When Syracuse senior guard Rob Trudo looked at this season’s schedule, he figured the Orange would’ve clinched bowl eligibility by this time of the year. He couldn’t imagine that his offensive line teammates would be so decimated by injuries.

But they are, leaving Syracuse (3-6, 1-4 Atlantic Coast) to face No. 22 Duke (7-1, 3-1) at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Carrier Dome with a patchwork offensive line that’s struggling week to week just to get five healthy-enough players on the field.

Their lingering knocks and chronic injuries have changed the way SU practices. And as Syracuse fights for its bowl-eligible life, the injuries also stand at the front of a long list of reasons why this season hasn’t gone the way the Orange expected.

“No one else that’s playing us cares, so we’ve got to find a way to go to war and that’s what we’re going to do,” head coach Scott Shafer said.

The injuries have left Syracuse’s opponents smelling blood in the water — North Carolina State, a 20 percent blitz team, senior left tackle Sean Hickey said, rushed SU on half its plays on Saturday.

Hickey said that at the beginning of the season, he thought the Orange would have five or six wins by now. He also said he thought the team had about seven linemen that could play meaningful snaps. On top of the injuries on the line, freshman quarterback AJ Long is doubtful with a nerve injury and Austin Wilson could start against the Blue Devils.

“But right now we’re kind of past that point,” Hickey said. “And the rest of some of the guys that are playing aren’t really themselves.”

Junior tackle Michael Lasker joined right guard Nick Robinson on the list of SU linemen out this week. Starting center John Miller is listed as probable.

Normally the Orange practices with eight first-team reps followed by four second-team reps, then eight first-team reps, Trudo said, but now it’s just a mix. A scout-team period of practice might become a walkthrough and the team might add more reps against the second team instead of the scout team, Hickey said.

There are simply fewer reps in practice, he said, and fewer chances for players to work on their blocking technique.

Some of them are off the field, getting treatment, just trying to be healthy for Saturday.

“You look and say ‘Scout team, let’s go,’ and there’s five guys,” Shafer said. “Well you can’t do that, right?”

Right tackle Ivan Foy has been out, battling a pair of leg injuries since limping off in SU’s 31-15 loss against Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 27. Right guard Omari Palmer has had to slide outside in his absence and had a brace on both of his legs against the Wolfpack last week.

After hardly practicing last week and being listed as doubtful, Robinson started but only lasted a couple series against N.C. State before being replaced by Lasker — who usually plays tackle but had to slide inside.

But Lasker struggled and was replaced by backup center Jason Emerich while Miller, who has also been on and off injury reports all season, played center. When Palmer limped off for a play, Jamar McGloster made his collegiate debut for one play before Palmer hobbled back in.

“Of our group, this is the most banged-up we’ve ever been since I’ve been here,” Trudo said.

This offensive unit is on its way to becoming just the first Orange side in the past six years to finish the season without a 900-yard rusher. That’s partly due to SU spreading its carries around more evenly.

The 18 sacks allowed this season has the team one sack away from its worst performance in that area since 2011 when Syracuse went 5-7. The Orange also didn’t allow a sack until Week 3 and quarterback Terrel Hunt wasn’t sacked against Notre Dame in Week 4. All 18 sacks have come in six total games.

It all leaves the Orange a game away from having its worst record since that 2011 season, or worse. And it’s left Hickey, ahead of closing out his Carrier Dome career on Senior Day Saturday, counting on players that were in the offensive line room, but far from the playing field two months ago.

“They can physically go in there and be OK,” Hickey said. “It’s just, they need to make sure they know what they’re doing.”

Published on November 7, 2014 at 12:02 am

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