Now that Syracuse has two games under its belt, more and more is becoming clear in terms who will contribute for the Orange. SU’s 30-17 win over Wake Forest provided some insight on whose stock is rising and falling as the season unfolds.

Stock up – Donnie Simmons, senior defensive end

Syracuse beat up Wake Forest sophomore quarterback John Wolford and Donnie Simmons was at the forefront of it. Simmons’ pick-six early in the second quarter put the Orange up 13-7, giving SU some momentum and accounting for the Orange’s only first-half touchdown.

Late in the third quarter, Simmons caused disruption on three consecutive defensive plays as Syracuse turned the game in its favor for good. With SU trailing 17-13, Simmons flushed Wolford out of the pocket forcing him to throw out of bounds. WFU punted on the next play and one play later, the Orange’s Brisly Estime scored an 89-yard touchdown.

When Wake Forest got the ball back, Simmons rushed from the right and forced Wolford to his left, where he was then sacked by Luke Arciniega. On the next play, Simmons again got in the backfield and tipped a pass, forcing WFU into third-and-13.

Stock up – Syracuse’s running backs

While none of SU’s running backs had more than nine carries individually, the unit as a whole complemented freshman quarterback Eric Dungey well. Devante McFarlane, George Morris and Jordan Fredericks combined for 101 yards on 21 carries as Syracuse only had the ball just under 26 minutes.

After the game, head coach Scott Shafer mentioned the importance of having a strong running game to take pressure off Dungey. While the signal caller worked through a lackluster first half, the run game kept SU afloat before his two second-half touchdown passes broke the game open.

Stock down – Julian Whigham, senior cornerback

Whigham is one of just three returning starters on the defense and is the most experienced player in Syracuse’s secondary. But against Wake Forest, Whigham didn’t play like it. He got burned by WFU wide receiver K.J. Brent in the first quarter. Brent blew by Whigham after a play-action fake and Wolford’s pass went over the top of him and safeties Chauncey Scissum and Rodney Williams for the 40-yard touchdown.

Later in the game, Whigham had multiple chances at interceptions but couldn’t catch the ball so he had to settle for two pass breakups on the day.

With sophomore cornerback Corey Winfield picking up his second interception in as many games on Saturday, Whigham’s status as SU’s most reliable defensive back is quickly fading.

Stock down – Alvin Cornelius, junior wide receiver

Cornelius was slotted opposite sophomore Steve Ishmael on the preseason depth chart, but he has since lost his starting spot to Estime and wasn’t even targeted once against Wake Forest. Estime has had two touchdowns in two games while Cornelius has just one reception for 11 yards this season.

With a young quarterback who mostly threw underneath and to non-wide receivers, Cornelius’ role in Syracuse’s offense could be diminished.

Published on September 13, 2015 at 1:52 pm

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