Luke Carney wants to show he can throw: ‘They need to have a little bit more confidence in me’

Syracuse, N.Y. — Freshman quarterback Luke Carney has attempted just three passes despite taking 21 snaps over three games this season.

After losing last week’s quarterback competition to fellow freshman Joe Filardi, Carney said Tuesday night it’s time for his coaches to have some faith in him.

“I think that my legs is something they’ve wanted to use,” Carney said after practice. “I guess I need to prove a little bit more. But also, I think maybe they need to have a little bit more confidence in me.”

Carney been yo-yoed in spot appearances this season, getting yanked before a 3rd-and-9 play against Pittsburgh and getting just one series in the third quarter vs. North Carolina.

Despite the questionable game management, Carney said he sees himself playing at Syracuse next season.

“I see myself here,” he said. “It’s been a good relationship with the coaches throughout and, whatever they choose to do, I’m going to support 100%.”

Carney said Syracuse has been holding a fair open competition for the starting quarterback job this week. However, he’ll seemingly be part of that competition for just one of Syracuse’s final three games.

Head coach Fran Brown said Monday that Syracuse plans to use Carney’s redshirt. After playing three games this season, he is one game away from the four-game limit preserve a season of eligibility.

Both Brown and Carney said that redshirting was the plan for Carney since the offseason. But Carney said Tuesday he was fine with sacrificing his redshirt had he earned the right to replace Collins under center.

“It was kind of a week-to-week thing,” Carney said. “We weren’t really too worried about if I was gonna need to use it.”

While Carney expressed his desire for more confidence from his coaches, he said that some fine tuning to his throwing motion has been done since he arrived in Syracuse. Carney throws with a slight hitch, which slows his delivery behind a lackluster offensive line.

“My mechanics have grown a lot with the help of Coach [Nunzio Campanile],” he said.

Syracuse has played four quarterbacks this season. Carney is the only one that hasn’t started a game.

Angeli led the nation in passing yards before his injury, Collins had more turnovers than touchdowns and Filardi completed just four of his 18 passes while losing a fumble in last Friday’s loss to North Carolina.

Carney has completed two of his three pass attempts for 10 yards and is averaging 4 yards per carry with a touchdown. His last chances to start are at No. 18 Miami and No. 10 Notre Dame, and home against Boston College in a game that may decide the last-place team in the ACC.

As Carney and Brown have said, practice will determine whether or not the four-time Texas state champion will see the field. If he can’t earn the coaches’ trust to throw the football, though, his redshirt status will likely be safe.