In case Art Jones needed any extra motivation for Syracuse’s upcoming game against Cincinnati, it was right there staring him in the face in the newspaper Monday morning. One glance at the latest national college football poll gave Jones all the incentive he needed.

‘It’s not every day you get a chance to play the No. 5 team in the country,’ Jones said.

Not every year, either. In fact, the last time a team ranked in the top five visited the Carrier Dome, Paul Pasqualoni was the head coach for the Orangemen, Troy Nunes was the name of a starting quarterback (not a popular Syracuse sports blog), and the Bearcats were tied for the league championship – of Conference USA.

It was Nov. 30, 2002, when No. 1 Miami (Fla.) handed Syracuse a 49-7 drubbing.

This time, it’s No. 5 Cincinnati (7-0, 3-0 Big East) who comes to town with hopes of an undefeated season, and a chance to play in the BCS title game. Meanwhile, Syracuse (3-4, 0-2) is looking for its second straight victory and is relishing the opportunity to square off against one of the best teams in the country.

‘Talking about myself and everybody else on the defense, we can’t wait,’ linebacker Doug Hogue said. ‘No. 5 team in the country, No. 1 offense in the country, it doesn’t get any better than that. This is the type of game you find out how good you are. These are the kind of games where everybody ranks you.’

The big question surrounding the contest throughout the week was who will be under center for the Bearcats. Starting quarterback Tony Pike missed last week’s game against Louisville with an arm injury, and head coach Brian Kelly originally said that Pike will be a game-time decision. Pike vaulted his way into the Heisman Trophy conversation with his play this year, having thrown 15 touchdowns against only three interceptions before getting hurt.

But late Thursday evening, ESPN.com reported that Collaros, not Pike, would play.

Collaros has completed 25-of-35 passes for 454 yards and has run for 191 yards. At his press conference on Monday, SU head coach Doug Marrone said he was preparing schemes for both quarterbacks and their differing styles – Pike is a traditional drop-back passer, while Collaros is known more for his legs. Marrone said Cincinnati has a number of designed running plays exclusively for Collaros.

‘They have a great offense no matter who’s going to play, Tony or the other guy,’ Jones said. ‘(Collaros) is a good player …He makes good decisions. He can run the ball, he’s a good player. He’s a great athlete, and after Tony leaves, he’s going to be a great quarterback for Cincinnati.’

This uncertainty places extra pressure on the Syracuse defense, which will have its work cut out against a Cincinnati squad that boasts arguably the best group of receivers in the country. Mardy Gilyard averages more than 95 receiving yards per game and is tied for second in the nation with eight touchdown receptions, one behind Bowling Green’s Freddie Barnes.

It will be up to Syracuse’s maligned secondary, which has arguably been the weakest link on SU’s defense all season, to keep the powerful Bearcats in check – something seven other defenses were unable to do.

‘Early on in the season, the secondary struggled, especially against the big plays,’ safety Mike Holmes said. ‘But now we’re starting to pull it together. We’re fixing little things we were messing on. I really think the last couple weeks showed improvement.’

Syracuse received a bit of good news Wednesday, when Marrone confirmed that middle linebacker Derrell Smith will play Saturday. Smith, SU’s best defensive player this season, suffered what appeared to be a knee injury in the Orange’s win over Akron last week. He did not practice Tuesday, but returned Wednesday and is expected to be in the starting lineup.

Smith has been one of the best linebackers in the Big East this year, ranking second in the conference in sacks (6.5) and third in tackles for loss (9.5). He dominated against the Zips, finishing with two sacks and three tackles for loss. Led by Smith, SU held Akron to zero rushing yards in a 28-14 victory.

And considering the way Cincinnati has played this year, Syracuse will need a repeat performance not just from Smith – but from the entire defense.

‘Everyone is starting to get more comfortable, and there’s a lot less thinking,’ defensive end Chandler Jones said. ‘Everyone can fly around, fly to the ball. I feel like this defense is coming together, and it’s going to be a great defense. The end of the season’s coming, and I’m very impressed with this defense.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on October 30, 2009 at 12:00 pm