Syracuse Football

During Saturday's game against Pittsburgh, Syracuse senior quarterback Rex Culpepper threw his first touchdown pass since being declared cancer-free in 2018.

Culpepper entered the game when Syracuse starter Tommy DeVito exited with an undisclosed injury, and he wasted little time in finding wide receiver Taj Harris for a 69-yard touchdown that put the Orange on top 10-7 in the second quarter:

Prior to his sophomore season, Culpepper was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March 2018. Culpepper was then declared cancer-free in June of that year.

Culpepper didn't see the field at all in 2018 and attempted just one pass last season, but he was called upon Saturday when DeVito was forced to leave the game.

Prior to DeVito's return in the second half, Culpepper completed two passes for 78 yards, including the touchdown. With Syracuse trailing 21-10 in the fourth quarter, Culpepper returned to the game in relief of the banged-up DeVito.

The touchdown pass to Harris was only the third of his collegiate career, as he previously threw for two touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2017.

Culpepper saw some action in last week's 31-6 loss to North Carolina, going 3-of-7 for 22 yards and an interception.

Overall, Culpepper has thrown three touchdown passes and four interceptions in eight career appearances for the Orange.

Recent discussions with his players led Syracuse head coach Dino Babers to issue a formal statement on the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor and racial injustice across the country. 

Babers posted the statement on Twitter on Wednesday, writing, "I understand the disappointment expressed by members of the Syracuse Football Family and the Orange community for my delay in speaking out":

He explained the impact of a call he had with Syracuse players who wanted him to speak up.

"How important it was for them for me to get out there and say something, it brought me to tears," Babers said, per ESPN's David M. Hale. "It's hard to let family down."

The killings of Floyd, Taylor and Arbery have served as a tipping point for Americans who previously raised concerns about police brutality and systemic racism. Demonstrations have sprung up across the country to demand meaningful reforms.

Babers said the development has provided him with a level of optimism about the future: "Our generation didn't get it done. We got it moving but we didn't get it done. But this generation, the young people, with the older generation now on top of all that energy, they've got a chance to get it done. I'm excited about what they could do, and I'm with them." 

With social activism becoming more prevalent, college athletes have shown a better understanding of the power they can collectively wield.

Iowa placed strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle on administrative leave after former players recounted racist remarks they said he had made in the past. Doyle denied the allegations.

The problems extend beyond Doyle, with USA Today's Dan Wolken writing that almost 50 Hawkeyes players "have come forward to describe a program that left them feeling bullied, belittled and stripped of their identity by an unreasonable demand to conform."

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney also posted a nearly 14-minute statement to address a number of allegations of racism that had arisen around the program. Most notably, former player Kanyon Tuttle had said a Tigers assistant coach kept his job despite using the N-word in front of the players.

Clemson assistant coach Danny Pearman confirmed he said the racist slur but that it wasn't directed at any specific players. 

On June 4, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell issued an apology for mischaracterizing the level of outreach he had made to Seminoles players to speak about the ongoing situation:

Norvell initially told The Athletic's Tashan Reed he spoke with each player individually. Defensive tackle Marvin Wilson disputed that narrative and added "me and my teammates as a whole are outraged and we will not be working out until further notice."

Wilson followed up to say he and his teammates were encouraged after holding a meeting with Norvell to resolve the matter.

Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said Thursday that the ACC has not discussed the possibility of canceling the 2020 college football season amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

According to ESPN's Andrea Adelson, Wildhack acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the season during a Zoom teleconference, but made it clear that the goal and intention is to have a season:

"We have not, as a conference, had any discussions in terms of not playing. We want to play. We plan to play. What we don't know is when we're going to start and what form or what format we're going to start. Do you play with fans, do you not play with fans? So much is unknown, but the ADs and the conference office, we meet twice a week, and there's not been one second of conversation about not having a football season in some way, shape or form."

Major professional sports leagues such as the NBA, MLB and NHL are currently suspended because of COVID-19, plus the NCAA canceled the 2020 men's and women's basketball tournaments, as well as all 2020 spring sports, including spring football practice and games.

Given the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has led to stay-at-home orders and the banning of large gatherings throughout the United States, speculation has begun about several alternative options for the 2020 college football campaign.

During an appearance on KVOI-AM in Tucson, Arizona (h/t ESPN's Mark Schlabach), on Wednesday, University of Arizona president Dr. Robert Robbins said it was "unlikely" that the college football season would occur this fall, adding: "I just don't see that happening."

Robbins also mentioned that it is a possibility the fall and winter sports could both begin in January or February and run through the spring.

Wildhack said the following with regard to the scenario Robbins brought up:

"There's so many things that people have stated that are floated out there, and the one thing I don't want to do is engage in speculation because there's so much we don't know and we don't control this. What we do as a university, what we do as a conference, it will be led by the progress we make against the virus. It will be led by our elected officials, the governors of the individual states, in our case here the county executive, obviously the medical experts."

Playing games without fans and at neutral sites could be among the options the NCAA considers. Even if fans are permitted to attend games at home stadiums by the time the college football season is scheduled to begin in August, teams may need more preparation time since spring practices have already been impacted.

If the decision is made to delay the start of the season and play through the spring, that could also cause logistical issues should the NFL still hold its draft in April 2021. It would also make for a much shorter offseason for college players between the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

While the NCAA is still seemingly far away from coming up with some concrete answers, Wildhack's comments suggest that finding any possible way to play in 2020 is the No. 1 priority with canceling the season being a last resort.

Former Syracuse University head football coach Frank Maloney died Monday from metastic brain cancer at the age of 79.

According to the Associated Press (h/t USA Today), Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of coach Maloney. Our hearts go out to his family, friends and former players. Coach Maloney led our football team during a time of transition."

Maloney was the head coach at Syracuse for seven seasons from 1974 to 1980. He compiled a 32-46 record, including a 7-5 mark and an Independence Bowl win in 1979.

When Maloney took over at Syracuse in 1974, he succeeded Ben Schwartzwalder, who won a school-record 153 games at Syracuse from 1949 to 1973 and led the team to a national championship in 1959.

Syracuse finished 6-4 or worse in each of Schwartzwalder's final six seasons, bottoming out at 2-9 in 1973, which meant Maloney took the reins of a program far removed from its past glory.

He still led Syracuse to a winning record in three of his seven seasons at the helm and ranks seventh on the school's all-time wins list.

He's also known for hiring and mentoring Alabama head coach Nick Saban and former New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin early in their coaching careers, per the AP.

Prior to becoming the head coach at Syracuse, Maloney was an offensive lineman at the University of Michigan. He then served as an assistant at Michigan from 1968 to 1973 and learned from legendary head coach Bo Schembechler.

After his tenure at Syracuse ended, Maloney joined the Chicago Cubs' front office and worked in ticket operations for 29 years. He spent 27 years as director of ticket operations before retiring in 2010 and then becoming a consultant.