You couldn't have scripted a more unfortunate start to Syracuse's season if you tried. Seven minutes and 27 seconds into it, Terrel Hunt lay on the Carrier Dome turf with trainers tending to him. At the same time, SU head coach Scott Shafer walked over to Eric Dungey, who was warming up to enter the game.
Shafer said he told the true freshman quarterback that "this is what we brought you here to do."
Well, it wasn't what Shafer and Co. brought in Dungey to do in 2015. But this is now Dungey's job for the foreseeable future. We don't yet officially know the extent of Hunt's injury, but Shafer said Hunt's Achilles "popped" and called the injury "horrible." Unless we hear otherwise, it's probably safe to assume that Hunt isn't coming back this season.
Shafer also strongly indicated that he's going to stick with Dungey, rather than perhaps give sophomore quarterback AJ Long a chance to win the job that was his for much of last season. So in a season that was going to depend largely on Hunt's production, the burden now shifts to Dungey. Syracuse is either going to sink or swim with the freshman.
On Friday, Dungey turned in a mixed performance. He looked out of sync early and misfired on a few throws, including when he overthrew hybrid back Ervin Philips, who was running a seam route up the middle of the field, on what should've been an easy touchdown late in the first half. Ultimately, though, Dungey played well in his debut, finishing 10-of-17 for 114 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, adding 30 yards on the ground.
With that said, it's going to get more difficult. Syracuse's competition is about to seriously stiffen up, starting with Wake Forest next Saturday. Receivers won't be wide open on virtually every play, and Dungey won't have nearly as long to make decisions as he did against Rhode Island. The Demon Deacons might be the Atlantic Coast Conference's worst team, but they're still in the ACC and they won't be pushed around like the Rams were Friday night.
Two weeks before the Wake Forest game last season, the Orange had to turn to then-true freshman quarterback AJ Long to relieve the injured Hunt. Long was inconsistent in a win over the Deacons in his second start and pretty bad for the rest of the season. His next four starts were mired with inaccuracy -- he threw six interceptions to two touchdowns in them -- and Syracuse dropped each of those games.
If SU wants to avoid the same fate this season, Dungey is, obviously, going to need to be a whole lot better than Long was. Sure, the Orange has talent elsewhere. Ervin Philips impressed on Friday, scoring touchdowns on the two passes he caught before leaving the game with a "lower-body" injury at halftime, something Shafer said isn't too serious. Brisly Estime, meanwhile, returned a punt for a touchdown on one of the more elusive returns you'll ever see. Jordan Fredericks ran for over 100 yards and had a beast mode-like run for a touchdown in the third quarter. And the defense was just as, if not more impressive than the offense, forcing four turnovers and holding Rhode Island to just 64 yards of total offense.
But even when you ignore that those performances were put forth against Rhode Island, one of the worst teams in the FCS, you can't deny that so much of an offense's success is predicated on the play of its quarterback. He's the only skill player who influences every single offensive play. As SU learned a season ago, it's difficult to get by without a serviceable one.
The good news: Shafer told reporters after Friday's game that Syracuse won't have to make any alterations to its offense. Shafer said that Dungey can do everything required in offensive coordinator Tim Lester's system, and that's probably not just coachspeak. Even if he's not as quick on his feet as Hunt, Dungey looked pretty mobile against Rhode Island. And that might be a moot point altogether, since Lester's offense is built for a pocket passer with its West Coast concepts.
But prior to Shafer even mentioning Dungey, he asked everyone to keep Hunt in their thoughts and prayers. The head coach was clearly torn-up. As he walked to the podium, he accepted a hug from a Syracuse Athletics spokeswoman. His face was bright red, which might have been a result of the intense heat in the Carrier Dome, but it looked and sounded as if he had been crying. You could tell how badly he felt for Hunt.
Maybe -- hopefully -- Hunt will be granted another year of eligibility if he misses the rest of this one. But as of right now, the Orange is Dungey's team. When it was his turn at the podium after Shafer, it was obvious that Dungey was a little in over his head. He didn't expect this, even saying so himself.
These are certainly unfortunate circumstances, and it would be a lot -- perhaps too much -- to ask a true freshman quarterback to really compete in the ACC. But unless SU wants another season similar to the last one, that's what Dungey will need to do.