Chris Elmore was jogging to the sideline after his first collegiate action in Week 1 when a few of his Syracuse teammates grabbed him and pointed to a section of fans loudly cheering for the freshman.
“You’ve got a fan section,” one teammate told Elmore.
A few weeks later, Elmore was on the sideline as the Orange played Central Michigan when he heard them.
“Put in Elmore!”
“Give Elmore the ball!”
“We want Elmore!”
The section had ballooned in size. A week earlier, Elmore -- a 290-pound defensive tackle and fullback -- had gotten eight carries, and the sight of the big man rumbling with the rock had turned plenty of heads.