Lieberman: Syracuse a mess

Lots of crazy things happened at Syracuse this week.

The Orange probably feel like a freshman waking up the morning after SempleFest.

Syracuse went through an intense week as far as media focus and reports go, especially after losing at home to Cincinnati 28-7. One player quit, another one stinks and probably should quit (but the coach really likes him, and adamantly defended him, so he won’t) and three others were suspended.

Coach Doug Marrone was mum on the topic of junior wide receiver Mike Williams inexplicably quitting the team. Williams was, arguably, Syracuse’s most talented player with realistic aspirations of playing in the NFL next year.

Williams, unfortunately, was never smart about his off-the-field activities. He couldn’t keep his grades up. In 2008, Williams was suspended in June for violating the team’s academic policy.

Reports ranging from ESPN.com to The Post-Standard say that a suspension loomed over Williams before he walked into Marrone’s office and took himself off the team. It is a fact now that Williams, along with teammates Antwon Bailey, Andrew Tiller and Torrey Ball were involved in a car accident while returning from Turning Stone Casino at around 5:30 in the morning on Sunday.

All were suspended for the game against Pitt.

All of this came after Doug Marrone took the podium on Monday to spiritedly defend his quarterback, Greg Paulus, who has had a couple bounce-back games after a stretch of terrible games. Either way, fans and writers have been critical of Paulus’ play recently.

Paulus had quarterback ratings of 141.88 against Akron two weeks ago, and 120.24 against Cincinnati last week. But prior to that, Paulus had thrown nine interceptions and eight touchdowns.

Paulus drew boos from his home crowd in the Cincinnati game, prompting Marrone to say “I have never seen an athlete, at any level, including the NFL, work as hard, mentally and physically, as Greg has worked since he’s joined us here at Syracuse.”

According to some, Marrone had tears in his eyes as well.

Whatever the case, Syracuse is sure looking forward to closing the book on this week.

Pitt Football Question of the Week:

Pitt freshman running back Dion Lewis was nominated as a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award this week. I ask, who are the two Pitt players to receive the Maxwell Award in the program’s history? (Hint: One was a running back, a very, very good one).

Last Week’s Answer: Thanks to senior Mike Morgan, Pitt’s largest margin of victory s 96. Pitt beat Dickinson 96-0 in 1914.

Big East player of the week (Offense):

Tim Brown, Rutgers – No relation to the former Oakland Raiders receiver, Brown caught five passes for 162 yards and two scores against Connecticut, including the game-winning, 81-yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in the game.

Big East player of the week (Defense):

Kion Wilson, South Florida – He played injured, and still had 12 tackles and an interception for the Bulls against West Virginia.

Rankings of Power – Through Week 9

1. Cincinnati (8-0, 4-0 Big East): I give a ton of respect to Bearcats coach Brian Kelly, a fake punt on the road at Syracuse during a 7-7 game? That takes some big cahoonas my man, big cahoonas.

2. Pitt (7-1, 4-0): Pitt got healthier over the bye week, and they need it before a hostile stretch to close its season.

3. South Florida (6-2, 2-2): What a difference a week makes. The Bulls dispatched West Virginia last week and quarterback BJ Daniels looked comfortable in the offense once again.

4. West Virginia (6-2, 2-1): A tough loss to South Florida puts the Mountaineers in must-win games the rest of the way for a BCS berth.

5. Rutgers (6-2, 1-2): The Scarlet Knights finally have a signature, and Big East, win, but this team is miles behind the top three.

6. Connecticut (4-4, 1-3): The Huskies have had way too many close calls to deserve a 4-4 record, but, let’s see if they can regroup after the Jasper Howard tragedy and get to a bowl game.

7. Syracuse (3-5, 0-3): Well, the good news is, after playing Pitt this week, they’ll have gotten virtually all of the top Big East teams out of the way (South Florida, West Virginia, Cincinnati) to begin their quest for a bowl bid.

8. Louisville (2-5, 0-3): The Cardinals narrowly escaped Papa Johns Stadium with a 21-13 victory over Arkansas State, yeah, things are bad in Louisville.

Week 10 Preview

Connecticut at No. 5 Cincinnati: The Huskies need to bounce back, and hey, they are the last Big East team to have beaten the Bearcats last Oct. 25. The Huskies won 40-16 at home, I don’t see that happening again.

Syracuse at No. 13 Pittsburgh: The Orange have issues coming into this game, but what’s being overlooked is that they’re over-matched against Pitt.

Louisville at West Virginia: The Mountaineers are probably pretty angry after losing to South Florida, and in waltzes Louisville for them to beat up on.

Byes: No. 25 South Florida, Rutgers