We’ve heard it all on the Hill the last few days. A win’s a win. It wasn’t pretty but they got it done. But this was Syracuse against FCS opponent Villanova. The Orange barely snuck out with a 27-26 win at the Dome. A missed field goal and failed execution by the Wildcats in OT helped SU pull this one out.
Scott Shafer doesn’t need to panic, and sometimes there are multiple moving parts, along with fresh playbook details in the mix.¬†But luckily Syracuse has a bye week to work with. Here’s¬†The Fizz¬†Five to break down areas of concern for SU and how it can hopefully fix its issues.
- Tighten the screws on Terrel Hunt’s head
Dillon Lucas was a pain all night long to a handful of SU offensive players. The ‘Nova linebacker managed to get deep enough into Hunt’s head he eventually got punched. Hunt knows better. You’re finally handed the keys to lead the offense. Hunt even mentioned last week how he feels old in his leadership role. Hunt can learn he can’t make any more mistakes like this going forward. SU cannot afford its leader sitting on the bench for a non-football related purpose.
- Austin Wilson should work with the starters
Wilson should continue to push and motivate Hunt. The gunslinger went 11-17 in his back up role. There are indications Wilson has a better arm and deep ball. Credit is due to Wilson for his gutsy relief stint. Coming in cold because of an ejection on opening night is no easy task. The kid should receive some opportunities with the first team offense. Shafer was right to support Hunt after the game, but he ought to push these two quarterbacks to the limit to bring the best out of them.
- Continue to cement Ashton Broyld’s role
Broyld was listed as the starting halfback before last weekend. But the versatile receiver bounced all over the place. As the game progressed, Broyld continuously lined up on the outside. Ashton has the ability to get up and snag high throws. He’s still a WR weapon in George McDonald’s book. Syracuse has toyed with his role since he’s been on campus. He’s undoubtedly a wide out. Keep him there because it can work.
- Trick plays should appear weekly
Riley Dixon’s connection with Kendall Moore to win the ball game was stellar. SU executed trick plays last year when Jarrod West hit Brisly Estime with a 25-yard touchdown pass to cap a third-quarter rally against Wake Forest. Syracuse has shown it can execute these gadget plays and throw teams off.
- Don’t sleep on Central Michigan
The Chippewas scored 20 unanswered points after trailing 16-0 to beat Chattanooga over the weekend. Central Michigan had just one turnover and rushed close to 150 yards. QB Cooper Rush connected with six different receivers in the win. Syracuse’s defense struggled against Johnny Robertson of ‘Nova. Syracuse needs to Stay hungry.
Posted: Brendan Glasheen
284 responses to “Fizz 5: Syracuse QB Austin Wilson Should Get First Team Reps”
personnally i think giving wilson some first team reps wouldn’t hurt, as for hunt he better be more consistant with his throws because bubble screens won’t make it come conference play. i like how wilson threw the ball around against villanova except on a couple of plays. we need to march down the field and score consistantly in order to keep the defense off the field. also need to get wayne williams a chance to show what he’s made of also. our interior defensive line needs some help and can’t understand why he wasn’t in the game against villanova. we can’t have a repeat of this villanova game or we all might be in for a long season.
If you give Wilson 1st team reps…..I dont know maybe its for a psychological move to straighten out Hunt. But at the same time why create controversy. To me you let Hunt show you that he has matured and go ahead.
But SU has gotta get their minds right..Central Michigan has struggled since the golden age of dan lefevour but this roster has good players watch out for Davis..and that bruising Michigan transfer ..heck the 2 backs they had on roster last yr were fairly good considering the fact that they were thrown in the fire last yr. Hunt and the receivers gotta do better. The screens are ok but cant rely on the yac yardage alone especially against speedy team defenses.
This team overall is not tough enough! O-line stunk! Defense did not create stops! If this team plays as they did on Friday night forget the 8-4 season. Maybe 4 wins!!!! I’m still hoping for 8-4.
