If Dino Babers wants to take the next step at Syracuse in 2017, he’ll have to do so without a key starter along the offensive line this season.
The school announced Saturday that starting left guard Aaron Roberts suffered a left knee injury during the team’s summer conditioning drills and will miss the season as a result. The Orange noted that the redshirt junior started all 12 games in 2016 and led the team in snaps played and knockdown blocks for an offensive lineman.
As tough of a blow as losing a starting lineman is, it’s even rougher for Roberts considering the team opens preseason camp tomorrow.
Sophomores Sam Clausman and Andrejas Duerig likely get first crack at filling in for Roberts at guard prior to any shuffling of players during fall camp. Syracuse will open the season against Central Connecticut State but the loss of their starting guard will probably be felt most in late September when the team travels to LSU and N.C. State in back-to-back weeks.