re coming into the Big East ready to fight.”

Michael Cohen is a staff writer at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasion-

ally. He can be reached at mjcohe02@syr.edu, or follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.

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M I C H A E L C O H E N

not a dime back

SU, Pitt game has ACC implications as teams transition from Big East

@dosports

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By Ryne GerySPORTS EDITOR

Coming off a bye week, Syracuse will face a suddenly hot Pittsburgh team in its Big East opener. After losing their first two games to Youngstown State and Cincinnati by a combined score of 65-27, the Panthers have rebounded with consecutive wins over Virginia Tech and Gardner-Webb. The teams will square off in the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m. Friday. The Daily Orange spoke with Sam Werner, who covers the Panthers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, to examine some key storylines and matchups heading into the game.The Daily Orange: Pittsburgh started off 0-2 and had that loss to Youngstown State before turning it around the last two games. What was the key difference after the 0-2 start?Sam Werner: I think the biggest thing you have to look at first is the improvement of the rush defense. In those games against Youngstown State and Cincinnati they were giving up over 200 yards a game on the ground, and they really sort of turned that around against Virginia Tech and Gardner-Webb. I think a lot of that is just a matter mostly of guys understanding their assign-ments a little bit better because you don’t usually give up 50-yard runs because you’re just getting pushed around. At least Pitt won’t because they’ve got some talented guys on defense. Those guys were just missing assignments and not knowing where they were supposed to be and those problems really got corrected in the last two games.

The D.O.: Would you say Pitt is closer to the team that has gone 2-0 and looked really good the last two weeks or the team that got off to that sluggish start?SW: It’s hard to say at this point because the Virginia Tech game was obviously a big win and there’s not too much to take from the Gardner-Webb game because Gardner-Webb is not even that great of a I-AA opponent, but if I had to guess, I would say they’re probably a little bit closer to the team of the last two games just because you could see after those last two games sort of the confidence build-ing, and the players will always say that they were buying into the new coaching staff, but once you get a couple of wins under your belt, it gets a lot easier to buy into what the new coaches are selling.The D.O.: You had mentioned Pitt’s ability to stop the run as a key factor in its two wins. How do they match up against Syracuse’s passing attack in the secondary?SW: I think that that could be a little bit of a problem for them. They haven’t really faced a team that has that sort of passing ability yet. Logan Thomas of Virginia Tech was sort of touted as a really quality quarterback, but he threw a couple of bad interceptions. The one thing that they were able to do against Virginia Tech that if they could do against Syracuse would help them out a lot, is that they got a lot of pressure on Thomas, so if they can get pressure on Ryan Nassib, that will make the secondary’s job a lot easier. The D.O.: How does the Syracuse defense match up with Ray Graham and the Pitt rush-ing attack?

SW: The biggest thing for the Pitt rushing attack, especially the last few games is just its versatility, and it’s been very well evenly spread out between Ray Graham and the freshman Rushel Shell — he had the big game against Virginia Tech especially. And then Isaac Bennett is a third down, mostly used in passing situations type of back, but he can get in there and make things happen too. That’s sort of where it all starts. Paul Chryst came in from Wisconsin, sort of famously a couple years ago had those three running backs almost go for 1,000 yards, and I think that’s sort of — maybe not the numbers, but the style he wants to employ at Pitt and then from that. That makes the rest of the offense flow too. When you’re able to run the ball, it makes everything else a lot easier.The D.O.: With Pittsburgh’s running backs, what different running styles do they bring out of the backfield?SW: The two guys you’ll probably see on Friday are Ray Graham and Rushel Shell. And obviously Ray Graham had the ACL injury last season coming off ACL surgery. He had a long touchdown run against Gardner-Webb that he showed some of the explosiveness of old Ray. I don’t think he’s there 100 percent yet, but he’s certainly getting back to that explosive playmaking back that he was last year, and every game I think he’ll continue to get better. Rushel Shell is a little bit more of a downhill guy. He’s only a freshman, but he’s not afraid to run guys over, so he’s sort of the more physi-cal back of the two whereas Graham is the more explosive, big-play guy.

rjgery@syr.edu

Panthers beat writer expects Pitt to continue turnaround

Follow @dailyorange on Twitter!

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“If they put their heads together, yes. I believe they have the talent, but I don’t think they’re very disciplined.”

Jonathan BridgesSOPHOMORE COMPUTER ENGINEERING MAJOR

P E R S P E C T I V E Sby david wilson | asst. copy editor

Do you think SU can rebound from its rough 1-3 start?

“The Stony Brook game was a good game, I thought. They kind of messed up in the first couple games, but I think they can turn it around.”

Jason RickettsFRESHMAN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT MAJOR

“I do, because I think the Big East is a pretty weak conference, and they’ve got a pretty good quarterback in Ryan Nassib.”

Sam BlumFRESHMAN NEWSPAPER AND ONLINE JOURNALISM MAJOR

NO. 3 FLORIDA STATE(5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference)The Seminoles have been an offensive powerhouse this season, averaging 51 points per game. Although a Big East team in South Florida hung tough against FSU before losing 30-17, Florida State is in position to be a top ACC team for years to come.

NO. 15 CLEMSON(4-1, 1-1)Clemson’s only loss this season came against Florida State. The Tigers are the second best team in the ACC behind the Seminoles. Clemon’s redshirt junior quarter-back Tajh Boyd has thrown for 1,351 yards and 12 touchdowns so far this season.

