Rutgers vs. Syracuse: Shamarko Thomas, Alec Lemon, Jeremiah Kobena battling injuries

After admitting for weeks his team is the healthiest its ever been since his hiring in 2008, Syracuse Orange head coach Doug Marrone is dealing with a handful of banged up players before Saturday's Big East Conference showdown with the No. 20-ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

According to a pair of reports from the Syracuse Post-Standard duo of Nolan Weidner and Dave Rahme, safety Shamarko Thomas and wide receivers Alec Lemon and Jeremiah Kobena are all a bit banged up.

For starters, Thomas is recovering from a concussion he suffered in last Friday's 14-13 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers. As of Tuesday, the defensive captain was listed as "day-to-day" and was participating in practice wearing a white "no-contact" jersey.

Thomas currently leads SU in tackles per game (6.6) and has the most starts of any defensive player (30). Considering the Orange's secondary struggles, with Thomas being its best defensive back five games into the season, if the senior can play it would be a big boost to the lineup.

Another player wearing a "non-contact" jersey Tuesday was Lemon. According to Weidner, the Orange's second leading receiver will not miss Saturday's game but is dealing with a "minor" medical issue.

As for Kobena, his return to the field is still up-in-the air as he is dealing with a hand injury, says Rahme. A source did tell Rahme the Orange kick returner could be back at practice before the end of the week.

Meanwhile, there has been no injury update on sophomore defensive back Brandon Reddish, who did not start and played very sparingly against Pitt. Considering Reddish did see action, its expected he will play Saturday.