Shamarko Thomas heard somebody shouting for the ‘Okie’ package Saturday, but wasn’t entirely sure if he believed it. Maybe his ears deceived him or an overzealous coach had a momentary lapse in judgment. After all, it was only first down. ‘Okie’ was reserved primarily for third down. This was Thomas’ cue to take the field.

But the play call was no mistake. Suddenly, a specialty formation utilizing an extra defensive back had become the base defense. It was no coincidence that Thomas was an integral piece of the new strategy.

‘When coach kept calling ‘Okie’ and he wasn’t even calling it on third down, he was calling it on first down, I was like, ‘Oh, we really got to do something out here,” Thomas said. ‘And I started competing.’

Despite seeing limited playing time through two games, Thomas demonstrated enough potential to warrant a promotion, and he took advantage of the opportunity. In just his third collegiate outing, the true freshman cornerback recorded seven tackles, broke up a pass and recovered a fumble in the Orange’s 37-34 victory over Northwestern. It was an impressive showing that suggested Thomas may play a key role this season in Syracuse’s struggling secondary.

‘Shamarko Thomas is probably one of the most productive performers as a freshman we’ve had,’ head coach Doug Marrone said at his weekly press conference Monday afternoon. ‘From a productivity standpoint, he played 48 snaps and he had a 92 percent production rating, which means he was involved for 92 percent of the plays.’

Thomas could be exactly what Syracuse needs to solidify a group lacking in depth and consistency. Marrone honored Thomas’s strong performance by displaying his statistics on a board during team meetings this week. It was a way to applaud Thomas and inspire the rest of the secondary, which has been the weak link in an SU defense that has otherwise exceeded expectations.

Thomas did not expect so much playing time heading into Saturday’s game, and said he was surprised when the coaches kept calling his number. At first he was overwhelmed and unnerved by the crowd and volume in the Carrier Dome, having never seen significant action in such a high-pressure environment.

Then he tackled Northwestern wide receiver Zeke Markshausen along the sideline midway through the first quarter, and Thomas realized he belonged.

‘Once I get that first tackle, I’m comfortable because it makes you feel like you’re ready for this and you are used to this,’ Thomas said. ‘It’s ‘here we go again.”

Thomas’s breakout could not have come at a better time. Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka torched the Orange defensive backs all game Saturday, continually driving the NU offense down the field with ease. The beleaguered secondary allowed the Wildcats to quickly overcome a 17-0 deficit, and the NU receivers were seemingly open throughout the night. Kafka picked on a unit still searching for an identity, finishing 35-of-42 for 390 yards and three touchdowns.

Starting SU free safety Mike Holmes blamed the poor showing on missed assignments and mental errors, admitting that Northwestern’s rapid-fire hurry-up offense may have caught the unit off-guard. He said the Syracuse defensive backs have been technically sound, and that after watching the film the players are confident that the secondary will not be so porous Saturday against Maine (Carrier Dome, 7 p.m.).

‘It’s going to come down to our practice this week, and we talked about this last week, and we started to get it done but we have to have every practice like it’s our game,’ starting strong safety Max Suter said. ‘…We just have to be flying around, and have our scout team run as fast as they can and make it look like a game situation.’

Sharpe day-to-day

Freshman defensive end Brandon Sharpe suffered an unknown injury during Syracuse’s game against Northwestern Saturday, and Marrone confirmed Monday that he is currently listed as day-to-day. Sharpe was helped off the field after covering a kickoff. Marrone would not elaborate on the exact nature of Sharpe’s condition.

Sharpe has recorded two sacks this year, including one against the Wildcats.

‘He’s going to be day-to-day now until something comes up,’ Marrone said. ‘I think I’ve always been fair with everyone. If someone’s been out, I’ve told you as soon as I know. Hopefully, everything will clear up and he’ll be fine.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on September 22, 2009 at 12:00 pm