Austin Wilson and Mitch Kimble may also see time.
The 2014 Syracuse Orange football season has gone so off the rails that even the depth chart doesn't know what's going on. Despite the fact that Austin Wilson was listed as the starting quarterback on the Pittsburgh Panthers game depth chart, Tim Lester told reporters Tuesday that barring a setback, A.J. Long will be the one under center this weekend.
"I definitely know AJ, if he continues to play well and he stays healthy, he'll be the guy," Lester said, "and then the other guys will be ready to go."
Lester noted that Wilson and Mitch Kimble could also see time in the game, though he noted that Kimble did not practice last week due to an injury suffered in the Duke game. (Riley Dixon, please stand by...).
Long spoke with reporters about the injury that kept him out of the Duke game, a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder.
"At first, I was angry," Long said. "I was distraught It sucked because I only played, what, three, four games? It was bad because you hear people say, 'Oh, he's not big enough to play at the college level.' And it's not something I can control.
"It's not like I didn't try to play or I chose not to go, it was the fact that I couldn't and that was the part that probably hurt the most."
With a bowl game out of the picture, the big question surrounding the SU QB situation is "Who will be the starter in 2015?" As far as Long is concerned, it's still Terrel Hunt's to lose.
"I haven't played well enough to be the starting quarterback," Long said on Tuesday. "It's his job to lose."
"It's not going to end here," Long said. "Clearly you have to go into the spring. It's going to take time to take a spot from somebody who held it for two years."
Tell you one thing, Hunt might look the part more-so than Long, but A.J.'s got the "how to handle yourself" game down pat at this point.
