Syracuse football focused on seizing momentum during bye week

For the first time under head coach Fran Brown, Syracuse has lost back-to-back games.

In wake of the pair of losses to Duke and SMU, the Orange used their bye week to look internally for improvement.

SU starts its back stretch to its regular season schedule by hosting Pitt at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday.

After practice Tuesday, Syracuse offensive tackle Da’Metrius Weatherspoon, linebacker Gary Bryant III, quarterback Rickie Collins and defensive back Devin Grant spoke with the media.

Here are three takeaways from the media session.

Emphasizing Momentum

Momentum has both helped and hurt Syracuse this season. Against Clemson, the Orange tallied a quick 10 points to lift it to a road victory while in recent contests, slow starts put them in too deep of holes to climb back.

On Tuesday, Bryant and Grant talked about capitalizing on momentum on defense. Grant is looking for fast starts, such as forcing three and outs.

“We just got to continue to carry on our momentum,” Bryant said. “We got momentum, we got to keep it. That’s been a big emphasis this week.”

Grant said another emphasis is consistency which will help cultivate success.

With the Panthers coming to town, Bryant said he sees that Pitt has a lot of talent on its roster. The linebacker said Syracuse has to show it is a good team too.

“We got to play good football for not just one quarter or two quarters, but for four quarters,” Bryant said. “If we can do that, then we'll be able to accomplish what we're trying to accomplish.”

Pittsburgh native Weatherspoon’s mid-season update

Weatherspoon transitioned from the left side of the line last season to the right side this season. Now, he is SU’s starting right tackle.

With the slight change in position, Weatherspoon said there are a lot of similarities with a few technique differences. He focuses on his strengths and weaknesses on each side to improve and knows that being available to play at different positions can help him reach the next level of football.

He’s one of the returners on SU’s offensive line, joined by Joe Cruz. Their trust in each other is reciprocated, Weatherspoon said.

“When I first got here that was my roommate, so we've been close ever since.” Weatherspoon said. “[As] soon as I stepped on campus or stepped inside that dorm, he welcomed me with open arms.”

This week’s contest has extra meaning behind it, as he calls Pittsburgh home. A “good bit” of Weatherspoon’s family went to Pittsburgh including his brother, father and uncle. He will have at least 14 people in attendance at the game.

Improving during the bye week

Collins, now set to make his third start, is coming off the bye week with an improved approach. He said he’s been meeting with SU quarterback coach Nunzio Campanile and offensive specialist coach Josh Gattis to gain knowledge on how to play faster.

“[I’m] just getting my comfortability at an all-time high and confidence.”

Collins said he’s improving on relaxing his eyes.

Aside from football, a few SU players tried other activities. Collins went bowling with teammates while Bryant went fishing.

“Finding a balance is important because when you have a balance it's going to help you on the field too,” Bryant said.

Weatherspoon said he took the bye week to prepare for Pitt. The offensive tackle said he watched film of himself and Syracuse as well as other teams, including the Panthers.

“We learned more about ourselves as a team outside of football,” Collins said. “I think we grown closer and bonds got much better.”

SUPPORT THE JUICE ONLINE

Chat about this story and all things Syracuse on our message board, Cuse Classified!