LSU Tigers

Syracuse OC says walk-on Mahoney is 'the guy' at QB vs. LSU

Published Sep. 23, 2015 2:43 p.m. ET

foxsports

Syracuse will play arguably the toughest game on its schedule this Saturday when it hosts No. 8 LSU and will look to a walk-on, junior college transfer to lead it to victory.

On Wednesday, Orange offensive coordinator Tim Lester announced that Zach Mahoney will get the starting nod when Syracuse (3-0, 1-0 ACC) hosts the No. 8 Tigers (2-0, 2-0 SEC) at noon ET.

"Right now Zack is the guy that has shown the most, and he's the most consistent with the things that we're doing, and we feel confident he can execute all the parts of our passing," Lester told the media Wednesday.

The Orange began the year with senior Terrel Hunt behind center, but after the star QB sustained a season-ending Achilles injury during the season opener, Syracuse turned to freshman Eric Dungey.

However, Dungey took a helmet-to-helmet hit during the first half of the Orange’s 30-27 overtime victory over Central Michigan, which led to Lester using both sophomore Austin Wilson and Mahoney throughout the course of the game.

Wilson finished the contest going 4 for 8 for 49 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Mahoney, who is viewed as more of a dual-threat QB, completed all four of his attempts for 19 yards.

Lester said the bottom line was that he's more comfortable with Mahoney at the helm.

"I wanted to ease Zack in because he had never played," Lester said. "At that point I knew Mahoney could run all facets of our offense. I knew if Zack was playing well he'd be the guy that I could just call in. I could call any play in the playbook and know that he can execute it.

"He definitely proved that he can handle the situation. He didn't freak out. The ball wasn't going end over end, but now this week is totally different."