A big question this preseason for the Syracuse football team was how the secondary would bounce back from a horrendous 2002. Yesterday, head coach Paul Pasqualoni unearthed part of the riddle.

The SU head coach unveiled Syracuse’s depth chart yesterday for Saturday’s season opener at North Carolina, and the biggest question answered was who would start in the defensive backfield.

As expected, Steve Gregory and Terrell Lemon will start at cornerback, and Diamond Ferri will start at strong safety. The free safety spot belongs to Anthony Smith, who had to beat out Troy Swittenburg and O’Neil Scott.

‘This is his second year,’ Pasqualoni said of Smith. ‘He’s better acquainted with the system, and he’s very gifted athletically.’

Swittenburg and Scott, though, won’t be left out of the mix.

‘We’re going to play four safeties,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘At least four.’

Gregory, the lone returning starter, is the only sure thing in the defensive backfield. Ferri, who has impressed this preseason with his speed and hard hitting, came to Syracuse as a running back and hasn’t played safety since high school.

Lemon won the corner opposite Gregory over Thomas Whitfield and Donte Williams based mostly on his stellar spring practice.

‘(Lemon) surprised me with his toughness,’ linebacker Rich Scanlon said. ‘He turned out to be a very tough football player, which is what I personally like.’

Mercury rising

North Carolina led the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing yards per game last season, but that won’t be SU’s toughest challenge.

The searing heat and unyielding humidity of a Carolina summer will be.

‘I’m hoping, since it’s Sept. 6, that it will be a little cooler,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Maybe I’m wrong.’

Chances are, he is. Last Thursday, temperatures in Chapel Hill, N.C., reached 92 degrees, one of the hottest days of the summer.

But Pasqualoni has a plan to combat the rising temperatures, aside from the large Cool Zone fan. He wants to play as many people as possible.

‘I was impressed with how many guys Florida State played Saturday,’ Pasqualoni said, referring to Saturday’s game in UNC, in which FSU stomped the Tar Heels, 37-0.

Using the Seminoles as a model, Syracuse might rotate as many as six linebackers, eight defensive backs and seven lineman on both sides of the ball.

To ensure chemistry with all the different combinations, Pasqualoni said the Orangemen will practice with different groups of personnel.

‘You practice the way you play,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘We’re going to use different combos during practice so we can keep guys fresh.’

And if that doesn’t work?

‘Drink water before you’re thirsty,’ Pasqualoni said.

Fresh start

Pasqualoni said defensive back Tanard Jackson had the best chance of any freshman to play Saturday.

Other freshmen who might get on the field are Marcus Clayton, a lightning-fast cornerback who can also return punts, and Jameel McClain, a 6-foot-1, 248-pound linebacker who is more physically mature than most freshmen.

‘They’re in development,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘We’re going to try hard not to play them until they’re ready. But they can play if need be.’

This and that

Offensive lineman Tim Carignan and tight end and long snapper Beau Davidson have left the team. The players are no longer listed on the roster on SU’s athletic department Web site. … The kicking competition between Collin Barber, Justin Sujansky and Ricky Krautman will be decided Thursday. Special teams coach Chris White said during the preseason that Barber was having his best camp in his career. … Pasqualoni said Jamel Riddle will play Saturday. Riddle missed the first two weeks of training camp while taking classes at Onondaga Community College and has had only five practices in pads. … Walter Reyes was left off this year’s list of 39 Doak Walker candidates, awarded to the nation’s best running back. Seems odd, considering Reyes rushed for 1,123 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. This season, he’s gained 15 pounds – up to 215 – and he runs 40 yards in 4.3 seconds. … UNC’s 37-0 loss to Florida State didn’t affect Scanlon’s approach this week. ‘I don’t even know what the final score was,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t matter. They beat us last year.’

Published on September 1, 2003 at 12:00 pm