What did Coach Babers have to say on Monday about Louisville's potentially-fake injuries as well as how he plans to deal with so many secondary injuries.
Syracuse Orange coach Dino Babers met with the media on Monday to discuss the fallout from SU's 62-28 loss to the Louisville Cardinals and look ahead to the impending matchup against the South Florida Bulls. Here's the most pertinent things he had to say.
As for whether or not Louisville defensive players were faking injuries or cramps to slow down Syracuse' offense, Babers wouldn't bit (this time). But he did say he expects that it's something that could happen in the future because referees will never overlook a down player.
"Anytime it comes down to injuries or anything like that they're going to always side to the players and they're not wrong in doing that," Babers said. "We need to protect the game. The way you protect the game is by protecting the players. I think those teams will be able to do that over and over and over again."
Case in point, watch this Louisville player fake an injury in order to get a new shoe. Guess that's how they was raised.
More important for the Orange is what they plan to do in the secondary as they're probably going to be without the services of Juwan Dowels and Antwan Cordy this weekend.
"We've got our ideas on some," Babers said Monday morning during his weekly news conference.
"If the young men who are in the depth, if they can't handle it then we'll have to see if we can get that cured up from other positions."
SU is also playing without cornerback Wayne Morgan and safeties Evan Foster and Devon Clarke. They'll look to Corey Winfield, Cordell Hudson and Carl Jones at the corner spot and Kielan Whitner, Rodney Williams and Daivon Ellison will battle it out for playing time at the safety spot.
Babers also has to worry about yet another dual-threat quarterback, USF's Quinton Flowers.
"I think we saw what it looks like," Babers said. "We got a concentrated dose of it, and now we'll get a version of that.
"We don't have to simulate it in practice. We just saw it live, in person. Hopefully we'll play a lot better. I think it's going to be an advantage."
Flowers bloomed for 300 yards of offense and three touchdowns in last season's 45-24 victory over SU.
