Doug Marrone isn’t speaking to some of the coaches on his staff. Players have been told not to divulge too much information to teammates who will be lining up on the other side of the ball. Plays and schemes are on thumb drives, not stored on hard drives, to ensure no one has access to the opposing side’s game plan.

For a game that’s essentially a glorified practice, Marrone and Syracuse have pulled out all the stops to make the Orange’s Spring Game as intense as possible.

‘We split the team up. It’s highly competitive,’ Marrone said. ‘…We really have two sides of the football going out there really not knowing how the other team is going to attack it.’

Syracuse will wrap up its spring season with its annual Spring Game on Saturday at noon inside the Carrier Dome. Marrone said one of his goals was to make this game competitive. To do that, he has attempted to recreate what game weeks are typically like during the season.

Marrone and defensive backs coach Donnie Henderson will be calling plays on wide receivers coach Rob Moore’s team. Assistant head coach John Anselmo will lead the opposing team, with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and defensive coordinator Scott Shafter handling play-calling duties on his side.

The team will take the field at about 11 a.m., stretch and warm up as a team and go through various drills before dividing into two sides. The game itself will be four 15-minute quarters with a running clock. Quarterbacks will be live only outside the pocket during the scrimmage.

Overall, Marrone said he’s satisfied with the way SU’s spring season has gone, especially when it comes to the team’s chemistry among both the players and coaches.

‘The spring’s been great. I think the goals that we were looking to develop,’ Marrone said. ‘… I think we have a much better feel of team chemistry, which is a big thing coming into the spring. I think it’s the highest it’s ever been, not only with the team chemistry but the coaches’ chemistry. I can’t be more excited about where we are right now.’

Syracuse’s 49-23 win over then-No. 11 West Virginia sparked enormous expectations for a rising Orange program, but the team collapsed and lost its final five games to finish 5-7.

Moving on from that forgetful end was a point of emphasis during the spring.

Marrone only opened up one of Syracuse’s practices to fans and media. The head coach said he wanted to ‘try out some different things’ and didn’t want anyone to see something and quickly jump to label the team.

Marrone also said he wanted to work on team chemistry, and with limited distractions, his players were more focused. Some of that, he said, might come from the disappointment from the last year ended.

‘It’s been outstanding for whatever reason, I have no idea,’ Marrone said. ‘But the players have been more focused. I don’t know if it’s coming off the second half of the season last year and their determination to get things righted, or if it’s just less distractions.’

The Orange will be without about 15 of its players who have been out for parts of or the whole spring, and will also only have nine linemen participating. Marrone said he won’t know who will be ready for the start of the season in the fall until the beginning of training camp.

Syracuse will release a two-deep depth chart within two weeks after the Spring Game, Marrone said.

Marrone also said neither side team will be looking to hold anything back. Both will run multiple attacking styles on offense and defense, essentially running whatever is currently in the Orange’s playbook.

Marrone said Saturday will provide him a better gauge of how to prepare for the upcoming preseason. It’ll also wrap up what the head coach said was an ‘outstanding’ spring season, and continue to give SU a chance to accomplish the three goals Marrone has outlined for his players.

‘We’re trying to get team chemistry, we’re trying to get more physical, and a toughness about ourselves,’ Marrone said. ‘I think all those three things have been accomplished with these 12 practices, 13 practices we’ve had.’

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on April 20, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman