Syracuse quarterback Rickie Collins talks about his benching and future, calls experience ‘humbling’

Syracuse, N.Y. — One week after being benched four games into his career as a starting quarterback, Syracuse redshirt sophomore Rickie Collins is back in the mix for the SU starting job and preparing to face the best defense in the ACC.

Collins is the face of the Orange’s unsettled quarterback situation this season, having endured a whirlwind experience in which the LSU transfer was named the starting quarterback in the spring, stripped of the title after a new challenger arrived, lost a competition for the job, received a second chance because of injury, was booed by Syracuse fans after two games and demoted after four.

Now he is back in play for SU, because of a disastrous performance, just in time for the two toughest games on the schedule.

All of that in the span of seven months.

Collins took a positive approach to the experience when reflecting with reporters on Monday.

“Humbling,” Collins said of his time at Syracuse. “Builds character. Like you said, it’s tough and adversity. But the great players we see today, you wouldn’t see those guys if they didn’t go through whatever their story may have been. Everyone’s story is different. Mine is different from the next guy.”

Collins said that the Orange is splitting practice time between himself, and freshmen Joe Filardi and Luke Carney this week. He said he doesn’t believe that split is hindering the ability of the quarterbacks to be as prepared as possible for Saturday’s game.

“Sometimes I may get more or Joe may get more or Luke comes in,” Collins said. “It’s what they feel is best in what we do.”

What the coaches feel is best for the Orange has changed rapidly in recent weeks.

Collins was the staunch choice as the team’s starter for four consecutive losses, a stretch against four good teams in which the Orange lost by an average of 22.5 points.

Syracuse replaced the turnover-prone Collins last week before a 27-10 loss to North Carolina.

Walk-on Joe Filardi, a true freshman who came to SU to play lacrosse and was far enough down the depth chart last spring that he spent portions of practice running routes at wide receiver, earned the start.

With Filardi under center, Syracuse completed just four passes, its fewest in a game since joining the ACC.

After throwing for 214.5 yards a game in four starts by Collins, the Orange totaled 39 passing yards against a team that hadn’t won a conference game.

The results were bad enough that Brown said his quarterbacks will compete for the starting job for a second consecutive week.

When discussing the program’s future at the position earlier in the week, Brown said that he views Angeli as the team’s starter moving forward. Any other player would have to take the job from him.

“This is a results-based business, right?” Brown said. “If (Collins) comes back, which hopefully he does, he’s going to have to compete with Steve. That’s Steve’s spot for the next year unless something crazy happens over these next three or four weeks.”

Collins, of course, will have his own decision to make.

When asked if he had any interest in returning to such an arrangement given how his experience in Central New York has played out, the Louisiana native said he preferred to discuss the short-term.

“Like I said, adversity is adversity to me,” Collins said, pausing before answering as if to collect his thoughts. “If I go, wherever the case may be, it’s gonna have downfalls and I’m going to go through something. I haven’t put thought into that right now. I’m just trying to take these last three games, trying to make it a fourth game, get as many wins as we can and send these seniors, and the other guys, out on a good note and try my best if I get the chance again.”

With the prospect of free agency just over a month away, Collins didn’t openly dismiss the idea, but him returning to Syracuse would seem to run counter to all traditional football logic.

Angeli has two years of college football eligibility remaining. So does Collins.

A return to SU would appear to mean that Collins is either betting on himself to beat out a quarterback who has beaten him once and who the staff has expressed strong belief in, or the four-star prospect is accepting that he will likely finish his career as a backup and that’s the best situation he can find.

Quarterback Luke Carney, whose usage in three games this season has also been perplexing, said he’s learned from watching how Collins has handled the difficult experience.

“It’s been good to look up to him,” Carney said. “The stuff he’s had to go through, the backlash he’s gotten from fans and whatnot, he’s been a great person to look up to.”

Collins declined to blame Brown or SU coaches for his experience.

He said that Brown explained his demotion to him last week during a one-on-one meeting. He praised the coach for his honesty and said he feels he’s been treated fairly.

“Coach Fran is probably the most honest, fair person that I’ve met so far in my career and he’s going to play the best person,” Collins said. “He called me into the office and told me he was moving on from me. He voiced he felt it was what was best for the team.

“We have a lot of guys who have opportunities to go to the NFL, seniors that may be in their last three or four games. ... Ultimately, it’s a business now. Those guys are coaching us but we are performing what they teach us. Their jobs are basically in our hands.”

Collins, a prized free agent acquisition for the Orange this offseason, will certainly be asked to earn his money if he does start the next two games for Syracuse.

The Orange faces the No. 18 team in the country this week. After a week off, it faces the No. 10 team.

The Hurricanes are currently the ACC’s best defense allowing 15.6 points per game. Syracuse is a 28.5-point underdog.