Who the hell is Eric Dungey?
That’s what most Syracuse fans said when a three-star true freshman quarterback was thrust into action in SU’s 2015 opener against Rhode Island. He was a skinny kid from Oregon, baring no resemblance to the Captain America action figure he would later become.
Dungey was only in the game because Terrel Hunt tore his achilleas. Hunt was a determined senior quarterback. Onlookers feared the season-ending injury would ruin SU’s season. The plan was never to use Dungey so early in his career.
“We really didn’t anticipate or want to throw him to the wolves like this so quick,” Coach Scott Shafer said after the Rhode Island game. ”But God love him … I liked his reads, he was on the right side of the field with a lot of his preparation.”
The rest is history. Dungey passed for more yards than any quarterback in program history (9,340). He nearly rushed for another 2,000. He threw 58 touchdowns to 30 interceptions. He used his legs to find the end zone an additional 35 times. He led Syracuse to ten wins in his senior season.
The 2018 season was the first time Dungey maintained good health for the full slate of games, but the fact remained, the Oregon product was a stud from start to finish.
Now we’re here again. Tommy DeVito is out for the season.
Coach Dino Babers didn’t go with any of three freshman quarterbacks on the roster to replace his starter, instead inserting 5th year senior Rex Culpepper.
It made sense. Jacobian Morgan and Dillon Markiewicz had played mostly scout team reps. A threatening matchup against Clemson loomed. They knew what they were getting in Culpepper: a player who knew the offense and could make reads, but severely lacked the arm talent necessary to move the ball downfield.
In his two starts, Culpepper has thrown five interceptions to two touchdowns. He’s completing 46% of his passes at an average depth of 5.2 yards for this season. Rex is not the answer. We can say that with 100% certainty.
Now it’s time to give Jacobian Morgan a chance.
Who the hell is Jacobian Morgan?
Sounds familiar. There’s no excuse not to try again.
