The Rights of Spring

This “loss” occurred during the annual spring scrimmage
that pits the Orange offense against the Orange defense. The Carrier
Dome doors were unlocked and fans bumped through the turnstiles free of
charge to catch the first glimpse of the coming season’s team. And the
5,189 Orangeheads that showed up seemed more than the number of
die-hards that typically remained after halftime under Robinson, who
posted a record of 10-37 while here.

What piqued the fans’ interest was to see if the new head
coach is the real deal. Marrone, a three-year letterman and captain of
the SU football team during his playing days (1983-1985), was hired
last December after serving from 2006 to 2008 as the offensive
coordinator for the National Football League’s New Orleans Saints, who
had the statistically best offense in the league under his guidance.

And while the final score of the scrimmage, 134-95,
suggests that Marrone is an offensive Einstein and that fans are in for
some wild west shootouts this season, it had more to do with the
scoring system of the scrimmage, which was more akin to a game of human
pinball. The offense racked up points by scoring touchdowns, of course,
but also by attaining first downs and drawing defensive penalties,
while the defense tallied its score from positive particulars such as
sacks, forced punts and interceptions.

The first half of play was reminiscent of the Robinson
era, with wide receivers not paying attention to the quarterback while
running routes as the ball sailed by and linemen letting the defense
penetrate at will for tackles and sacks. But the second half was a
different story, and it might have had something to do with Marrone’s
halftime speech.

“I told them bleep bleep bleep, bleep bleep,” he said
afterward, half-kidding. “But I also told them they have to focus;
right before we took the break we were in the red zone and it was
almost as if at times we were trying not to score by moving back with
penalties, dropped footballs and those types of miscues. That’s
unacceptable and you can’t be successful doing that in the red zone.
We’ll have to play better football and be more competitive. ”   

That kind of reality-based assertion was not in
Robinson’s repertoire, as he’d softly lament after blowout losses that
“the guys did everything right and they’re giving it their best.” He
climaxed that with a comparison between himself and the Little Engine
That Could during the press conference he gave after being fired last
November. It was hard not to imagine that listless demeanor carrying
over into the locker room, demeanor that has no place in a game. And
players recognize that.

“He’s definitely harder on us,” said junior running back
Delone Carter about Marrone’s methods compared to Robinson. “But I like
it; that’s what we need and it’s making us turn for the better. We’re
working hard out here and staying confident and we really don’t get in
that funk like we used to because {Marrone} lets us know he’s going to
be hard on us if we’re not doing things right.”

Sophomore defensive end Zary Stewart, still beaming over
a fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown in the scrimmage, echoed
Carter’s sentiment. “Awww, man,” he said when asked if Marrone has been
testing the limits of their fortitude. “But even still, I think he’s
the best coach I’ve ever had. He knows his stuff and knows how to put
his foot down and let us know that he’s the coach.” 

And while it seems the coach has seemingly won over his
players, there’s still one constituency that hesitates to believe given
the debacle they put up with the last four years: the fans. As they
ride the emotional undulations along with the team, they might not
realize that the very same people they’re expending their pith with are
usually reciprocating.

“I almost cried when I ran out here seeing the fans
again,” said junior wide receiver Mike Williams. “It was like old
times.” Williams missed all of last year because of academic
ineligibility, but is expected to be one of the prime targets of newly
announced starting quarterback, freshman Ryan Nassib. And Williams
likes the chemistry that’s developing between the two, which was on
display in the spring game.

“{Ryan} told me out of the huddle, ‘I’m coming to you,’”
he said about his touchdown reception. “He’s got a quick release so
you’ve got to keep your eye on the ball with him and it’s getting good.
He’s been hitting me on my routes quicker and it’s working.”

The aforementioned Carter missed all of the 2007 season
after dislocating his hip the previous spring. He carried the ball all
but 23 times last year after sustaining an early-season
hamstring-strain and failed to crack Robinson's rotation
afterward—which he publicly criticized. This year, he’s the main man at
running back and is intent on proving himself to, in turn, right the
ship and prove that SU football has not been put out to pasture.

“I’m feeling real good this year,” he stated. “And I’m
not going to be specific about how good I think and know we’ll do this
year. . . I’m just going to let you all sit and watch.”

–Tom Kahley

Check out the full gallery of Michael Davis' photos of the event.