Jameel Dumas, standing on the sideline, watching his teammates run onto the Carrier Dome turf, almost cried Saturday.

Soon, they might be tears of joy.

Dumas, a senior outside linebacker on the Syracuse football team, hopes to return from what he called a ‘minor’ left knee injury next Saturday against Toledo.

‘Right now we’re just going day-by-day,’ Dumas said. ‘But it’s feeling better.’

Dumas, who was injured near the conclusion of SU’s season opener at North Carolina, missed last Saturday’s game against Louisville and will miss this Saturday’s game against Central Florida at noon in the Dome.

Dumas still uses crutches to get around, but he’s walking on the knee more regularly. He still lifts weights with the team, he said.

The injury did not requite surgery, Dumas said, and the main concern now is slight swelling around his knee.

Redshirt freshman Kelvin Smith replaced Dumas in the starting lineup. Against the Cardinals, Smith made nine tackles.

‘One thing I like about him is his enthusiasm,’ Dumas said. ‘I remember me being a redshirt freshman stepping in. I see a little bit of me in him.’

With a little help, Dumas should be playing with him soon.

‘(Receivers) coach (Dennis) Goldman joked around with me, saying ‘We gotta get you to a healer.’ ‘ Dumas said. ‘Try to praise the Lord or something.’

Back again

Sophomore wide receiver and punt returner Rashard Williams returned to the team Tuesday, Pasqualoni said.

Williams left the team at the end of preseason because of homesickness.

‘Rashard felt in his heart that he needed to come back and be a part of the team and work hard to get a degree here,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘He needed some time to think about what he wanted to do. It was best for him to go home.’

Williams’s return could pay dividends soon. With Jamel Riddle still sitting out because of academic reasons, Syracuse needs a speedy, big-play receiver.

But since Williams played as a true freshman, there’s an option to redshirt him, a logical choice considering Williams has already missed two games.

‘There’s a need at wide receiver,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘We’ll make a decision at the end of the week.’

Jam session

Three weeks into the season, Riddle’s academic issue is still not fully resolved.

Syracuse is still waiting to process Riddle’s grades from the classes he took at Onondaga Community College this summer and should have a definitive timetable for Riddle’s return by next Wednesday, Pasqualoni said.

‘If we heard before the end of the week, he would play,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘If we don’t, it will be next week.’

Filling in

One man’s injury is another man’s opportunity. Joe Kowalewski learned that fast after senior tight end Joe Donnelly went down with a shoulder injury during late preseason, thrusting Kowalewski, a sophomore in his first season as a tight end, into a large role.

‘It is going to take some time to get used to game speed,’ Kowalewski said. ‘I’m grateful for getting to play in these couple games. Maybe it is a chance to show the coaches that I can do it, not in a scrimmage, but a freakin’ game where it really matters.’

After practicing against the same teammates for a year, Kowalewski spent much of the UNC game adjusting to Tar Heel outside linebackers and defensive ends.

Despite admitted nerves during the opener, Kowalewski has proven a reliable backup in a blocking role. Coaches graded Kowalewski’s performance out at 85 after UNC and 80 after Louisville.

Kowalewski, though, expects more.

‘It’s not up to my standards,’ Kowalewski said. ‘I want to be better than average. I’m looking to make bigger plays, hopefully do something out there to make a statement and get my name known a little bit.’

After watching film of the UNC game, Kowalewski noticed he hesitated at times. Instead of reacting to the play, he was caught up in thinking about his assignment. After burning the playbook into his mind, he’s more relaxed.

‘Against Louisville, I really started to feel comfortable,’ Kowalewski said. ‘Now I’m starting to roll. I’m feeling good.

‘This is my opportunity. It’s a short window for me to prove something. In a couple weeks, Joe’s going to be back. It’s my time, and I have to take advantage of it.’

On the mend

Senior defensive end Josh Thomas, who suffered a left knee injury in the first quarter against UNC and did not return, played in the second half last Saturday against Louisville.

Thomas will return to the starting lineup Saturday against the Golden Knights with his knee at 90 percent and in a brace, he said.

‘I’m back enough that I can play a full game on it,’ Thomas said. ‘The brace limits a little bit, but the pain really isn’t there.’

Thomas injured his foot in the second game of last season, which was coincidentally played against UNC.

The foot bothered him for most of the season. But Thomas, who’s been limited to about 15 plays the entire season, doesn’t expect his knee injury to have the same effect.

Thomas, who lost more than 20 pounds in the offseason, will be a key addition to a pass rush that has registered zero sacks this season.

‘We need to get more pressure on the quarterback,’ Thomas said. ‘(UCF) is going to want to air it out, because we haven’t been stopping the pass and they have a great quarterback. Hopefully we’ll have a chance to really get after him.’

Fresh starter

Sophomore guard Steve Franklin made his first career start Saturday, replacing Jason Greene. Though he received the start, Franklin rotated with Greene.

Franklin said the move came because of unspecified injuries and that the pair will continue to platoon Saturday against Central Florida.

‘It’s a good idea for the future,’ Greene said. ‘It gives me a chance to experience some big games.’

SU coaches graded Franklin out at completing 78 percent of his assignments, just two percent lower than standard expectation.

‘It was fun starting,’ Franklin said. ‘It was an adrenaline rush.’

Published on September 17, 2003 at 12:00 pm