With one loud yell reverberating through the Carrier Dome on Sept. 27, Rich Scanlon exorcised the memory of the 2002 Syracuse football defense. The senior middle linebacker had just made a fourth-quarter tackle. He flexed for a moment, then cupped his hands to his mouth and screamed. For those who heard, it was like something out of a horror flick. For those that didn’t, you can imagine what he was thinking: ‘Not this year. Things are going to be different.’

Compared to last year, it has been. The Syracuse defense is clicking coming off of a 34-7 win over Toledo two Saturday’s ago. The key, thus far, has been its intensity.

Last year, doubt and ambivalence plagued the unit. Now, the defense is coming off two games in which it held opponents to less than 100 yards rushing. In its first two games, SU allowed 38.5 points a contest. In its last two, it has yielded an average of 10.5.

The pride’s been building up all year. Each win, each defensive stand, broods confidence.

The noticeable change in SU’s defense came with its stingy performance against Toledo. But Scanlon, whose 55 tackles ranks him No. 3 in the country, said the unit’s been picking up speed since week one.

Granted, SU is allowing 286.8 yards passing per game, good for No. 108 out of 117 teams in Division I. But in three of the four games, the opponent had nothing to lose by throwing the football. UCF and Toledo relied almost solely on the pass while attempting second-half comebacks.

‘You could tell things were getting better game by game,’ Scanlon said. ‘I know it’s hard for you guys to see that. You saw those first two games, then saw this dramatic improvement the third game. But probably the last game we played is a good indication of what we’re capable of doing.’

If that’s so, then Virginia Tech will have its hands full. The defensive line is performing to its potential. With defensive end Josh Thomas recovered from a slightly torn medial collateral ligament, the line limited Central Florida and Toledo to 92 and 76 rushing yards, respectively.

Last season’s disaster took a toll on the Orangemen’s confidence. Now, it’s starting to soar.

‘Coming into (the season) we just wanted to get back on track with what Syracuse football is about,’ defensive end Julian Pollard said. ‘We knew we were going to do that through game one.’

The defense is capable of containing a strong passing game – just ask Central Florida’s Ryan Schneider, who threw three interceptions – and a bullish running attack – ditto to Toledo’s Astin Martin and Trinity Dawson.

SU can clog the middle or blitz less to contain quicksilver Tech quarterbacks Bryan Randle and Marcus Vick, but to truly limit Virginia Tech’s vaunted offense, it needs to demonstrate the attitude that compelled Scanlon to yell out in front of 36,000 people.

‘Emotion on the field is a big indicator,’ Scanlon said. ‘We’ve shown a little more excitement on the field than last year, a lot more intensity and a lot more fire. We’re being a lot more physical.’

Said Pollard: ‘Any time you’re playing well, the intensity is going to come on the field. We’re going to carry that over to the next game.’

The intensity has been growing with each win. Against Toledo, it bubbled to the point where SU looked confident – cocky, even. After four games, that swagger has been the binding force for the Syracuse defense.

‘We have to keep going in that direction,’ Scanlon said. ‘A lot of guys that play off of emotion, the more intense things are, the more fired up they are, the better they’ll play. We draw off each other, the energy. That’s shared throughout the defense. That’s how we’ve got to try to play every game.’

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Published on October 6, 2003 at 12:00 pm