The walk is still ingrained in Rob Long’s memory.

Stepping off the bus at the College Place bus stop, Long and his Syracuse teammates were immediately greeted by dozens of fans wishing them well. Every step they took was documented by ESPN cameras while a reporter asked them questions along the way to the Carrier Dome. As they approached the stadium, they saw the orange lights of the roof illuminating the night sky.

For that one night, Syracuse was the center of the college football world. This was prime time.

‘I just remember that because we got off the bus, and we were immediately swarmed by people cheering,’ Long said. ‘I just remember the amount of commotion going on back then.’

That was back on Aug. 31, 2007, when the Orange took on Washington in front of 40,329 inside the Dome on a Friday night to open up its season and help kick off the college football schedule. While it’s only a difference of one day, playing on a Friday night as opposed to a Saturday amplifies the intensity of the game and adds an electricity to the atmosphere.

And as they did in high school, players take the field under Friday night lights. It’s something Syracuse (4-2, 0-1 Big East) will experience twice this season, the first coming Friday when it plays No. 11 West Virginia (5-1, 1-0) in the Carrier Dome (ESPN, 8 p.m.). The Orange also hosts South Florida on Friday, Nov. 11.

In 2007, Syracuse was embarrassed 42-12 by the Huskies and a young Jake Locker making his first career start. With the game being nationally televised, it didn’t go how the Orange had hoped.

Until the start of the game, though, the energy of the fans and the feeling on campus was palpable.

Long was a freshman punter on that 2007 SU team, playing in his first collegiate game against the Huskies. With the deafening noise of the crowd swallowing up the field, Long immediately understood what playing in prime time meant.

‘It’s just such a production,’ Long said. ‘It seemed like such a big deal. I know the Dome was packed, or near-packed, at the start of the game. It was definitely a different feeling to play at a 7 or 8 (p.m.) time slot, as opposed to noon or 3 o’clock on Saturday.’

There were no lagging fans. At the start of the weekend, the energy in the Dome was at its peak.

Somehow, Long was able to quell his nerves.

His first career punt went 50 yards into the end zone for a touchback. Back on the sidelines, punter Niko Rechul anxiously watched Long and the Orange.

When Long came back to the sidelines, Rechul asked him how nervous he was. Long told him he had no nerves at all. Rechul said his own palms were sweaty just watching.

Rechul was a junior. There was no reason for him to be nervous standing on the sidelines watching Long punt. But even he succumbed to the hype of Friday night.

Then-senior cornerback Dowayne Davis felt the same emotions. Davis said the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to playing on a Friday night.

Students don’t have to get out of bed and saunter to the Dome like they do for a noon game, increasing attendance and the level of raucousness.

‘They can go right from the stadium to wherever they want to go after,’ Davis said. ‘It definitely adds a little more excitement. And there’s nothing like the Dome when it’s lit up at night. It’s kind of like an attraction.’

When Da’Mon Merkerson took the field for warm-ups, most of the student section was already filled. It stood in stark contrast to the Dome on a Saturday just before a noon game, when the stands are mostly empty and fans are sometimes still trickling in during the first quarter.

‘A lot of the students were already there,’ Merkerson said. ‘The music was loud. It felt exciting. We came out of the tunnel together, it was just electrifying.’

The preparation time is also different in a short week. Whereas normally Thursday is an intense practice, it essentially becomes a walk-through, Davis said.

Coming off a bye week, Syracuse didn’t have to make that adjustment for this Friday. But Syracuse will have to manage differently in November against the Bulls.

Beginning from the first practice on Monday, every player will have to hit the ground running right away.

‘Going into that USF week, you have to be focused that first day of practice,’ offensive tackle Justin Pugh said. ‘That first day of practice isn’t like a feeler practice. You’ve got to get into it, you’ve got to get ready.’

Still, it’s a small price to pay for the opportunity to play on Friday on national television, along with a free day on Saturday.

Back in 2007, Davis couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place on Saturday. Instead of heading to the Carrier Dome for the game, he sat in his Small Road apartment watching college football.

It also gave him a chance to watch SU’s next opponent, Iowa, in live game action before any of the game film had been broken down.

‘It’s a time to catch up on what other teams are doing. I know I’d love to watch the games of the teams we were going to play next,’ Davis said. ‘You can actually see these players on TV that you’re going to face the next week, which is always a good thing from a preparation standpoint.’

Merkerson sat in his apartment going over the Washington game with his father, Amod, trying to put the emotions of his first college football experience into perspective. For Merkerson, it was also a chance to spend time with his family for the first time in weeks.

‘That first weekend, it felt like they were there the whole time,’ Merkerson said. ‘They didn’t leave until Sunday. I felt like I got time to go around the school with them. The Friday night definitely improves that time with your family.’

Four years after that memorable Friday night experience, the current Orange team will have the opportunity to write its own prime-time script.

Twice.

SU head coach Doug Marrone said that on Friday night, the eyes of the college football world will be on the Carrier Dome.

‘With it being a Friday night game on ESPN, which is probably our equivalent of Monday Night Football because most other teams are in hotels, and if they’re done with their meetings, they’ll probably put the game on and watch it,’ Marrone said on Monday in his press conference. ‘So it’s probably the most-watched game among our peers than any other game.’

When Long looks back at his career at Syracuse, that Friday night game is one of his most vivid memories. Whether it was the walk to the Carrier Dome, the stands nearly filled to capacity or the ESPN audience, it stood out against all the other typical Saturday games.

Long said he knows that when this season is over, it’ll be the same way for the members of the 2011 roster.

‘I’m glad that they get to experience that during their time in college,’ Long said. ‘It was definitely one of the more memorable games, just from an atmosphere-wise and excitement factor.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on October 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman