Doug Marrone was flabbergasted. On his mid-week teleconference before Syracuse’s game at Louisville a week ago, SU’s head coach searched for some explanation. There had to be some reason for all these injuries.

He paused and tried to conjure something.

‘Someone’s getting back at me,’ Marrone joked. ‘I told my wife, ‘What have I done?’ I’ve given more money to the Catholic Church than I ever have before. I’m a good husband, a good father. Someone in this family did something that we have to figure out and I asked the coaches what they had done.

‘That’s how you feel sometimes.’

Since then, it has only gotten worse. This week, three more players were shelved for the season.

Heading into Saturday’s Senior Day game in the Carrier Dome against No. 25 Rutgers (7-2) (ESPN360.com, 3:30 p.m.), Syracuse is sorely undermanned. Topping the list is middle linebacker Derrell Smith, who will miss Syracuse’s final two games with a left knee injury. Running back Mike Jones and long snapper Dalton Phillips also joined the walking wounded in SU’s 10-9 loss at Louisville last weekend.

The big loss is Smith, who had emerged as possibly the best linebacker in the Big East. Through 10 games, he led the conference with 61 solo tackles and four forced fumbles. Smith exited Syracuse’s win over Akron on Oct. 24 with what he called ‘cramps.’ He played through it and played well. Apparently, it was something worse. After the Orange’s loss at Louisville, the junior linebacker reported soreness in his knee.

A MRI revealed a tear in the lateral meniscus on Smith’s left knee. He needs surgery and will miss the rest of the season rehabbing. Nothing new in these parts. Just another crushing blow to a team that can’t seem to find a break.

In a span of three weeks, the Orange (3-7) has lost its best offensive weapon (Mike Williams), a possible first-round defensive tackle (Art Jones) and now the tackling-machine Smith. Seven players in all have been lost for the season in the last two weeks – starting strong safety Max Suter, starting right tackle Jonathan Meldrum, starting tight end Cody Catalina, Art Jones, Mike Jones, Phillips and Smith.

After being eliminated from bowl contention last week, pride is all SU has left to play for.

‘I’m just trying to get these last two wins under our belt,’ said sophomore wideout Van Chew. ‘It would be nice to see the seniors come out with two good wins and leave with a winning streak for next year.’

Saturday’s game features two teams heading in opposite directions. Whereas the Orange is fresh off a heartbreaking loss to Louisville, the Scarlet Knights pounded South Florida last week, 31-0. The Bulls, ranked No. 23 in the country at the time, could only muster 159 yards of total offense.

And Syracuse? Two losses away from another 3-9 season. Even with a new coach, a new quarterback and a new ‘culture,’ SU is on the verge of producing the same number of wins Greg Robinson’s swan song did.

That’s not a fair comparison, players say. Down to the smallest detail, players laud Marrone’s structural changes. When they walk into Manley Field House, headphones and earrings are off limits. Things are indeed on the upswing, they say.

Even after last week’s punch-in-the-gut loss to Louisville, the sentiment remains.

‘Everybody is practicing hard,’ said Smith, one day before the team announced he would miss the rest of the season. ‘You just have to look to the next game. We can’t make a bowl game so we have to try to ruin somebody else’s chances.’

That ‘somebody else’ just happens to be Syracuse’s chief competitor in recruiting. SU’s demise directly correlated to Rutgers’ rise. As SU stumbled into the Big East basement, the Scarlet Knights slowly hogged the playing field in New York State. Its dangerous backfield duo of Ray Rice and Brian Leonard was Syracuse bound before SU changed coaches in 2004. And Rutgers has knocked off the Orange in four straight seasons.

Even with the slew of high school prospects sure to be on hand, Marrone vows recruiting won’t be on his mind.

Erasing his team’s 0-fer in the Big East, is.

‘I’m looking at it as a game we have to go out and win,’ Marrone said. ‘I’m not looking at it any other way. I don’t look at it as a hostile situation. I worry about our football team. I don’t worry about what the other team does recruiting or what they go through.’

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on November 24, 2009 at 12:00 pm