Syracuse Orangemen Football 2010 "Preview"Team Report Special

Syracuse coach Doug Marrone said the excitement of starting another year made it hard for him to sleep recently.
“I know I’m excited,” he said while releasing his depth chart for the season-opener at Akron. “But I don’t want my players to be like that. I want them to make sure they are sleeping.”

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Prince-Tyson Gulley, the true freshman running back, is one of several new players to earn a spot in the starting lineup for the opener. Gulley is penciled in as the kick returner for the Orange, who open their 2010 campaign at Akron’s InfoCision Stadium.
In addition to playing a key role in his first game, the 5-foot-9, 176-pounder will be performing in his hometown. Gulley attended Garfield High School in Akron, blocks away from where he’ll play in his first collegiate game.
“It’s definitely exciting for me,” Gulley said. “That’ll be great. I’ve already talked to a lot of my family members about that.”
Gulley isn’t the only Orange freshman who’ll see the field.
Linebacker Marquis Spruill will start on defense, along with veterans Doug Hogue and Derrell Smith. Spruill, who played at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia last fall, is the only freshman to earn a start on the offense or defense. Two other newcomers, kicker Ross Krautman and center Macky MacPherson, will play on special teams—Krautman will handle kickoffs and MacPherson will be the snapper on field goals and extra points.
There were a few surprises on the depth chart.
The biggest was that junior wide receiver Marcus Sales, who started five games in 2009 and had the second-most receptions (28) and most receiving yards (324) and touchdowns (three) among returning players, was not listed among six wideouts.
Marrone said Sales is still on the team, and he remains in competition for a receiver position, but he didn’t explain why Sales wasn’t on the depth chart against Akron. Several times during preseason camp Marrone said Sales needed to become more consistent in his play.
The top three wide receivers are sophomore Alec Lemon, junior Van Chew and senior Aaron Weaver, a transfer from Hofstra. After that are freshman Steven Rene, junior Dorian Graham, a converted defensive back, and sophomore walk-on Cody Morgan. Another Hofstra transfer, senior Jose Cruz, was named the starter at tight end over senior Nick Provo. Coincidentally, Cruz was an Akron Zip for three years, playing two seasons (2007-08) before transferring to Hofstra in 2009. When that school dropped football, Cruz came to Syracuse.
On the offensive line, sophomore Zack Chibane takes the starting spot from redshirt senior Adam Rosner. Marrone said Chibane, who was moved back to guard after spending time at center, played well down the stretch of preseason camp. Rosner also was slowed by a leg injury.
At strong safety, sophomore Shamarko Thomas will start the season behind senior Max Suter. Thomas, a big hitter who started at safety, linebacker and cornerback last season, was slowed by a hamstring pull for most of preseason camp.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Syracuse players elected three captains for 2010: redshirt senior C Ryan Bartholomew will lead the offense, redshirt senior LB Derrell Smith is the defensive captain, and senior P Rob Long leads special teams. Long was also voted a captain last season.
• Coach Doug Marrone said he’s not worried about having six true freshmen in backup roles on offense and defense—including WR Steven Rene, C Macky MacPherson, LT Sean Hickey, LBs Malcolm Cater and Brice Hawkes, and CB Jeremi Wilkes.
Series History:   Syracuse is tied with Akron 1-1 (last meeting, 2009, 28-14 Syracuse).
Scouting The Offense:   The tandem of redshirt senior Delone Carter and junior Antwon Bailey provides the Orange with an experienced ground game. Carter averaged 85.1 yards per game (236 carries for 1,021 yards and 11 touchdowns) while Bailey gained 28.4 yards per game (67 carries for 312 yards and one touchdown). They also provide a threat in the passing game. Bailey caught 27 passes for 200 yards and Carter had 11 receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown. Toss in true freshman Prince-Tyson Gulley and the Orange’s strength on offense will be the running game.
Scouting The Defense:   The Orange defense features 12 returning starters—five who have started for multiple seasons—including LBs Derrell Smith and Ryan Gillum, and DBs Da’Mon Merkerson, Max Suter, Mike Holmes and Kevyn Scott (287 tackles). Those who started in 2009 include DE Mikhail Marinovich, Andrew Lewis, Chandler Jones, Doug Hogue, Shamarko Thomas and Phillip Thomas. This group accounted for 73 percent of Syracuse’s 2009 tackles (517 of 704 tackles).
Quote To Note:   “The goal of our football team is to go to a bowl. We haven’t done that since 2004. To have a winning season, which we haven’t done since 2001. I take each game and my thoughts and our process is geared toward winning this football game. So we’re not even near where our goal is; we know we have to win seven to go to a bowl, but right now we’re just trying to win one and that is the one we play this week. I don’t look to or expect to, think about the schedule, what is good, what is bad, what advantages we have. I just look at what we need to do to get this team ready to beat Akron. That is my honest opinion.”—Syracuse coach Doug Marrone.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME: Syracuse at Akron, Sept. 4—In Syracuse’s 2009 victory, RB Delone Carter rushed for a career-best 170 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns. LB Derrell Smith also set a career-high with nine solo tackles, including one forced fumble, two sacks and one tackle for loss. The Orange defense dominated in the second half, holding Akron to 50 yards, and the Zips were also held to zero yards rushing in the game, the fewest rushing yards allowed since Florida rushed for minus-17 in 1991.
Keys To The Game:   The Orange has the makings of a strong defense but the offense, with a new QB, needs to perform well. They will be more run-oriented this season with the departure of QB Greg Paulus but a stable of solid RBs means Syracuse should be able to move the ball.
Players To Watch: 
RB Antwon Bailey—The junior has carried the ball exactly 100 times in his Orange career, gaining 539 yards and scoring three touchdowns. He was the hero of the team’s 2008 upset at Notre Dame, rushing for 126 yards and a TD on 16 carries. Bailey has also caught 27 passes for 200 yards. His 47 receiving yards were a big factor in last season’s 31-13 victory over Rutgers. He has also returned seven kickoffs for 145 yards. That’s pretty solid production for a No. 2 RB. Now he wants more.
LB Derrell Smith—The 6-foot-1, 232-pound MLB and a 2009 All-Big East second teamer was one of 87 players named to the 2010 Rotary Lombardi Award watch list as one of the nation’s top LBs or linemen. Smith also has been named to watch lists for the Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player, the Butkus Award and is a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award that honors a player for excellence on and off the field.
Roster Report: 
• Sophomore RB Averin Collier, who is ineligible this season because of academics, will rejoin the team.
• Transcript issues surrounding three freshmen players—LB Malcolm Cater, DE Jason Bromley and DB Keon Lyn—are expected to be cleared up soon, coach Doug Marrone said. The three have been unable to practice since the weekend of Aug. 21 because their high school paperwork hadn’t been cleared by the NCAA. A grace period that had allowed them to practice the first two weeks of camp expired. Bromley and Lyn, who has been out battling mononucleosis anyhow, weren’t on the depth chart.