Derrell Smith could tell something was different Saturday, only three plays into the game. For once, Syracuse’s first try on defense went the way it was supposed to, like it was drawn up every day in practice.

West Virginia, the offensive juggernaut that torched the Orange for 55 points at the Carrier Dome last season, could only manage two yards on its first drive and held the ball for 1:10 before punting it away.

A quick three-and-out. Finally.

‘After the first drive and we got to sit down for a long time, I just sat on the bench and said, ‘Wow, we can really win this game,” said Smith, a sophomore linebacker. ‘I felt as though it was the first time all year everyone did their minimum assignment. Everyone on the field was where they were supposed to be instead of trying to do their own thing.’

Syracuse used a new 4-2-5 defensive package last week, trying to put faster, more athletic players on the field to combat the Mountaineers explosive spread attack. And it worked. The Orange put forth its best defensive effort of the season, holding West Virginia dormant for most of the contest.

It is a formation Syracuse (1-5, 0-2 Big East) now has in its arsenal the rest of the season. But when the Orange takes the field Saturday against No. 19 South Florida (noon, Time Warner 26), it will likely revert back to its base 4-3 scheme, only unleashing the nickel if the Bulls (5-1, 0-1) settle into a rhythm in its spread offense.

The new defense may have worked well against West Virginia, but SU co-defensive coordinator Derrick Jackson said Wednesday, he isn’t so sure it will work as well this week against USF, and the Orange has taken most of its reps in practice this week in the base defense used most of the season.

‘They are not quite as much quarterback run, and they’re a team that probably gets into a more physical brand of play,’ Jackson said. ‘I would anticipate us in our normal unit, with our big-bodied guys who can bang around. But at the same time, you have to be ready to adjust to whatever they do.’

South Florida is another team that will likely try to spread Syracuse out, though, if not to the extent as West Virginia, especially considering the Orange’s struggles against the spread throughout the last few seasons. Last year, the Bulls blew SU out, 41-10.

Quarterback Matt Grothe, arguably the best signal-caller in the Big East, leads USF in rush attempts (66) and yards (244), and is second on the team with 40.7 rush yards per game. He complements his running ability with a 64.2 completion percentage and a 217.3 passing yard average.

Still, Jackson said South Florida is a more diverse team than West Virginia, using more power running formations the speed unit may not be able to handle as well.

Kevyn Scott, a safety who played mostly cornerback against West Virginia, liked the new package, though. In fact, he wouldn’t mind if Syracuse uses it a lot the rest of the year and said he has spent this week mostly taking his reps at corner.

‘This is a defense that works well, and it fits us perfectly for what we are trying to and accomplish,’ Scott said. ‘…Our defensive play spoke for itself. The combination that we had really spoke for itself.’

Nevertheless, it appears the coaching staff believes the base defense is the way to go against USF, at least to start the game. If Grothe starts getting outside and rushing for big plays, Scott said Syracuse may try out the formation from last week.

One thing seems clear: we have not seen the last of the 4-2-5 this year. The only questions are: when and how often.

‘Now that we’ve had a chance to invest in that package a little bit,’ Scott said, ‘it’s good to know we always have something to dial up if the situation presents it self that we need to.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on October 15, 2008 at 12:00 pm