Makes you kind of wonder about the intensity of a CUSE football practice. Think of the number of turnovers the D generates..NONE against a non D1 opponent? few interceptions because no physicality of DBs or nasty pass rush?
Offense can’t move the ball..again 17 points against NOVA..a program giving up some 35 pts a game to CAA schools. In an article recently, OLINE coach Adam yelled out “we don’t practice mediocrity!!”
Based on week 1…yeah, you do.
Hunt has been given plenty of rope in his career at SU. He’s got 3 weeks and 2 games to get ACC//power conference worthy. If he can’t raise the level of his game- go to Wilson.
The Wilson talk is beyond ridiculous. Hunt made a mistake but let one of us take a helmet to helmet hit from behind when you’re basically already down and then not react. Wilson did OK but in this offense, which is really predicated on the ability of the QB to run, I wouldn’t even have him as the backup. Any notion that he should take ANY 1st team reps from Hunt is ludicrous. The difference between the two in talent is astronomical. I can’t believe one millisecond of loss of composure and we are ready to create some QB controversy. Dumb.
Frank… Right with you.. We saw the same game!
I don’t care if Hunt tore the guys head off. If somebody hit me and roughed me up the way that linebacker did I probably would have reacted. Shafer should/did supported him. When they look at the film they’ll wonder why the ref didn’t call a penalty on the linebacker.
I know..no right to throw a punch!
But who cares..Hunt has been given every chance to take over this offense and this team. There is a reason the team didn’t elect him a captain..not cause he will be back next year.
He could have been the man..they hyped him all Spring…
He stunk!
DCuse…
maybe they better change the offense away from a running QB.
Oops..McD is our Offensive coordinator! Mistake…
I perdict Hunt is sitting on the bench by game 4!
Ditto DCuse I definitely understand Hunt being angered. He has to let the refs handle it…or one of those big o linemen get a good shove in on dillon. He as the qb has to know his value..cant get ejected.
and yea the overreaction is insane. Its reminiscent of the downstate ny talk radio crowdnwho want to bench everyone or trade every player after each down moment. IF Shafer decides to give Wilson first team reps its only as a ploy in my opinion. But again why introduce controversy. I think Hunt and his mobility gives the team the best chance to win at this point. I am about to rewatch the game tonight but dont feel like Hunt did anything to lose the job nor did Wilson make himself the new starter. It was a freak spur of the moment incident that accented an awkward lackadaisical type game from the Orange. I would nt have read too much into a Cuse blowout so wont jump off the ledge after this one.
One last thing…I know its vogue to rip GMCD but I am not so sure this offense..well the play calling accentuates the strengths of his team
Wilson did the job as the backup QB very well but its not going to get him to #1. As for Broyld he can elevate to be sure but his ability to catch the ball isn’t conclusive enough to think of him as a big play kind of guy just yet. Hunt made a mistake,of course but he will play and come back stronger than this past week. I have to think that the performance against Central Michigan will be solid improvement over this past game. If its not Shafer had better start looking seriously at other players on the depth chart.
No…Bk SU FB..
I have been questioning Gmcd since early last year..he calls a poor game..I know he is limited by talent..but he gets paid to coach the kids up…haven!t seen it. Do agree Hunt wasn’t bad enough to loose the job..Wilson wasn’t good enough to take it. O-line was so bad it’s hard to judge either one…I’m just saying…and you can remind me…I don’t think Hunt is the guy and I do think there is a reason his team mates didn’t make him a captain.
We’ll see!
BK SU FB fan;
I agree with most every point that you’ve made. This is how I see it.
Terrel Hunt will struggle in the Central Michigan game. If Syracuse wins the game they head home(2-0) for a game against Maryland and if Terrel is still the starting QB,syracuse will lose the game and go 2-1. The following week we travel to MetLife Stadium to face the Irish of ND and lose that one too going 2-2.
