You have more faith in Coach P then those of us who watch this program regularly.
Defense for SU better show up big time today to cover this number because I have no faith in offense to light up the scoreboard.
Watch Purdue go after SU punter today. He had most punts blocked in NCAA last year.
West Lafayette, Ind.- How difficult can it be to hand the ball to Walter Reyes?
If it were only that easy.
There is ample anxiety and anticipation as a new quarterback takes the stage for the Syracuse University football team. True freshman Joe Fields will apparently get the start today when the Orange opens the 2004 season at No. 24-ranked Purdue. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally by ABC.
After five uneven years of wildly inconsistent quarterback play and mediocre records, a new cast of quarterbacks takes over for the Syracuse offense.
Just eight months out of Booker T. Washington High School in Houston, that quarterback looks like Fields. In choosing an 18-year-old true freshman, the Orange must be prepared to live with mistakes, nerves and eight-man defensive lines. Fields was nervous during the spring game. Now, he's stepping into a 62,500-seat stadium and national stage.
Fields said it was a risk no matter who was named the 1
starter because none of the SU signal-callers has ever thrown a pass in a college game. "It's going to be a dream come true, just to be there in that atmosphere. It's going to be great honor to come out there," he said.
The Orange has been in the business of playing freshmen quarterbacks for years, so the elevation of Fields is not that surprising. Marvin Graves, Donovan McNabb and Troy Nunes opened their respective seasons as starting quarterbacks during their redshirt freshman years. Don McPherson came off the bench and played in the first game of his freshman year in 1984. R.J. Anderson, Bill Hurley, Dave Warner and Todd Philcox all played as freshmen, too.
Fields apparently beat out sophomore Perry Patterson and Xzavier Gaines for the job. Head coach Paul Pasqualoni refused to confirm this week that Fields won the job. His hope was to force Purdue to prepare for all of his quarterbacks. He also wanted to see how Fields responds to the pressure of his first game.
"I just think the less said the better," Pasqualoni said. "It gives us a chance to work through the week and know exactly what we're doing without saying something. No one knows what we're doing. We want to be 100 percent sure of what we're doing."
Purdue coach Joe Tiller said this week that Pasqualoni's ploy was causing some anxiety. Tiller said he suspects the choice will be Fields, a player he recruited and offered a scholarship to last year. Tiller did not think Fields could play quarterback in the Boilermaker system and was recruiting him as an athlete.
Tiller's bigger concern seems to be what direction Pasqualoni might take the offense now that George DeLeone's title of coordinator has been removed. Pasqualoni was ordered last December by athletic director Jake Crouthamel to take over game day decisions with the offense. While DeLeone appears to be as involved as ever with the offense, and may even still call plays, the directive toward Pasqualoni will start to play out today.
Considering the strengths of the Syracuse offensive line and backfield, its weaknesses at receiver and its inexperience at quarterback, the Orange looks like a team headed down a familiar road. Syracuse will be determined to run the ball, keep the ball away from Purdue and play a game of field position.
"Field position will be huge. No question about it," Pasqualoni said. "If we're fortunate to be in a close game, the old adage is special teams wins the close ones, we hope we can get in that kind of game and hang in there for awhile."
Fields will be surrounded by a veteran physical offensive line. Starting center Matt Tarullo said the Orange is eager to protect its new quarterback. In Reyes, he has one of the premier running backs in the nation. The senior tailback begins his quest to break Syracuse's all-time rushing record.
The Boilermakers have eight new defensive starters. Seven players from last season's defense were drafted. Tiller seemed unconcerned. That's because the Boilermakers have a high-powered offense led by quarterback Kyle Orton, who has already passed for more than 6,000 yards.
"Purdue is big and strong with great backs," Pasqualoni said. "They can pound it at you, and they're the best in the business at spreading you out. Purdue has the best of both worlds. We haven't seen anybody quite as proficient."
? 2004 The Post-Standard. Used with permission