With Syracuse football training camp less than one week away, The Daily Orange beat writers, Chris Libonati, Jon Mettus and Matt Schneidman, will analyze one of the top 10 preseason storylines, top 10 position battles or reveal one of 10 player files each day. Check out dailyorange.com and follow along here to countdown to camp.

Even for a freshman, Eric Dungey took his lumps. He missed contests with several “upper-body injuries” after absorbing many hits to the head. Former head coach Scott Shafer even left him in a Lousiville matchup after the result was a foregone conclusion, subjecting the young quarterback to more damage than was necessary.

The young quarterback responded accordingly in the spring, saying he’d like to be a bit smarter when it comes to darting out of the pocket.

Whether he can resist the temptation to scramble as much or hurdle defenders will play big into how good Syracuse’s offense is this season.

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MORE PRESEASON COVERAGE: 

• Preseason storyline No. 4: Will the playmakers step up
• Preseason storyline No. 5: Replacing Riley Dixon
• Preseason storyline No. 6: How will SU’s secondary adjust to the Tampa 2
• Preseason storyline No. 7: Rebuilding the offensive line
• Preseason storyline No. 8: Running back depth

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With Dungey, the offense should take a step forward. The excitement of Dino Babers’ spread offense mixed with the anticipation of Dungey’s improvement has created some level of expectation.

Without Dungey, Syracuse will sputter. The Orange defense is expected to take something of a step back, which will put the onus on Syracuse’s offense. Add in not having the team’s best quarterback in an offense that will be expected to throw more than it has in the past, and that’s a recipe for disaster.

Beyond the immediate future, Dungey is just a sophomore. For any player, less hits, specifically to the head, would be better. But for such a young player whose best years are ahead of him rather than behind, it’s even more imperative that Dungey stays healthy.

Published on August 3, 2016 at 7:55 pm

Contact Chris: cjlibona@syr.edu | @ChrisLibonati