Syracuse had just won its first game, but by the way his eyes searched desperately across the floor, you would have thought O’Neil Scott was struggling to come to terms with a devastating loss.

Scott seemed too timid to look at his interviewers, too upset to speak with much authority.

“I feel like I could do a lot better,” Scott finally said after Syracuse’s 63-17 drubbing of Rhode Island on Saturday. “There’s a lot of room for improvement. I feel like I’m letting my teammates down.”

Such has been the outlook for Scott, in some ways the whipping boy of Syracuse’s secondary. In his first three games at starting free safety, Scott has struggled to keep up with opposing offenses and shouldered the blame for SU’s defensive problems.

“O’Neil’s still learning, still learning,” cornerback Will Hunter said. “He’s got a long way to go, no doubt about that. He hasn’t settled into his role yet. He’s still trying to do too much.”

That was often the case Saturday. Playing against Rhode Island’s triple-option offense, Scott had to be ready for the pitch, the run or the pass at all times. And on a couple of occasions, he guessed wrong.

On a Rhode Island first-and-10 a minute into the second quarter, Scott guessed pass and drifted backward. Instead, Jason Ham took a hand off up the middle, through a fumbling Scott and down the field for 52 yards.

Ten minutes later on a second-and-7, Scott guessed run. Rhode Island quarterback Jayson Davis threw to Wendall Williams, who Scott caught up to 47 yards later.

“O’Neil is developing in the hardest position on defense,” said Chris Rippon, SU’s defensive coordinator. “He’s got to make all the checks. He’s the last line of defense.”

Saturday, the defense gave up six plays of 20 yards or longer in the first half. But even more surprising was how Scott reacted after his miscues. Twice the sophomore doubled over and banged his head against the ground, only getting up at a teammate’s urgings.

“Every time something happens, he puts his head down,” Hunter said. “It’s ridiculous. He’s learning to pick himself up, but he’s got a long way to go on that. You just can’t beat yourself up like that.”

“I’m itching to make the play too much sometimes, and I get down on myself when I don’t,” Scott said. “I’m working to get better at it, to keep my head in the game.”

While Rippon has been impressed with Scott’s improvement, it seems the other defensive backers haven’t been.

For three weeks, Syracuse’s secondary has publically prodded, poked and pushed Scott to improved.

After a loss to North Carolina at home more than a week ago, SU’s veterans quickly placed blame.

“Some of the responsibility falls on younger guys because it’s new and different for them,” senior cornerback Latroy Oliver said Sept. 9. “Sometimes they struggle with it, and as a result we’re struggling. We’re trying to help them, and we’re really not focused on our jobs because of it.”

Such criticism is starting to keep Scott from focusing on his job, too. On the turf and after the game, he seems beaten.

“He’s a young kid, and he tries very hard,” Rippon said. “You can’t fault the kid’s effort. He really wants to do the right thing. It’s not like attitude is a problem. He’s always giving the effort. And slowly, that’s going to start to show.”

Published on September 16, 2002 at 12:00 pm