WAKE FOREST (3-2, 1-2)Of all the ACC teams, Syracuse probably matches up with the Demon Deacons the best. The Orange already beat Wake

Forest in a thrilling 36-29 overtime last season. The Demon Deacons lost to FSU 52-0 back on Sept. 15. Wake Forest isn’t an upper-echelon ACC team, so it should be a relief for Syracuse in a loaded confer-ence.

MARYLAND(2-2, 0-0)The Terrapins haven’t played a conference game yet. Maryland opened its season with a lackluster 7-6 win over William and Mary and then beat Temple and lost to Connecticut. So the Terrapins aren’t much of a threat in the ACC right now. There’s no evidence of that changing any time soon, so this should be a winnable game for Syracuse in 2013.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE (3-2, 0-1)A better, but comparable team to the Orange, the Wolfpack is unlikely to blow any opponents out. By the same token NC State is not about to bury any opponents either.

Tom O’Brien’s team is perhaps the fairest measuring stick for SU.

BOSTON COLLEGE (1-3, 0-2)BC recruits about the same caliber players as the Orange, with its entire 2013 recruiting class composed of two- and three-star play-ers. SU’s shortest ACC road trip against a for-mer Big East foe should be one of its easiest.

PITTSBURGH(2-2, 0-1 Big East)First-year head coach Paul Chryst has the team moving in the right direction, winning two straight games after an 0-2 start. Ray Graham and freshman Rushel Shell have powered the team’s rushing attack while veteran quarterback Tino Sunseri has been efficient in the pocket. The Panthers will make the jump from the Big East to the ACC with the Orange.

Looking ahead

DAILYORANGE.COM

Syracuse, Pittsburgh will move to the ACC in 2013, creating new rivalries for years to come

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BIG EAST STATISTICAL LEADERS PASSING LEADERS RUSHING LEADERS RECEIVING LEADERSPLAYER SCHOOL PASSYARDSPERGAMERyan Nassib Syracuse 341.8Tino Sunseri Pittsburgh 286Munchie Legaux Cincinnati 263B.J. Daniels South Florida 257Gary Nova Rutgers 240.5

PLAYER SCHOOL RUSHYARDSPERGAMEJawan Jamison Rutgers 122.8George Winn Cincinnati 106Senorise Perry Louisville 91.6Ray Graham Pittsburgh 90.5Lyle McCombs Connecticut 90.4

PLAYER SCHOOL RECEIVINGYARDSPERGAMEMarcus Sales Syracuse 95.5Mike Shanahan Pittsburgh 92Devin Street Pittsburgh 68.2Kenbrell Thompkins Cincinnati 68Jarrod West Syracuse 66.8

With three minutes remaining, Syracuse had the ball and a chance to win the game. The Orange had five wins on the season and only needed a touchdown to clinch bowl eligibility.

What it got was a turnover. The Syracuse drive started from its own 6

yard line. A 12-yard catch by wide receiver Alec Lemon got the Orange drive started. On the next play, quarterback Ryan Nassib rolled out to his left, but didn’t see Pittsburgh linebacker Brandon Lindsey closing in on him as he got ready to throw.

Lindsey knocked the ball away from Nassib, sending it into the awaiting hands of Pittsburgh cornerback Antwuan Reed. He returned it 20 yards for the touchdown, officially putting the game out of reach.

The 40,058 fans at Heinz Field watched as their Panthers clinched postseason eligibil-ity with a 33-20 victory. Meanwhile, the Orange completed its season with a five-game losing

streak after starting the year 5-2. The monu-mental late-season collapse sent Syracuse from being a Big East-title contender to missing out on a bowl game.

Syracuse (5-7, 1-6 Big East) committed six turnovers in the game that led to 20 points for Pittsburgh (6-6, 4-3 Big East).

“We had an opportunity to get some things done this season,” SU head coach Doug Mar-rone said after the game. “It’s a shame that we weren’t able to accomplish that.”

Pittsburgh entered the game ranked last in the Big East with a minus-5 turnover margin. SU’s six turnovers were the most forced by Pittsburgh since its 2002 season opener.

The game didn’t start much better than it ended for the Orange.

Pittsburgh pooched the opening kickoff and Dorian Graham couldn’t cover the football, allowing the Panthers to recover. Pittsburgh scored on the next play to take a 7-0 lead only 10

seconds into the game. SU’s next possession ended in an interception

after there was miscommunication between Nassib and wide receiver Van Chew. Pittsburgh kicked a field goal and took a 10-0 lead. All that before Syracuse had run three plays on offense.

“When you’re sitting there and you fall behind 10-0, there’s a little bit of, ‘OK, what’s going to happen?’” Marrone said. “And they haven’t quit. But you start thinking, ‘Here we go. This is going to be a good test right here.’”

On Syracuse’s next possession, running back Antwon Bailey scored on a 26-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass to cut the Pittsburgh lead to 10-7. By halftime, the Panthers were ahead 20-10.

SU gained some momentum in the third quarter when defensive end Chandler Jones picked off a swing pass and returned it into Pittsburgh territory. Running back Jerome Smith then scored from 10 yards out to cut the lead to 20-17.

But things went downhill from there for Syracuse.

After another Pittsburgh field goal, Nassib fumbled, leading to another Pittsburgh field goal to put the Panthers up 26-17. SU was driving in Pittsburgh territory on its next possession, but wide receiver Jarrod West lost the ball while trying to pick up extra yardage.

Despite all the turnovers, SU had an oppor-tunity on its next possession to win the game and make a bowl game. But the five-game losing streak was cemented when Nassib was stripped of the ball.

“It’s just crazy,” offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said after the game. “Some-times it’s better to be lucky than good. There were just some unfortunate incidences when the ball was on the ground.”

Syracuse’s season was over.—Compiled by Jon Harris, asst. sports editor, jdharr04@syr.edu

Last time they playedDec. 3, 2011 Pittsburgh 33, Syracuse 20

kristen parker | staff photographerRYAN NASSIB fumbled in the final minutes to seal Syracuse’s 33-20 loss to Pittsburgh in the last game of the 2011 season, ending SU’s bowl hopes.

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STARTING LINEUPS

DID YOU KNOW?

KEY MATCHUPS

JAY BROMLEYNT

RAY GRAHAMRB

Graham is healthy again and has already rushed for 362 yards this season while splitting carries with Rushel Shell. Graham is a downhill runner and Bromley will play a big part in trying to stop the senior running back from finding holes in what has been a porous SU defensive line thus far.

RI’SHARD ANDERSONCB

MIKE SHANAHANWR

In Shanahan’s last two games — against Virginia Tech and Gardner-Webb — he has a combined 255 yards and three touchdowns. Anderson and Syracuse’s secondary will need to slow Shanahan down on Friday. Especially considering Pittsburgh also has wide receiver Devin Street, who has 273 yards and two touch-downs.

RYAN NASSIBQB

AARON DONALDDT

In 2011, Donald had 47 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He has yet to collect a sack this season, but he has eight tackles and five quarterback hurries. It’s only a matter of time before one of those hurries turns into a sack or forces a quarterback into a bad throw. Will it be Ryan Nassib?

JEROME SMITHRB

SHANE GORDONMLB

Gordon leads Pittsburgh with 28 tackles, four tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks. It’s inevitable that he and Syracuse’s starting running back Smith will meet their fair share of times on the field. And if the Orange wants to win this head-to-head battle, Smith needs more than the nine carries he got against Minnesota.

FRIDAY, 7 P.M., ESPN

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SYRACUSE VS. PITTSBURGH

PITTSBURGH OFFENSE12 QB TINO SUNSERI1 RB RAY GRAHAM43 FB MARK GIUBILATO87 WR MIKE SHANAHAN15 WR DEVIN STREET83 TE HUBIE GRAHAM78 LT CORY KING54 LG CHRIS JACOBSON75 C RYAN TURNLEY76 RG RYAN SCHLIEPER74 RT MATT ROTHERAM

PITTSBURGH DEFENSE90 DE T.J. CLEMMINGS50 NT TYRONE EZELL97 DT AARON DONALD93 DE BRYAN MURPHY49 SLB ERIC WILLIAMS44 MLB SHANE GORDON36 WLB MANNY WILLIAMS23 CB LAFAYETTE PITTS18 SS JARRED HOLLEY25 FS JASON HENDRICKS2 CB K’WAUN WILLIAMS

97

The last time Syracuse beat Pittsburgh was a 38-31 double-overtime victory in the Carrier Dome on Nov. 6, 2004. Nancy Cantor was inaugurated as the chancellor at SU the day before. Since then, Pittsburgh has won all seven meetings between the teams, outscoring the Orange 224-113 since 2005.

Syracuse went 3-1 in its first four games last season and is off to a 1-3 start in 2012. Still, the 2012 offense is averaging 2.8 points more per game than last season’s team through four games. And this year’s passing offense is averaging 114 yards more per game than last year’s aerial attack thus far.

Ray Graham ranks ninth in Pittsburgh history with 2,591 rushing yards and only trails Curtis Martin by 52 yards for eighth place. Graham only needs 602 yards this season to move into second place. But catching Tony Dorsett is out of the question, as the former Dallas Cowboys running back ended his four-year career with 6,526 yards.

AT RUTGERSOct. 13, noon

CONNECTICUTOct. 19, 8 p.m.

SYRACUSE OFFENSE12 QB RYAN NASSIB45 RB JEROME SMITH23 RB PRINCE-TYSON GULLEY5 WR MARCUS SALES15 WR ALEC LEMON85 TE BECKETT WALES67 LT JUSTIN PUGH75 LG ZACH CHIBANE59 C MACKY MACPHERSON71 RG IVAN FOY60 RT SEAN HICKEY

BY THE NUMBERS

BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS

43

87

8

2

85 5

SYRACUSE DEFENSE10 DE MARKUS PIERCE-BREWSTER96 NT JAY BROMLEY13 DT DEON GOGGINS91 DE BRANDON SHARPE11 SLB MARQUIS SPRUILL18 MLB SIRIKI DIABATE35 WLB DYSHAWN DAVIS8 CB KEON LYN21 SS SHAMARKO THOMAS28 FS JEREMI WILKES9 CB RI’SHARD ANDERSON

AT SOUTH FLORIDAOct. 27, TBD

67The number of times Syracuse and Pittsburgh have played each other. The Orange is 30-34-3 against the

Panthers. The only team Syracuse has faced more is Penn State.

