SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse has a discipline problem, and the Orange are trying to fix it the hard way.
The punishment now comes in the form of rolling the length of the field. According to defensive back Davien Kerr, the team has added that consequence in practice as a response to the penalties that have kept piling up.
“Every penalty is 300 yards of rolling,” Kerr said. “Sometimes, [head coach Fran Brown] will lay back and say you’ve got 20 rolls or 50-yard rolls.
But we can’t keep causing penalties so I actually appreciate that. It holds us accountable.”
For Syracuse, the numbers tell the story. The Orange are giving up an ACC-worst 94.3 penalty yards per game, and their 10.17 penalties per game are the most in the country. The damage has shown up in critical moments, too.
Against Louisville, a holding call on left tackle Trevion Mack wiped out much of Syracuse’s late comeback push in the fourth quarter. In the season opener against New Hampshire, the Orange had three returns into plus territory erased by penalties.
Linebacker Chris D’Appolonia said the issue starts with mental mistakes.
“I think there is more of an emphasis on getting [mental mistakes] off the tape rather than penalties as a whole,” D’Appolonia said. “I do believe there’s two types of penalties. And we want our team to play fast, play physical and not hold up because they are worried about a hold or a pass interference.
“It’s an emphasis. It’s something that’s been an issue for us.
I don’t think anyone’s going to disagree. I do think we are moving in the right direction.
We want to get all penalties off the tape. We can’t continue to shoot ourselves in the foot.”
Brown has taken ownership of the issue and said he has no problem with penalties that come from playing hard and being aggressive. What he does not want are the careless ones - the ones he sees as lazy or bone-headed.
After Saturday’s loss, Brown said the new practice punishment is making an impact and that players are starting to police themselves.
“The consequences are working that way,” Brown said. “We have to eliminate penalties.
But if you watch some of them, they’re playing and fighting. Running downfield and it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s next to me.
I’m hitting him and pushing him.’ We’re playing football.”
Brown also said Syracuse needs to do a better job teaching players what to do when they’re out of the play.
“You’ve got to be smart,” Brown said. “‘[My teammate] is way down there.
Can [my assignment] tackle him? No.
Why do that?’ Those are the things that I’ve got to continue to show them.”
The Orange have also had personal fouls mixed in. Syracuse’s offensive line stepped in after quarterback Steve Angeli took a late hit out of bounds against New Hampshire. Right tackle Kam Pringle and freshman linebacker Gemaus Sackie were also flagged for personal fouls against Louisville.
Brown called that kind of issue a matter of aggression needing to be controlled.
“It’s aggressiveness,” Brown said. “I’ve got to show them to be smart about it.”
One positive for Syracuse: the pre-snap mistakes have mostly been cleaned up. Brown set that as a goal entering the bye week, and the Orange have made progress there. The problem now is what happens after the ball is snapped.
So Syracuse is rolling, wall-sitting and running hills, with Kerr saying the field-roll punishment tops the list.
“The worst one is rolling,” Kerr said. “Up-downs last.
Rolling, then wall sits, then hills. That rolling?
Boy, once you stop, dizzy ain’t the word.”
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