EAST HARTFORD, Conn. – Greg Paulus rolled to his right, eyes fixated on the end zone, and searched for the tiniest space to squeeze in a pass. A touchdown would cut the deficit to four points late in the first half.

Never mind the linemen crashing down on him, or the airtight coverage blanketing his downfield receivers. Instinct told him to fire the ball in there anyway and hope for the best.

But as Paulus reared back, the nagging urge to force the issue gave way to reason. Newfound muscle memory learned over a full season of rookie mistakes took over. He flung the ball out-of-bounds. Moments later, he connected with Alec Lemon for a score.

Paulus finally learned his lesson – a few games too late.

In the final outing of his brief yet tumultuous college football career, Paulus delivered perhaps his best performance Saturday in Syracuse’s 56-31 loss to Connecticut. He completed 24-of-32 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns and did not throw an interception for the second straight contest.

In the process, Paulus set a single-season program record for completions (193) and completion percentage (67.7).

‘This was the game where I felt the most comfortable as far as what we want to do and how we want to attack the situation,’ Paulus said. ‘Whether it was a blitz or a hot read, each week this offense has gotten better, and I know I’ve gotten better.’

Thirteen weeks ago, when The Paulus Experiment began, he would have tried to make an impossible throw. That mentality likely cost the Orange a victory over Minnesota on opening day, when he tossed a brutal interception in overtime on a play eerily reminiscent of the one in the second quarter of Saturday’s defeat.

Poor decision-making plagued Paulus all year, resulting in 14 interceptions, the third-most in SU history.

On the ensuing touchdown, he stood firm in the backfield despite Connecticut’s constant pressure. Paulus conquered his ‘happy feet’ – a willingness to scramble from the pocket too early – and zipped a strike to the open receiver.

This seemingly routine two-play sequence provided a glimpse at what could have been if Paulus chose football five years ago instead of embarking on a basketball career at Duke. It also served as a bittersweet reminder that if he progressed a bit faster, he could have led Syracuse to a bowl, instead of a disappointing 4-8 finish.

‘He just relaxed and had fun,’ senior receiver Lavar Lobdell said. ‘It’s our last day, as seniors, ever putting on these jerseys. He just wanted to have fun and relax. He made sure all the guys were relaxed out there. He just attacked it.’

As the game continued, Paulus took control. He directed the offense to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, throwing for 126 yards in the final 15 minutes alone. Paulus hit 10 different receivers, even converting a number of passes downfield. Lemon described the effort as ‘magic,’ and said Paulus seemed as poised in the huddle as he has all year.

Paulus played so well that head coach Doug Marrone abandoned virtually all packages for backup Ryan Nassib in the second half, relying on Paulus to orchestrate a comeback effort that ultimately fell short. Nassib finished 7-of-9 for 64 yards and a touchdown.

‘I really thought he was in tune and really focused in today,’ Marrone said. ‘I thought at one point, ‘Hey, this guy’s hot now. We have to stick with him and let him go.”

As the clock rolled to zero and the teams converged at midfield to shake hands, Paulus stood alone on the sideline for a moment, taking in the scene. Before disappearing into the tunnel toward the locker room, he turned back and gazed out at Rentschler Field, walking off the football field as a player for the last time.

In the press room afterward, Paulus sounded snippy, giving clipped answers to reporters asking him to assess his lone SU season. The end came too fast. His career screeched to a halt just as he finally figured it all out, if only for one game.

‘Would it be great to have another year? Absolutely,’ Paulus said. ‘I think, obviously, I would take that situation in a heartbeat, but I’m trying to make the best of the situation at hand.

‘I think I did that by putting forth everything I have for this team and this program, and I’m happy with what we did.’

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Published on November 30, 2009 at 12:00 pm