ESPN College Football

2011 overall record: 5-7
2011 conference record: 1-6 (T-7)

Returning starters: Offense: 5; defense: 6; kicker/punter: 2

Top returners
QB Ryan Nassib, WR Alec Lemon, WR Marcus Sales OT Justin Pugh, LB Marquis Spruill, S Shamarko Thomas

Key losses
DE Chandler Jones, DE Mikhail Marinovich, RB Antwon Bailey, TE Nick Provo, S Phillip Thomas

2011 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Antwon Bailey (1,051 yards)
Passing: Ryan Nassib* (250-of-415 for 2,685 yards, 22 TDs, 9 INTs)
Receiving: Alec Lemon* (834 yards)
Tackles: Phillip Thomas (82)
Sacks: Chandler Jones (4.5)
Interceptions: Phillip Thomas (6)

Spring answers

1. Ryan Nassib at QB: Coach Doug Marrone hinted that he wanted some competition at quarterback, particularly with Ashton Broyld joning the team. But Nassib is the entrenched starter going into the fall. Though the offense didn't play well in the spring game, Syracuse is best served at having its most experienced offensive player taking the snaps. He will have the luxury of Marcus Sales returning. Now he needs some better protection up front.

2. Sales is back: With Lemon on the sideline because of an injury, Sales seized his opportunity to show what he can do after sitting out last season. He is listed as the starter at one of the receiver spots and had a solid spring, hoping to pick up his play from where he left off in the Pinstripe Bowl against Kansas State.

3. Inside presence: One of the more intriguing competitions in the spring was at nose tackle, after Deon Goggins was moved to defensive end in the spring. Cory Boatman is listed ahead of Eric Crume on the post-spring depth chart, although competition is expected to continue into the fall.

Fall questions

1. Injuries: Syracuse had a large number of players, particularly starters, either sit out the spring or get injured during practice. Marrone has not commented much on their availability for the fall. So now we wait and see whether Syracuse will have projected starters Alec Lemon, Justin Pugh, Marquis Spruill and Keon Lyn back in time for the start of practice.

2. Broyld's role: We saw only brief glimpses of how Syracuse plans to use the dynamic athlete during the spring. The bigger question is: What is his role going to be in the fall? He is listed at running back on the post-spring depth chart, but there should be opportunities for him as a Wildcat quarterback or to line up in the slot. Syracuse needs to use his athleticism to help improve its big plays.

3. Defensive line: Several junior college transfers are coming in the fall to help, but building depth and finding good replacements for Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich on the defensive line remain a priority. Syracuse struggled mightily up front last season, an area that should be a point of emphasis this fall.

Syracuse released its post-spring depth chart Wednesday afternoon. But before you get too excited about some of the changes, note that injured starters are not listed with the first team.

That does not mean they have been demoted. It simply means they were unable to practice for part of all of spring, so other players obviously stepped in for them.

A few observations:

• Marcus Sales is listed as one of the starting receivers, along with Jeremiah Kobena. Sales missed all of last season after he was arrested on drug-related charges. Those have been dropped. Alec Lemon, the leading returning receiver, missed the spring with a shoulder injury but is expected to be a starter once he returns.
• Ashton Broyld is listed as the No. 3 running back, behind Jerome Smith and Prince-Tyson Gulley. This should be one of the better competitions going into the fall, especially if Adonis Ameen-Moore returns healthy.
• Donnie Simmons is listed at one of the defensive end spots, ahead of Deon Goggins, who moved from tackle. Brandon Sharpe is listed as the other end.
• In all, four returning starters are not listed with the first team -- Lemon, offensive tackle Justin Pugh, linebacker Marquis Spruill and cornerback Keon Lyn.

Syracuse opens spring practice today. Here is a quick primer on what to expect.

Spring changes: The Orange made a few coaching changes on defense, hiring Donnie Henderson to coach the defensive backs and Steve Morrison to coach the linebackers. The Orange also are losing key players Chandler Jones, Mikhail Marinovich, Antwon Bailey, Nick Provo and Van Chew among many others. Syracuse will only have 70 players available this spring, but coach Doug Marrone says that won't stop him from playing a spring game next month.

