Syracuse
Orange
Preview 2009
- Defense
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2009 Syracuse Preview |
2009 Syracuse
Offense
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2009
Syracuse Defense |
2009 Syracuse Depth
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2008 Syracuse Preview |
2007 SU Preview
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What you need to know:
Understanding
the problems with the Syracuse defense in recent years is a
simple process. The program just doesn’t have enough talent or
depth to slow down even mediocre opponents, and this year’s
Orange will be facing the same dilemma. After NT Arthur Jones, a
bona fide next level defender, there’s not a single player that
jumps out as a sure-fire all-star or NFL prospect. So when the
program finishes 101st nationally in scoring and total defense,
like last year, no one should be shocked. Plus, offseason
defections have carved deeper into that depth, meaning more
unproven players than usual will be asked to contribute right
away. New coordinator Scott Shafer would love to attack, but
must be careful not to leave an already feeble secondary to fend
for itself. The Orange was especially hideous in pass defense
last fall, yielding 27 touchdown passes, while picking off just
eight balls.
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Returning
Leaders
Tackles:
Derrell Smith, 73
Sacks:
Arthur Jones, 3.5
Interceptions: Mike Holmes, 2
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Star of the
defense: Senior NT Arthur Jones
Player who has to step up and become a star: Sophomore CB
Kevyn Scott
Unsung star on the rise: Junior LB Derrell Smith
Best pro prospect: Jones
Top three all-star candidates: 1) Jones, 2) Smith, 30 FS
Mike Holmes
Strength of the defense: Line. Athleiticsm
Weakness of the defense: Pass Defense, Run Defense
Defensive Line
Projected
Starters: If there’s one player, who looks miscast in
blue and orange, it’s 6-4, 291-pound senior
Arthur Jones, one of
the best nose tackles in America. He can play for anyone, and
will be playing this fall for a lucrative NFL contract. First,
he’ll need to complete his rehab from a torn pectoral muscle
suffered before spring. A two-time All-Big East selection, he
has the size and strength to stuff the run and the quickness and
technique to live in opposing backfields. Over the last two
seasons, he’s accounted for 111 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss,
and 4.5 sacks.
Next to Jones at defensive tackle is 6-3,
282-pound junior Andrew Lewis, who has lettered in each of the last two years, but
hasn’t played a significant role of defense. Quicker than he is
powerful, he showed glimpses last season, making 11 tackles and
a pair of tackles for loss.
The program’s best defensive
end, 6-6, 259-pound junior
Jared Kimmel, like Jones, has spent much of the offseason recovering
from an injury. Although he underwent surgery on the same knee
that required work in 2007, there’s hope he’ll be fine by the
opener. He’s got tremendous size and natural pass rushing
skills, flashing some of that upside last fall with 31 tackles,
two tackles for loss, one sack, and team-high three forced
fumbles.
Providing some new blood at defensive end will
be 6-5, 238-pound redshirt freshman
Chandler Jones,
Arthur’s baby brother, who rose to the top of the depth chart
with a strong spring. He has a nice burst off the snap and the
long arms to shed blockers, but would benefit by naturally
adding some weight and getting stronger.
Projected Top Reserves:
In juniors Bud Tribbey
and Anthony Perkins,
the Orange boasts some quality veteran depth at tackle. While
the 6-1, 288-pound Tribbey has lettered in each of the last two
seasons, making 13 tackles a year ago, he’s yet to fulfill the
potential of one of the nation’s top defensive tackle recruits
of 2007. He’s quick and uses his hands well, but still needs to
play with more consistency.
The 6-4, 268-pound Perkins
has also seen the field quite a bit, impressing the old staff as
a reserve in 2008. When he got a shot to play, he delivered,
making 19 tackles, four tackles for loss, and a sack. Although
he lacks prototypical size for an interior guy, he’s able to
overcome with his quick feet and ability to slice through the
traffic.
Watch
Out For… the injury updates. Jones and Kimmel are the
two best linemen at Syracuse, but the latter is coming off his
second knee surgery in two years and the former suffered a scary
pectoral tear before spring. Both need to be healthy before the
start of summer drills or else the entire defense will suffer
the consequences.
Strength: Jones. In a mass of mediocrity, he clearly
stands out for his penchant to bust through opposing lines and
make for minus yards. He’s the type of complete defensive
tackle, who requires extra attention, making life a littler
easier for the players around him.
