DeVito Out for the Season, What Now for Syracuse?
Tommy DeVito exited Saturday's loss to Duke in the fourth quarter after being sacked. He laid on the ground in obvious pain, headed to the medical tent with help from trainers, and then headed to the locker room on crutches with his leg in a boot.
Now, according to two sources, DeVito is out for the season with a leg injury. Where will Syracuse go at quarterback with its starter gone?
The obvious answer is backup Rex Culpepper. The redshirt senior has one of the most inspirational stories in college football. He battled back from cancer, beat the disease and threw the first touchdown of the season for Syracuse in Week 2 against Pittsburgh. That said, other than that one throw, he is 7-18 for 44 yards and one interception. Is he the answer? Would he perform better with starter's snaps in practice? Fair questions to ask.
Beyond Culpepper, there are three players without any experience at the collegiate level. David Summers is in his second year in the program, but has not played a snap to date. Both Jacobian Morgan and Dillon Markiewicz are true freshmen. A true freshman at that position, outside of the few elite prospects, are tough to rely on at that position.
This is where it gets tricky. Culpepper has limitations, but there are certainly things he does well. You can add some designed run to the offense to help give defenses something else to think about. Morgan and Markiewicz, however, may have higher upsides as passers. Do you go with the guy who was the backup and has the most experience? Or do you see what one of the young guys has in order to get a better evaluation for their potential in future years?
There is no good answer, and this is just the latest setback for Syracuse in the 2020 season, as it's already without other key players. All-American safety Andre Cisco is expected to be out for a while, if not the season. Running back Jawhar Jordan is also out for an extended period, and the status of Sean Tucker, Jordan's replacement, is up in the air.
