Syracuse Football: Sean Tucker is running wild on the record books

Syracuse football running back Sean Tucker had himself some kind of performance this past Saturday afternoon on the Hill as the Orange throttled Albany, and to date in the 2021 campaign, he is having himself some kind of season.

So far in 2021, Tucker has amassed 373 yards in rushing and leads the team in that category. His 148 yards in receiving place him second on the team there (and receptions as well). He is the first player in program history to record over 100 yards rushing and 100 yards in receiving in the same game, doing that against Albany.

He was one touchdown short of tying Jim Brown’s record for most touchdowns in a single game and possibly could have broken it had he not been pulled due to the game’s score (also anyone wanting to note this was against Albany, I would like to point out Mr. Brown set his record against Colgate).

Unfortunately, Tucker was snubbed by the Atlantic Coast Conference this week as the top running back in the conference likely due to the level of opponent and the ACC awarding all the offensive player awards mostly to UNC players, but he was still WELL deserving of the honor or at least to be named co-running back of the week. PFF College tweeted out and gave Tucker the second-highest grade of all running backs in college football last week with a grade of 86.5.

Additionally, Tucker is second overall in average yards rushing per game and third overall in total yards rushing on the season in the ACC.  Who is the man who would risk his neck for his brother, man? Sean Tucker! Can ya dig it?

Should Syracuse football running back Sean Tucker be given the honor of wearing 44?

I previously wrote that this young man has earned the honor of wearing 44 should he want to and harp on it on a weekly basis because he continues to be consistently exciting and productive. Yes, the run blocking has been very good to help him but some of that is just how special of a runner he is, as well when he just runs through tackles.

When asked during his Monday morning press conference why Sean Tucker is so special, Head Coach Dino Babers brought up watching Barry Sanders at a practice once and while quick to state he was not comparing them, he did state that sometimes you can see a lot in practice and even making the most out of the little runs that shows you how special they are and not just the long runs.

Right now, watching this team, one of the things that brings me the most joy is watching to see what Sean Tucker will do when he gets the ball and for those of us on Twitter, seeing his post-game tweets that are the most fun we have had with a Syracuse football running back since Jerome Smith with his “The hay is never in the barn” tweets.

Sean and the returning fifth-year seniors are also the biggest reasons I had hope this would be a special season and started saying #WhyNotCuse before the season started. I am sure some will say I had on orange-colored glasses but last year I could tell he was someone special despite only moving up the depth chart due to injuries and opt-outs.

But at the end of the day, when you are handed the ball, it is all about what you do with it and he was impressive whenever he had the ball including having one of his best games last year against a quality Notre Dame team.

Also according to Coach Babers during a weekly Twitch chat on Monday with TK99’s Gomez on CuseSportsTalk.com, if you are like me and think he should wear 44, it looks like that honor will have to come from those who wore 44 in the past calling Coach Babers to tell him to allow it.

Sadly with Mr. Floyd Little having passed away earlier this year and him being the one I would love to hear his take on it right now, this leaves it up to others including Mr. Brown, Rob Konrad and others most likely, though I am sure Mr. Brown is the one with the most input at this point. That statement is not intended to downplay the input of anyone but I am a HUGE Floyd Little fan and what he brought to the program as an ambassador on a regular basis.

Up next, Syracuse football plays Liberty and then the ACC portion of the schedule so he and the offensive line/blocking will face more rigorous tests though I also think had Syracuse football utilized the run more against Rutgers, he could have found more success in that game as well.

I have zero doubt that Sean Tucker will continue to impress and produce even with the schedule being more difficult and will still contend to have a 1,000-yard rushing season and setting more records along the way. I also think that despite the snub this past weekend for that tremendous effort by the ACC, mostly done in one half of the game and sitting out the majority of the second half, he will hopefully be acknowledged for his success later this season.

You can downplay the level of the opponents he has had his best success against if you wish but he is playing the opponents put before him and excelling and that is all you can ask of him and against Rutgers, he was not given as many opportunities.

Also if you are a Syracuse fan, why are you downplaying his success when the 44 conversation comes out when he has definitely earned it? I have seen some saying it’s too early to give him such an honor and I say this not coming from a guy with Orange-colored glasses but a guy who has watched him immerge as a star on this team, and the energy and production he brings every game is tremendous. I am excited to watch him play and root for him every week and see what records and awards await him in the future.

In a program with such elite running backs in its history, Sean Tucker is clearly carving his name in the echelon of names to have played the position for the Orange. I for one am ready to grab my popcorn and watch records fall as he runs wild on our opponents and the Syracuse football record books.

Let’s Go Orange!!!!