CLEMSON, S.C. — It was easy to overlook Sean Hickey until he wasn’t on the field.

Syracuse’s starting left tackle limped to the Orange sideline early in the second quarter, which left tackle Michael Lasker across from All-American defensive end Vic Beasley.

On first down, freshman quarterback AJ Long rolled right, away from Beasley, and found wide receiver Jarrod West for a short gain. On second down, Long scrambled that way again and was stopped at the line.

And in a passing situation on third down, Long stayed in the pocket to throw while Beasley effortlessly beat Lasker on the edge. He was in the freshman’s face right as he released an incomplete pass. Riley Dixon and the SU punt team were jogging onto the field almost as soon as the ball left Long’s hand.

“(Things) changed dramastically,” said offensive coordinator Tim Lester of Hickey’s short stint on the bench, accidentally combining dramatically and drastically before laughing and correcting himself.

“That was Beasley’s side.”

For the most part, Beasley’s effect on the game was limited by Hickey in Syracuse’s (3-5, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) 16-6 loss to No. 21 Clemson (6-2, 5-1) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. Hickey’s matchup with Beasley was heavily talked about throughout the week and was touted as an “exposure game” for the two NFL Draft hopefuls, an opportunity Hickey excelled in despite briefly leaving the game with a left ankle injury.

Lester said after the game that although Beasley made a few tackles in the backfield, his final line of three — two solo, one assist and one for a loss — and no sacks detailed the left tackle’s performance.

“He’s an explosive player. Usually you can keep your eyes tracked on a game when they’re pass rushing and stuff,” Hickey said. “But with him you’re just looking all over the place because he’s so shifty.”

Hickey said he’d have to go back and watch the tape before really assessing his play, but could only think of one play where Beasley outright beat him at the line of scrimmage. Clemson sacked Long four times and was generally disruptive throughout the night, but Hickey thought the unit played well and gave the offense a chance to make quick plays.

When Hickey went down, Lester scrambled in the booth and wrote down a list of plays that would make Lasker’s job easier. He saw Hickey going to the locker room and thought he’d lost the tackle for the game. Lester jotted down what he thought the best calls for different sides of the field and talked closely with offensive line coach Joe Adam on the headset about what to dial up.

X-ray results in the locker room during the game were negative and afterward, Hickey’s left ankle was wrapped in an ice bag with his pant leg rolled up. He likened the pain to what he felt against Pittsburgh at the end of last season, but noted that it was less severe and just “didn’t feel right” before he exited.

But three plays after Beasley burst past Lasker and into the pocket Hickey made his way back onto the field. His absence lasted just six plays — a series and a half — and his return restored order in the coaches booth and, more importantly, on the left side of the line.

Said Lester: “Luckily for us, Hickey just came back, so I could just call it normal again.”

Published on October 27, 2014 at 12:09 am

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