The Daily Orange

Media Credit: Jason Carter [Click to enlarge]

The ineffectiveness of the linebackers, offensive line and running game took much of the blame for last week's 30-point embarrassment against Washington. But here's three other players who also need to have better games for SU to beat Iowa:

Jameel McClain, DE

Jameel McClain was the consensus best defender on the Syracuse defense entering this season. He still should be, but after a mediocre week one - he needs to prove why he's one of the best pass-rushers in the Big East on a defense that looked baffled against Washington and in desperate need of a leader.

Yes, he'll face double teams all year. Sure, McClain could use help from the rest of the defensive line to free up space for him. And certainly, one player cannot save an entire defense. But as the defensive captain and one of the Orange's most vocal athletes, he needs to take the first steps in rallying the troops on SU's beleaguered defense.

Although Huskies quarterback Jake Locker relied more on his running abilities than his arm last Friday, SU's sack artist never provided any real pressure.

McClain acknowledged his role after the beating the Orange received from Washington.

"If you're pointing fingers, you've got to point at yourself," McClain said. "As a captain you've got to take a personal responsibility, and I know (fellow captain) Taj (Smith) would feel the same way because you always sit back and think, 'I could have led more,' or 'I could have done this more or that more.'"

McClain needs to make the game-changing play - the monster sack or the big third-down stop. Without McClain making a move that can motivate an entire defense, Syracuse will struggle mightily.

-Matt Levin, asst. feature editor


Mike Williams, WR

Kirk Ferentz isn't worried about the Syracuse passing game. That is, the passing game as it looked last Friday against Washington.

"As long as we're not giving up the big ones, we'll survive," the Iowa head coach said earlier this week. "We'll give up the short stuff. But if they start throwing over our heads, which Northern Illinois hit one on us, that's not a good thing. The big plays are the things we want to try to be able to control."

That's where Mike Williams comes in.

Williams caught three balls for a measly 35 yards, one a touchdown late in garbage time when the game already was decided. The least impressive stat? His longest catch went for 13 yards.

The sophomore wideout was SU's best deep threat in 2006. Now, with Taj Smith back, Williams is generally matching up vs. the opposition's second cornerback. Ferentz knows Iowa's experienced, but unheralded secondary will be tested - but how much?

The lack of a deep game obviously isn't all Williams' fault. The running game needs some semblance of success to open the deep threat, but if it doesn't, Williams must find a way to get open. More than a few times against Washington, Andrew Robinson had plenty of time to throw, but could not hit his deep threats - no one was open.

While the conservative play calling of screens and dump offs comforted Robinson into a throwing groove, the Orange never took advantage of a weak Huskies' secondary.

That must change if Syracuse is to beat Iowa. It starts with Williams.

-Matt Gelb, sports editor


Nick Chestnut, CB

Nobody said filling Tanard Jackson's shoes would be easy.

Syracuse junior cornerback Nick Chestnut put the first game under his belt last week since Jackson - now with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers - graduated in May. It wasn't as flawless a performance as he would have liked.

He made five tackles, but he missed several more - most noticeably a first-quarter whiff of running back Louis Rankin. Furthermore, he and fellow corner Dowayne Davis didn't exactly shut down the Huskies' top two receivers, who combined for nine catches and 99 yards.

But Chestnut is tall, athletic and fast, and he looks to have enough tools to be a playmaker in Syracuse's defensive backfield. A converted wide receiver, he has the hands to pick off passes and the speed to cover receivers.

Against Iowa, Chestnut won't be working against the Hawkeyes' best receiver, Dominique Douglas, who's still serving a suspension after getting arrested for stealing. And the Orange will be facing another inexperienced quarterback in Jake Christensen, who's played in a total of six games (including last week) in his career.

The secondary wasn't the glaring issue for SU's defense after Friday night's blowout loss. Syracuse's defense, however, has thrived on turnovers the past two seasons, an area in which Jackson used to specialize. The Orange didn't force a single change of possession against the Huskies. If Chestnut is really going to be the one to make fans ask, "Tanard who?" he'll need to be a pest to opposing quarterbacks.

It can start with Jake Christensen and Iowa this weekend.

-Zach Schonbrun, asst. sports editor

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