Position battles to watch

Defensive line. Depth must be built at this position, and two starting end jobs have to be filled with the departures of Marinovich and Jones, and key backup Torrey Ball. Being without Robinson in the spring further depletes the depth, as Donnie Simmons and Brandon Sharpe are the only healthy players listed at end on the current Syracuse roster.

Running back. Losing another 1,000-yard rusher in Bailey means the Orange have to look for another starter. Adonis Ameen-Moore is out for spring, leaving Steve Rene, Jerome Smith, Prince-Tyson Gulley to split the majority of the reps. All these players have talent, but hardly any have major experience carrying the ball. Bailey had 240 carries for 1,051 yards last season; the running back with the next highest total was Smith, with 37 carries for 134 yards. To put it another way, Bailey accounted for 73 percent of Syracuse's rushing yards and 61 percent of Syracuse's carries last season.

Receiver. This is a position with plenty of room for growth in the spring, with Alec Lemon sitting out and Chew and Dorian Graham gone. Marcus Sales is back in the mix -- how does he look after taking an entire year off? This really is a good opportunity for young players like Jarrod West, Keenan Hale, Kyle Foster and Jeremiah Kobena to show what they've got.

Injury report: The Orange have several players who will be sitting out spring practice -- receiver Alec Lemon (shoulder), linebacker Marquis Spruill (lower body), center Rob Trudo (lower body), offensive tackle Sean Hickey (knee) cornerback Keon Lyn (shoulder), Ameen-Moore (upper body), fullback Carl Cutler (knee), defensive end Micah Robinson (upper body) Backup quarterback Terrel Hunt is out while serving a suspension.

Last up in our position rankings for the defense -- the secondary. In the preseason, I rated the safeties and cornerbacks separately. In the postseason evaluation, I feel that would be a little redundant, so I am taking into account the unit as a whole. Of all the positions, I felt there was a clear bottom and a clear top to the league in this category.

In my opinion, this was also one of the weakest positions in the league. Only three teams allowed opponents to complete fewer than 60 percent of their passes.

1. Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were clearly the best here, allowing a league-low eight passing touchdowns, grabbing a league-high 19 interceptions and allowing their opponents to complete just 51.8 percent of their passes. Logan Ryan emerged as one of the best cornerbacks in the league, while safety Duron Harmon won first-team honors.

2. West Virginia. Though there were some problems for the Mountaineers in the secondary this season, for the most part this group held its own. Cornerback Pat Miller was inconsistent and eventually lost some starts to Brodrick Jenkins -- who was an upgrade. Keith Tandy was third in the league with four interceptions, and Eain Smith, Terence Garvin and Darwin Cook played well at safety. West Virginia finished the year as the No. 2 pass defense, and let's not forget some of the huge plays this group made at the end of the season.

3. Pitt. The Panthers were up and down in pass defense all year, and were hurt when safety Jason Hendricks was lost for the year. Antwuan Reed was better; Jarred Holley earned his spot on the Big East first team. This was not an opportunistic group, with a league-low eight interceptions. But it was one that got better as the year went on. After allowing over 300 yards in two of the first three games of the season, the Panthers held the rest of their opponents below that mark.

4. USF. This unit was steady, if unspectacular in 2011. Kayvon Webster was much improved, and Jerrell Young did a nice job anchoring the team at safety. But there weren't big plays -- 12 total interceptions, and depth was an issue when injuries hit late in the season. Major kudos are deserved for holding West Virginia to 237 yards -- second-lowest on the year.

5. Louisville. The Cardinals were better than I expected given all the youth and inexperience in the secondary. Hakeem Smith was good again; Adrian Bushell was a huge pickup and made a big impact. The one weakness was getting beat way too many times on deep passes. Louisville allowed 20 passing touchdowns and had just 10 interceptions, tied for second-worst in the league.

