Justin Pugh, the Syracuse Orange's All-Big East Conference left tackle, took one step closer to returning to game action Wednesday, as he began individual one-on-one drills, the Syracuse Post-Standard has reported. Pugh (6'5, 298 pounds) has slowly been recovering from left shoulder surgery that has kept him out of SU's preseason and first two regular season games.
According to the Post-Standard, Pugh looked to be in "midseason form", however, he's not expected to start in Saturday's non-conference contest against the FCS' Stony Brook Seawolves. Pugh's progress could help him return as soon as Sept. 22 when the Orange (0-2) visit the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
However, Pugh's expected return to the starting lineup is Oct. 5 when SU comes off a its first of two bye weeks and hosts Big East foe, the Pittsburgh Panthers, at the Carrier Dome.
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