Commentators accuse Syracuse player of heinous act in Tennessee loss:
By MAX WINTERS,
Syracuse player Demetres Samuel Jr. has been accused of faking an injury in a bid to slow down the Tennessee offense during their game on Saturday.
With around 1:25 left in the first half of their game in Atlanta on Saturday, the Volunteers were steaming down the field and managed to pick up 63 yards on two plays.
When Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar found his receiver Mike Matthews for a 16-yard gain, Samuel Jr. could be seen falling to the turf with nobody around him.
For a brief second, one of his teammates next to him also looked like he was going to go down before deciding against it and standing back up.
Samuel Jr.'s action forced the officials to stop the clock, slowing the game down.
But commentators Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick knew exactly what had just happened and weren't afraid to voice their frustrations on air.
Syracuse player Demetres Samuel Jr. (bottom right) has been accused of faking an injury
Samuel Jr. could be seen falling to the turf as Tennessee made a quick charge down the field
Syracuse medics rushed on to support the player, who was back on the field immediately after
'This isn't a good look. This one looked blatant,' Riddick said.
'They're trying to crack down on this kind of thing — faking injuries. And I don't want to assume anything about any player, but this one looked suspicious.
'That's just not what college football wants. They're trying to get this out of the game.
'We understand strategically why defenses try to do this when they're on their heels but this is something you're going to wind up getting penalized for if referees catch it.'
Samuel Jr. then returned to the field shortly after. Wischusen, who also shamed the Vols for doing something similar earlier in the game, called his return a 'miraculous recovery.'
Fans quickly went to social media to vent their frustration at the blatant faking by Samuel Jr.
One commented: 'I'm glad announcers are calling it out now. It's getting (and has been) ridiculous.'
Another posted: 'Horrible right in front of the ref and didn't call a thing.'
A third added: 'That's all on the coach. They were obviously coached to do that. Pathetic and telling kids to play that way is terrible advice moving forward in life.'
'So clearly there's no ethics in the @CuseFootball program. Bunch of fakers,' another furious fan said.
Despite his best attempts at disrupting Tennessee, Samuel Jr.'s efforts were fruitless because they went up 31-14 and would win the game comfortably.
Aguilar passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns as No. 24 Tennessee held off Syracuse for a 45-26 win.
Aguilar was 16-for-28 passing in his first game with the Volunteers. He threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Staley in the second quarter and found Star Thomas for a seven-yard touchdown in the third.
He also helped close out the win when he passed to Miles Kitselman for a two-yard touchdown in the fourth.
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