Syracuse had just lost by three scores to the defending national champions.

Its starting quarterback is out for the next month, its second-stringer left the game with what appeared to be a head injury and the Orange now has to win four of its last six games to clinch bowl eligibility this season.

But a confident AJ Long stepped to the podium after the Orange’s loss to Florida State and made a bold statement.

“Syracuse football, we’re back,” the freshman quarterback said, “and we’re going to an ACC championship in the next four years.”

While SU (2-4, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) ultimately fell flat in its 38-20 defeat at the hands of the then-No. 1 Seminoles (6-0, 4-0) on Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome, glimpses of the Orange’s future illuminated the loss. Long connected with wide receiver Steve Ishmael — a fellow true freshman — for a pair of touchdowns, and freshman running back Ervin Philips flashed his potential for the first time since SU beat Central Michigan on Sept. 13.

For an offense that hadn’t scored a touchdown in over 100 minutes of play, the contributions of its youth were badly needed.

Long took the majority of the snaps at quarterback in his SU debut and, despite his two interceptions, showed good command of the offense, accuracy with his throws and an ability to pick up yards with his feet.

He finished 16-for-27 for 167 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus 20 yards on the ground in three attempts.

“AJ was just the way I thought he would be,” SU head coach Scott Shafer said. “Did he make mistakes? Yes. But all in all, the opportunity to be baptized by fire against No. 1 in the country, I thought the kid did a pretty darn good job.”

On the other end of Long’s throws was Ishmael, who finished with three catches for 93 yards and his first two collegiate touchdowns.

The rapport began as Long threw a pass on the run in the second quarter. Ishmael went up and got it, and held on as he fell to the turf for an acrobatic 36-yard gain that moved the Orange to FSU’s 7-yard line.

Long led Ishmael perfectly with a 22-yard strike on a go route that the receiver hauled in in the end zone, SU’s first offensive touchdown since Sept. 27.

Ishmael then did the majority of the work on the pair’s next touchdown, taking a pass from Long over the middle at the 17-yard line. He ran diagonally toward the end zone, split a group of five FSU defenders and made a diving attempt to cross the goal line for a 35-yard score.

“It was an amazing connection,” Ishmael said with a smile. “We’re just going to continue learning from here on out, planning on just getting some more extra work. So we’re just going to keep on doing that.”

Philips impressed for the first time since his 55-yard performance against Central Michigan. Against FSU, the running back took a jet sweep from Long after going in motion from the slot and ran along the far sideline for a 16-yard pickup.

In light of recruiting specialist George McDonald’s recent demotion from offensive coordinator to solely wide receivers coach, question marks now accompany the next few years for the Orange.

But on Saturday, Long, Ishmael and Philips offered potential answers.

Said left tackle Sean Hickey: “I’ll be excited to see what’s going on in three or four years.”

Published on October 13, 2014 at 12:31 am

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