When Sean Hickey was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain last week, he thought there was a 5-10 percent chance he’d play against Boston College.

He didn’t practice all week but said he felt good in warm-ups thanks to rehab and painkillers.

Hickey decided to play and lasted into the second half before Michael Lasker replaced him. He guided Syracuse (6-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast) to a thrilling 34-31 win over Boston College (7-5, 4-4). Hickey said he’ll play in Syracuse’s bowl game regardless of where or when the game takes place.

“Now I have a lot of time,” Hickey said, “and I’ll be fine for the bowl game.”

Hickey said there was a 50-50 chance he’d suit up entering the day. He warmed up and said he felt stiff in the beginning, but an injection into his ankle helped lessen the pain.

He realized he could do all the steps he needed to in order to play. The main issue was whether he could take a hit because he hadn’t done so since the Pittsburgh game a week prior.

During halftime, the trainers gave him another injection, this one down in his lower leg. But as that injection started to permeate his body, the ankle injection started to wear off.

In the third quarter, Hickey finally had to sit out because the pain was too high.

“My legs got taken out from underneath me,” he said. “I was going to try and stay in, but I guess Coach decided to pull me off.”

In his absence, Lasker stepped up and played near mistake-free football. Last week he had to face Pittsburgh star Aaron Donald, but this week the task was less demanding and Lasker had a week of reps under his belt.

“(Hickey) played as long as he could for as hard as he could and he just went,” Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer said. “And finally he couldn’t play anymore, so Lasker goes in and he plays a good ball game.”

Hickey said it was weird watching from the sideline as his team went out and won the game, but it was still an amazing feeling seeing Terrel Hunt lead the team to a bowl game.

Syracuse survived without Hickey, an NFL prospect, and now it will have him back going forward.

“He’s a real tough kid,” Syracuse center Macky MacPherson said, “and I commend him for as well as he played for as long as he did because I know his ankle was hurting all week.”

Published on December 1, 2013 at 12:21 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass