Josh Parris was joining the players he was supposed to start the season with when he took the field alongside wide receivers Adrian Flemming, Ben Lewis and Jarrod West on Saturday.

Parris earned the starting tight end spot in training camp, only to suffer a knee injury that required surgery on Aug. 20. During Syracuse’s 28-6 loss to Louisville on Friday, he made his full return and consistently provided an intermediate outlet for Terrel Hunt against the Cardinals.

At the beginning of the season, SU tight ends coach Bobby Acosta said Parris mostly closely resembled the ideal tight end for Syracuse’s offense. And while he wasn’t explosive in replacing his original replacement, Kendall Moore, Parris did tie for the team lead in receptions with West.

Lining up at tight end, in the slot and out wide against the Cardinals, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Parris gave the Orange 34 yards on five catches — the most by an SU tight end this season —and established himself as a consistent option with first-choice receivers Ashton Broyld and Brisly Estime injured.

“He does what he always does, he makes catches,” Orange running back Prince-Tyson Gulley said. ”He was good for us on the tight end, blocking and everything, so he helped us out big-time.”

Parris was especially helpful on third downs, SU offensive coordinator George McDonald said, and gave SU important yards after the catch.

He often came in for a running back on third-and-medium situations and swapped out for ball-carriers when Syracuse wanted a fuller backfield.

On third-and-4 at the Louisville 39-yard line on SU’s second drive, he caught a pass at the 30 on the right side of the field and burst through a would-be tackler to the Cardinals’ 27. The Orange went on to score three of its six total points on the drive.

“He made some very nice plays, he made some guys miss right after the catch,” McDonald said. “I was very pleased with him, I was happy for him because he’s worked so hard before the injury and then during the injury to get back.”

Published on October 6, 2014 at 12:12 am

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