2.25The difference between Pittsburgh’s

points per game (29.25) and Syracuse’s points per game (27) this season.

18The number of points Pittsburgh beat

then-No. 13 Virginia Tech by on Sept. 15.

362The number of rushing yards Pitts-

burgh running back Ray Graham has run for in four games this season. The

senior tailback spent the offseason rehabilitating from ACL surgery but is

healthy now.

0.7The difference between Syracuse’s total offensive yardage per game

(487.5) and Pittsburgh’s total offensive yardage per game (486.8) in 2012.

RYNE GERYPittsburgh 28

Syracuse 21The struggles continue for

the Orange.

MICHAEL COHENPittsburgh 30Syracuse 24

It’s called Pitt Panther by Odeon. It’s illegal in nine

countries.

CHRIS ISEMANPittsburgh 34Syracuse 20

Maybe Syracuse has to move to another conference

before it beats Pitt.

“During the bye week, we obviously paid more attention to those things — turnovers, penalties, situations during the course of a game, which are really hurting. Those are things we’ve worked on.”

Doug MarroneSU HEAD COACH

“That’s our pride — tackling. We took that to heart this week, made adjustments, went out there and made our technique better. Go out there, fly around and make tackles.”

Shamarko Thomas SU STRONG SAFETY

SYRACUSE ON OFFENSE

PITTSBURGH ON OFFENSE

s p o r t s @ d a i l y o r a n g e . c o m10 o c t obe r 5 - 7, 2 0 1 2

tackling deficiencies. “They want to run first,” said Bromley, the

Orange’s nose tackle. “But just it’s a big empha-sis on the defensive front that we know they’re going to run the ball, they’re going to come right at us, so you’ve got to take pride in what you do and just stop them.”

Syracuse opens its conference schedule in need of a win to turn its season around. After a disappointing start, this game kicks off take two. Through the first month of the season, the SU defense has been a step behind the team’s offense. Against Pitt, the Orange has to correct its tackling missteps from the start, especially when it comes to stopping the run.

That’s been a struggle so far for Syracuse.The Orange is seventh in the Big East in

rushing defense, allowing an average of 176.2

yards on the ground per game. Pittsburgh’s two leading tailbacks, Graham and Shell, average 90.5 and 76.3 yards per game, respectively. That ranks both among the Big East’s top 10 leading rushers.

Head coach Doug Marrone said Wednesday

his team needs to resolve its tackling issues before Syracuse can have success for the rest of the year.

Pittsburgh presents a difficult test.“They have a very good offense,” Marrone

said. “They’re very physical up front. Their backs run extremely hard.”

The last time the Orange played a team with two formidable running backs was Sept. 15 against Stony Brook. Miguel Maysonet and Marcus Coker combined for 217 yards on the ground. That number would’ve been much high-er if the SU defense didn’t execute its second-half adjustments.

Bromley said the unit has to “multiply that by 100” to play good defense against Pittsburgh. Syracuse has played strong defense for “stretch-es,” he said, but the team’s 1-3 record shows it hasn’t been enough.

Safety Shamarko Thomas said the unit ran a lot of tackling drills during the bye week in which a running back would make a quick move

and the defender had to make an effort to stay on his inside hip while keeping his hands up to grab “cloth.”

“That’s our pride — tackling,” Thomas said. “We took that to heart this week, made adjust-ments, went out there and made our technique better. Go out there, fly around and make tack-les.”

Pittsburgh’s offensive linemen, who weigh an average of 317 pounds, intensify the chal-lenge for the Orange’s defensive line.

The same five linemen have started each of the Panthers’ games this season. Aside from giving quarterback Tino Sunseri enough time in the pocket to throw for 1,144 total yards this year, the line has also created wide-open holes for Pittsburgh’s backs to burst through.

Bromley said Pittsburgh’s linemen will look to lean on Syracuse’s defensive line to keep them off the ball and out of the gaps. That’s different from a zone-blocking offensive line, in which the linemen look to get in front of the defense’s front four and drive them back in a certain direction.

But for the defense as a whole, improved tackling will improve the situation altogether.

“They’ve got great athletes making us miss, and I feel like we’ve got to make tackles,” Thom-as said. “Just know the situation. Take it one play at a time and take it one game at a time.”

The bye week gave SU extra time to perfect the fundamentals and shore up the tackling issues. For Syracuse to have success during its conference schedule, the improved tackling needs to be present every game.

Said Bromley: “Now we know what to do; now it’s time to make plays.”

cjiseman@syr.edu

@chris_iseman

PITTSBURGHF R O M P A G E 3

“That’s our pride—tackling. We took that to heart this week, made adjustments, went out there and made our technique better. Go out there, fly around and make tackles.”

Shamarko ThomasSU STRONG SAFETY

BRINGING THEM DOWNPoor tackling has cost Syracuse in its three losses this season. Turning that around is going to be key for the Orange to have success for the rest of the season. Here’s a look at Syra-cuse’s top tacklers this season:

Davis, LB26 tackles

Diabate, LB25 tackles

Spruill, LB25 tackles

Anderson, CB15 tackles

Thomas, SS15 tackles

Wilkes, FS15 tackles

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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

29.323.0187.5299.3486.8138.5185.5324.0

27.029.5145.8341.8487.5176.3181.3357.5

QUICK HITS

By Ryne GerySPORTS EDITOR

The Syracuse defense will face a tough task on Friday against Pittsburgh. The Panthers rank second in the Big East in scoring, averaging 29.2 points per game. They have displayed a balanced offensive attack in the last two weeks, defeating Virginia Tech 35-17 and Gardner Webb 55-10.