The rest of the season is all down hill for Syracuse and they fail to make a bowl at the end of the season.
I can’t believe I’m saying what I’m saying after a preseason prediction of going 9-3.
I hope I’m wrong,BOY DO I HOPE I’M WRONG!!!!!!!!
About letting freshmen play if they prove themselves in practice.
I’m watching the Louisville/Miami game and Louisville has a true freshman as their QB.
Geez guys I believe that both Louisville and Miami are using freshmen QB’s.
Yes.. Both a Freshmen!
The one thing I noticed watching that game last night was both QB’s stayed in the pocket and scrambled when it was necessary.
All of you Austin Wilson bashers should have noticed that if you were watching the game.
FSU,Clemson,VATech,Duke,watch out boy’s,there’s a new player in town and they looked pretty damn good to me. If I were you I’d be concerned about Virginia as well. Should make for an interesting ACC season this year.
Cuse17
I think Miami was playing a couple of freshmen on the defensive line too lastnight. Most importantly were the announcers talking about,how young and the amount of freshmen that were playing on both squads.
I’m a strong believer that if they’re good enough to play then play them. Syracuse should get on board and join the rest of the teams that play true freshmen.
Ron,
I live in South Fl so I follow Miami. There has been a lot of hype about this team. They played ok. Very young. Louisville looked very good. As this QB gets more experience they’ll be tough. Their defense was fast..fast..fast! Fun to watch.
ACC is tough territory!
Ron, the caveat being good enough to play. I am for giving freshmen chances when they stand out or fill a role that isnt filled by a returning player. I do hate seeing redshirt yrs wasted though. To me its like throwing a yr of development down the drain for what can be inconsequential pt. If a team plays freshmen they need to be committed to giving them a lot of game action.
btw i dont think anyone is bashing Wilson..just saying its too early to coronate him. We saw nothing in his limited actioj that necessitates him being deemed the starter and Hunt didnt lose the job with his performance either. I like Wilson and thought he was a good catch by Marrone. IF you remember I thought he would transfer out and be a star elswhere..so no Bashing. But with the offense McD is running and the current personnel, I think Hunt is the better fit.
And Miami has a freshman qb whose mom had a role in an urban movie classic..Friday. Dont think our qbs can match that. But seriously, Brad Kaaya was a 4 star recruit and highly touted qb who was not battling an incumbent, but a former blue chip hs prospect turned college football nomad, Jake Heaps plus an injured qb and an upperclassman that didnt perform. The circumstances arent exactly the same. Kaaya went 17 for 29(59%) , 174 yd1 td 2int v. The Cards. Not world beating but I would like to think he will get a chance to improve before people clamor for Olsen or Heaps..the blue chippers who didnt really make good on their promise.
Will Gardner of Louisville is a rs soph that was Teddy Bridgewater’s primary backup last yr. Though its a new regime at Lville and there was open competition, you had to figure that Gardner had a leg up on the other qbs. 20 for 28 206 yd 2 td no picks but I think he lost a fumble on his own end(Kaaya and his receiver misconnected on botched pass/backward lateral on the insuing possession change..Lville’s D recovered thus preventing the turnover from leading to points for Miami.) Cuse will have a tough time with Lville if the team doesnt improve on both sides of the ball. Lets hope this game was not indicative of how the orange plays all year.
Cont’d Olsen is a rs fr who prob woulda been the top dog for the U but got himself into trouble.
At any rate the ACC isnt the SEC but its still talented
BK SU FB fan;
“At any rate the ACC isnt the SEC but its still talented”. Your right,but it is a lot better than what being a member of the Big East was. I just hope the new chancellor at Syracuse has the vision/insight and fortitude/strenght to guide Syracuse into the future. The adminstration needs to get behind this team and realize there’s money to be made if they do. Building an off campus area in the hood isn’t the vision or the answer to solving Syracuses long term problems.
what is all this talk about Hunt losing his job? True, he did not play well(forget the ejection)! Wilson did not show me that he is the one to lead this team to victory. Great Arm!…but accuracy is a problem as well as foot speed. Hunt gives us the best chance to win…even though he is not great. This offfense will need to be lead by a strong ground game…..mixing in short passes and bubble screens to keep the chains moving.
