Last week in practice, Terrel Hunt was surprised to see Ashton Broyld lined up on the perimeter instead of in the slot.

“I’m like, ‘What you doin’ out there?’” Hunt said.

“Nah, nah,” Broyld responded. “I’m playing here now.”

And so he is. With the emergence of freshman H-back Brisly Estime, Broyld moves outside to a more traditional wide receiver position instead of the H-back role he occupied prior to the Wake Forest game. Syracuse (4-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) will try this setup for the second week in a row when it travels to Maryland (5-3, 1-3) to face the Terrapins on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in College Park, Md.

The long-term switch allows Estime to continue to see the field after he scored his first collegiate touchdown and led all SU receivers with 62 yards against Wake Forest. It also enables Broyld to use his size to his advantage on the outside.

Most importantly, it gets arguably the Orange’s two most explosive receivers on the field at the same time.

“What we’re trying to do with it is create a consistent passing game,” Broyld said. “(Estime’s) an explosive player, and I’m trying to be an explosive player.”

Broyld wasn’t explosive on Saturday, though. He seemed lost in his new role and didn’t record a catch against the Demon Deacons. While Estime flourished, Broyld missed catchable balls.

“That’s my fault,” Broyld said. “I got the ball thrown to me and didn’t make the play. Got to move on. Put the ball in my area, I got to go get it.”

For a player who has shuffled from quarterback to running back to H-back and now to wide receiver, change is nothing new. Broyld said route running is entirely different on the outside and the timing is tough to adjust to.

But his quarterback is confident he’ll figure it out soon.

“He’s still working out the kinks,” Hunt said. “He’s an athlete and he can play anywhere on the field, so he’s going to get it sooner or later.”

Hunt threw a few catchable balls in Broyld’s direction, but there was clear miscommunication between the two.

On third-and-6, midway through the third quarter, Hunt spotted Broyld down the right sideline. He bombed the ball and led Broyld, but the pass was too far and fell incomplete.

The lack of practice and comfort were transparent. Hunt fiddled with his chinstrap as he walked off the field before speaking with backup Drew Allen.

Some of that falls on Hunt, but for Broyld, much of the ineptitude can be attributed to his lack of familiarity with the new role.

Syracuse offensive coordinator George McDonald said Broyld “went through a couple growing pains” against Wake Forest. He blocked well, McDonald said, but is still a work in progress.

“Since I didn’t get the ball I tried to block as best I could,” Broyld said, “and I took my anger out on the person I was putting my hands on.”

Broyld said he was frustrated after the win, and that making the adjustment with such short notice was difficult.

McDonald said the goal is to make the defense defend all five eligible receivers. If a team zeroes in on Estime, then Broyld and other options like Christopher Clark are neglected and have room to operate.

“We’re just trying to spread out the playmakers,” McDonald said, “and allow our guys to get the ball in open space.”

And for Estime, the switch gives him the opportunity he has been waiting for and a chance to continue to unwrap his evident talent.

Estime’s best attribute on the field is his ability to make people miss. He showcased that skill in the return game against Georgia Tech and from the slot against Wake Forest.

Midway through the second quarter he picked up two first downs on a Syracuse drive. He used his deceptiveness and quick footedness to outmaneuver his way past strong safety Ryan Janvion on the first play and picked up enough for the first down on the second before Brandon Chubb made the stop.

Against Maryland, with both teams vying for bowl eligibility in a pivotal game, Syracuse will rely on more of the same from Estime and more consistency from Broyld.

Both players will be key cogs moving forward as Syracuse enters the final stretch of the season.

“They’re both great space players,” McDonald said. “They’re both different, but they both have the ability to make people miss to get yards after the catch.”

Published on November 7, 2013 at 1:03 am

Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass