On the Mark: There are Plenty of Positives
10/4/2002 10:26:45 AM | Football
SU did go into Jordan-Hare Stadium and battle toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the country. (I do think the Tigers are a legitimate top-20 team). A number of Orange players stepped up and made big plays. Jamel Riddle returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. Walter Reyes rushed for more than 100 yards for the third straight game against one of the top run defenses in the country, which means the young offensive line performed well.
Clifton Smith played like the All-American he is recording 17 tackles vs the Tigers, Christian Ferarra and Louis Gachelin continued to prove that they are a solid duo in the middle of the Orange defensive front, and strong side linebacker Jameel Dumas is quickly developing into one of the better linebackers in The BIG EAST Conference. Not to mention special teams were something special again for SU, bad snap not withstanding.
As for the "quarterback controversy"...Coach P has done his best to stifle any conversation of it this week, and that's the smart thing to do from his perspective. There's an old adage in football that the most popular guy on any team is the backup quarterback. Troy Nunes did come in and lead the Orange on a great drive late in the Auburn game, while performing admirably in the overtime sessions as well. However, jumping to the conclusion that one series merits a change in the starting lineup isn't sound logic. It's true R.J. Anderson has not been consistent this season. This is where I take the advice of my stock broker, however, and try and look at the long haul. R.J. was heavily responsible for leading SU to a 10-win season a year ago and a victory over K-State in the Insight.com Bowl. He didn't all of a sudden forget how to play the game this season. As I see it, last year he had a number of proven weapons on the offensive side of the ball that were there to bail him out in times of need. This year, like it or not, youth prevails on this team and with it comes inconsistency.
All things being equal, I don't think Nunes could be any more effective during the course of four games than Anderson has been. Keep in mind, Troy did come in and throw two interceptions in his short stint against Rhode Island. For now R.J. has to be the man and I'm not going to bet against him this weekend against the Panthers.