I do not see a QB on this roster that can zip the ball down the field and have a great vertical passing game….I am sorry….I just don’t see it. All our QB’s are “who they are”..it is not theior fault….we recruited them!!! Maybe Jim Kelley’s nephew has been knocked down from his high horseafter getting the boot from Clemson, and will want to revive his career at the CUSE. We need a kid who can pass the rock down the field in order to have a dynamic offense….
Dr. Bill;
I usually/most often respect what you have to say. But come on man when you make a statement like “Maybe Jim Kelley‚Äôs nephew has been knocked down from his high horse after getting the boot from Clemson, and will want to revive his career at the CUSE”.
This when you lose my respect. He had his chance to come to Syracuse and snubbed his nose to us. I want the kids who want to play here. I don’t want to take any bread crumbs(Greg Paulis)that failed to make it on another team. He might be a good QB and solve some of our problems,but I feel his future is with a Div 11 school and not with us.
Besides I believe that the ACC has a rule if a player leaves a team they can’t rejoin another team in the conference.
Doc, truthfully, I don’t even see wr on this team that fit the kind of attack you are looking for. I have hopes for Broyld to develop into one though. I think the wr on roster appear to be best suited for catching short passes and using their own athleticism to get the rest. But at the same time, I’m not so sure I can write off Hunt’s downfield passing all together. Lets see a few more games and whether A)downfield passes are called, B) protection holds up and C) WR can give Hunt enough of a window to connect with them.
btw, Paulus wasn’t bread crumbs. The guy chose to play bball at a major bball program and opted to give football one last opportunity as a graduate student. No crime in that. I wasn’t a big time Paulus guy and really wanted Nassib to be the guy that yr, but I can’t be mad at Paulus.
Even if he could, I’m not so sure I want Chad Kelly here because I don’t think he would be that much better than the current qbs. Ofcourse, I have nothing really solid to go on, but I figure lets work with what we have/recruit.
I watched the first half of the Louisville Miami game. Louisville has a very fast team. Defense is really fast. As compared to SU, we are in trouble!
It looks to me….that we were all very disappointed with Syracuse in the season opener!!!…..Lots of comments out there. The season has just begun, clearly, Syracuse is a work in progress. Good teams typically get better as the season progresses. We clearly have a lot to work on….Players….and Coaches….
Doc summed it up perfectly.
Ron
Your so high on Wilson but here is his stats for 2 plus quarters of football.
11-17 for 89 yards passing and 3 rushes for -4 yards.
Hunts stats 10-17 for 94 yards and 3 rushes for 25 yards. Stats aren’t showing me Wilson is better QB. He can’t make things happen if play breaks down. I’m not bashing the kid just saying he didn’t look the part of better QB.
Dan;
I’m going to say it again;everytime you post and make statements comparing the two QB’s you show me just how intelligent you really are.
Using the Villanova stats,it looks pretty dame equal to me. Especially when Terrel Hunt has had a full year playing as the starting QB,gone to Peyton Mannings Qb camp and has probably gotten extra attention during the off season. Austin Wilson comes in with none of that extra attention and plays equally to a guy that was suppose to the second coming of Donavan McNabb.
Give me a friggin break will you. Austin Wilson played 1/2 plus 3 minutes 45 seconds of a ballgame and played just as good as Terrel Hunt.
I’ve said it now for the last year and I will tell you again; it’s my opinion that Auston Wilson is the better QB. I really don’t care if you like it or not.