6. Cincinnati. The Bearcats were a much more opportunistic group than a year ago. Drew Frey emerged as a first-team Big East safety, and Cam Cheatham and Deven Drane each got three interceptions. But the long pass was again something the Bearcats had a hard time covering, and wrapping up and tackling was sometimes a problem, too. Opponents averaged 7 yards a completion.

7. Syracuse. Injuries took a toll on the defensive backs last season. Players like Shamarko Thomas, Olando Fisher, Ri'Shard Anderson and Keon Lyn were banged up and that impacted how everybody played. Then the best player in the secondary, Phillip Thomas, was suspended for the final two games of the season. Syracuse gave up 300 yards five times last season, and only had 10 interceptions.

8. UConn. The Huskies struggled in the secondary all season, particularly after starting cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson went out with a knee injury. There were a lot of young players forced into action, and it showed. UConn gave up over 400 yards passing four times last season, and ranked last in the league in passing defense.

National signing day is inching ever closer, so it is time to take a look at the biggest recruiting needs for every team in the Big East.

Cincinnati

Defensive line. Cincinnati loses a host of seniors from this position, including Co-Defensive Player of the Year Derek Wolfe, John Hughes, Monte Taylor, and Rob Trigg. Factor in the key contributors for 2012 will be seniors in Dan Giordano, Brandon Mills and Walter Stewart and it is time to reload at this position.

Receiver. There is some promising young talent on the roster, but several guys are going to be leaving in the next few years. The Bearcats really need a guy who can stretch the field and make some big plays to join Anthony McClung and Alex Chisum.

Secondary. The Bearcats are going to take a hit at this position after 2012, losing a ton of seniors-to-be, including Cam Cheatham, Drew Frey, Dominique Battle and Reuben Johnson. Senior safety Wesley Richardson is already gone. The lone four-star commitment the Bearcats have is from a safety, Marcus Foster.

UConn

Quarterback. This need has been addressed in this recruiting cycle, with junior college transfer Chandler Whitmer and Casey Cochran already enrolled in school.

Tight end. With the impending departure of Ryan Griffin and John Delahunt, the Huskies could use another young player to be groomed to take over. Tight end is a critical part of the UConn offense.

Offensive line. UConn is losing its two best linemen in Moe Petrus and Mike Ryan. Of the 16 linemen currently listed on the roster, seven are juniors or seniors. Linemen generally take a redshirt season, so it never hurts to sign more to be able to restock.

Louisville

Linebacker. The Cardinals are losing Dexter Heyman and have a lot of juniors and seniors on their roster at this position. It is no surprise, then, that three of the top players coming in are linebackers -- Keith Brown and James Burgess are already enrolled; four-star recruit Nick Dawson has given a commitment.

Offensive line. Louisville has young players here, but not much depth, as evidenced this season when several true freshmen were forced to play much earlier than anticipated. It never hurts to build depth here, and the Cardinals have gotten a huge commit from four-star guard Abraham Garcia out of Miami.

Running back. This was an area the Cardinals struggled in this season, having to move quarterback Dominique Brown to the position. Victor Anderson is gone, and this team could really used another back to carry the load.

Pitt

Quarterback. This one is pretty self explanatory if you watched Tino Sunseri play. Mark Myers and Trey Anderson are also on the roster, but the Panthers are in definite need here -- which is why so many fans are looking forward to commit Chad Voytik coming to town.

Linebacker. This has been an area of inconsistency for the Panthers, who lose their best player in Max Gruder. There are some young players with talent in Todd Thomas and Ejuan Price, but this position could definitely use an upgrade.

Receiver. The play of the offense was disappointing this season, and that includes the receivers. Pitt could use some players to stretch the field. Ronald Jones was a start this season. But when you consider that Cameron Saddler, Mike Shanahan and Devin Street will all be upperclassmen in 2012, this is a definite area of need.

Rutgers

Receiver. Mohamed Sanu is gone, and Mark Harrison is a senior to be. There is plenty of young talent, but there is a reason Rutgers has commitments from four athletes. This gives the Scarlet Knights the flexibility to try them at receiver or running back, another area of need.

