Doug Marrone is guarding against a letdown.

Marrone, the Syracuse head coach, sees an upcoming opponent in South Florida that has dominated Syracuse in the past. South Florida has won seven of the eight matchups between the schools since it joined the Big East in 2005.

Though the Bulls are scuffling through a five-game losing streak, Marrone is aware of the history.

“For us we’ve only beaten this team one time a couple of years ago down there,” Marrone said during the Big East coaches’ teleconference on Monday. “Other than that, they pretty much have handled us easily and it’s going to be a big challenge for our team.”

Marrone pointed to the Bulls’ talented playmakers as the driving force behind Syracuse’s struggles in the series. During Marrone’s tenure, quarterback B.J. Daniels has led the offense and caused fits for his defense, while USF also boasted talented defenses.

The result under Marrone has been lopsided losses of 34-20 in 2009 and 37-17 last season, along with SU’s lone victory over the Bulls, 13-9, in 2010.

Marrone said his team allowed too many big plays and committed too many turnovers — problems that have contributed to the Orange’s four losses this season.

The game against South Florida in Tampa, Fla., marks the start of a tough stretch in which Syracuse plays just one of its final five games at home. With that challenge looming, Marrone knows his team can’t afford a letdown on Saturday.

“We start off now with South Florida,” Marrone said. “And we’d like to get off to a good start.”

Lemon searching for consistency coming off big game

Alec Lemon managed just eight catches combined against Pittsburgh and Rutgers. But the wide receiver broke out of his slump with eight grabs for 166 yards against Connecticut.

Lining up in the slot, Lemon found holes in the Huskies defense and helped fuel an explosive SU offense that put up 40 points last Friday.

“He has the ability to get himself open,” Marrone said during the teleconference. “He’s a good football player in the slot and has been very good for us in the slot, and that’s where most of his plays have come from. It’s not a secret, so he’s a good player.”

Syracuse’s all-time leading receiver has had an up-and-down senior campaign. Slowed by an injury at the start, Lemon looked healthy and ready to provide quarterback Ryan Nassib with another go-to target after hauling in nine passes for 106 yards against Minnesota.

Lackluster performances against Pitt and Rutgers followed.

Marrone said he is still looking for consistency from his veteran receiver. After being held to just three catches against the Scarlet Knights in a disappointing 23-15 loss, Marrone said the wideout worked hard to be ready for his big game against UConn.

Now, Marrone said, Lemon has to take that same preparation into each game.

“He needs to keep that chip on his shoulder as he goes out there,” Marrone said. “And I think you can consistently see performances like that if he keeps working the way he is.”

USF wide receiver Davis a focus for SU defense

The Syracuse secondary has already faced two of the best wide receivers in the country in Southern California’s Marqise Lee and Robert Woods.

The unit has also been tested by talented playmakers in the past, including former Rutgers wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who was honored as the conference’s player of the year and currently plays for the Cincinnati Bengals.

For Marrone, South Florida’s Andre Davis is the same type of player.

“The reason why is he has the ability to catch the football,” Marrone said. “Whether it’s 2 yards, he can take it to the house. He can catch the deep ball.”

Davis, a 6-foot-1-inch, 207-pound sophomore, has 30 catches for 380 yards this season. The wideout leads the Bulls with five touchdowns and is a legitimate threat on the outside.

Said Marrone: “He’s one of the favorite targets for B.J. Daniels, so you always have to be aware of him.”

Published on October 23, 2012 at 2:55 am

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu