Syracuse Football: The Akroning Is Almost Here

Can you taste the Akron? 

Actually, you probably shouldn't.  I would imagine it tastes of burnt tires and LeBron's soiled underpants. So...use your other senses.

It's still a little weird to think that we're traveling to Akron. To open a season, no less.  Still, to paraphrase Doug Marrone, who cares who or where we're playing.  Let's just play.

Get to know the Akron Zips, will ya?  Looks like receivers, secondary and special teams are the weakest links for the Zips.  In other words, AIR NASSIB!

Speaking of Ryan, it's been a long, strange trip to his first official start for Syracuse.  A year later than expected, he'll take the first snap of an SU football game for the first time on Saturday.  While he might not have been happy with the demotion last season, in retrospect it helped prepare him better for this year:

"I think I was a lot better off with the coach’s decision to bring me along each and every week," he said. "Instead of being thrown to the wolves … I was brought along, and experienced a lot of different situations. That game experience is really going to help me this weekend, and the rest of the season."

The person who has the most faith in Nassib to get the job done?  It might just be the guy who supplanted him...Greg Paulus:

"The first thing he said to me was, ‘Hey, if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know,’" Paulus said.

"His growth has been at a high level," Paulus said. "He’s worked really hard."

Perhaps no one is more anxious and excited to play the game against Akron is Delone Carter.  Not only is it a game he wondered if he'd ever see, but the fact that it's in his hometown makes it all that sweeter.

''I have no idea what it's going to be like and what is going to happen. I just know there is going to be a grin on my face,'' Carter said in a recent telephone interview. ''It will be a special feeling for me.''

''I am proud of Akron. Even though I am playing for Syracuse, I am doing it for my hometown. Even though I am not for the Zips, I am for Akron.''

After his suspension, Delone put a lot of faith in, well, his faith.  Tony Olivero has a great piece of Carter's faith, his history, his injuries and his senior year redemption.

Freshman Marquis Spruill will be ready.  He'll make his first start for the Orange Saturday and he's excited.  Fellow LB Doug Hogue sees bright things in Marquis' future:

"Marquis has a gift," Hogue says. "He’s a big guy. He’s only 18 or something like that (actually 19), a big guy. His body helps him be able to play with us. It’s just the mental aspect he has to work on, and he’s going to get better. Watching Derrell and me and soaking it all in is helping him."

A couple fellow freshman will also be in uniform Saturday, though they probably won't see any playing time.  Malcolm Cater and Jason Bromley have been cleared to play and are trying to make up for lost time ASAP.  Keon Lyn is still waiting on word for his clearance while he also recovers from mono.

A couple Orange sat out practice on Wednesday.  Kevyn Scott was back in shorts after returning from  hamstring injury.  Ryan Lichtenstein's leg continues to give him issues and he did not play.  Ryan Gillum also sat out practice with an "upper body" injury.