If Greg Robinson has learned anything about his team these past four weeks of practice, it’s that there are still more questions than answers. It has been a month since Syracuse first took to the field, and the depth chart remains nothing short of a mess.

The secondary is a hodgepodge of inexperience, the new-look offensive line is still ridden with uncertainty and more running backs are in the trainer’s room than out carrying the ball.

Now the spring schedule culminates with the annual Spring Game – SU’s intra-squad scrimmage, to be played in the Carrier Dome Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. It’s the last chance for Robinson to evaluate what he has before practice resumes in the summer. The game will be scored with a special system, which assigns a specific point value to certain achievements.

With the contest days away, the only thing that’s certain is it’s going to take a lot more than a single exhibition to decide who will be on the field when the Orange opens its season against Northwestern on Aug. 30.

‘That’s exactly what I kind of expected, and that’s a good thing, really,’ Robinson said. ‘It’s been competitive in a lot of different places, and that’s why I say I wish we had another month of spring ball, because as much work as we can get is helpful.’

The Spring Game seemingly presents a perfect opportunity for the coaching staff to start seeing who has separated himself from the pack and who deserves an extra look. But the team has not yet even talked about the game and won’t until after Friday’s practice.

Perhaps the most anticipated player Saturday is rising sophomore running back Doug Hogue, who will handle much of the ball-carrying duties along with Daniel Bailey. With tailbacks Delone Carter and Curtis Brinkley still rehabbing from previous injuries, and freshman Averin Collier nursing a fractured foot he suffered during the spring, Hogue has become Syracuse’s primary backfield threat – mostly because he’s the only one who is healthy. Even starting fullback Tony Fiammetta suffered a high ankle sprain last Saturday and will miss the game, too.

Robinson singled out Hogue as the one player who especially impressed him this spring, coming off his freshman year when he rushed 77 times for 251 yards and a touchdown. With the other backs nearing their return, Saturday could be Hogue’s best chance.

‘I got that position, I hate to say it, by default,’ Hogue said. ‘…Nobody wants to hear that. No athlete, no competitor, wants to hear they got anything by default. They want to get the position by working hard and effort.’

It’s not just Hogue looking to establish himself. The offensive line picture is still muddled, as first-year offensive coordinator Mitch Browning hopes to fix one of the worst front lines in the country. The tight end spot is still a battle between rising junior Mike Owen and converted linebacker Ben Maljovec (though Browning said Owen has been a ‘pleasant surprise’). And last week, Robinson said there had been ‘no headway’ in the secondary, as eight players are legitimately competing for the four starting jobs. But regardless of how well anyone performs Saturday, the game’s influence may be marginal. Though this will be the first time fans have the chance to see the Orange in action, Browning said the team has scrimmaged three times already, and the Spring Game is ultimately unimportant.

‘This is just the 15th out of 15 practices for spring practice, and I don’t look it as especially important at all,’ Browning said. ‘It’s just another day for us to go out and work at what we’re going to do and get better and what we’re doing.

‘I’m not downplaying it. I’m just telling you the truth.’

Whether or not the Spring Game is especially integral to clearing the otherwise muddy water that is Syracuse’s 2008 starting lineup, Saturday is nevertheless another opportunity for those still battling for positions.

Even though the Orange is coming off a disappointing 2-10 season – and it is still widely unknown who will end up filling all the holes on the field – Browning said he is not at all concerned there is so much uncertainty heading into the game. Robinson took it a step further: The uncertainty is a [ITALICS]good thing[/ITALICS].

‘Competition is what it’s all about, and I don’t care what you’re in,’ Robinson said. ‘We need to be pushed. There’s nothing like having someone right next to you trying to take your job away to get you to get better and that person to get better, too. Competition is what makes your football team get better.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on April 16, 2008 at 12:00 pm