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When Oronde Gadsden II was helped off the field early against Western Michigan, it created a hole in the slot for Syracuse. SU’s leading pass-catcher announced he would miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury before the Orange took on Purdue last week, where he watched from the sidelines.

Head coach Dino Babers, who has listed Gadsden at tight end, had two telling replacements in mind during Monday’s press conference.

“I think what they have to do is carve out a niche for themself,” Babers said. “We have other guys that play that position besides Oronde. Donovan Brown is in the position, if Trebor Pena ever comes back, he’s part of that position as well.”

Last season, 65% of Gadsden’s snaps came in the slot, while 12% were inline, according to Pro Football Focus. Against Purdue, Donovan Brown was the main beneficiary of Gadsden’s absence, garnering four catches for 54 yards while running 60-of-66 plays from the slot.

This confirms what Syracuse fans have suspected for years: The tight end in this offense primarily serves as a slot receiver. On Saturday, Villari’s reps increased as a traditional tight end, while Brown and Isaiah Jones handled slot duties. Until Pena returns, Brown, Dan Villari and Jones will try to replicate Gadsden’s production.

Donovan Brown

As a former track star, Brown brings the burners to an offense that is missing the speed of Pena and Gadsden. Against Western Michigan, he broke free down the right sideline as Garrett Shrader scrambled. Brown had the presence of mind to streak up the sideline into a wide-open secondary. After the catch, he left the entire Broncos defense in the dust for an 86-yard score.

Shrader leaves the pocket a lot, sometimes even when it’s clean, Babers said. Because of that tendency, SU’s receivers have to know where and when to create space on broken plays. Brown said they practice that every day. Brown has flashed his big-play ability in a clean pocket as well.

Against Purdue, Brown made a 26-yard, back-shoulder grab and beat his man off the line consistently. The redshirt freshman was SU’s primary slot receiver in his first full game of action this year.

Isaiah Jones

Jones, who garnered the most targets from Shrader in Week 2, was limited to 20 snaps against Purdue (19 from the slot) for reasons that weren’t injury-related, Babers said. Jones caught five passes for 86 yards after Gadsden went down two weeks ago, but his volume diminished on Saturday.

In the second quarter against Purdue, Jones had a potential touchdown near the left pylon, but a hit from the cornerback jarred the ball loose. It was the second time where contact led to an incompletion on a catchable ball.

His performance against Western Michigan was more indicative of his potential value. From the opposing 32-yard line, Jones ran a go route on the inside, splitting the deep safeties. Shrader’s hand was hit on the pass and it sailed a bit, but Jones adjusted, levitating over the backside defender to make the grab.

Gadsden made 10 contested catches last season at a 56% rate, ranking 21st in the nation for receivers with at least 80 targets. Jones said he knows the different coverages and defensive queues to look for from both the slot and out wide.

“I play inside and out,” Jones said. “I think that’s one of the strengths of my game is to be able to do both.”

Trebor Pena

Babers alluded to the fact that Pena’s injury could be more serious than the original week-to-week designation. After referring to Pena’s return as an “if” rather than a “when,” he was asked if there’s a chance Pena could miss the whole season.

“I guess there’s always chances,” Babers said.

Pena would add a dynamic aspect to the position as a speedster with a flare for big plays and significant experience in the offense. Without Pena, pass-catchers have relied on broken plays like Brown’s to gain big chunks of yardage.

Dan Villari

Villari has more-than-doubled his snap total from last season in three games.

Villari is at the line of scrimmage 76.4% of the time, according to PFF, acting as an extra tackle on jumbo sets over half the time. Syracuse’s spread offense doesn’t include many passing sets with a traditional tight end as the primary target. If last game is any indication, Villari’s usage will be the most prominent in short-yardage situations, but he’ll get his fair share of looks in the pass game.

Last year, Villari was a liability in pass blocking situations. But this season, on 20 pass blocking snaps, Villari has a 76.2 PFF pass-blocking grade. His run-blocking grade has dipped with more snaps this season, dropping 10 points to 54.5.

Brown was the only one of the aforementioned pass-catchers with a reception in Syracuse’s first full game without Gadsden. Babers said they had a tough time adjusting to the night sky in Purdue, being accustomed to the Dome and its lighting. Shrader completed a season-low 50% of his passes.

The whole unit is still adjusting to their respective shifts in volume and placement. Tons of targets are up for grabs. There is no longer a clear-cut No. 1 in this offense, but the scheme is set up for the slot receiver to succeed.

When asked about expectations for the group going forward, Babers said “catching the ball would be great.”

Published on September 20, 2023 at 10:58 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu