Will Ernie Davis help Orange upset Northwestern?

By Darrell Laurant  |   Tuesday, August 26, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Syracuse Orange
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Two days before the Syracuse University football team travels to Northwestern for its 2008 opener, the squad will gather in a Syracuse moviehouse to watch a screening of "The Express," a biopic about former Orange star Ernie Davis, the first black Heisman Trophy winner.

It may help. If nothing else, it will show the current team that losing is not a Syracuse tradition -- just a recent trend.

But this is 2008, not 1959, and while most of the Big East teams will be looking at younger players and sharpening their teeth on lesser opponents this weekend, the Orange will be matched against a Big Ten squad loaded with experience and liberally sprinkled with talent.

Not that anyone is predicting that the Wildcats will unseat Ohio State or Michigan this season. Northwestern was, in fact, 6-6 last year, including an embarrassing loss to hapless Duke and a 58-7 thrashing from the Buckeyes.

But star running back Tyrell Sutton missed half of last season with an injury, and he is expected to become his school's all-time leading rusher this fall. Quarterback C.J. Bacher averaged over 300 passing yards a game in 2007 (in part because the Wildcats were playing from behind a lot), and torched Michigan State for 520.

Northwestern has 19 starters returning, including all four from the defensive line. Fortunately for Syracuse's still-evolving O-line, defensive tackle John Gill -- on the Outland Trophy watch list -- will have to sit out this game on a suspension. Whatever he did to deserve that, the Orange linemen thank him.

As might be expected on a team that was 2-10 last season, Syracuse will still have two key position battles continuing into next week. Coach Greg Robinson still hasn't decided whether Curtis Brinkley, Delone Carter or Doug Hogue will open at tailback, and Da'Mon Merkerson and Nico Scott are still contesting one cornerback spot.

Perhaps the key SU player will be defensive tackle Arthur Jones, who had 17.5 tackles for loss in only 10 games last season. He'll be working against a Northwestern offensive line considered the team's weakest link, and will try to disrupt the activities of Bacher and Sutton in the enemy backfield.

Like Bacher, Syracuse quarterback Andrew Robinson isn't afraid to air it out, and this ESPN2 telecast could be a long one.

It could also be very long day for the Orange. If only Ernie Davis were still there.

The game is at noon at Northwestern's Ryan Field.

Realfootball365.com prediction: Northwestern 28, Syracuse 14.
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