Amid the midseason coaching staff change Syracuse is undergoing, it also has a starting quarterback to replace and a No. 1 Florida State team to prepare for — all in the same week.

Terrel Hunt will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a fractured fibula, suffered during SU’s loss to Louisville on Friday. Although the Orange’s coaches have concealed their exact plans for the position going forward, they’ve hinted at a multi-quarterback system that figures to revolve around sophomore Austin Wilson and freshman AJ Long and could include sophomore Mitch Kimble as well.

“There were some good things yesterday in practice,” SU head coach Scott Shafer said Wednesday morning during the Atlantic Coast Conference coaches’ teleconference. “Obviously a lot of things we need to continue to refine and work at but the work ethic of the kids and their excitement of when they’re going to get an opportunity has been great.

“We’re just looking to clean up a lot of the things from yesterday’s practice, simplify some things down and continue to prepare for this Florida State team.”

Shafer added that the SU wide receivers, another banged-up unit, have responded well to the quarterback change and are working to develop a rhythm with the reserve signal-callers, who will take the reins when the Orange and Seminoles kick off at noon in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

On the teleconference, FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said the lack of film to study on SU’s quarterbacks, combined with the potential multi-quarterback system and a new play-caller in Syracuse’s booth, poses a challenge to the Seminoles’ defense.

Fisher said his team will just have to study whatever film they have, but added that FSU is aware that Long is a mobile quarterback and that his defense may have to anticipate more designed quarterback runs — something FSU and Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston are no strangers to.

“You play against Wildcat situations, you kind of almost play against that every week when you play running quarterbacks,” Fisher said. “From that standpoint, it does help preparation that we have that in our repertoire for our packages.

“But at the same time, how play calling is going to go and those things, you’ll have to sort it out for the game so it’s going to be a very challenging test for our defense.”

Asst. copy editor Matt Schneidman contributed reporting to this article.

Published on October 8, 2014 at 12:44 pm

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