Syracuse Football: Is Steve Ishmael, Amba Etta-Tawo Version 2.0?

It seems like the Syracuse football team replaced Amba Etta-Tawo with another capable guy in Steve Ishmael, or did they? ITLH breaks it down.

As we pass through the quarter way mark of the 2017 Syracuse football campaign it’s time to revisit the Next Man Up for our receiving corps.

Anyone that has played football is very familiar with the term Next Man Up.  

When you are playing a sport where for 20 second bursts you are locked in Mortal Kombat with people who spend all year lifting weights and training to lay you out, there are bound to be injuries. 

This is where the Next Man Up mantra was born.  On any given Sunday, the star (fill in the blank) goes out on a stretcher and it’s time for his backup to step up and fill the void.

This same concept holds true in the revolving door of college football rosters.  Students transfer,

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fail to maintain sufficient grades in Ballroom Dancing (Google Mark Sanchez’s last year at USC if you think I am kidding) or catch lightning in a bottle and get drafted.  If you school is lucky enough you will have their replacement waiting in the wings to be the Next Man Up.

First let’s review the current impact that Ervin Philips has had on the team.  Coming into this year Ervin was put on the Biletnikoff Award Preseason Watch List, this award is given annually to the nation’s top receiver.  

To date through three games, his numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet.  He has 16 receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown, averaging 8.7 yards per catch.  These numbers are behind last year’s in all categories.  I am not writing him off by any means but frankly I expected more with Amba-Etta Tawo’s departure.

Dino Babers LSU Preview Press Conference

Currently the receiver that has stepped up and put on Amba’s shoes is Steve Ishmael.  The active offensive leader in starts, Steve has shined now that he is no longer in Tawo’s shadow.  His statistics for the first three games are beyond anyone’s projections.  Coming into 2017 Steve had two 100 yard receiving games.  To date he has eclipsed 100 yards in each of the first three games.  He is currently on pace to set an Orange record in receiving yards, averaging just under 130 yards per game.

This meteoric ascension almost mirrors that of Amba-Etta Tawo’s when the transfer from Maryland shattered most of the Orange’s all-time receiving records despite only playing one year.

Next: Syracuse Football Report Card over Central Michigan

I temper this entire discussion with several key points.  The schedule to date consists of the easiest stretch that the OITNF will see in 2017.  ACC power houses Clemson, Florida State, Louisville and LSU loom on the horizon as the Cuse once again have the toughest schedule in College Football.  However no matter the opponent the Orange has managed to put up yards and points, that coupled with #DungeyForHeisman will make the next three quarters of the season exciting football.