Marcus Sales wanted more than anything to move on from Saturday’s fiasco. The offense’s seven turnovers were already ingrained in his mind. No need to rehash that debacle. No need to recall the memory of trudging off the Carrier Dome field yet again, knowing that each miscue was costing Syracuse a golden opportunity to upset one of the elite teams in the Big East.

But Doug Marrone would hear nothing of it. Weekly film sessions are mandatory, even after the ugliest of games. So Sales had to sit through the Orange’s 34-20 loss to South Florida and revisit the two fumbles, the five interceptions.

It didn’t feel any better the second time.

‘That was basically a nightmare,’ said Sales, an SU wide receiver. ‘When you have seven turnovers, you can’t win a game. We have to be more secure with the ball.’

Preventing turnovers has been the theme this week, as Syracuse prepares for its matchup Saturday against West Virginia (noon, TW26). Marrone has taken five minutes during practice to have the entire team work on specific ball-security drills, hoping to clear up the problem that may have cost SU a win last weekend.

Heading into the game against USF, SU was plus-three in the turnover battle this season, (No. 30 in the country). It is now minus-one, and ranked 107th nationally with 14 giveaways – tied with West Virginia.

‘We’ve been preaching ball security like we have been all year as far as carrying the ball, how to carry the ball, protecting the ball,’ wide receiver Donte Davis said. ‘Coach always says, ‘When you’re carrying the ball, you’re representing the whole team.”

Davis said that at the end of practice earlier this week, Marrone lined up all the skill position players and had them run the length of the field carrying the ball in ‘security position’ – hands high and tight, arms wrapped completely around the ball. Running backs Delone Carter and Mike Jones both lost fumbles in the first quarter Saturday, which Sales said were ‘basically on us.’

Marrone spoke about the turnover problem at length Monday during his weekly press conference with the local media. He called the seven turnovers ‘disappointing’ and ‘discouraging,’ because he believed Syracuse’s own mistakes stood between a signature victory and an agonizing loss.

That was the message he has tried to deliver to his team.

‘I think the players understand that if we would have made some better decisions and held onto the football, we would’ve been able to win that game,’ Marrone said. ‘No doubt in their minds or my mind. From that standpoint, it hurts. It just hurts.’

Perhaps the key to solving the problem rests on quarterback Greg Paulus’ right shoulder. He had the worst game of his young college football career last weekend, tossing five interceptions. It was the first time this year Paulus consistently looked like an inexperienced quarterback, and he was plagued by numerous poor choices and weak throws.

Marrone partially defended Paulus on Monday, giving credit to South Florida’s defense and constant pressure, but admitted he ‘needs to make better decisions’ for the Orange to bounce back against the Mountaineers.

‘It was a couple bad balls, a couple poor decisions,’ Paulus said. ‘I’ve learned from those, and I’m going to make those corrections. I’m confident in what we’re doing, our coaching staff, our gameplan and the things we got coming ahead.’

Provo out for season

Syracuse tight end Nick Provo will undergo surgery on his left knee today and miss the rest of the season, according to a statement released by SU Athletics Tuesday evening. He sustained the injury during the Orange’s 34-20 loss to South Florida Saturday. An MRI confirmed the injury will require surgery, which will be performed by Dr. Irving Raphael.

Provo, who played 11 games last season as a redshirt freshman, finishes the year with four catches for 55 yards.

Cody Catalina, another tight end, is injured and will not play Saturday against West Virginia.

Schwartzwalder Trophy on the line

Marrone understands the historical significance of Saturday’s contest, having played through the glory days of one of Syracuse’s most storied rivalries.

The SU-West Virginia matchup is the second-oldest Big East series, dating back to 1945 – before the conference was even in existence. Per tradition, the winner of the matchup receives the Schwartzwalder Trophy, named for former Syracuse head coach and West Virginia native Ben Schwartzwalder.

Lately, though, it hasn’t been much of a rivalry: The Mountaineers have beaten the Orange seven straight times, including a 17-6 victory last October in Morgantown, W.Va. And Marrone has made sure his team knows the stakes.

‘To find out that we’ve lost to them for seven straight years hurts me like it hurts everyone in this room or anyone else that is a Syracuse University fan,’ Marrone said.

Marrone spoke with the team Tuesday about the Schwartzwalder Trophy and the importance of the rivalry with West Virginia. He said Monday that when he played for the Orangemen under head coach Dick MacPherson, each game against the Mountaineers was ‘an all-out war.’

It seems the message has stuck.

‘The main goal is just to get that trophy back,’ Davis said. ‘Back in our trophy case.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on October 6, 2009 at 12:00 pm