‘Write what you feel,’ Marrone said.

 

Welcome to regular-season homework assignment No. 1: Syracuse football. 

 

Through passed down tradition of SU scripture, Marrone said he wants to elicit the current emotion of his players — even if he perhaps evoked emotion out of them already when finishing the depth chart. With a young team, emotion is Marrone’s paramount concern as SU heads into its game against Akron (6 p.m., ESPN3).

 

‘Coach (Dick MacPherson) asked us before the Nebraska game to sit down and write what our role is, what we’re going to do and how you’re going to feel,’ Marrone said. ‘We did that (for the Akron game). When you sit down to start writing about that, your emotion comes up. My main concern going into the first game was how the players were going to deal with the emotion, since we do have a lot of people starting for the first time.’

 

Starting for the first time will be a number of Orange players, both veterans and freshmen alike. In the most surprising decision of the depth chart, Hofstra transfer Jose Cruz jumped returning starter Nick Provo for the tight end position. The other unexpected move on the depth chart came at strong safety, as Marrone elected to name senior Max Suter the starter over sophomore Shamarko Thomas. Suter was the starter in 2009, but an elbow injury forced him to miss the end of the year, and his status as the starter had been in doubt. Thomas was injured for the first two weeks of preseason camp, but returned to practice last Monday.

 

Marrone spoke of both Cruz and Thomas on Monday. But the disclosure varied. For Cruz, plaudits ran rampant. As for Thomas, the lips were sealed.

 

‘If we line up in our base-21 personnel, Jose Cruz will be going out there,’ Marrone said. ‘He has been, by far, the most improved player in this camp. … Every part of his game has improved.’

 

Added Marrone: ‘I expect (Thomas) to be ready to play. We have roles for all of our players in all different situations.’

Just like in all facets of life, uncertainty yields emotion. And for Marrone this week, it was no different. Marrone and his coaching staff have said time after time in the past week that they are not familiar with what Akron will bring to the table come Saturday because the Zips have an entirely new coaching staff. Rob Ianello is in his first year as Akron head coach.

Thus, there is the reason for the uncertainty. And there is the emotion as well. The emotion is so much; it may have even become anxiety.

 

‘That is really the only anxiety that we have right now,’ Marrone said. ‘… I don’t know what to expect from them. We don’t get a lot of reports from Akron, as far as what they’re doing from an offensive and defensive standpoint.’

 

Anxiety isn’t the word Marrone’s right-hand man, SU defensive coordinator Scott Shafer, would use to describe his unit’s preparation for the Zips. Yes, Shafer and Marrone know very little about Akron’s coaching staff and team. But Shafer is just looking for his players to react. He is looking for his players to show some emotion, because he knows so many of them are trying to perfect new roles on the depth chart.

 

‘We tell the kids, ‘Let’s not wait for the game to get to us. Let’s sprint toward the game,” Shafer said Wednesday. ‘We really don’t know what (Akron) is going to be doing. They have a mixed bag of coaches from different programs. You have got to turn it around the first two weeks of the season and say, ‘What do we do well? What don’t we do well? How do we prepare with those things in mind?”

 

Part of that mixed bag of coaches is former SU coaches Mitch Browning – who was the Orange’s offensive coordinator in 2008 – and Derrick Jackson – SU’s defensive line coach last year.

 

From coaching under Marrone and Shafer in 2008, Jackson knows all too well about the likes of Marrone’s requested writing samples from his players. He knows about the emotion.

 

Maybe a little too well.

 

But Marrone is not worried about Jackson providing Akron a huge advantage with regards to Syracuse’s schemes come Saturday. As he has been saying all summer, much has changed since last year. And that change has led to an influx of September emotion.

That is all he is losing sleep over.

 

‘I didn’t sleep much last night, for really the first time,’ Marrone said. ‘… (Jackson) will have a good idea on our personnel. With the signals, obviously we’ve changed things so that if someone wanted to steal our signals it would be difficult.’

 

This and that

 

Marrone announced the return of sophomore running back Averin Collier to the football team Monday. Marrone said Collier will be with the team but will not be eligible to play. He wouldn’t elaborate on Collier’s process, calling it ‘reasons that I can’t really discuss because of federal law.’ … Zack Chibane was officially named the starter at left guard over senior Adam Rosner, who started in six games last season. … Unsurprisingly, Delone Carter will start at running back. … Marquis Spruill was officially named the starter at SAM linebacker, and he will play alongside seniors Doug Hogue and Derrell Smith. … After Ross Krautman created a bit of competition at kicker, returning starter Ryan Lichtenstein will keep his job. Krautman, however, will be SU’s kickoff specialist. … Freshman Prince-Tyson Gulley will be SU’s kick returner, Marrone said. … Marrone announced center Ryan Bartholomew, linebacker Derrell Smith and punter Rob Long as the Orange’s captains on offense, defense and special teams, respectively.

 

aolivero@syr.edu