Prince-Tyson Gulley and Jerome Smith’s styles meshed well, but only Gulley will suit up for Syracuse this season.

When asked if the Orange will lack a power running back with Smith departing to the NFL, Gulley shook his head and smiled, an even bigger runner on his mind.

“Not at all. People will see A.D.,” he said, referring to senior Adonis Ameen-Moore. “He’s another one of those guys. We’ve still got a power runner in the backfield.”

In the past two seasons, Smith was the thunder and Gulley the lightning for the Orange’s rushing attack. Gulley returns and the backfield has plenty of options, but Smith’s not one of them. A leaner Ameen-Moore is now SU’s likely short-yardage option, where his 5-foot-11, approximately 240-pound build made him the anchor of the “tank package” two years ago. 

“Naturally you think Adonis will be that guy,” SU running backs coach DeAndre Smith said. “He’s a big physical kid, gets downhill, so I’m expecting him to be that guy and take that role.”

Gulley has the speed and George Morris II seems poised for a breakout year. Devante McFarlane averaged more than six yards per carry last season and the coaches have raved about freshman Ervin Phillips.

Syracuse’s group of backs is deep, but Ameen-Moore is still the team’s largest runner.

Thanks to improved eating habits, the senior said he’s lost about five pounds since last year — contrary to the 246 pounds he’s currently listed at on SU’s roster. 

“Adonis, what I’ve seen is ‘Less is more,’” head coach Scott Shafer said. “He lost some good weight. He looks quicker, more agile out there.”

During the Doug Marrone era two years ago, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett threw Ameen-Moore into a revamped goal-line package dubbed the “tank package.” The result was five rushing touchdowns, which ranked him second on the team despite playing in just six games.

But as Smith and Gulley combined for 1,370 yards and 16 touchdowns last year, Ameen-Moore became a non-factor, totaling just 26 yards on five carries all season.

“I wasn’t really having a big role, so I was kind of just letting back and wasn’t doing too much,” he said. “Cutting weight wasn’t something that was hard for me. It wasn’t something I haven’t done before.”

In the past, Ameen-Moore said, he’d go all day without eating and then would have one big meal at the end of the day, which led to the weight increase. Now he makes sure he consistently has smaller meals throughout the day and keeps his metabolism going.

He and the coaches are both happy with his weight, though he would like to drop an additional five pounds soon.

If the Orange wants size and brute force, though, Ameen-Moore is ready to contribute that.

“I’m the biggest one, but I can do a lot of things that they can do. And they can do a lot of things that I can do,” Ameen-Moore said. “Hopefully I can come in and show the coaches I can have a more significant role with the team.”

Published on August 8, 2014 at 12:31 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb