FB : By committee
Syracuse’s wide receivers have started a little competition among themselves: Which one of us will be the guy today?
With no clear top receiver, each of the Orange’s five or six regulars has an opportunity every game to prove why he should move up the depth chart. One week, Lavar Lobdell is catching four passes. The next, Da’Mon Merkerson is finding open space downfield.
Now, Syracuse has a legitimate receiver-by-committee situation – a group of solid, but mostly inexperienced players all looking to establish themselves at the collegiate level. It is a stark departure from last season, when former Orange wideouts Mike Williams and Taj Smith compiled 60 percent of SU’s receiving yards.
‘It’s like, ‘Dang, man! You got hot before me,” said Merkerson, who started this season as a defensive back. ‘It’s like a race.’
Last week in Syracuse’s upset victory over Louisville, the group may have had its breakout performance. Four receivers combined to catch eight passes for 114 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown reception by Merkerson. Donte Davis, Chaz Cervino, Marcus Sales and Merkerson all contributed at least one catch.
The numbers aren’t mind-boggling, but the eight receptions were tied for the second-highest total in a single game this season. It was also the first time all year the Syracuse (2-6, 1-3 Big East) coaching staff opened the playbook and showed a commitment to throwing the ball deep, trying several long passes and a flea flicker in the first half.
The receivers will have a chance to keep improving against Rutgers (3-5, 2-2) on Saturday (noon, ESPNU) in Piscataway, N.J. The Orange hopes to win back-to-back games for the first time since 2006.
‘We were supposed to be the weak spot of the offense or even the team,’ said Davis, who leads the Orange 26 catches and 273 yards. ‘But (offensive coordinator Mitch) Browning gave us the opportunity to prove ourselves a couple times, and we came through. …When we have gotten our chances to make plays in games, we’ve done it.’
Despite the receivers’ improvement lately, they still lack the excitement and big-play potential of last year’s group. Without Williams and Smith, who were both deep options for quarterback, and Andrew Robinson, Syracuse has relied mostly on its running game to provide offense. When this year’s quarterback Cam Dantley does drop back to pass, he checks down to his tight ends and backs almost as often as he looks for the wideouts.
This arrangement leaves the Orange without a traditional No. 1 receiver and Dantley without a true go-to guy. In fact, Davis said Dantley immediately looks for the tight end whenever he gets in trouble, instead of one of the receivers.
Even though this year’s receiving corps may lack the inherent explosiveness of last season’s team, Lobdell said it doesn’t necessarily mean the group is any worse.
‘Even though some people were saying, ‘What happened to the long ball?’ we were a 2-10 football team last year,’ said Lobdell, who has 13 catches for 165 yards this year. ‘At the end of the day, we were a 2-10 football team. Despite the kind of plays people were looking for, we didn’t win last year, and our offense is in better shape now than it was a year ago.’
Perhaps it is, probably because of tailback Curtis Brinkley’s stellar season as much as the receivers’ steady improvement. But not having the two big receivers hogging most of the catches has created a better environment for growth among the remaining players. Davis, Lobdell and Merkerson all said independently that the receivers have a stronger camaraderie and bond, and feel more like a unit this season.
They also should feel more involved. Unlike last year, every receiver can have his number called on any given play. And the way they see it, not having a No. 1 receiver means there is an open spot waiting at the top for whoever wants it.
‘That’s what makes our receiving core so good, because we all know we have an opportunity,’ Merkerson said. ‘We’re all going to continue to compete against each other until the final seconds.’
Published on November 5, 2008 at 12:00 pm
