A wave of confusion swept over the Carrier Dome crowd near the end of the first quarter on Saturday afternoon. Ryan Nassib suddenly removed his headset, dropped his clipboard and trotted from the sideline onto the field. To see the backup quarterback on the field so early in the game was something of a nightmare for the rowdy Syracuse fans expecting to see Greg Paulus at the helm.

Confusion peaked when Nassib did not line up under center, but instead split as a wide receiver. New head coach Doug Marrone had given no indication throughout training camp that he had this particular trick up his sleeve. When tailbacks Antwon Bailey and Delone Carter took their positions in the backfield, it suddenly became clear.

Marrone unveiled a variation of the popular ‘Wildcat’ formation in Syracuse’s 23-20 overtime loss to Minnesota. He called it the ‘Stallion’ formation and used it liberally Saturday, with consistent success.

In Stallion Bailey took the snap directly out of the shotgun and ran an option with Carter. Either Bailey immediately ran or chose to hand the ball off, based on how the Golden Gophers’ defense reacted. Nassib was a decoy at wide receiver, and Paulus reentered the lineup each time immediately after the play.

Carter ran 23 times for 88 yards, though many of his carries came in a traditional formation. Bailey was only used out of the Stallion and rushed for 31 yards on just five tries – an average of 6.2 yards per carry.

‘I love it,’ Bailey said. ‘I guess it’s something that catches defenses off-guard and puts two of our best backs in the game at the same time. It gives us great advantages and leverage on the defense.’

For much of the second half, Marrone turned to the Stallion primarily on first down, possibly to help put Paulus in short-yardage situations. Minnesota appeared surprised by the trick formation, especially early on. During his postgame press conference, Marrone said the goal was to pick up four yards per play in the Stallion and he thought Syracuse met that mark.

Considering how it worked Saturday, it seems the Stallion is here to stay, and the tailbacks are not complaining.

‘It’s just another weapon for our offense,’ Carter said. ‘I really like how it went today. I think there is more to come with that.’

Williams returns

Mike Williams returning to the Syracuse lineup was supposed to be one of the key storylines of the 2009 season. Then Paulus committed to the Orange and instantly attracted all the attention and the headlines. That left Williams as an unknown of sorts. His presence on the field Saturday was initially forgotten.

Williams missed all of the last year because of an academic suspension, but was readmitted to SU, rejoining the team in the spring. And in the very first quarter, he quickly reminded everybody just how important he will likely be for Syracuse this year, catching a 29-yard touchdown pass from Paulus, igniting the crowd.

It marked the 10th consecutive game Williams caught a touchdown, dating back to the 2007 season – a program record. Despite facing double-teams all game, Williams finished with a team-high 94 yards on seven receptions and was Paulus’ main target for nearly every play downfield.

‘I couldn’t believe I was back out here doing it again,’ Williams said. ‘It was like everything was fake. Up until the first kickoff, this is all fake. I didn’t believe I was back. It felt good to be back out there.’

Provo injured

Tight end Nick Provo suffered a left shoulder injury in the first quarter Saturday and did not return to the game. Provo was slammed to the turf near the sideline after catching a 3-yard pass from Paulus and collapsed in pain while trying to run across the field to the bench. Trainers helped Provo to his feet and led him to the locker room. He returned to the field later, wearing sweat pants.

Marrone said at his weekly press conference Monday afternoon that Provo will not play in Saturday’s game at Penn State.

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on September 7, 2009 at 12:00 pm