CHAMPAIGN, Ill.-Syracuse fell off the college football map because former head coach Paul Pasqualoni could no longer recruit at the skill positions. He lost the player who could break open the game with an extra jolt of arm strength, power or speed.

In his effort to turn around the once-proud program, Greg Robinson’s first difference-maker has officially arrived: Taj Smith.

The 6-foot-1, 184-pound junior transfer just looks different than any other player Syracuse has put on the field the last few years.

Smith stood out among all his teammates for the third straight game Saturday in Syracuse’s 31-21 win over Illinois. He caught five passes for 106 yards-including the go-ahead 65-yard touchdown in the second quarter-and alertly pounced on a Perry Patterson fumble, running the ball in from 41 yards for the Orange’s first score.

‘I told the guys a couple of days ago, Taj Smith is a great player,’ linebacker Kelvin Smith said. ‘You’re going to be hearing his name a lot more.’

That’s about as much as you’re going to get out of his coaches and teammates.

Such is one of many scenarios in sports journalism where everybody lies. (Dr. Gregory House would be proud.) There’s a phenom in the making, but no one wants to discredit everyone else, even though everyone else knows perfectly well there’s a phenom in the making.

Just admit it, people.

‘He was (the go-to guy) today-he’s had two weeks now where he’s made two huge plays,’ Robinson said. ‘I’d like to think we have five of them.’

Greg, you don’t.

‘My go-to guy is the guy who’s making the plays,’ Patterson said. ‘It was his day today. The whole receiving corps, the way they embraced each other, it was a great day. Whoever’s day it is I’m going to keep going to them. We kept on giving him the ball. It wasn’t where I was just choosing him, it was the play calls.’

Uh-huh.

Smith was arguably the most electric player on the whole field for the third straight game.

When he shot around end for 11 yards on Syracuse’s second possession of the season against Wake Forest, it was clear coaches were designing plays specifically for him. No other receiver carried the ball.

Against Iowa, with his team trailing by three in the fourth quarter and needed to convert a third-and-long, it was Smith who hauled in a 40-yard pass to set up a field goal attempt.

That was the Orange’s longest play of the season until his 65-yard touchdown Saturday. But the more telling plays were several quick comeback routes to the right in which he broke the cornerback’s immediate tackle attempt and raced to a first down. No other receiver caught comebacks.

He season totals now stand at 10 catches for 167 yards, four rushes for 70 yards and two touchdowns.

Finally, after several of my increasingly frustrated follow-up questions, Patterson cracked.

‘He’s more of a Steve Gregory type of receiver but a real receiver,’ the quarterback said. ‘When Steve came over to play receiver, we had that dimension but we didn’t really have that firepower to get him the ball. With Taj, he’s a great athlete, probably the quickest guy we got, one of the best route-runners. The more he has the ball in his hands, good things will happen.’

That wasn’t that hard, was it?

Thing is, Syracuse’s upcoming opponents will have no trouble recognizing the now-famous wide receiver. Orange players and coaches-even Smith-expressed no concern about looming spies or double teams. More lies.

‘I think they are going to be worried about me, but I don’t even care because we got other players who can step up at any given time,’ Smith said.

‘That would be fine, that’s part of the deal,’ Robinson said. ‘If they do that then somebody else has to come to life.’

But Syracuse doesn’t have another player of Smith’s quality to come to life-haven’t for several years. The next few weeks will be the true test of whether the junior really is a phenom in the making or just a flash in the pan who will disappear with increased attention on him.

Don’t expect the latter. Too bad the game wasn’t on TV Saturday because you obviously can’t listen to the coaches and players.

So you’ll have to believe me. Taj Smith just looks different. See for yourself in the next three home games.