Star running back Ray Graham is getting closer to full health after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in the offseason, and fresh-man Rushel Shell has already emerged as an impressive weapon in the backfield, rushing for 157 yards against the Hokies. Meanwhile, senior quarterback Tino Sunseri, who has endured an up-and-down career, has been sharp in the pocket. He has thrown for eight touchdowns and just two interceptions while completing 67.2 percent of his passes.

The Daily Orange caught up with Syracuse linebacker Marquis Spruill to break down the Orange’s matchup with the Panthers on Friday night and gauge the mentality of the team after a disappointing 1-3 start.The Daily Orange: Coming off the bye, with the 1-3 start, what has the atmosphere been like around the team? How have you focused to ready for this game?Marquis Spruill: We watched film. We made the corrections that we needed to make. We’re working on getting better every day. The losses, we can do nothing but learn from them, so we learn from them, flush them, we focus on the next opponent that we have.The D.O.: Coach Marrone has talked about penalties and other areas to improve during the bye. What did the team specifically work and focus on?MS: I would say all the areas on film that

we’ve been struggling that we’ve tried to make those a big emphasis in practice this week — whether it be trying to force turn-overs, trying to prevent turnovers, prevent penalties, the whole nine.The D.O.: Improving tackling has been one thing Marrone has mentioned. How important will that be going against a team with a running game like Pittsburgh’s?MS: Tackling’s going to be very important, very crucial in the game. They have a great tailback in Ray Graham. We work on hitting drills every day but this past bye week, we got to practice (tackling) a little bit more than usual and I think it’s helped out.The D.O.: Ray Graham’s been a great player in the conference for a while. How is the team preparing and what is it like getting ready for a player like him?MS: He’s a great player. He has good feet, nice moves. He has good vision for a tailback. But we just have to play our defense like we’ve been doing thus far.The D.O.: Pittsburgh quarterback Tino Sun-seri has also played well in the last two games to lead his team to wins. What does the defense expect from him after watching film this week?MS: It’s the same thing as Ray Graham. We just got to play our game, read our keys, break on balls. Hopefully we get some turnovers. If not, three-and-outs, things like that.The D.O.: What is the key for the team to come out with a win Friday night?MS: The key for us is everybody has to do their job. You can’t be scared. You can’t hesitate to make moves. You got to just do it and if you’re wrong, at least you’re doing it at 100 miles an hour, just do it and hopefully your teammates out there, they’ll fix you. Everybody, we just got to play, play like we know we can. The D.O.: Has there been any hesitation in the losses that you guys have noticed, and how do you get that aggressive mentality even if you might not be doing the right thing at all times?MS: Yeah, I’ve seen minor hesitation from certain players, but you know it’s things that the coaches point out and tell us as a group and things we fix in practice.

rjgery@syr.edu

Scouting Pittsburgh with Syracuse linebacker Marquis Spruill

kristen parker | staff photographerMARQUIS SPRUILL and the Syracuse defense hope to contain Pittsburgh’s dynamic running back duo of Ray Graham and Rushel Shell by cleaning up some mental errors.

SPRUILL INTENTIONSMarquis Spruill, an SU junior linebacker, has played in nearly every game for the Orange since he was a freshman. Here’s a look at his statistics so far this year:

Total tackles: 25Solo tackles: 14Assisted tackles: 11Tackles for loss: 3.5Sacks: 1

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Smith has played flawlessly so far in West Virginia’s first season in the Big 12. Against Baylor last week — his only game against a ranked opponent this season — Smith went 45-of-51 for 656 yards and eight touchdowns. The quality of the Mountaineers’ opponents is increasing steadily with Smith facing his truest test yet against No. 11 Texas on Saturday.

BRAXTON MILLERQB, Ohio State76-of-121, 933 yards, 8 TDs, 3 INTs90 carries, 577 yards, 7 TDsConsistency is the biggest problem for the nation’s best dual-threat quarterback. After exploding for five touchdowns and 324 total yards against California three weeks ago, Miller played a modest game against the UAB. But as long as Miller keeps the No. 12 Buckeyes unde-feated, he’ll remain a part of the Heisman discussion. A slip-up from Smith coupled with an OSU win over No. 21 Nebraska could see Miller vault to the top of many Heisman lists.

AARON MURRAYQB, Georgia89-of-130, 1,378 yards, 12 TDs, 3 INTs21 carries, -8 yards, 3 TDsOf anyone in the hunt for the Heisman, Murray stands to gain the most this weekend as his No. 5 Bulldogs take on No. 6 South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. Last week against Tennessee, in Georgia’s toughest test of the season to date, Murray threw for two key third-quarter touch-downs to help the Bulldogs pull away from the Volunteers. A compa-rable performance on Saturday against the nation’s sixth-best scoring defense would lend real weight to Murray’s Heisman bid.

EJ MANUELQB, Florida State88-of-120, 1,147 yards, 9 TDs, 1 INT34 carries, 197 yards, 1 TDManuel showcased his ability to spread the ball around last week in a 30-17 road win over South Florida as he hit nine different receivers. Manuel benefits from having one of the most talented rosters in college football surrounding him. Manuel will likely be in the thick of the Heis-man conversation deep into the season.

