Jordan Fredericks further separates himself as primary RB for Syracuse
JIM DAMASKE | Tampa Bay Times
SU freshman running back Jordan Fredericks (right) was a bright spot on an up-and-down day for Eric Dungey (middle) and the Orange offense.
TAMPA, Fla. — Syracuse trailed by three touchdowns in the third quarter and its comeback window was shrinking with every snap.
After a defensive holding penalty pushed the Orange to South Florida’s 30-yard line, freshman quarterback Eric Dungey scrambled left into a wall of Bulls pass rushers. He had gone through his downfield reads and nothing was open. His remaining options included scrambling to his right, throwing the ball away or checking down with a screen pass to freshman Jordan Fredericks.
Dungey went with Fredericks, and the running back took it from there.
“That was sick,” SU hybrid Ervin Philips said of the play that followed. “It definitely could be on ESPN.”
Fredericks caught the screen, juked inside past one defender, spun around another, made one more fake, then ran past the rest of the USF defense into the end zone. The play was Syracuse’s (3-2, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) offensive highlight in a disappointing 45-24 loss to South Florida (2-3, 0-1 American Athletic) at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday. It was also further confirmation that Fredericks, in his first collegiate season, is the Orange’s best option at running back.
In total, Fredericks carried the ball four times for 16 yards and caught two passes for 38 yards — his primary plays being that touchdown catch and a third-down conversion out of the Wildcat formation. But George Morris gained just 7 yards on five carries and Devante McFarlane, SU’s first-string running back on its Week 5 depth chart, didn’t touch the ball. Fredericks again stood out with his downhill running style and ability to make defenders miss, which has made him the Orange’s primary late-game ball carrier through five games.
On the season, Fredericks leads Syracuse with 236 rushing yards on 42 attempts and his two rushing touchdowns are tied with Dungey for most on the team. Most telling, he has significantly more carries than Morris’ 31 and McFarlane’s 21.
“I saw Dungey in a scramble and he just checked down to me,” Fredericks said of his 30-yard touchdown catch, which was also the first reception of his college career. “After that, I just thought about the end zone and ran to it. Everything that happened just happened. It’s all instinct.”
Published on October 11, 2015 at 11:13 am
Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse
