Tallahassee, Fla. — Syracuse football might have been without its star wide receiver and primary punter during Saturday’s loss to Florida State, but the team’s starting fullback Chris Elmore made his season debut after a four-game absence.
It remains unclear why Elmore did not play during the Orange’s non-conference slate against Ohio, Rutgers, Albany and Liberty, but he was excited to be back with his team.
Elmore, whose team nickname is “Rhino,” played the majority of last season on the offensive line due to the unit’s multiple injuries. He served as one of the main blockers for Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader as he tried to make plays early in the game with quarterback keepers.
Elmore didn’t say why he missed the first four games of the season but credited his teammates for encouraging him every step of the way.
“I’m a guy that talks a lot and whenever they see me not talking, guys would come up to me and keep me motivated,” Elmore said. “Just going 3-1 without me, that kept me motivated too, just knowing that I would be back for conference play.”
When asked about his play in protecting Shrader, Elmore said he’d like to get every block from the first quarter back since he was still shaking off the jitters from his first game of the season.
“After the first quarter, I was back to regular Rhino,” Elmore said. “Having me back was a big key ... knowing that we could get the run game started. With me, it was like an extra O-lineman to the point of attack.”
“He did good things, but he didn’t do everything good. I don’t mean that as a negative,” Babers said. “We’re really happy that he’s back. He’s rusty. We needed him back. He’s the heartbeat of our football team and he’s one of our super seniors. We need our leaders on the football field, especially going down the stretch.”
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