ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Brian Bennett

One of the few bright spots for Syracuse in 2008 was the running game.

Behind a power-running philosophy installed by offensive coordinator Mitch Browning -- who designed the schemes that Minnesota's Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber made so successful -- the Orange averaged 4.6 yards per carry, which was third best in the Big East. Senior Curtis Brinkley rushed for 1,164 yards and set a school record for most consecutive 100-yard days.

Brinkley is gone and so is Browning, as Doug Marrone brought in former Clemson playcaller Rob Spence as his offensive coordinator. Syracuse doesn't figure to be so run-oriented this season. But the running game could still be a strength for the Orange.

Syracuse probably won't depend on one workhorse back as much as last year, when Brinkley averaged nearly 20 carries a game. Instead, Spence has a trio of talented backs who have major potential, if not a lot on their actual resume.

If there's any player who might resemble Brinkley, it's Delone Carter. Like Brinkley, he was a highly-rated recruit who had some initial success, rushing for 713 yards as a freshman. Also like Brinkley, his career became snake bitten by injuries. Carter didn't play as a sophomore because of a hip injury and was slowed most of last year by an early hamstring problem.

Now he's hoping for a big senior year, just like his predecessor.

"Absolutely," he said. "I think about that a lot."

Carter rushed for 88 yards on 12 carries in last year's loss to Akron but hurt his hamstring the following week against Penn State. He said he was ready physically a few weeks later, but by then Brinkley had established himself as the main guy. He felt like a forgotten man and was re-energized by the coaching turnover.

That energy was focused in the weight room for the 5-foot-10, 215-pounder. His bulging biceps and shredded physique have turned a lot of heads during training camp.

"I feel like I've been through my trials and tribulations," he said. "I went to the weight room real hard. I feel like I'm a real physical runner and I bring a physical edge. I'm probably the strongest back on the team, but I'm elusive, too."

Spence ran some two-back sets at Clemson, and the Orange have some other strong options besides Carter. Antwon Bailey showed flashes of his ability as a true freshman in '08. He averaged a team-best 6.7 yards per carry while appearing in eight games.

Bailey's highlight came in the upset win at Notre Dame. He had 126 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries -- nearly half his entire season's production -- and helped power the Orange comeback.

"That's something that I'll never forget, knowing that I was the guy with the game on the line," he said. "Coming from high school, I probably played in front of, at most, three or four thousand people. And there I was in front of about 80,000 screaming fans.

"That situation makes other situations look a lot easier now. Being in front of that many people at that level of competition and in the clutch moment making plays makes things seem a lot easier for me."

Marrone is also high on Averin Collier, who did not play last year but was one of the Orange's top recruits in the class of 2008. The same goes for Mike Jones, who is trying to earn himself a spot in the backfield.

Marrone has renamed the position Super Back this year in a nod to Syracuse's tradition. The Orange hope they have the talent to live up to that moniker.

"The running game looks like it will be a great strength of this offense," Carter said. "People are going to be surprised to see how we take this ball and march down the field again."