The Syracuse hybrid/Express back, who missed the second half of last week's game and was listed as out for tomorrow's game vs. Wake Forest, will now be missing more time.
Syracuse fans have endured a lot. After last season saw the starting lineup decimated by injury, the 2015 Orange football team was already hanging on to this season by a thread with starting QB Terrel Hunt tearing his achilles, ending his season. The team seems to be a victim of the same bug so far this season as they will now be missing the services of their starting express back Ervin Phillips, as we learned a bit about yesterday.
Steve Infanti of News Channel 9 was first to report today's news that the Syracuse star went under the knife on Tuesday to repair an injury to his meniscus. Due to this injury, Phillips is expected to miss several weeks. Many fans noticed Philips limping a little after his first touchdown against Rhode Island, but he remained in the game for the rest of the first half.
What does this mean for the Orange? Ben Lewis will likely now be the starter at H-back for the time being with Dontae Strickland likely to be in the mix for some snaps at the position. With such a dynamic playmaker like Philips out of the lineup, there will likely be a decline in production from the hybrid position. However, Lewis is a solid player and should fit in the role quite nicely while Phillips recovers from his injury, at least in terms of the passing game.
