Defenses can’t stop Taj Smith. A broken collarbone can.

Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson announced in his weekly Sunday afternoon press conference the junior transfer will possibly miss the rest of the season unless the Orange is selected for a bowl game.

Robinson said there is probably little chance Smith could obtain a medical redshirt like Lavar Lobdell last season.

‘He’ll be out quite a while,’ Robinson said. ‘He’ll be out a lengthy time-eight, nine weeks, something like that. You never know. Some heal faster than others.’

Smith was injured early in the third quarter on an end around to the right. A Miami tackler slammed Smith into the FieldTurf.

The wide receiver popped up immediately after the play, started walking back to the huddle but then fell to the ground. After several minutes on the turf, he walked slowly to the locker room.

Smith had been Syracuse’s most dynamic player in the first four games-leading the team with 227 yards on 12 receptions, 18.9 yards per catch. He also has five carries for 68 yards.

Against Illinois, he returned a Perry Patterson fumble 48 yards for the Orange’s first points of the game and then caught a 65-yard touchdown for the go-ahead score. He hauled in a 52-yard bomb in the first quarter Saturday to put the Orange up, 13-0.

Tim Lane is next on the team with 10 receptions for 79 yards. Tight end Tom Ferron caught five passes on Saturday to move into third on team with seven catches for 87 yards. Next up is Rice Moss (6), Mike Williams (3), Lavar Lobdell (3) and J.J. Nesheiwat (3).

‘You have a number of players we have to work our way through and utilize the skills of some of those other guys and what they do well,’ Robinson said.

Published on September 23, 2006 at 12:00 pm