Syracuse has plenty to review during week to forget

The week that was, was a week that Syracuse football coach Doug Marrone wishes wasn't.

■ Saturday, around 3:30 p.m.: Syracuse lost to Cincinnati, 28-7, at the Carrier Dome. The Orange dropped its sixth consecutive game against a Big East opponent.

■ Sunday, 5:30 a.m.: Syracuse players Mike Williams, Antwon Bailey, Andrew Tiller and Torrey Ball were involved in a highway automobile accident on their way back from Turning Stone Casino. No players were ticketed.

■ Monday, noon: Marrone addressed the media by first making an impassioned speech defending Greg Paulus. In it, he fought back tears while saying, "I hope that my kids grow up to have the courage and determination of Greg Paulus. I get emotional when I talk about my family."

■ Monday, 12:10 p.m.: Marrone dropped the bomb. "Mike Williams came to me today and has quit the team," he said.

■ Monday, sometime after evening practice: Rumors began to fly about Williams returning to Marrone's office to ask to be back on the team. Players may have voted on reinstating the wide receiver, who sits just two touchdown receptions shy of tying the school record.

Backup quarterback Ryan Nassib said, "We're keeping that inside the team. That's a matter within the team. Whatever coach Marrone wants to do, I would be OK with."

■ Tuesday, 12:41 p.m.: Syracuse University issued a press release stating Bailey, Ball and Tiller were suspended for Syracuse's game with Pittsburgh for violating team rules. No players were injured in the highway accident.

■ Tuesday, 1:30 p.m.: Paulus held his weekly teleconference, during which he deflected questions regarding Williams. "The opportunity is there for guys to make plays. That's what we need to do. I know that guys are really anxious and excited to have that opportunity," Paulus said.

■ Wednesday, mid-afternoon: Marrone specifically addressed the Williams issue and said that nothing had changed. He said Williams was still off the team. Nassib and Paulus refused to discuss specifics regarding a possible team vote to allow Williams to return.

"We're really upset Mike decided to leave the team," Nassib said. "(But) we definitely have a lot of able bodies behind (Williams and Bailey)."

■ Thursday: It was the first quiet day — or as quiet as it could be — of the week for the Orange. Syracuse even announced some good news: Jim McKenzie and Kevyn Scott were selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District team. It is the second time McKenzie has made the list.

■ Today: Who knows?

■ Saturday, noon: Syracuse kicks off at No. 14 Pittsburgh with its bowl hopes all but erased. The Orange needs to win three of its remaining four games, and three of its remaining four games are on the road.

By Sunday, Syracuse may be begging Williams to come back. In the interim, none of the old problems has gone away. Paulus is still struggling with his interception-prone arm. He now has 11 picks and 10 touchdowns. He threw another interception in the end zone against Cincinnati.

Nassib continues to get more repetitions under center, perhaps in an effort to make sure he's prepared to lead Syracuse next season.

"It's not really a rotation or anything," Nassib said about splitting time. "It's more that I have specific packages, and I have plays designed for certain situations. They've happened to come up a lot recently."

And in every situation, Nassib has out-performed Paulus. The fans know it, too, which could explain to barrage of boos Paulus heard last week.

"I came from a place (Duke) where there were great fans," Paulus said. "There are great fans in Syracuse."

Paulus didn't get booed as Duke's point guard the last four years inside his own home, though.

"I'm used to playing in environments that are hostile," he said. "I know that we'll be excited the next home game against Rutgers."

And that's the clincher to the horrific week Syracuse football has had. The Orange is on the road for the first time since Sept. 12. It's playing its third ranked opponent this season, and hasn't come within sniffing distance of the other two, losing collectively 56-14.

Let's not forget about the Orange's now depth-less bench. Williams is gone, as are Bailey, Ball and Tiller. Jim McKenzie is returning from injury, but his effectiveness is in question. And Jared Kimmel needs season-ending knee surgery.

Marrone surely hopes the week that was doesn't turn into the season that was. Check back around 3:30 p.m. Saturday for that.

Sportswriter Daniel J. Cassavaugh covers Syracuse University football for the Times. You may reach him at dcassavaugh@wdt.net.