In about 27 minutes, the Syracuse football annual Spring game will begin and fans will get a brief look at the 2011-'12 squad. The 2011 edition of the glorified inter-squad scrimmage will feature the Blue team vs. the White team in a full 11-on-11 game. In previous seasons, Syracuse used a controlled scrimmage -- which used a point system that reward players points for a tackel, sack, forced fumble, passing plays, touchdowns, ect. -- to showcase the upcoming team, but that won't be the case this year as third-year head coach Doug Marrone has decided to let the boys play.
(Click here for a brief preview of the Spring game and a rundown of the rosters.)
The new format has created some buzz and it's something that I think the fans will enjoy -- at least that's the hope. What SU faithful are looking for today is: A) a lot of points to be piled up (any indication that the same anemic offense of the 2010-'11 squad would be a disappointment); and B) a play-maker to show up out of the blue.
If there was one thing that SU lacked last season was a play-maker, who could stretch the field on offense (senior running back Antwon Bailey?) or take over a game on defense (senior defensive end Chandler Jones?).
Currently, the marching band is playing at the "Syracuse" labeled end zone, fans are slowing trickling in (media, too), the players are stretching and full-contact football is just minutes away.
(Want to the latest up-to-date information on Syracuse's Spring Game? SB Nation New York will run a Live blog from the Carrier Dome Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m. We'll keep you updated on which players are doing what, and provide post-game recap and breakdown of the annual event.)