Syracuse Football: Battle of the Backup Quarterbacks
By Jordyn White
Last season after Terrel Hunt suffered a fractured fibula during the Louisville game on Oct 3 in the middle of the season, somebody had to step up. There were sophomores Austin Wilson and Mitch Kimbel. Also, there was freshman Aj Long, who had the potential to be redshirted. As soon as Hunt went down Wilson was put into the game and the Orange lost that game 28-6. Syracuse Football needed to come up with a solution to fill the void Hunt left to win games in 2014, and that would either be Wilson or Long.
Thus started a quarterback battle for the teams next game versus the 2013 National Champions, the Florida State Seminoles. Wilson was given the start granted he was placed into the game when Hunt was ejected for punching an opposing player during the home opener versus Villanova. Long was also prepared for the job though and the coaches knew this and formatted the game plan around a two-quarterback system. Long’s freshman redshirt would now trashed but that was of no concern to him or the coaches at this point.
Nov 8, 2014; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange quarterback Austin Wilson (5) drops back to pass against the Duke Blue Devils during the fourth quarter at the Carrier Dome. Duke defeated Syracuse 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
In the battle between the Seminoles and the Orange, Long out-shined Wilson when the Orange lost 38-20 with the majority scoring done by Long. Wilson later went down in the fourth quarter with an upper body injury but nonetheless it was Long’s job now. Long defeated Wake Forrest and had a 16-6 loss to Clemson, so things were looking up for the true freshman. As the season wore on though the rookie in Long started to show and Wilson and Kimbel were thrown back in the mix. From there on out the three underclassmen quarterbacks suffered four more losses to end the season 3-9. The 2014 season had a great quarterback battle but a terrible season, this year hopefully it could be a great battle and season.
Long was seen wearing a cast in late July due to a broken bone in his hand and had to have surgery on it, which lead the coaches towards redshirting him this season. Though the idea of redshirting Long was prevalent before the injury because it is Hunt’s final season and they could use a more matured Long for the 2016-18 seasons. Mitch Kimbel transferred to Eastern Illinois after last season after only seeing time in three games in 2014. So this just leaves Wilson, until it was noted that freshman Eric Dungey was on campus and ready to compete.
“We’ve got a great battle going on for the No. 2 quarterback going on right now (between) Austin Wilson and Eric Dungey, it’s really becoming a heck of a competition, and it’s good to see that healthy competition going on.”- Head Coach Scott Shafer
At 6’4″, Dungey comes from Lake Oswego, Oregon and had offers from
In just his senior season Dungeythrew for 2,395 yards, 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Since the practices and scrimmages and especially at Fort Drum, Dungey has been giving Wilson a run for his money. Shafer commented on the battle, “We’ve got a great battle going on for the No. 2 quarterback going on right now (between) Austin Wilson and Eric Dungey, it’s really becoming a heck of a competition, and it’s good to see that healthy competition going on.”
During the scrimmage at Fanfest last Saturday, nor Dungey or Wilson performed too well. When it came to the scrimmage at Fort Drum, Dungey threw two touchdowns and practiced with the first and second teams and was proving to the coaches that he was more than just a freshman back up. Wilson threw no interceptions but his arm looked quite strong, but by the looks of it Dungey could quickly surpass Wilson for the second-string job. Because Wilson was redshirted his first year at Syracuse he still has three years of eligibility that remains, just like Long.
Another point could be that if Long comes back into the mix this could be a closed discussion or the battle could shift between Dungey and Long or like last season Long and Wilson. It has been rumored that Long would redshirt since last January but the coaches seem to change their mind as Long’s injury heals and proves he is still the next best option at QB. As long as Hunt produces and stays healthy it will be his season. But in the same instance as last season, football is unpredictable and you never know what could happen. Take Ohio State for an example, they won a National Championship with their third string quarterback. We might not be on the road for a Natty Champ, but it would be nice to have some depth at the quarterback position to win us a bowl game.