MANTI TE’OLB, Notre Dame38 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveriesIn addition to leading a Fighting Irish defense that gives up just nine points per game, Te’o is the inspirational story of the season so far. After his grandmother and girlfriend died within six hours of each other, Te’o turned in his best performance of the season against then-No. 10 Michigan with eight tackles and two interceptions. He returns from visit-ing family during No. 9 Notre Dame’s bye week and will be crucial in the team’s showdown with Miami on Saturday night.

—Compiled by Jacob Klinger, asst. copy editor, jmklinge@syr.edu

courtesy of west virginia sports communications

HEISMANHOPEFULS

GENO SMITHQB, West Virginia141-of-169, 1,728 yards, 20 TDs, 0 INTs20 carries, 99 yards, 1 TD

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NO. 2 OREGON VS. NO. 23 WASHINGTONOregon hasn’t had trouble in any game yet this season. The potent offense hasn’t been held to fewer than 42 points in a game yet this season. Don’t expect that to change with Heisman Trophy candidate De’Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner playing as well as they have all season.

Washington will need to match Oregon touchdown for touchdown to pull out the victory, because the Huskies aren’t going to slow down the Ducks offense, even with star cornerback Desmond Trufant, brother of Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl corner Marcus Trufant.

NO. 12 OHIO STATE VS. NO. 21 NEBRASKATwo of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation go at it in Columbus this weekend. Heisman Trophy candidate Braxton Miller has carried the Buckeyes offense, while Taylor Martinez has done the same for the Corn-huskers. Both teams will go as far as their quarterback takes them.

If either struggles, as the somewhat inconsistent quarterbacks are known to do, the opponent should cruise. But if both are

good, it will likely come down to whichever is better.

NO. 10 FLORIDA VS. NO. 4 LSUFlorida has quietly climbed back into national title contention. The Gators have gotten by with a staunch defense led by defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. The unit ranks 10th in the nation, allowing just 12.8 points per game.

Louisiana State’s consistently great defense ranks just ahead of UF’s, as it allows 12.6 points per game. Ultimately, though, the Tigers’ defense is probably slightly better. The numbers LSU’s defense has put up this season have come even with a mildly disappointing season from defensive ends Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery, who have combined for just three sacks this season.

NO. 8 WEST VIRGINIA VS. NO. 11 TEXASAny game West Virginia plays is now must-watch television. After the 70-point scoring output Heisman Trophy favorite Geno Smith led against Baylor last weekend, nothing the Mountaineers do the rest of the season should be a surprise. Wide receiver Stedman Bailey had 303 yards and five touchdowns

last weekend. And he may not even be the best wide receiver on his team. Tavon Aus-tin leads the team with 48 catches and has topped 100 receiving yards in each of WVU’s last three games, including a 200-yard day against Baylor.

Texas’ only hope is that its defensive line finally comes to play. Defensive ends Jack-son Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor have combined for seven sacks so far this season, but the pressure has come inconsistently from the Longhorns’ supposed best position.

NO. 6 SOUTH CAROLINA VS. NO. 5 GEORGIAWithout a doubt, this is the game of the weekend. Dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate Aaron Murray leads Georgia into Columbia, S.C., with a claim to the second-best team in the Southeastern Conference on the line. But it’s not just Murray carrying this Bulldog offense. Running back Todd Gurley has emerged as perhaps the best freshman in the country to give some relief to Murray.

But South Carolina has got a pretty good running back of its own. Marcus Lattimore has been perhaps the best tailback in the country over the past two-plus seasons. The SEC is usually known for its defense, but two prolific offenses could steal the show on Saturday night and eventually provide Alabama with its best conference challenger.

—Compiled by David Wilson, asst. copy editor, dbwilson@syr.edu

GAMES WEEKOF THE

AP TOP 251. Alabama (60 first-place votes)2. Oregon3. Florida State4. Louisiana State5. Georgia6. South Carolina7. Kansas State8. West Virginia9. Notre Dame10. Florida11. Texas12. Ohio State13. Southern California14. Oregon State15. Clemson16. Texas Christian17. Oklahoma18. Stanford19. Louisville20. Mississippi State21. Nebraska22. Rutgers23. Washington 24. Northwestern25. UCLA

USA TODAY POLL1. Alabama (57)2. Oregon3. Louisiana State4. Florida State5. Georgia6. South Carolina7. West Virginia8. Kansas State9. Texas10. Notre Dame11. Florida12. Southern California13. Texas Christian14. Oklahoma15. Clemson16. Louisville17. Oregon State18. Stanford19. Mississippi State20. Nebraska21. Rutgers22. Northwestern23. Cincinnati24. Texas Tech25. Boise State

@DOsports

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NO. NAME POS. HT WT CLASS1 Ashton Broyld RB 6-4 222 Fr.2 Quinta Funderburk WR 6-3 190 So.2 Wayne Morgan CB 5-10 191 Fr.3 Durell Eskridge FS 6-3 198 So.4 Brandon Reddish CB 5-11 183 So.5 Marcus Sales WR 6-0 192 R-Sr.6 Ritchy Desir CB 5-11 179 So.7 Oliver Vigille LB 6-3 224 So.8 Keon Lyn CB 6-1 194 Jr.9 Ri’Shard Anderson CB 6-0 187 Sr.10 Terrel Hunt QB 6-3 215 So.10 Markus Pierce-Brewster DE 6-3 248 Jr.11 Marquis Spruill LB 6-0 224 Jr.12 Dontez Ford FS 6-2 198 Fr.12 Ryan Nassib QB 6-3 227 Gr.13 Deon Goggins DT 6-1 274 R-Sr.14 John Kinder QB 6-3 187 Jr.15 Alec Lemon WR 6-2 204 Sr.16 Keenan Hale WR 6-2 190 So.16 James Jarrett SS 6-2 206 Sr.17 Charley Loeb QB 6-4 214 Sr.18 Siriki Diabate LB 5-10 216 Sr.19 Ryan Lichtenstein K 5-10 164 Sr.19 Joe Nassib CB 5-9 177 Jr.20 Mitchell Piasecki FB 5-11 253 So.20 Greg Tobias RB 5-10 169 Jr.20 Julian Whigham CB 6-1 180 Fr.21 Shamarko Thomas SS 5-10 206 Sr.22 Adrian Flemming WR 6-3 196 Jr.23 Prince-Tyson Gulley RB 5-10 192 Jr.24 Jaston George CB 5-10 164 So.25 Jeremiah Kobena WR 6-0 179 So.26 Myles Davis FB 6-1 225 Fr.27 George Morris III RB 6-0 195 Fr.28 Jeremi Wilkes FS 5-9 189 Jr.29 Devante McFarlane RB 6-0 195 Fr.30 Steve Rene RB 5-7 180 Jr.31 Clay Cleveland FB 6-1 226 Jr.32 Travon Burke RB 6-1 234 So.33 Dan Vaughan LB 6-2 219 Gr.34 Adonis Ameen-Moore RB 5-11 239 So.35 Dyshawn Davis LB 6-2 212 So.36 Christopher Clark WR 5-11 158 Jr.37 Ross Krautman K 5-7 161 Jr.38 Cameron Lynch LB 5-11 225 So.39 Dom Anene LB 6-0 234 Sr.40 Zachary McCarrell LB 5-11 202 Jr.41 Lewellyn Coker LB 6-1 227 Jr.42 Jacob Green TE 6-1 240 Fr.

NO. NAME POS. HT WT CLASS43 Franklin Santos CB 5-10 177 So.45 Jerome Smith RB 6-0 217 Jr.46 Jonathan Fisher P 6-1 209 So.47 Sam Rodgers LS 6-2 223 So.48 Carl Cutler TE 6-3 251 R-Sr.49 Ryan Norton K 5-11 181 Fr.50 Femi Aliyu LB 5-11 226 Jr.51 Donnie Simmons DE 6-2 242 So.52 Eric Crume NT 6-0 306 So.53 Lucas Albrecht DT 6-2 267 So.55 Rob Trudo OG 6-3 282 So.57 Omari Palmer OG 6-2 311 Fr.59 Macky MacPherson C 6-2 286 Jr.60 Sean Hickey OT 6-5 287 Jr.61 Eric Morris LS 5-10 227 Sr.62 Andrew Phillips OT 6-5 268 Sr.63 Ryan Sloan DT 6-3 311 So.64 Daniel Anyaegbunam DT 6-3 274 Jr.67 Justin Pugh OT 6-5 297 Sr.68 Nick Robinson OT 6-5 270 So.70 Marcus Coleman NT 6-1 259 Fr.70 Jesse Wolf-Gould OL 6-4 315 So.72 Ivan Foy OG 6-4 311 So.74 Seamus Shanley C 6-1 260 Fr.75 Zack Chibane OG 6-5 298 Sr.76 Kyle Knapp OL 6-4 262 Fr.77 Lou Alexander OT 6-4 314 Sr.78 Jason Emerich OL 6-3 270 Fr.80 Ron Thompson TE 6-4 256 Fr. 81 Louie Addazio TE 6-3 245 So.82 Alvin Cornelius WR 6-1 186 Fr.83 Max Beaulieu TE 6-2 239 Jr.84 Ben Lewis WR 6-2 197 Fr.85 Beckett Wales TE 6-3 230 Jr.86 David Stevens TE 6-3 231 R-Sr.87 Kyle Foster WR 6-3 207 So.88 Jarrod West WR 6-2 202 Jr.89 Josh Parris TE 6-2 252 Fr.90 James Washington LB 6-1 218 Fr.91 Brandon Sharpe DE 6-1 255 Sr.92 Riley Dixon K/P 6-5 205 So.92 Davon Walls DT 6-5 310 Jr.93 Micah Robinson DE 6-4 270 Jr.94 Robert Welsh NT 6-3 259 Jr.95 Josh Manley DE 6-2 269 Fr.96 Jay Bromley DT 6-4 290 Jr.97 Macauley Hill WR 6-0 198 So.97 John Raymon DE 6-5 319 Fr. 99 Zian Jones DT 6-4 315 Jr.

NUMERICAL ROSTERS

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NO. NAME POS. HT WT CLASS1 Ray Graham RB 5-9 190 Sr.2 K’Waun Williams DB 5-10 190 Jr.3 Nicholas Grigsby LB 6-1 220 R-Fr.4 Rushel Shell RB 6-0 215 Fr.5 Ejuan Price LB 6-0 235 So.5 Cameron Saddler WR 5-7 160 R-Sr.6 Drew Carswell TE 6-4 220 R-So.7 Joshua Brinson WR 6-2 200 Sr.7 Brad Lukasak PK 6-0 175 Fr.8 Todd Thomas LB 6-2 215 R-So.9 Ray Vinopal DB 5-10 190 R-S.10 Trey Anderson QB 6-0 185 So.10 Jahmahl Pardner DB 5-11 170 Fr.11 Marco Pecora DB 5-11 190 R-Sr.11 Deaysean Rippy LB 6-2 200 Fr.12 Tino Sunseri QB 6-2 215 R-Sr.14 Ronald Jones WR 5-8 170 So.15 Devin Street WR 6-4 190 R-Jr.16 Chad Voytik QB 6-1 205 Fr.17 Chris Wuestner WR 6-2 205 Fr.17 Jevonte Pitts DB 5-11 205 Fr.18 Tom Savage QB 6-5 230 R-Jr.18 Jarred Holley DB 5-10 190 R-Sr.19 Corey Davis RB 5-11 175 So.19 Ethan Brown DB 5-10 195 Fr.20 Brandon Ifill WR 6-1 195 R-So.21 Roderick Ryles DB 6-1 200 R-Fr.22 Chris Davis WR 5-9 180 Fr.23 Lafayette Pitts DB 5-11 195 R-Fr.24 Cullen Christian DB 6-0 195 R-So.25 Jason Hendricks DB 6-0 180 R-Jr.26 Jason Fr.impong LB 5-10 205 R-Fr.28 Anthony Gonzalez DB 6-3 210 R-So.29 Steve Williams DB 6-2 215 R-Fr.30 Desmond Brown RB 5-9 185 R-Jr.30 Mike Caprara LB 6-0 200 Fr.31 Trenton Coles DB 6-3 165 Fr.32 Malcolm Crockett RB 5-10 200 R-Fr.34 Isaac Bennett RB 5-11 205 So.35 E.J. Banks DB 5-11 190 R-Jr.36 Brett Zuck WR 6-1 185 R-So. 36 Manny Williams LB 6-1 235 R-Sr.37 David Durham FB 6-1 245 R-So.37 Keegan Buck DL 6-1 215 R-Fr.38 Ryan Lewis DB 6-0 180 Fr.38 Anthony Rippole FB 5-10 240 Fr.39 Kevin Harper PK 5-10 175 R-Sr.39 Pat Fisher DB 5-9 170 R-So.40 Dan Mason LB 6-0 240 R-Jr.41 Andrew Taglianetti DB 5-11 185 R-Sr.43 Mark Giubilato FB 6-2 230 R-So.44 Shane Gordon LB 6-1 220 R-Jr.45 Shayne Hale DL 6-4 260 R-Sr.46 Adam Lazenga FB 6-0 235 R-So.47 Devon Porchia LB 6-2 225 Fr.48 Drake Greer PK/P 6-4 200 R-So.49 Eric Williams LB 6-3 215 R-So.50 Tyrone Ezell DL 6-4 300 R-Jr.51 Tom Ricketts OL 6-5 275 R-So.52 Zenel Demhasaj OL 6-7 325 R-Jr.53 Joe Trebitz LB 6-3 220 R-Sr.54 Chris Jacobson OL 6-3 295 R-Sr.55 Terrell Jackson DL 6-3 275 Fr.56 Arthur Doakes OL 6-6 340 R-So.57 Artie Rowell OL 6-2 300 R-Fr.58 Kevin Barthelemy LS 6-3 245 R-Jr.59 Pat Quirin LS 6-1 225 Fr.59 Emanuel Rackard LB 6-0 220 R-Jr.62 John Guy OL 6-7 285 Fr.63 Justin Virbitsky OL 6-4 300 R-Sr.64 Shane Johnson OL 6-5 325 R-So.67 David Murphy LS 6-1 230 R-Fr.69 Adam Bisnowaty OL 6-6 275 Fr.70 Juantez Hollins OL 6-5 330 R-Jr.71 Gabe Roberts OL 6-5 295 Fr.72 Jack Lippert DL 6-4 280 R-Jr.74 Matt Rotheram OL 6-6 335 R-So.75 Ryan Turnley OL 6-6 320 R-Sr.76 Ryan Schlieper OL 6-5 310 R-Jr.78 Cory King OL 6-6 325 R-Jr.80 Brendan Carozzoni TE 6-4 225 R-So.81 Brendon Felder WR 5-10 180 R-So.82 Demitrious Davis WR 5-10 175 Fr.83 Hubie Graham TE 6-4 255 R-Sr.84 Ed Tinker WR 6-2 190 R-Jr.86 J.P. Holtz TE 6-4 245 Fr.87 Mike Shanahan WR 6-5 225 R-Sr.88 Kevin Weatherspoon WR 5-10 170 R-So.90 T.J. Clemmings DL 6-6 290 R-Sr.91 Darryl Render DL 6-2 270 Fr.92 Matt Yoklic P 6-4 215 R-Jr.92 Devin Cook DL 6-4 235 R-Fr.93 Bryan Murphy DL 6-3 255 R-So.95 Khaynin Mosley-Smith DL 6-0 305 So.96 Kris Wildman DL 6-1 245 R-Sr.97 Aaron Donald DL 6-0 275 Jr.98 LaQuentin Smith DL 6-2 265 So.