EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It took a week and two quarters, but Alec Lemon reminded Syracuse fans why his presence in this year’s new shotgun offense is imperative.

With his team trailing No. 2 Southern California 14-0 late in the second quarter, Lemon ran a beautiful slant route from the left side of the field back over the middle and plucked quarterback Ryan Nassib’s pass out of the air for an 18-yard gain.

It was a play that became a staple of SU’s 2011 offense, a go-to for Nassib, who could count on the sure-handed Lemon to run fearlessly across the middle. And on Saturday, it meant Lemon was finally healthy after a lower-body injury kept him out of the season opener.

“I was a little concerned with the timing,” Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone said. “We took Ryan (Nassib) out there and we worked him out on Friday. He looked good. He really did. So because of his experience, we put him in there.”

Though Lemon finished with only five catches for 34 yards on Saturday in the team’s 42-29 loss to the Trojans, that slant pass moved the Orange into USC territory and helped set up a field goal by Ross Krautman that put Syracuse on the board as the first half expired. It sparked the offense heading into the break and demonstrated Lemon’s playmaking abilities that will only make Nassib’s job easier in the coming weeks.

On Saturday, Marrone said he wasn’t sure if Lemon would be able to play against the Trojans. He only felt fully healthy on Thursday, two days before the game, which prompted a difficult decision for Marrone and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

“Two days ago, he said ‘I feel great, I really want to play,’” Marrone said. “That’s tough now. He put me and coach Hackett in a tough situation. … Our goal was to play him about 15 to 20 plays in the slot and be very careful, because those routes are not that extended on the deep end.”

Lemon was the team’s most consistent wideout a year ago, playing the role of possession receiver to offset the deep threat of teammate Van Chew. He operated along the middle of the field for Syracuse, coming alive in Big East play, where he posted three games of 75 yards or more and two games of 150 yards or more.

With the reintroduction of Marcus Sales to the offense in 2012, and the emergence of Jarrod West, who caught six passes for a career-high 94 yards on Saturday, the Orange now has a dangerous trio at receiver with Lemon back.

“My hamstring is great, 100 percent,” Lemon said. “I was ready to get back on the field with my teammates. Disappointing with the loss, but it felt great to get back out there.

“I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to play this game. I wanted to play.”

Spruill proclaims Syracuse a Top-10 team

Marquis Spruill pondered the question for 14 seconds, carefully considering the answer he was about to give. His Syracuse team had just hung with No. 2 Southern California for three quarters and even had a chance to take the lead early in the fourth quarter.

So what should the Orange be ranked?

“If they’re No. 2 and we played a game like that and we stuck with those guys, I’d say we’ve got to be in the Top 10 at least,” Spruill said. “Top 10 at least.”

It’s an outrageous statement from SU’s starting outside linebacker, considering the Orange is winless on the season and has a defense that gives up 42 points per game so far in 2012.

The improvements over last year’s team, the squad that lost its final five games of the season and washed away a 5-2 start, are evident. But, putting Syracuse in the Top 10 in the country is beyond a stretch at this point.

Spruill said by hanging around against the Trojans — thought by many to be a national championship contender — the team gained confidence on Saturday. The SU players didn’t buy into the hype that surrounds USC wherever it goes, Spruill said, and instead focused only on their game plan.

The result was a strong showing against perhaps the toughest team on the SU schedule, but the Top-10 label isn’t applicable yet.

“They started to realize, too, like, ‘Hey, we’re doing good. We can hang with these guys,’” Spruill said. “It built us up, and we played a very good game. Unfortunately, we lost, but we can take a lot of good things from it.”

Published on September 9, 2012 at 11:45 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13