HOUSTON — It was a haughty proclamation to make about the little guy. Dyshawn Davis and the defense had done their job, forcing a Minnesota punt in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and out trotted Brisly Estime, all 5 feet, 9 inches and 170 pounds, with the game hanging in the balance.

“He’s about to take this to the crib,” Davis told his defensive teammates standing within earshot.

So Estime, a freshman wide receiver, backed up to position himself under Peter Mortell’s booming punt, brought the ball into his body and froze for just an instant. And he was off.

Estime darted straight ahead, past the 20-yard line and out to midfield. He turned to his right, leaving Maxx Williams facing the wrong direction and Damarius Travis in his wake. He headed to the right sideline, where Mortell tackled him the way a punter normally does — awkwardly, but just enough to knock Estime off balance and tumbling to the ground.

He brought Syracuse down to the Golden Gophers’ 14-yard line. Three plays later, he stood on the goal line as Terrel Hunt sprinted by for the go-ahead touchdown in SU’s (7-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast) 21-17 Texas Bowl victory over Minnesota (8-5, 4-4 Big 10) in front of 32,327 at Reliant Stadium in Houston. With almost a month since Estime last took the field, he was better than ever, slicing up Minnesota on the ground, through the air and on special teams to the tune of 194 all-purpose yards.

“Brisly’s as quick as a jitterbug,” head coach Scott Shafer said.

And when he bounced through the hole for a 70-yard punt return, he changed the complexion of a game that was sluggish at the start, but a seesaw affair on the back end. It meant the Orange’s two-minute drill would only have to trek 14 yards and gave offensive coordinator George McDonald the flexibility to lead SU to a game-winning score.

But it was his play throughout the day that gave McDonald added flexibility and helped the Orange score 21 points in a game that once seemed destined to see some single-digit numbers on the scoreboard.

For a time during the season, Estime wasn’t consistent enough to be relied upon. He was playing a new position — H-back — for a new team in an unfamiliar place. Snowy Syracuse is a long way from sunny South Florida.

But he was always exciting. He was small, but the plays were always big. Like a 23-yard catch-and-run against Northwestern. Or a touchdown catch on a throw from wide receiver Jarrod West against Wake Forest. And a catch 32 yards downfield against Boston College that was his longest play from scrimmage of the season.

“He went out there and showed that he’s very talented and a really bright star for next year,” defensive tackle Jay Bromley said.

With a couple extra weeks of practice, he could turn the flashes into a sustainable shine. Most of the time during Syracuse’s extra practice was designated for game planning, but the final 45 minutes were generally set aside to let the younger players get some reps. Estime is part of the game plan, but he’s still a young guy, too. That meant double duty.

“He was barely off the field,” center Macky MacPherson said.

Maybe it didn’t help him burst past the Golden Gophers’ punt coverage team or on any of his three kick returns that he brought past the 20, but it helped him spend as much time on the field as he had in any game this season and lead Syracuse in receiving.

With the Orange trailing by three late in the fourth quarter, Estime hauled in a 21-yard catch, reaching down to make the grab between a pair of defenders to pick up a crucial first down and move SU in range for a potential game-tying field goal.

“He’s explosive, man,” running back Jerome Smith said. “Brisly’s explosive.”

Still, as much as he was explosive, he was just as combustible. He fumbled his only carry of the game on Syracuse’s opening drive and dropped a touchdown that should have been when he dove into the end zone on the Orange’s next possession. Even after his heroic return, he false started just three plays after to exacerbate Hunt’s heroics.

But the good was enough that the bad didn’t matter so much, and enough to show how important a bowl game could be. This game was going to come for Estime one day.

It was just the Texas Bowl, but SU was in the spotlight and Estime put on a show.

“He really worked his butt off and it showed in that game,” MacPherson said. “It really showed. That was one of the best games from a wide receiver or any athlete I’ve ever seen.”

Published on December 28, 2013 at 1:54 am

Contact David: dbwilson@syr.edu | @DBWilson2