Syracuse has racked up 685 rushing yards over its last two games. Jerome Smith, Prince-Tyson Gulley and Terrel Hunt ran the ball collectively for over nine yards a pop against NC State on Saturday. What is going so well for the Orange ground attack?
Syracuse running backs coach DeAndre Smith has the answers. He stepped into the Fizz Spotlight this week to discuss the run game’s success, why Jerome Smith has made such great strides with his agility since last season, and how he’s deciphered Georgia Tech’s triple option.
On Terrel Hunt complementing the tailbacks
‚ÄúWe need Terrel to help us out, and get us going, making some plays with his feet, and he‚Äôs done a great job doing that. When we have the opportunity to make something happen, we have to take advantage of it. [The running backs] are doing a good job, making people miss, breaking long runs, scoring touchdowns when they need to scores. I‚Äôve been pleased to see that.”
On Jerome Smith increasing his speed and agility
“Quite honestly I didn’t see the speed [last season] that he has now, just timing him in the 40 [yard dash]. My thing was you run fast in shorts, we need to see that in the game, that was a point of emphasis…it’s good to see progress made in that regard.”
On how Georgia Tech’s offense resembles Wagner’s
“They are triple-option based, and a lot of times, like Wagner, when they have someone to read and they bring a [RB] to pitch, it’s all the same concepts; there are assignments that those guys have to adhere to. It’s similar, it doesn’t necessarily look the same, but the responsibilities that you ask those guys to have are the same.”
Posted by: Kevin Fitzgerald 
