Photo by: Charles Wainwright
Sunday Sidebar: Plenty of Options
11/15/2015 2:36:00 PM | Football
Tim Lester and Zack Mahoney keep No. 1 Clemson guessing
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange used misdirection and old-school option football to keep one of the best defenses in the nation on its heels yesterday during a 37-27 loss to No. 1 Clemson at the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse offensive coordinator Tim Lester mixed in several double- and triple-option plays that resulted in 242 rushing yards, the most allowed by the Clemson defense this season. SU ran for more than twice the average rushing yards allowed per game by the Tigers (118.9) and averaged 7.1 yards per carry on its 34 rushing attempts.
Backup quarterback Zack Mahoney was the puppeteer, pulling the strings on when to give it, when to keep it, and when to pitch it.
When the sophomore kept it he rushed for 76 yards on 10 carries, including touchdown runs of 10 and 12 yards. Mahoney's second score capped a 97-yard, third-quarter drive that made it a 31-24 game.
"Option is always tough to stop, and it really makes it hard for them to load the box when you're running it," Lester said. "And (Mahoney's) really good at running it. He has a great feel for it, so we leaned on it a lot more than we normally do."
With the Tigers constantly trying to figure out who had the football it led to productive performances for a host of Orange runners besides Mahoney. George Morris turned in a career game, running for a personal-best 80 yards on 14 carries, including a career-long, 51-yard run. Freshman Jordan Fredericks picked up 47 yards on five attempts before exiting the game with an injury, and sophomore Ervin Philips darted nearly untouched for a 28-yard touchdown on his only carry.
Morris, for one, was impressed with Mahoney's decision-making and ability in the run game.
"He did a lot of things that shocked me as far as running the ball and doing things I never saw him do before," Morris said.
For complete coverage of Syracuse and Syracuse football, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Orange& Syracuse Football), Twitter (@Cuse & @CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and watch exclusive video content on Cuse TV.
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Syracuse offensive coordinator Tim Lester mixed in several double- and triple-option plays that resulted in 242 rushing yards, the most allowed by the Clemson defense this season. SU ran for more than twice the average rushing yards allowed per game by the Tigers (118.9) and averaged 7.1 yards per carry on its 34 rushing attempts.
Backup quarterback Zack Mahoney was the puppeteer, pulling the strings on when to give it, when to keep it, and when to pitch it.
When the sophomore kept it he rushed for 76 yards on 10 carries, including touchdown runs of 10 and 12 yards. Mahoney's second score capped a 97-yard, third-quarter drive that made it a 31-24 game.
"Option is always tough to stop, and it really makes it hard for them to load the box when you're running it," Lester said. "And (Mahoney's) really good at running it. He has a great feel for it, so we leaned on it a lot more than we normally do."
With the Tigers constantly trying to figure out who had the football it led to productive performances for a host of Orange runners besides Mahoney. George Morris turned in a career game, running for a personal-best 80 yards on 14 carries, including a career-long, 51-yard run. Freshman Jordan Fredericks picked up 47 yards on five attempts before exiting the game with an injury, and sophomore Ervin Philips darted nearly untouched for a 28-yard touchdown on his only carry.
Morris, for one, was impressed with Mahoney's decision-making and ability in the run game.
"He did a lot of things that shocked me as far as running the ball and doing things I never saw him do before," Morris said.
For complete coverage of Syracuse and Syracuse football, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Orange& Syracuse Football), Twitter (@Cuse & @CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and watch exclusive video content on Cuse TV.
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