Could Syracuse have a possible one-two punch with Sean Tucker and Cooper Lutz?
Syracuse, NY — Syracuse running backs Sean Tucker and Cooper Lutz started the year as fifth and sixth stringers. Turbulent circumstances now have both of them shifting into a potentially potent one-two punch.
Tucker, a true freshman, burst onto the scene in late September when he sprung for 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Georgia Tech. Tucker backed-up that breakout performance by posting his second 100-yard outing two weeks later in the Liberty loss. Tucker's decisive, downhill running has carried him 361 yards for an average of more than five yards per tote.
Head coach Dino Babers wasn't sure what he had in Tucker when he first arrived in Syracuse. But after seeing him tossed into the fire thanks to a litany of injuries and opt-outs, Babers now believes Tucker has what it takes to be something special.
"I think the biggest thing with running backs, regardless of their style, whether it's Jim Brown, the late Walter Payton, all the greats...the first guy doesn't bring them down," Babers said following Syracuse's loss to Clemson.
"That is what Sean has. The first guy rarely brings him down. And good backs make yards after first touch or yards after contact. He has a lot of that.
"When you're rolling up the YAC, it normally means that you're somebody that you can turn around and hand the football to a large amount of times and get a lot of production from."
Tucker YAC'd his way to 63-yards and a touchdown against the Tigers, but that's all he scratched-out before a lower-body injury sent him to the sideline. Tucker's discomfort was enough to keep him holstered against Wake Forest, meaning Babers had to reach for an even lower rung on an already depleted roster. What he pulled out was redshirt sophomore Cooper Lutz — the man trying to prove this Syracuse Orange depth chart actually has some depth to it.
Lutz impressed Orange fans in what was otherwise another disappointing Orange defeat. Lutz kept the run game respectable with 81-yards on 15 carries. His four catches out of the backfield were a nice change of pace as well. When asked what made him unique, Lutz highlighted his reliable hands.
"I think I'm a good receiver out of the backfield," Lutz said to the media on Wednesday. "I think I can catch the ball pretty well. I'm confident in my pass protection, and I'm a decent, aggressive runner. I think I can do well with contact, and getting off is no problem for me."
While Lutz mostly ran the ball at Berks Catholic High School in Reading, PA, Babers and his recruiting staff targeted him as a wide receiver.
"I came here with the full intention of playing inside receiver," Lutz said. "I knew what that entailed: learning how to run routes specifically. It was a challenge for sure, but I always knew that I didn't really move like a receiver, and I just feel more natural here at running back."
Lutz wasn't only tasked with playing an unnatural position; he was hidden behind wideouts like Trill Williams, Nykeim Johnson, and Anthony Queeley. Putting him back in the backfield may have been necessary due to injuries, but it was a switch that worked out for everyone involved.
"I had a conversation with him on the field," Babers said about Lutz after the Wake Forest loss. 'I just said, 'Coop, I'm really proud of the work you've been doing.'
"You stood behind him in August. You stood behind him in September, and you could see he was getting it. He was making us go, 'You know what? We should have never moved him in the first place. We should've just played him at tailback.' But I think the guy's got some natural ability, and I think he can really help us."
While Lutz's stead at receiver didn't last, it wasn't for nothing. The principles he learned spread out wide serve him now as he looks to slice up the defense as a runner.
"The biggest thing we preach at receiver is to run up his nose, step on his toes, influence him either way and then go by, and I've taken that to running back to try to make moves on defenders.
And then just receiving skills: how you catch balls and where you catch them and how you're going to make moves after it."
Babers has yet to confirm Tucker's status for Saturday's game against Boston College. We won't know that until game-day, a discreet strategy Babers has utilized all season. If Tucker's good to go, he'll get the start. But with only four games left, I'd like to see how Tucker and Lutz play together. Now's the time to see if they can build off each other's strengths while simultaneously making up for other's weaknesses. The season is over, but it's not too late to see if the Orange have a possible one-two
