Film Review: Demetres Samuel Jr.’s 2-way debut for Syracuse
Demetres Samuel Jr. recorded his first offensive snaps of his collegiate career in Syracuse’s 66-24 rout of Colgate Friday. Lars Jendruschewitz | Senior Staff Photographer
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Demetres Samuel Jr.’s Syracuse teammates can hardly believe he’s already a Division I football starter. The 17-year-old freshman from Palm Bay, Florida, gained notoriety for excelling on defense and offense as a wide receiver and cornerback — eliciting hype to become college football’s next Travis Hunter.
His athletic ability is freakish. His cerebral skills are on par with those of upperclassmen. But it’s his youthful age that most struggle to wrap their heads around.
Just ask SU quarterback Steve Angeli.
“I’ll be talking about stuff, and I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re supposed to be in high school right now,’” a laughing Angeli said. “‘What’s going on?’”
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown’s plan for Samuel’s freshman year is to start him at corner while giving him sporadic reps at receiver. After Samuel solely played defensive back in the Orange’s first two games, he finally saw time as a wideout last Friday in SU’s 66-24 victory over Colgate. He also returned a punt for four yards, giving him snaps on offense, defense and special teams.
Sure, it may have happened against a winless Football Championship Subdivision program. Nevertheless, Samuel — who totaled five tackles, three pass breakups, one interception and a 10-yard catch — provided glimpses into what his SU future looks like.
“It just felt comfortable in the moment because we’ve been getting these reps in practice,” Samuel said of his performance playing all three phases. “It just finally got to be put to use in the game; I felt proud.”
Here’s a breakdown of Samuel’s best moments from Syracuse’s (2-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) lopsided triumph over Colgate (0-3, 0-0 Patriot League):
1st quarter, 4:52 — Samuel’s 1st reception
On the first route Samuel ever ran in D-I football, he created five yards of separation by the time the ball hit his hands.
With the Orange leading the Raiders 7-3 late in the first quarter, Samuel lined up alone on the left side as SU’s X receiver for a first-and-10 snap from its own 33-yard line. Colgate played a soft cover 2 zone defense, meaning defenders keyed in on specific areas rather than receivers. Samuel took full advantage of the Raiders’ scheme by displaying an intense cut on his 10-yard out route.
Samuel planted his right foot just outside the hash marks at the 43-yard line and flipped his hips toward Angeli, fading to the sideline. Angeli threw to the sideline as Samuel changed direction. His abrupt movement caused Raiders cornerback Tymir Wynn to crash inward from his high position on the field, though he trailed at least five yards behind Samuel the entire way. Samuel hauled in the pass, tapped both of his feet and picked up the first down on a 10-yard reception.
If you play zone on Samuel — or any of the Orange’s prime playmakers, for that matter — he’ll likely make you pay.
“It’s great to see him on offense,” Angeli said. “I’ve been waiting for that for a while now.”
2nd quarter, 12:02 — Samuel brings down Saunders
Samuel turned in SU’s best cornerback performance of the year with three pass breakups and an interception, but his tackling was arguably even more telling of his development through three games. Brown has challenged Samuel not to back down from an aggressive play style despite being 17 years old.
Against Colgate, he didn’t shy away from hitting people. Samuel ended the night with five solo tackles.
This play features Samuel’s most impactful tackle of the night — which came against star Raiders receiver Treyvhon Saunders. Saunders is an FCS All-American wideout, and he entered Colgate’s matchup against SU with 360 receiving yards, more than any FCS or FBS player. He enjoyed some success against Syracuse, totaling 11 catches for 105 yards, but Samuel held his ground against him.
On a third-and-10 from Colgate’s 47-yard line, Samuel lined up alone at corner on the left side of Colgate quarterback Zach Osborne. Saunders lined up on the opposite side, with SU cornerback Chris Peal covering him. Saunders ran a drag route once the snap hit the hands of Osborne, who was in shotgun formation. Samuel, drifting backward in a zone, pounced forward after Osborne completed a pass to Saunders over the middle of the field.
Samuel smashed his shoulder pads into Saunders first, as he and SU safety Duce Chestnut combined to ultimately bring the Colgate receiver down for a measly six-yard gain. Samuel’s speed and precision playing zone defense allowed him to display a successful hit and wrap-up on Saunders, forcing a Raiders’ punt.
2nd quarter, 0:09 — Pick 1 for No. 1
On this play, Samuel negated a Colgate red zone opportunity to close the first half, helping the Orange hold the Raiders to a mere three points at halftime. In the process of grabbing his first-career collegiate interception, Samuel showed off his ball tracking skills.
From Syracuse’s seven-yard line on a third-and-4, Osborne lined up in the shotgun with Samuel positioned at slot cornerback, covering Raiders receiver Brady Hutchison. Upon the snap, Samuel uses his peripheral vision to simultaneously track the lollipop Osborne threw and the corner route Hutchison ran. His eyes, however, never left the football.
After the ball reached its apex, Hutchison wasn’t even looking at it; instead, he focused on completing his route toward the back-right corner of the end zone. Meanwhile, Samuel started to flip his hips 180 degrees, locking onto the ball and putting his hands up to snare the pick.
Samuel easily secured the interception and tried to return it, but stepped out of bounds in the back of the end zone. In a 38-3 game, though, that didn’t matter. Samuel’s elite vision allowed the pick to look a little too easy. His next step is replicating that effort against top quarterbacks and receivers in the ACC.
