LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Cordell Hudson said all he needed to do was read the quarterback, and it led him right to the ball. With Syracuse trailing Louisville by seven early in the first quarter, Hudson came across the middle of the field to make an interception look easy.

It was the first quarter in his first career start, playing a pivotal role on a cornerback unit that has turned to youth in the face of prolonged inefficiencies from its everyday players.

“These past couple of weeks, I’ve been playing a little bit more,”Hudson said. “I don’t feel any pressure. I just need to go out and play my game.”

The redshirt freshman had an interception, the first for an SU cornerback since Sept. 12. He finished tied for a team-high with nine tackles, and was one of the bright spots in what was largely a nightmare 41-17 loss for the Orange (3-6, 1-4 Atlantic Coast) against the Cardinals (5-4, 4-2).

“I really like Cordell … I really like the way he’s working at it,” SU head coach Scott Shafer said. “He’s gotten bigger and stronger … He’s got a great future in front of him.”

Shafer said he usually likes to wait until he watches the tape of the game until he can really assess how his defensive backs played. But with Hudson, he was impressed just with what he saw from the naked eye.

There were a couple plays that Hudson was frustrated with, Shafer said. But he also acknowledged that he wasn’t sure what plays they were, only that Hudson was angry with himself walking off the field.

Hudson was thrown into the fire on Saturday. He had to start in place of the injured Corey Winfield. He had to contribute more because senior Julian Whgham fell down the depth chart. He started opposite Juwan Dowels, a fellow redshirt freshman, and he played well enough to make a statement in an otherwise ugly game.

“Cordell is getting better,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “…we are getting better. The games just aren’t going our way.”

Published on November 8, 2015 at 4:47 pm

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