As was rumored earlier this week, the Orange are making a significant change at quarterback.
The Syracuse University football team is making a drastic decision in advance of Friday night's Halloween showdown with Bill Belichick and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.
As was rumored earlier this week, the Orange are changing quarterbacks, benching Rickie Collins in favor of true freshman Joseph Filardi.
Per Kevin Maher of News12:
Confirmed that Hills West alum Joseph Filardi will start at QB tonight for #Syracuse against North Carolina, as the Orange make a QB change. Filardi is a true freshman who will also play college lacrosse. Syracuse faces Bill Belichick & UNC. @HHHAthletics@News12LI
Who is Filardi?
As noted, he's a true freshman who has not accumulated any stats this season. Listed at 6'1 and 195 pounds, he's from Dix Hills, N.Y. (Long Island).
According to Inside Lacrosse, he is a four-star lacrosse prospect. He was not rated in football.
What's to like about this move?
If you're going to throw an unproven player into the fire, this is probably the situation to do it in. Though the Tar Heels are coached by Belichick, they haven't had much success this season, entering play at 2-5 and winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Orange play nationally-ranked Miami and Notre Dame in the next two weeks, so this is as soft a landing as you can get at this point.
About Rickie Collins
The sophomore is a Louisiana native who spent two years at LSU before transferring. He's completed 54.5 percent of his passes this season for 957 yards, throwing six touchdowns against eight interceptions. He's taken over for Steve Angeli, who tore his Achilles against Clemson on Sept. 20.
Syracuse has lost to Duke, SMU, Pitt and No. 7 Georgia Tech with him at the helm. They've been outscored by 90 points in those four losses.
News and notes
--Kickoff against the Tar Heels is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game is airing on ESPN, but because of the carriage dispute between Google and Disney, YouTube TV viewers will not be able to watch.
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