Bruce Williams insists nobody in Syracuse’s secondary is unsettled by the unit’s constant personnel changes. But the senior safety admits he wouldn’t mind a little bit of continuity.

‘We hope we can play together more than two games in a row, but it hasn’t happened yet this season,’ Williams said. ‘Coach likes to make changes, and what he feels fit is what we go by.’

Don’t count on the picture at secondary to get any clearer for the Orange this week. Thanks to a pair of injuries against Louisville to safety A.J. Brown (ankle) and cornerback Kevyn Scott (knee), it’s anybody’s guess what SU’s secondary will look like at noon Saturday when the Orange visits Rutgers.

Seven different players have started in head coach Greg Robinson’s secondary this season. Only one – sophomore cornerback Nico Scott – has started every game at the same position. Mike Holmes has started all eight games, but split time between corner and safety.

Brown and Kevyn Scott both started their second straight game against the Cardinals, and looked set to potentially solidify starting spots. Robinson refused to discuss whether either would be ready by Saturday.

‘As I mentioned on Sunday, I would rather not talk much about it,’ Robinson said. ‘We are going to be fine.’

The Orange managed against Louisville without the pair. Williams, a senior captain who sat most of the previous two games, subbed in at safety and made the game-clinching interception in the final minute to preserve a 28-21 win. Freshman Dorian Graham filled in for Scott and looked solid.

‘We believe in each other, and we have confidence that whoever goes out to those four positions can play,’ Williams said.

The Syracuse secondary will need to be vigilant against the Scarlet Knights this weekend. After struggling through much of the season, the Rutgers attack exploded in a 54-34 win over Pittsburgh. RU quarterback Mike Teel – who had thrown three touchdowns and seven interceptions before playing the Panthers – tossed six scores. Three of those went to junior wide receiver Kenny Britt, who has 714 receiving yards on the season.

‘This will be a challenge,’ Robinson said. ‘Their receiving corps is very good. Kenny Britt is an elite wide receiver in the country.’But exactly who will face that challenge? Williams still isn’t certain.

‘Quite frankly I’m ready to see when I go out to practice what’s going to happen,’ Williams said. ‘I feel like I’ll be in there. I don’t know how much or how little, but I think he’ll put me in the gameplan.’

Election fever

Not even the Syracuse football team was immune from the Election Day chatter at Tuesday’s media opportunity.Junior quarterback Cameron Dantley said he voted for Sen. Barack Obama (Dem., Ill.). ‘I did it when I went back home,’ Dantley said, referring to the Orange’s bye-week before Louisville. ‘My mom got (an absentee ballot) for me.’

Meanwhile, Williams revealed that the election has been a hot locker room topic the last few weeks.

‘It’s a lot of our O-linemen doing it,’ said Williams, who said he voted at the Goldstein Student Center on South Campus earlier in the day. ‘They got their little section over there, the big nerds over there, where they’re arguing about who should be in and who should be out.

‘I’m gonna go listen. It’s cool listening to (SU center) Jim McKenzie talk about politics.’

Catalina on the move

Redshirt freshman Cody Catalina has moved from quarterback to tight end, SU freshman quarterback David Legree said.Catalina hasn’t taken any snaps at quarterback this season but has carved out a role on special teams, on the kickoff and punt coverage units.

The 6-foot-3, 221-pound Catalina arrived at SU after a decorated career at Greensburg Central Catholic (Pa.) High School. He was originally ranked the No. 19 pro-style quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com. But with Dantley and Andrew Robinson seemingly in the fold through next season, the Orange coaches made the decision to move Catalina.

jsclayto@syr.edu

Published on November 4, 2008 at 12:00 pm