So Dan,the game is history and Syracuse stole the game away from Villanova and improves their record 1-0 for the season. We can’t change the out come or the game or the stats,so why bother me with your trivial bullshit? go away little man,I’m done discussing it with you.
Move onto the Central Michigan game. This game too will be a dog fight. Hunt struggles again for the second time this year and Syracuse could lose this one.
If Syracuse should win in another close game 17-14
If Central Michigan wins the score will be 31-18.
I’ve picked both ways for this game. What’s your prediction for the game going to be?
First I’m not sure for said Hunt is second coming of D McNabb. Didn’t come from me, Don started as true freshman. I’m not sure this offense that Coach McDonald is running is good for either QB. Bubble screens aren’t working, in know he wants the ball in his playmaker hands, but not sure those plays will work against FSU or Clemson etc. must find a way to run football and pass keeping defense on it’s heels. I’m hope this offense wakes up and goes for 350-400 yard game against C Michigan. As far as your smart ass comments about being little man why don’t you tell me where you tailgate and I’ll come over show you how little of a guy I am..
Dan;
When I tailgate with my sons and friends,it’s over to Manley Field House South parking lot.
You welcome any time you want to come over for a lively discussion.
Should be an interesting encounter. Should I bring body guards along with me. No I guess I won’t my sons and friends are big enough though. Just remember,when you come over my sons are more rabid fans than I.
Dan;
I never said you or anyone else has said that about Donovan McNabb. It’s the way people are building Hunt up that kills me. Especially the press,everyone thinks of Hunt as being something special and I believe a lot of people are making the comparison. So don’t twist my printed into something that I didn’t say. The one thing stays the same for me and that is AUSTIN WILSON IS BETTER THAN TERREL HUNT AS QB. If given the chance that Hunt got last year he’d prove it to people like you and the one’s that write articles saying he’s not good enough to be the starter.
You know after all that’s been said about the Villanova game,no one has mentioned the lack of effort by this and past coaching staffs to develope a true honest to goodness Qb. Why haven’t they done that? Why in sams hell did we have to bring player’s like Greg Paulis who hadn’t thrown a football in 4 years or a Drew Allen who set the bench for four years at Oklahoma. I don’t think either one of those players saw one minute of playing time for their respective schools. But we welcomed both with open arms hoping that they would lead our team to the promised land.
We’ll talk again after the Central Michigan Game. I’ll let you know how it goes,my sons and I will on the Syracuse side of the field 22 rows off the field. Are you going?
Dan;
I had a chance to talk with Omari Palmer lastnight and he said the team was improving this week in practice and the game against Villanova was a fluke. He alos said that he’s ready/healthy and would be playing against Central Michigan.
Ron Thompson also came in and I asked him how he liked playing the defensive line. His response was I’m having so much fun playing the game that I love that i will play any position the coaches ask me to play. Now that’s a football/team player I wish we had more of.
I wished them good luck and hope that they both stayed healthy for the rest of the year.
You seem to be only one high on Wilson, he is pocket passer that can’t make plays with his legs if need be. And all of the articles that I have read syracuse.com etc. nowhere have I seem any comparison to Mr McNabb. Your the only one. As far as transfers Greg chose to play bball not football after high school, had Syracuse had a real coach here instead of Robinson maybe just maybe he stays home and plays football. Coach Marrone made decision to bring Greg in must have seen something he liked.
I’ll be at Maryland game as well.
Dan;
If your saying your going to the Central Michigan game,lets try and meet up then. I know my sons and oldest granddaughter are already talking tailgating.Were going to vtry getting there and having breakfast.
I will also be at the maryland game.
Dan;
Must be a new comer to the upstate area. Donovan McNabb has been the standard bearer for excellance since his graduation. Every QB since McNabb has had his stats compared to him. The lateast article was right after the Villanova game where McNabb had called Hunt to give him advice on how to act or react to any situation,the main message from Donovan was always to stay cool/calm and collected.
D.A.
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