With his decision to start Drew Allen, but also play Terrel Hunt against Wagner on Saturday announced last night, Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer had his first opportunity to weigh in on the choice at the Atlantic Coast Conference coaches’ teleconference on Wednesday.

Shafer cited Allen’s tendency to stare down receivers and his four-interception performance in the Orange’s 48-27 loss to then-No. 19 Northwestern this week as reasons for the opportunity, as well as Hunt’s late-game scoring drive working primarily with and against second stringers.

“You never want to overreact to a situation and look at it for what it is,” Shafer said.

Quarterbacks coach Tim Lester announced on Tuesday night that the coaches had named Allen the starter against the Seahawks while determining Hunt would see the field in some capacity. Hunt was visibly excited about the opportunity to play again on Tuesday.

Shafer said that this approach would be taken against any opponent, not just Football Championship Subdivision Wagner which lost to Division II Merrimack earlier this year.

“We have a team that’s coming off a championship season that broke records,” Shafer said of the Seahawks, who were Northeast Conference co-champions last year. “Regardless of where they’re at, a championship team’s a championship team, and we need to approach it as any solid football team that we’re going against.”