A bad season turned worse, as Scott Shafer dropped a bomb Thursday when he said AJ Long is doubtful for this weekend’s game against ranked Duke. Long played through the entire game last week, and most did not think he suffered an injury against NC State.
Long has had his ups and downs, but he is coming off his best game as a starter. The freshman QB threw for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss against NC State. But now, after apparently suffering an injury, he likely will not have the chance to build off this performance.
This means a renewed chance for Austin Wilson, who is apparently healthy again. Shafer said at his Thursday press conference that Wilson has had a great week of practice and hasn’t been limited. For Wilson, it is a second chance to make an impact.
His first chance what cut short when he got a concussion against Florida State. Maybe now, healthy again, he can be a factor for the Orange. Unfortunately for Syracuse, the pressure is on Wilson to play well and win because the season depends on it.
The Orange needs to win its final three games just to get to .500 for the season and become bowl eligible. It is difficult to imagine the Orange can do it, and the injury to Long hurts those chances even more.
Also in the press conference, Shafer said Terrel Hunt is still far off and that he was clearly not an option this weekend.
Posted: Seth Goldberg
