Syracuse took 11 defensive backs to Brigham Young last week and seven of them played.

Will Hunter said it wasn’t enough.

When asked if a steady defensive-back rotation kept him fresh, the Syracuse cornerback/safety/special-teamer said: “Fresh? I don’t even know if that’s a word after that game. I’m more like dead.”

A hectic secondary rotation has left Hunter’s teammates ready to keel over, too. Projected starting safety Keeon Walker didn’t start Thursday at BYU and played sparingly, leaving safety O’Neil Scott, corner Latroy Oliver and Hunter on the field for about 100 plays each.

“With Keeon’s injury, even when he went in, he wasn’t at full speed,” head coach Paul Pasqualoni said. “So we had to move a few things and put a heavier load on some guys.”

Hunter moved from his usual corner position to safety to fill Walker’s shoes. Jeremiah Mason and Steve Gregory, both fairly inexperienced, rotated in at corner.

Walker, who strained his left groin earlier in the summer, estimated he’s about 90 percent healthy. But he still might not take back his starting spot this week against North Carolina.

“We’re trying to rotate enough to give guys a few plays off,” said Walker, a preseason Big East first-teamer. “That will make a big difference.

“But I’m not going to rush to get back to playing all the time right now. I don’t want to mess it up and have to start again from scratch. Just as long as I’m contributing some and not just sitting on the bench, then it will work OK.”

At least for Walker. He’s not ready to pass out with exhaustion like the rest of his position mates.

Gun for fun

At BYU, Syracuse had little trouble replacing last year’s gunners J.R. Johnson and Willie Ford.

Hunter and Steve Gregory filled that special-teams void, limiting BYU returners to no yards on two attempted returns.

On the first punt, Hunter and Gregory combined to smack returner Reno Mahe for a 7-yard loss. On the next punt, Hunter crushed Mahe immediately after he caught the ball. Mahe fumbled, Hunter recovered and Syracuse scored one play later.

“They did a great job,” punter Mike Shafer said. “With the guys we lost last year, that’s tough to come in and fill that. But they did it without any problem.”

“I’d like to say our gunners this year will be better than last year’s,” Hunter said. “Every guy we’ve got at that position runs the (40-yard dash) in around 4.3 seconds. We’ve got sick speed.”

Back and forth

Even after his exciting debut, don’t expect to see more of freshman running back Damien Rhodes next week.

When asked if Rhodes would play more against North Carolina, Pasqualoni said, “You saw a lot of him last week.”

Pasqualoni also sung the praises of hard-nosed back Walter Reyes, listed as the starter. Rhodes and Reyes will probably split the carries again this week.

Lost in the running-back picture is senior Barry Baker, who didn’t carry the ball once at BYU. Baker went into the season listed as the back-up, same as Rhodes.

“I really don’t know what to say about (not playing),” Baker said. “I’m disappointed in a way. I still don’t feel I’ve had a chance to do anything.”

Knee problems

Defensive tackle Christian Ferrara sprained his knee at BYU and likely won’t play Saturday against North Carolina, Pasqualoni said.

“If there were categories, I’d say he’s not likely,” Pasqualoni said. “We’ll rotate some guys in there and give them a chance to play.”

Ferrara left after the first half against Brigham Young and did not return.

This and that

With his team plagued by cramps at BYU, Pasqualoni found a flaw in his gameplan. “BYU uses pickle juice to prevent the cramps,” Pasqualoni said. “I don’t know why, but we didn’t have any.”

Published on September 2, 2002 at 12:00 pm