Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse football is 3-1 after Friday night’s 24-21 victory against Liberty in the Carrier Dome.
This week’s stock watch takes a look at the players and themes rising and falling heading into the next opponent, Florida State.
Stock up: Chris Elmore returning to the field
The game was barely 15 minutes in the books when tight ends coach Reno Ferri hit send on a one-emoji tweet signaling the return of one of Syracuse’s most prominent players was drawing near.
And just before 3 a.m., Chris Elmore, the fullback/tight end nicknamed “Rhino,” all but confirmed he’ll be available to play next week at Florida State after sitting out the team’s first four games for undisclosed reasons.
247Sports and other media outlets reported earlier this season Elmore was expected to miss four games. His return would come at a time the Orange is embracing a downhill, stretch-zone running attack that has become the offense’s identity through the first month of the season.
Elmore was the guy who sounded the alarm on Sean Tucker before the season, saying he could put up a legendary season and was every bit worthy of wearing the fabled No. 44.
His role has been relegated to sideline hype man, towel-waver and in-game mentor for a group of tight ends and blockers Ferri labels “The Animal Kingdom.”
It’s not how he envisioned his final season starting since choosing to return for an extra year. But, at the onset of the eight-game ACC schedule, Elmore could suit up at a time the Orange is embracing a physical style of football.
And there might not be a better player to add to the mix as Syracuse heads to a place it has never won in.
Stock up: Tucker won’t just hit 1,000 yards; he’ll challenge Joe Morris’ rushing record
For a program with as rich a history of running backs as Syracuse, the school’s single-season rushing record may surprise some.
Joe Morris’ mark of 1,372 yards during the 1979 season when Syracuse took its traveling show on the road while the Carrier Dome was being built doesn’t look all that intimidating.
And, it certainly looks to be within Tucker’s reach at this rate. Tucker is up to 536 yards one-third of the way through the season.
With an offensive staff that is game-planning around Tucker, including a new offensive line coach bringing his own principles that led to two, 2,000-yard rushers at San Diego State, Morris’s mark is officially on notice.
Stock up: Malik Willis as a first-round quarterback
Syracuse won the game, but there was no doubt who had the best quarterback Friday night.
Malik Willis is going to be the best quarterback on the field in a lot of games this season, and he displayed all the tools that drew about 30 scouts representing 21 of 32 NFL teams to the Carrier Dome this week.
Willis showed elusiveness in shaking linebacker Stefon Thompson on a free shot early in the game to pick up a chunk gain with his legs.
The quarterback fired a few darts down the field in areas where only his receiver could catch the ball.
Willis has the size, the arm, the legs and the decision-making to be drafted in the first round.
And, here’s a guess there will be just as many interested observers watching him face an SEC defense Nov. 6 in a game that will have no shortage of attention with Hugh Freeze returning to Ole Miss for the first time since abruptly resigning in 2017.
Stock down: Conventional quarterback thinking
When Dino Babers informed his quarterbacks Garrett Shrader would start Friday night’s game against Liberty, the sixth-year coach sent an indirect message in doing so: We’re going to break with convention.
“What I told the guys is that all the rules and all the bells and whistles and all that stuff is off,” Babers said. “I’ve got to do things that are going to help us and allow us to win football games.
“We can’t guarantee that we’re going to be able to do what we did (Friday) against some other opponents that are on our schedule. We have to have the flexibility to move in and out of offenses and do it in different ways.”
Babers is seemingly OK with the idea of shaking up the look at quarterback, depending on a defensive matchup or how the game unfolds.
Given SU’s penchant to run and utilize Sean Tucker in the screen game, defenses may look to challenge SU to beat them over the top.
That will no doubt be a substantial focus for Shrader and the passing game moving forward, as the unit just missed connecting on a couple explosive plays or was hurt by drops that could have elevated the scoreboard into the 30s.
A week after saying he was ready to settle on one guy, Babers said he split the practice reps evenly among his top two quarterbacks.
It’s not quite a two-quarterback system. Babers said Shrader would get the start next week at Florida State.
But as this past week showed, Babers won’t be shy about pivoting to another option if he thinks it will lead to success.
Contact Nate Mink anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-430-8253
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‘Glad I stayed up for that!:’ What they’re saying about Syracuse’s win over Liberty
Dino Babers makes a season-defining decision at quarterback, and Syracuse outslugs Liberty, 24-21
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