Xzavier Gaines could leave the Syracuse football team as early as this weekend, the quarterback told The Daily Orange on Wednesday night.

Gaines, a junior quarterback, said he has ‘some personal issues’ to deal with and that a final determination on whether he will leave the Orange will come soon.

‘There’s some things I need to figure out,’ Gaines said. ‘There’s a lot of stuff going on. I just need some time off.’

SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni could not be immediately reached for comment.

Gaines is unsure if he can stay on scholarship if he quits the team. It’s a detail that he must work out before he decides.

Gaines also said part of the problem stemmed from playing time. Though Pasqualoni declared an open quarterback competition between Gaines, Joe Fields and Perry Patterson at the beginning of the year, Gaines has played in just one game and hasn’t attempted a pass, despite having the most seniority of the quarterbacks.

But Gaines stressed that personal issues are mainly driving his decision. He says he has been having a problem since the beginning of school. He just told the coaches about it Tuesday.

‘That’s why it was a shock for everyone,’ Gaines said. ‘They didn’t know anything until now.’

Gaines has not participated in either of the last two practices.

‘They have their support for me,’ Gaines said. ‘They just want what’s best for me.’

Gaines has four rushing attempts this year for 11 yards.

Pasqualoni said he spoke with cornerback Tanard Jackson on Wednesday, and the cornerback is recovering well.

‘We just want him to rest and get better,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘And he’s doing that.’

Safety Anthony Smith saw Jackson on Wednesday, too, and said the sophomore is recovering well.

‘He looked good,’ Smith said. ‘I don’t know if he was wearing any support or bandages or anything because he had a shirt on. But he was walking good. (He) didn’t look to have any problem.’

Pasqualoni wants Jackson to return to practice sometime this week and watch from the sideline, just to get reacquainted with the day-to-day activities.

Pasqualoni added he’s not sure when Jackson will be able to start playing again.

Jackson was stabbed in the chest early Sunday morning following a party at the Schine Student Center. Syracuse lost to Virginia, 31-10, Saturday. He was released from the hospital Monday.

Steve Dunlap looked over the tape and counted 18 missed tackles in SU’s loss to Virginia.

‘That’s the most I’ve counted,’ the SU defensive coordinator said, ‘of any team we’ve played this year.’

Safety Diamond Ferri said SU has focused more on wrapping up defenders this week in practice.

Dunlap said an acceptable number would be three, at most, for both the secondary and linebackers – six total.

‘You can miss tackles just by not being in the right position,’ Dunlap said. ‘You just keep practicing on it.’

Ferri was surfing the Internet earlier this week when he crossed a quick note on Rutgers running back Brian Leonard.

‘It said he was banged up and if the game was (Tuesday) he wouldn’t be playing,’ Ferri said. ‘It’s just like, ‘Yeah, right.”

Ferri, for one, isn’t buying all the talk about Leonard, a Gouverneur native, potentially missing Saturday’s game.

‘Sometimes you can use the media as a tool to make someone else think something,’ Ferri said. ‘You guys know that.

‘He lives 90 miles away or something like that. He’s not missing it.’

Published on September 29, 2004 at 12:00 pm