Syracuse Football: Even with week off, roster remains a bit banged up

Some question marks persist for Syracuse football on the injury front as the Orange prepares to host Duke this coming Saturday afternoon.

Syracuse football, after picking up its first victory of the 2020 campaign against Georgia Tech on Sept. 26 inside the newly renovated Carrier Dome, had an opportunity for its players to get an extended period of rest due to the Orange (1-2) not competing this past weekend.

But even with the two-week lapse in between its defeat of the Yellow Jackets and when its home affair this Saturday afternoon versus winless Duke will transpire, there is concern about whether pre-season All-American safety Andre Cisco and several other ‘Cuse guys can suit up in the Orange’s Atlantic Coast Conference clash with the Blue Devils (0-4).

Duke hasn’t prevailed in a game so far in the fall term, however, the Blue Devils have managed to keep things close in several of their league encounters.

At his weekly press conference on Monday, Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers didn’t provide a lot of details on the potential playing status of Cisco, the country’s active leader in career interceptions with 13 picks, for Saturday’s bout with Duke.

Cisco suffered an injury after colliding with an Orange teammate during pre-game warm-ups prior to the start of the ‘Cuse duel with Georgia Tech.

"Babers said at his Monday news conference, according to cuse.com, “I am not going to apologize for the week off. It’s an advantage and it’s a disadvantage. We needed a break, we really did. We’ve got guys banged up … it gives us an opportunity to rest some of these guys during the week.”"

The status of redshirt junior safety Eric Coley also isn’t entirely clear for the Blue Devils contest. Getting Cisco and Coley for Duke would prove huge, as the Blue Devils have proven a bit turnover-prone to date in the 2020 stanza. The Orange is also relying on some of its younger defensive backs as a result of these injuries.

Another critical player for the ‘Cuse is redshirt junior guard Dakota Davis, and a timetable for his return has not gotten set. Still, with the Syracuse football offensive line having struggled in two of its three games in the 2020 campaign, getting Davis back as soon as possible is quite important.