Ryan Bartholomew took reps at center all throughout training camp, never expecting to actually play there this season. After all, Jim McKenzie had started at the position every game since early 2007 and was the lone bright spot on an otherwise disappointing Syracuse offensive line each of the past two years.

But head coach Doug Marrone prepared for the worst, preaching all summer the importance of having flexibility and fluidity on the line. That’s why when McKenzie suffered a hand injury and Bartholomew had to slide over from his regular left guard spot, he was ready.

What could have been a recipe for disaster turned into nothing more than a blip on the radar.

Bartholomew will play center in place of McKenzie for the second straight game Saturday, when the Orange (2-4, 0-2 Big East) takes on Akron in the Carrier Dome (3:30 p.m., TW26). He started there for the first time in his collegiate career during Syracuse’s last game, a 34-13 loss to West Virginia on Oct. 10, and did an admirable job of filling in for one of SU’s most reliable offensive players.

‘Whether it was under center or in shotgun, he did a really good job,’ SU quarterback Greg Paulus said of Bartholomew. ‘His presence out there was a really strong one. We had no bad snaps, we had good communication. We’ve been working the last couple weeks with that. He deserves a lot of credit for switching positions and getting back in the flow.’

Bartholomew’s position change is part of an overall shuffle within Syracuse’s offensive line, which has dealt with injuries all season. Tucker Baumbach and Andrew Tiller are expected to play in the guard spots against the Zips, with Nick Speller and Jonathan Meldrum manning the tackle positions.

Speller exited the game against the Mountaineers with an apparent ankle injury, but Marrone said Monday he will return to the lineup Saturday. With Speller out, Baumbach had to play tackle for the first time all season, further muddling the situation and forcing almost everybody to play out of his natural position.

Nevertheless, the Orange surrendered just two sacks against WVU – slightly below its average of 2.4 entering the game. Baumbach said he has not been told where he will play Saturday, but he had been taking reps primarily at right guard during practice.

‘I definitely could have played better. For the most part, I don’t really take many reps at tackle,’ Baumbach said. ‘For what I was working with, I didn’t do too badly, but there’s definitely a lot of room for improvement. I think tackle, guard, wherever they want to play me at, I’ll be able to work it out.’

Bartholomew is perhaps the key to the offensive line musical chairs. He said playing center is difficult because it comes with more responsibility and pressure than any other position on the line.

Playing center also means replacing McKenzie, who has become a mainstay during his Syracuse career. Until he missed the West Virginia contest, McKenzie had started 27 consecutive games. Bartholomew called him the ‘smartest player’ of the regular linemen, and he is widely considered a team leader.

Despite Bartholomew’s inexperience, though, Baumbach praised his play against the Mountaineers and acknowledged he was pleasantly surprised with how the team responded to McKenzie’s injury.

‘I thought it would be a major loss, but Bart has done a really good job,’ Baumbach said. ‘He did a really good job at stepping up, going in there and taking the reins. Center is a very hard position to play. You have to be smart and think on your feet.’

The changes on the offensive line reflect one of Marrone’s philosophies as a coach. A former offensive lineman himself, Marrone wanted each of his players to be able to play multiple positions and easily slide around the line in case of injury. He said Monday he is confident in his personnel for the game against Akron (1-5, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) Saturday.

At least so far, all those reps during training camp at an unfamiliar position have paid dividends.

‘It shows we have a lot of different people who can play different positions.’ Bartholomew said. ‘A lot of the guys learned to play different positions like I did. It helps the team out in the long run.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on October 20, 2009 at 12:00 pm