Syracuse Football: In Marlowe Wax's absence, 'Cuse defense will have to dig down deep

Marlowe Wax Jr., a veteran leader of this Syracuse football program and a team captain, is going to miss about six weeks due to a lower-body injury, head coach Fran Brown said on Monday.

More than anything else, my heart breaks for the 6-foot-1, 236-pound senior linebacker from Baltimore. Wax is the heart and soul of the Orange defense.

He was an All-ACC second-team performer last year, leading the 'Cuse in total tackles (110), tackles for a loss (11.5) and forced fumbles (four), to go along with four sacks, two pass breakups, an interception and four quarterback hurries, per SU Athletics.

National and Atlantic Coast Conference pundits were projecting big things from Wax in the 2024 season. But now it's likely that Wax will miss about half of the current campaign after suffering an injury this past Saturday in week one when Syracuse football defeated non-conference foe Ohio at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Injuries are an unfortunate part of sports, and I'm wishing Marlowe a speedy recovery. Is the Orange's 2024 season doomed because of Wax's injury? Of course not. However, other 'Cuse defenders will have to step up in a monumental way.

Syracuse football's defense will have to hunker down with LB Marlowe Wax Jr. out due to an injury.

Given that defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson and the defensive staff have shifted from a 3-3-5 to a 4-2-5 scheme, this means that the Orange is utilizing one additional lineman and one fewer linebacker.

Regardless of that scheme and using only two linebackers, rather than three, losing Wax is rough. It's not just about the position he plays. He's also a veteran leader of the Syracuse football defense and trying to fill that void will be no easy task.

Based on the team's week-two depth chart that was released earlier this week, redshirt junior Derek McDonald will be one of the starting linebackers when the Orange hosts fellow Atlantic Coast Conference squad Georgia Tech this Saturday afternoon.

Against Ohio, after Wax got injured, West Virginia transfer James Heard Jr. replaced him at linebacker. Heard, a redshirt freshman who tallied an interception versus the Bobcats, will likely start in the other linebacker spot.

On the week-two depth chart, redshirt junior Anwar Sparrow is listed as a back-up linebacker. My assumption is that he'll see more of the field this Saturday versus the Yellow Jackets.

The Orange's 2024 roster does include numerous other linebackers, although many of them are underclassmen, including redshirt freshman Zyian Moultrie-Goddard and freshmen Jahide Lesaine Jr., Caden Brown, Fatim Diggs and Jayden Brown.

The Syracuse football defense, this Saturday, will be challenged by a Georgia Tech offense that runs the ball quite well. To that end, in week one, the 'Cuse defense struggled to contain Ohio's rushing attack, and that included Syracuse football players getting pushed around at the line of scrimmage, not setting the edge, and missing tackles that translated into short runs being longer ones.

The entire Orange defense - the linemen, the linebackers and the defensive backs - all has to come together, even more so now, with Wax out. As Brown said, it's a next-man-up mentality, until Wax is able to return.

Hopefully, Wax's defensive teammates can up their level of play from week one and compete at a high level against the Yellow Jackets and other upcoming opponents. Robinson and other 'Cuse coaches will make adjustments ahead of the Georgia Tech encounter.

Injuries occur in sports, especially in football. I'm always an optimistic, positive Orange fan. But if I'm being a realist, Wax missing about half of the 2024 season is a tough, tough break for him and the Syracuse football program.