Syracuse’s 17-7 loss to Rutgers has settled in by now. Although ‘Cuse dropped its first game of the season there were some bright spots. On the other hand, there were some dark spots and poor performances. Let’s investigate whose stock is moving up and down. If you missed the selections for week one stock up/down click here.
Stock Up
DE Caleb Okechukwu
The Redshirt sophomore showed flashes against Ohio but not enough to warrant stock up recognition. Well we could only keep the Washington D.C. native off the list for so long. The former three-star recruit racked up six tackles and was getting consistent pressure. Okechukwu was awarded a half sack against RU. If his high level of play continues, Coach Vince Reynolds has quality depth on the defensive line.
DL Cody Roscoe
The defensive line was spectacular against the Scarlet Knights and Roscoe is a big reason why. Kingsley Jonathan didn’t play against RU so the Mcneese State transfer saw an uptick in snaps and he took full advantage. The Houston native tallied seven tackles, three tackles for loss, and half a sack. The fifth year plays with high energy and intensity and was a big reason why Syracuse held Rutgers to just 3/15 on third down conversions. If both Okechukwu and Roscoe keep producing, watch out.
FS Jason Simmons Jr.
Week one free safety starter Ben Labrosse recently left the program unexpectedly. The Canadien didn’t play much if at all against Rutgers anyways. Simmons saw extended time last Saturday along with Eric Coley and looked good. The New Mexico State transfer tallied four tackles and was splendid in coverage in one-on-one situations downfield. Simmons gets the start for Saturday’s battle with UAlbany.
LT Matthew Bergeron
We had to get at least one offensive player on here. We’ll let the following statistic from Pro Football Focus do the talking.
Pretty incredible that a Syracuse offensive lineman gets that kind of recognition. Bergeron should continue to anchor this unit that has shown some signs of improvement.
Stock Down
RB Cooper Lutz
Lutz looked decent against Ohio taking five carries for 25 yards and a touchdown. Last Saturday wasn’t very promising though for an RB2. Four carries for just six yards, ouch. Look, Syracuse needs to find a reliable backup to Sean Tucker because he can’t be getting 20+ carries every game and expect to finish the season healthy enough to play. Between Lutz, Abdul Adams, and Jarveon Howard, someone needs to rise up and seize the second spot.
WR Anthony Queeley
It’s simple really, no catches for no yards against RU. Queeley was WR2 last season and expected to be that once again this year behind Taj Harris. Make no mistake about it, the Florida native was getting open and was a victim of overthrown passes but you can’t go an entire sixty minutes without a single catch.
P Colby Parker
Most of you may not even know who this is. It’s the guy who absolutely shanked a punt in the fourth quarter. Makes no sense why he was in the game in the first place when the Orange have a certified sniper in James Williams. Coach if you’re reading this, wrinkle that play sheet for the special punt and toss it in the wastebasket.