Weakness: The
ends. Kimmel has obvious potential, but he’s struggled to remain
healthy and is recovering from knee surgery. Jones showed
flashes in the spring, but has yet to play a down in college.
After them is even more uncertainty and inexperience at a
position that produced a mere three sacks last fall.
Outlook: Jones
is a star, who is going to get gobbled up early by the NFL next
April. After him, however, is mostly uncertainty and mediocrity.
The senior needs more help in order to avoid constant
double-teams and devalued production. Don’t bet on it. This unit
isn’t much better than the one that had a part in last year’s
101st-ranked run defense and was No. 100 in sacks.
Rating: 6
Linebackers
Projected
Starters: How bad is the situation at linebacker? Two
players, who’ve never played a snap for Syracuse at the position
are likely to be the starters on the outside. First, the good
news. At middle linebacker, the Orange has a fringe all-star in
6-1, 224-pound junior
Derrell Smith. A former running back, he’s settled in nicely
on defense, finishing second on the team with 73 tackles, five
tackles for loss, and a sack. An explosive athlete, who takes
good angles, he plays with the nasty attitude and intensity to
continue to get better.
Here’s where things get
interesting. Apparently using Smith as a successful blueprint,
the staff has decided to move former running back
Doug Hogue to
strongside, where he’s projected to start right away. The 6-2,
216-pound junior has the necessary athleticism and experience to
excel, but still has a lot to learn about the new position.
Of even greater concern is at weakside, where 6-1, 217-pound
junior Derek Hines
earned the nod before even stepping foot on campus. His
promotion came in the wake projected starter Parker Cantey’s
desire to transfer. Hines did his two-year apprenticeship at
Santa Ana (Calif.) Community College, where was a safety.
Projected Top
Reserves: Providing a veteran presence on the B team
will be 6-0, 229-pound senior
Mike Stenclik, a
letterwinner in each of the last two seasons. More steady than
spectacular, he won’t wow anyone with his skill set, but is a
program guy, who’ll bring it whenever he gets off the sidelines.
If Hogue isn’t ready for the new assignment, 6-2, 221-pound
redshirt freshman Dan
Vaughan could get the call at strongside. He rose up the
ladder in the spring, showing the toughness and speed that’ll
make him a starter before very long.
Watch Out For…
plenty of missed tackles. Smith is fine, but on the outside,
Hines could take a year to adjust to a raised level of
competition and Hogue might spend a few months adapting to a new
side of the ball. With opposing runners often skirting past the
first line of defense, the linebackers are going to get a steady
diet of opportunities in the open field.
Strength:
Athletic ability. For all of the knocks on this unit, no one can
say the starters don’t move well from sideline-to-sideline.
Smith and Hogue are former running backs and Hines has played
the last two seasons at safety. All three can cover the field
and eventually become assets in pass defense.
Weakness: The
outside guys. Smith is fine on the inside, even inching closer
to a spot on the All-Big East team. Hogue and Hines, however,
are glaring mysteries, who are sure to make a ton of mistakes in
their first seasons in new digs.
Outlook: With
the weaknesses up front, Syracuse is the type of team that
absolutely needs stoppers on the second line of defense.
However, after Smith, there is a precipitous drop-off that’ll be
noticeable throughout the 2009 campaign. The outside starters
are, at best, sketchy, and behind them are a slew of untested
freshmen.
Rating:
5
Secondary
Projected
Starters: Mostly everyone is back from a year ago, but
unless they start playing a lot tighter coverage, it’s not going
to make a difference. The Orange’s best hope for a turnaround
comes from 5-11, 185-pound junior FS
Mike Holmes, a third-year starter and one of the best all-around
athletes in the secondary. An active defender, with the hips to
hold up in pass coverage, he was fourth on the team with 68
tackles, adding two picks, five pass breakups, and a team-high
four fumble recoveries.
After starting four games a year
ago, 5-11, 190-pound junior
Max Suter is set to
take over at strong safety on a full-time basis. Like Holmes,
he’s shown off his athleticism on defense and special teams over
the past two seasons. A year ago, he frequently showed off his
range and strength, making 32 tackles, four stops behind the
line, and a couple of sacks.
Of the cornerbacks, 5-10,
180-pound junior Nico
Scott returns to the secondary with the most amount of
experience, having lettered the last two years and started eight
times in 2008. He had
22 tackles, but broke up a single pass and didn’t have an
interception, needing to make a quantum leap as a pass defender
in the second half of his career.
At the opposite corner
is 5-11, 197-pound sophomore
Kevyn Scott, who had a building-block debut in 2008, starting the
final five games after beginning the year at safety. Better
suited to handle the bigger receivers, he’ll jam at the line of
scrimmage and battle when the ball is in the air. Laying the
groundwork for his career, he had 32 tackles as a redshirt
freshman.
Projected Top Reserves:
Lining up behind Suter at strong safety is 5-10, 198-pound
junior Randy McKinnon, who has played in 21 games over the last two years,
starting three in 2008. Much stronger in the upper body than his
size might indicate, he can take on bigger receivers and deliver
the payload like a linebacker. Last season, he delivered a
career-high 13 tackles, a number he hopes to improve on this
fall.
Although 5-11, 185-pound sophomore
Dorian Graham isn’t
going to beat out Holmes at free safety, he has earned a spot in
the rotation. As a true freshman, he played in every game,
making 19 tackles and impressing the staff with his quick
retention of his assignments.
Watch Out For…
Suter to become a fan favorite. He plays the game with reckless
abandon, flying all over the field and always sticking his nose
into the action. While he may not have ideal size for the
position, he has the right mix of size and strength to be a
disruptive playmaker.
Strength: The safeties. From Holmes and Suter on the
first unit to the two backups, the Orange is in much better
shape at safety than at cornerback. They’re all physical and,
largely out of necessity, skilled at making tackles in the open
field.
Weakness:
Defending the pass. Did Syracuse emigrate to the Big 12 without
telling anyone? In a passer-deficient league like the Big East,
the Orange has no business allowing a 63% completion percentage
and 27 touchdown passes, while picking off just eight.
Outlook: After
finishing no higher than 100th nationally in pass
efficiency defense in either of the last two years, Syracuse is
poised to make it three straight years of futility. Everyone had
their way with this secondary in 2008, and until a lockdown
corner or two can be developed, similar results are going to be
the norm.
Rating:
5.5
Special Teams
Projected
Starters: In a microcosm for the entire program, the
special teams unit has issues that need to be addressed. The
exception is junior Rob
Long, one of the nation’s better punters and an All-Big East
second team selection for the second straight year. He put
together a second solid season, averaging just under 44 yards
and giving much-needed lift to the defense.
Long’s
partner at placekicker is far less secure. Redshirt freshman
Austin Wallis appeared to be the heir-apparent to Patrick Shadle
before leaving the program. There’s little choice now but to had
the job to true freshman
Shane Raupers, who’ll arrive with no safety net beneath him.
Accurate throughout his high school career, he’s about to
experience a baptism under fire.
The one-two punch of
juniors Max Suter and
Mike Holmes is back
to help spark the return game. While both have shown some life
as kick returners in the past, someone needs to rise up and
boost a punt return team that ranked 114th nationally
last fall.
Watch Out For…
Raupers’ reaction to being the unexpected starter. He knew he’d
have a shot to play as a rookie when he signed with the Orange,
but he couldn’t possibly have imagined he’d run unopposed. The
staff better hope he’s self-motivated because this program needs
all the help it can get scoring points.
Strength: Long.
As bad as the defense has been the last two years, it would’ve
been much worse without the powerful right leg of No. 47. He’s
helped bail out the D numerous, and as often as the offense
stalls, this is the type of school that can ill-afford follies
on the punt team. Just halfway through his college career, he’ll
have a chance to make an NFL team in two years.
Weakness:
Coverage units. Sure, it’s precarious having a true freshman
placekicker, but how does the Orange really need a clutch kick
over the course of a season? Twice? The bigger concern revolves
around coverage teams that were 83rd on punts a year
ago and 108th on kickoffs.
Outlook: It’ll
be a mixed bag for the Syracuse special teams this fall. On the
plus side, it has Long and a pair of decent kick returns. Of
concern, however, is the young kicker and the coverage units
that got routinely pierced last fall. All things considered, the
punter makes this group about as formidable as any other on the
squad.
Rating::
6