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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Playing at the JMA Wireless Dome gives Syracuse’s players a false relationship with the lighting they experience when looking up to catch footballs. The brightness of the Dome, amplified by its translucent ceiling, lends itself to players having issues adjusting to night games on the road. The first sign of the persisting issue came on a second down throw to Umari Hatcher.

Hatcher beat his man on the right side and had the chance to break off for his second career touchdown. If all went well, it was going to look like a perfect throw from quarterback Garrett Shrader, and a stadium-silencer. Instead, Hatcher let the ball slip right through his hands. Hatcher might not have expected the ball to come that quickly, or he could have lost it in the evening sky.

Purdue presented a challenge, a test to see who would adjust, who would continue their hot start and who would wilt under the bright lights. Without Oronde Gadsden II, the Orange’s receiving threats — full of talented, yet unproven weapons — wilted.

The speculation of Gadsden’s health came to an end 90 minutes before the game when he announced his season-ending injury. In his place sat a group of receivers that still boast more questions than answers. SU entered with a chance to prove something to college football, but on Saturday night showed that none of its receivers are ready for primetime. Bobbled catches and dropped balls cost SU (3-0, Atlantic Coast Conference) all evening in its 35-20 win over Purdue (1-2, Football Bowl Subdivision), showing a dangerous trend the Orange are going to have to buck soon.

“I don’t know what the deal was, but we’ll get it fixed and next week we’ll come back,” Shrader said. “We’ll make those plays.”

Heading into Dino Babers’ pivotal eighth season as SU head coach, the main question surrounding its offense was who would step up behind Gadsden. The Orange knew they had an All-American-level threat they could line up at nearly every position and scheme open. They were going to use the first few games of the season to see which of the receivers would emerge and take the mantle of receiver two on the depth chart.

Following their commanding win over Western Michigan, everything felt like it had fallen into place for the Orange. Syracuse was one of two schools through the first two weeks to have averaged more than 50 points a game. The defense had allowed just one touchdown, a breakaway 75-yard run, through eight quarters. First-year offensive coordinator Jason Beck seemed to be handling himself well after taking over for Robert Anae.

Then the Orange learned Gadsden was going to be out for the season with a Lisfranc injury. Gadsden wheeled himself out of the visitor’s tunnel at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, 90 minutes prior to kickoff. Babers let the veil of mystery surrounding Gadsden’s status hang over a new Boilermakers’ coaching staff manned by Ryan Walters. But any shroud of mystery shriveled up when he sat on a training table on Syracuse’s sidelines in shorts and a Syracuse t-shirt.

“You can see how close the game was, and hopefully they did try to find some ways to stop (Gadsden) and that lack of preparation in other areas helped us to get a win today,” Babers said.

Babers’ trick worked, and Syracuse’s receivers opened up from the first possession. Donovan Brown, Hatcher, Isaiah Jones and Damien Alford were getting consistent separation, giving Shrader plenty of space to drop deep balls in for chunk plays. In a game that proved to be a slug fest full of turnovers and extended drives, the Orange had an opportunity early to take a commanding lead.

But even when the receivers would beat their defensive backs, they’d struggle to bring in the catch. LeQuint Allen Jr. beat his man on a wheel route, but bobbled the ball when it came his way. The drop ended Syracuse’s third drive of the game. Babers had spent all week gearing his players up for their first true opponent of 2023, working with Beck and the passing game coordinator to scheme open players. A combination of academic and NCAA restraints as well as practice field availability limited the one thing Babers needed to work on — training his players eyes for the sky.

Syracuse receivers totaled 184 yards, enough to take down Purdue, but it relied on a career high rushing day from Shrader, who finished with five fewer yards (195) than the program record set by Eric Dungey in 2018. Hatcher was credited with the only true drop of the day, but each receiver targeted had an opportunity to get a first down reception. D’Marcus Adams, Hatcher and Jones both dropped likely touchdown throws. Alford led the team with four receptions and 70 yards.

“Really would have liked to connect on more down the field stuff in terms of passes,” Shrader said. “Just try and give them a chance and leave it up to them.”

Babers said that because the football team has classes at night, they have to practice in the morning. Study sessions and academic tutoring is typically done at night during the week as well, so Babers couldn’t take his team outside to simulate a game like Saturday’s.

“I was sitting there going ‘ah, maybe we should have practiced them at night,’” Babers said. But they couldn’t. Babers still noted that he expects his players to catch everything they get their hands on.

It didn’t stop them from winning, but the Orange’s receiving core failed their first attempt at showing life without Gadsden can be manageable. When Brown opened up on a go route on Syracuse’s first drive of the third quarter, Shrader underthrew him. Gadsden has five inches and five pounds on Brown, and when Brown noticed the misplaced throw, he had to readjust. Gadsden could have used his size to bat the ball down or pluck the ball over Cam Allen.

When Jones dropped a pass on the sideline, Gadsden just clapped his hands from the other side of the field. The three-star receiver that had chosen Syracuse and taken two years to blossom into one of the top receiving threats in the country couldn’t help. The Orange are without their top man, and not one of Syracuse’s six listed receivers made any strides toward taking over that mantle.

“I trust those guys. There’s a lot that we should have had that we didn’t today,” Shrader said. “We’re fully capable of doing that.”

Published on September 17, 2023 at 1:36 am

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @anthonyalandt