It’s not just that the team has put together another dismal season, it’s the way they’ve found new ways to do it. Doug Marrone is a first year, first time head coach, and expecting this particular team to go bowling was probably unrealistic wishful thinking. Still, when the Orange beat out the likes of the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the one year service of quarterback Greg Paulus; teaming him with all world wide receiver Mike Willams, and complemented by stud running back Delone Carter there was reason to believe the offense might be formidable enough to knock off a few teams.

Eight games later, Paulus is among the nation’s leaders in interceptions thrown, Carter has had a good, but not great season, the Orange are 3-5 and Mike Williams has quit the team. It’s hard to say anything other than the season has gone down the drain.

With the football team totally out of sorts, it likely that the student body and alumni will turn their lonely eyes to you; Jim Boeheim.

The first thing the Orange faithful will have to do is ignore that embarrassing exhibition loss to Le Moyne. Yes the loss is a frustrating thing to see happen, especially when it’s right in the middle of yet another frustrating football season, but really the game doesn’t count. Is there anyone in the world that thinks Boeheim coaches the same way if that game was reflected on the schedule? Still, no more of those kinds of losses okay guys?

Syracuse is coming off a 28-10 season that will be hard to repeat. Johnny Flynn, Paul Harris, and Eric Devendorf are all gone. That’s three fifths of last year’s starting lineup. Flynn and Devendorf will be especially hard to replace, but Boeheim seems to think it can be done.

It all starts in the paint, and here Syracuse has a real strength. The six foot, nine inch Arinze Onuaku will be called upon to improve upon his numbers from a year ago (10.3 PPG, 7.3 RPG) which he put up despite suffering from knee problems all year.

The first man who will attempt to replace Flynn will be freshman Brandon Triche. Triche is the nephew of Howard Triche a starter on the 1987 Syracuse team that went to the NCAA finals. Sophomore Scoop Jardine will battle Triche for the starting point guard job.

A transfer from Iowa State, Wes Johnson will be the first to try and replace Devendorf. Johnson has size (6’7”) but more importantly to Boeheim he can shoot the three. Boeheim has been quoted as saying he wouldn’t be surprised if Wes makes the first team Big East.

Monday, the new look Orange will open the season against in-state opponent Albany. The Great Danes are just the kind of opponent that the Orange needs to begin the year. Albany plays in the America East Conference. A conference they went just 6-10 last year, and finished a game under .500 for the season.

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