Coming into Saturday’s game against Wake Forest, freshman wide receiver Brisly Estime had made just eight catches during his limited minutes on the field. He had been just a blip on the box score… until today, when Estime snagged more catches than any Syracuse wide receiver has made in a game all season.
It was a career day for Estime, in more ways than one. He made his first career start, he caught his first career touchdown, he had a career-high nine receptions and a career-high 62 yards and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Syracuse offense.
“He takes a lot off of me,” starting quarterback Terrel Hunt said. “I could throw a bubble out there and he’ll run for a few extra yards. It adds on to the playmakers that we have.”
Those playmakers haven’t been making many plays lately. The offense went six full quarters, dating back to the Georgia Tech loss, without scoring. Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer said he’s ready to get Estime more involved.
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“He’s doing a good job,” he said. “We put a lot on his table and we want to continue to do that. But I thought he handled it well today. I was pleased with the way he played.”
In the first half, the Orange couldn’t get anything going offensively. Zero points and 14 combined punts were the only notable stat lines. But Estime was the one bright spot and a big part of the eventual offensive success. He opened up opportunities for Hunt to make a lot of short screen passes that helped get him get in a rhythm.
“They put me on screen plays because they know I can make the first person miss and get some extra yards,” Estime said. And the extra field time paid off when Estime finally caught a pass in the end zone for the first time in his college career.
“It felt good,” he said. “It was a blessing. I’ve been praying for this first touchdown.”
But Estime has a long way to go. Coach Shafer said he was a more unorganized in certain moments than he would’ve hoped, but according to Hunt, Estime has a bright future in Orange.
“He’s a young guy,” Hunt said. “But he’s hungry.”
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