Syracuse welcomed back a pair of running backs on Monday, as Prince-Tyson Gulley (stab wounds) and Steve Rene (right arm infection) were able to go through practice without any issues. But the Orange were without strong safety Phillip Thomas, who will be out with a broken jaw. Thomas was Syracuse's third-leading tackler a season ago.
The return of Gulley and Rene helps out in both the backfield and on special teams as both will contribute. But to lose Thomas is big, especially when considering that they lost some important defensive leaders to graduation. The sooner they can get Thomas back the better.