‘That guy is like Spider-Man’: Ross-Simmons’ late catches sling SU past NCSU
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Steve Angeli doesn’t really know how to describe it, but something about the way Justus Ross-Simmons wins the ball is poetic. It’s almost like an action figure. Or better yet, a superhuman.
“That guy is like Spider-Man out there on the ball,” Angeli said of Ross-Simmons. “He just finds a way to get it.”
It’s some high praise, of course, but if you watched the fifth-year Saturday, he looked the part.
Ross-Simmons didn’t make a catch until 1:53 remained Saturday against NC State, but he finished with the three most important grabs of the game. On SU’s final drive, Ross-Simmons had a diving fourth-down snag, a go-ahead touchdown catch and an acrobatic two-point conversion. They all proved crucial in Syracuse’s (5-5, 3-5 Atlantic Coast) 34-31 win over NC State (4-6, 2-5 ACC).
“He’s a guy that’ll never stop,” SU head coach Fran Brown said of Ross-Simmons. “He just went out there and displayed that.”
His first catch wasn’t even supposed to end up in his hands. It was supposed to end up with Calvin Russell III — as it did a school-record 17 times Saturday.
After taking over at NC State’s 49-yard line with about three and a half minutes remaining, Syracuse found itself in a fourth-and-3 try at the Wolfpack 29. Angeli looked for Russell on a quick slant route, although the freshman didn’t have much separation.
NC State’s Jackson Vick hit Russell in the back, causing the ball to flutter in the air. Ross-Simmons, who was closer to the numbers running a shallower slant, dashed toward the ball, diving to the turf and corralling the ball in his outstretched arms.
The Orange had life.
Four plays later, with SU in the red zone, there was only one answer as to where the ball needed to go. The 6-foot-3 Ross-Simmons made himself a role almost purely off dominating contested catches. He showed it last year against Clemson. But he hadn’t had too many chances to haul them in this season.
Angeli gave him one. Ross-Simmons ran a fade, and Angeli hucked a pass toward the back-right pylon. Ross-Simmons climbed the ladder, as he always seems to do, and plucked the ball out of the sky. His left arm, bracing his fall, landed in the red paint. Then his whole body did.
Touchdown, Syracuse.
And if it wasn’t broken, why would the Orange fix it? Needing two points to take a field-goal advantage, Ross-Simmons lined up on the other side of the ball, one-on-one with his defender.
At the snap of the ball, Ross-Simmons chopped his feet, then gained outside leverage on his defender. Angeli looked his way immediately, uncorking a pass Ross-Simmons had to reach to the top shelf for.
Again, in Randy Moss fashion, he pulled it down. The Orange had their insurance.
“I’ve been doing it all week during practice, so really out there, that was just a routine catch for me,” Ross-Simmons said.
“In the red area, that’s my specialty,” he added.
It felt good for him. Before last week’s game against Clemson, he’d mustered just 40 total yards in October. While Russell and Umari Hatcher were breaking out, Ross-Simmons still hadn’t caught a touchdown all season.
He still took a backseat Saturday. On an afternoon when Russell had the game he did, Ross-Simmons was never going to steal the spotlight.
But Saturday was a good reminder. The Orange can always look toward their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
