As Durell Eskridge starts to come into his own, the safety’s conference and head coach are taking notice.

“Durell’s done a really nice job,” Scott Shafer said. “He’s really grown as a player.”

Eskridge racked up 13 total tackles and hauled in an interception during Syracuse’s 24-10 win against North Carolina State on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. His performance earned him Atlantic Coast Conference defensive back of the week honors and praise from his coach as he continues to improve.

With cornerback Keon Lyn out for the season, Eskridge helped give the Orange a foundation on the back end. N.C. State quarterback Pete Thomas did struggle, but SU’s secondary was as strong as it had been all season against the Wolfpack.

The change seems to stem from a greater understanding of the game. Eskridge has always had the athleticism — Shafer has said multiple times how gifted a wide receiver he was in high school — but now he’s working at the mental aspect, taking extra time to study the game with defensive backs coach Fred Reed.

“He works hard at his football IQ,” Shafer said.

His performance on Saturday was a career highlight, but as he continues to improve, Shafer believes days like that one could start to be the norm.

“It’s at that point now where he’s starting to turn the corner,” Shafer said, “and he’s starting to become a player that can be really an impact player for us.”

Published on October 15, 2013 at 12:36 pm

Contact David: dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2