Jarrod West’s first catch for Syracuse was a long time coming.

The sophomore wide receiver missed all of last season with a foot injury. He was one of the standouts in preseason camp in August, but he was not targeted much in the Orange’s first three games.

So when he finally made that first catch — on a slant route that he turned upfield for a 39-yard gain — a towering weight came off his shoulders.

‘I was trying to get my first one out of the way, and I finally got put in the right position where I was open and (Ryan) Nassib found me with a great ball,’ West said.

West led Syracuse in receiving yards on Saturday, catching two balls for 56 yards in the Orange’s 33-30 overtime victory against Toledo. SU quarterback Ryan Nassib spread the ball around, completing 16 passes to nine different receivers. And West was one of the biggest beneficiaries with two receptions in key moments of the game.

After Toledo took a 20-13 lead in the third quarter, Syracuse needed to counter. Facing a third-and-11, Nassib hit West on a slant moving left across the middle. West was given a cushion by Rockets safety Jermaine Robinson, and he used it to make a cut and turn up the right sideline.

One play later, Antwon Bailey was in the end zone with a 20-yard touchdown run to tie the score.

West’s second catch was almost as vital as his first. Down 27-23 in the fourth quarter and facing third-and-9, Nassib stepped up in the pocket and delivered a strike to West, who found an open pocket in the middle for a 17-yard catch that led to a go-ahead score.

‘He was able to come up and make some big third-down catches, and it’s been a long time waiting, but we’re excited about it,’ Nassib said.

Spruill banged up, doesn’t start

The natural center of the Syracuse defense was absent to start Saturday’s game. Middle linebacker Marquis Spruill was not on the field when the Orange defense took the field on Toledo’s opening drive.

His backup, Siriki Diabate, was in his place.

Spruill did see the field against Toledo in limited snaps, but it was still a surprise to see the Orange’s most experienced linebacker on the sidelines most of the game.

‘Marquis was struggling during the week, getting a couple of reps here and there,’ SU head coach Doug Marrone said. ‘He defended a pass out there, and Siriki went in there and started. At the end of the day it’s going to help us, playing those kids.’

Diabate joined normal starters Dyshawn Davis and Dan Vaughan in the linebacking corps on the opening drive. Spruill did see a couple plays early and more time later in the game, but he watched from the sidelines for most of the game.

Syracuse gave six linebackers ample playing time against the Rockets. Walk-on backup Dom Anene spent much of the game lined up against Toledo star wide receiver Eric Page, who caught 14 passes for 168 yards. Freshman Cameron Lynch was second on SU in tackles with eight and recorded the first sack of his career.

And Spruill still made two tackles in his limited time.

‘It was really hard because I am used to going out there with my boys, but I had to sit back this one for a little bit,’ Spruill said. ‘It didn’t really affect my play, though, because at the end of the day, when he puts you in there, you’ve still got to go in and make plays, and that’s what I did.’

Toledo’s Marrow taken off field on stretcher

The Carrier Dome went silent in the third quarter on Saturday, when Toledo cornerback Desmond Marrow lay motionless on the field following a helmet-to-helmet collision with Syracuse running back Antwon Bailey.

Bailey took a toss right on a third-and-8 play, and as Marrow went in to make a hit on Bailey, their helmets collided. Marrow spun around nearly 360 degrees before landing on his stomach.

Fortunately, Marrow’s MRI and CT scan were negative, Toledo head coach Tim Beckman said.

‘He was talking when I was out there on the field, so he felt like he was OK,’ Beckman said. ‘He was moving his hands and legs. The lack of movement had more to do with the concussion than anything else.’

Trainers surrounded Marrow for a few minutes on the field before he was taken away on a stretcher. He gave the crowd a thumbs up as he was wheeled off, getting a standing ovation from the Carrier Dome crowd.

Beckman said Marrow had full movement and will recover. He traveled back to Toledo, Ohio, with the rest of the Rockets on the team’s charter flight, according to the Toledo Athletics website.

mcooperj@syr.edu

 

Published on September 25, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr