TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — There were few positives for Syracuse to take away from Saturday’s 59-3 loss to No. 2 Florida State, but Scott Shafer is pleased that viewers got to see something that he’s known all along.

“I was really pleased with the two young guys I’ve been talking about since I got the job,” the Orange’s head coach said.

George Morris II and Devante McFarlane, who have spent the season buried on the depth chart behind Jerome Smith and Gulley, received the bulk of the action in Saturday’s loss. Morris led the Orange with 21 carries and piled up 67 yards on the ground. McFarlane’s 13 carries ranked second on the team and he led SU with 81 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards.

With the game out of hand early and Gulley already knocked out with an injury on his first carry, Syracuse decided not to risk anything. Smith carried the ball just five times — all in the first half.

The Orange turned to Morris and McFarlane. Morris said he had a feeling he would get most of the action with Gulley and Smith on the sideline — he received the second most carries in last week’s win over Maryland when Gulley was pulled because of an ankle injury. Shafer wanted to keep his team healthy, but he also wanted to see how Morris and McFarlane would fare against an elite FSU team.

“You’ve got to be very disciplined,” Morris said. “Go with your first read and not do too much.”

Morris was most impressed by Florida State’s sideline-to-sideline speed. He felt he could still break runs on the outside, but big plays were tough to come by.

Morris’ day wasn’t spectacular, but running well against the Seminoles was still something to be proud of.

“It feels good to say that,” Morris said. “You hung with the No. 2 team in the nation and you gave it your best shot.”

McFarlane had more success in the explosive plays department. His only catch made him Syracuse’s leading receiver in terms of yardage and he busted a team-best 28-yard run during the second half. McFarlane also led the Orange with 6.2 yards per carry.

“I think we’ve got two very good football players and they’re just young pups coming up through and we’re going to have them for a few years,” Shafer said, “so I was excited to see those guys get a chance and run around a little bit.”

Published on November 17, 2013 at 1:16 pm

Contact David: dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2