Running back. Once Savon Huggins got hurt this year, Rutgers had Jawan Jamison and Jeremy Deering at running back and that was about it. Depth has to be developed here.

Offensive line. Strides have absolutely been made at this position, but coach Greg Schiano likes to reiterate that the Scarlet Knights aren't going to pull themselves out of the hole they were in overnight. They need another solid draft class at this position to keep building.

USF

Secondary. Injuries and inconsistent play this season showed the Bulls really lacked some depth and need some immediate help in this area, which is why they signed junior college cornerbacks Fidel Montgomery and Josh Brown. One of their top four-star commitments is cornerback Chris Bivins.

Quarterback. Beyond B.J. Daniels, a senior in 2012, the Bulls have Bobby Eveld and Matt Floyd as the two heirs to take over. Eveld has been less than impressive, and we don't know much about Floyd. The Bulls would be served to get another quarterback in as they prepare for the future.

Running back. Darrell Scott is gone, and the Bulls are really in need of a game breaker at this position. Demetris Murray is going to be a senior, and nobody else really has stepped up at the position. Depth has to be built here, because USF goes into spring practice with four running backs on the roster.

Syracuse

Defensive line. The Orange are losing Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich and could really used some difference-makers up front who can help get after the quarterback. Depth is an issue here. One of their big commitments so far has been defensive end Josh Manley out of Georgia.

Secondary. This was one of the weakest parts of the team and now the Orange lose Phillip Thomas and Kevyn Scott, and there was a lack of depth when injuries hit this position in 2011. Brooklyn prep safety Wayne Morgan would be a huge get to add to this unit.

Receiver. Alec Lemon is a senior, Van Chew is gone and who knows what happens with Marcus Sales. The bottom line is the Orange are in major need of a game-changer to turn 15-yard passes into 40-yard receptions.

West Virginia

Quarterback. Geno Smith is a rising senior and after him it is crickets in the form of one player behind him in Paul Millard. So consider this need majorly filled with Ford Childress, ranked No. 139 on the ESPNU 150.

Offensive line. The most inconsistent part of the team in 2011, West Virginia has a major need here. The Mountaineers struggled so badly here they started converted defensive lineman Curtis Feigt late in the season. Don Barclay is gone, and Joe Madsen, Jeff Braun and Josh Jenkins are all upperclassmen.

Defensive line. Julian Miller, Josh Taylor and Bruce Irvin are gone, and there are depth concerns here. West Virginia has four commitments from defensive linemen already.

Syracuse has been hit with more bad news on the injury front, announcing Friday that starting middle linebacker Marquis Spruill would miss spring practice with a lower body injury.

His status for the 2012 season will be evaluated before preseason camp begins. Spruill has started every game over the past two seasons, and was a second-team All-Big East selection this season.

This month, the school announced that starting receiver Alec Lemon and cornerback Keon Lyn would also be out for the spring.

Syracuse receiver Alec Lemon and cornerback Keon Lyn will miss spring football practice because of shoulder surgeries, the school announced Thursday.

Lemon had surgery on his right shoulder in Annapolis, Md., while Lyn had surgery on his right shoulder in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Their status for the 2012 season will be evaluated throughout the rehabilitation process and announced before to the start of preseason camp.

Lemon led the team in receiving in 2011, catching an school single-season record 68 passes for 834 yards and six touchdowns as a junior. Lyn recorded 23 tackles, including 22 solos, had three pass breakups and one forced fumble in his sophomore season.

Is that Dave Wannstedt I hear?

• What's next for Cincinnati coach Butch Jones?
• UConn has made it a policy to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before home football and men's and women's basketball games.
• Louisville players aren't worried about Charlie Strong leaving for another job.
• As expected, Rich Rodriguez has hired the three Pitt assistants who left the team this weekend.
• Rutgers and Iowa State sport similarities.
• USF coach Skip Holtz discussed his team's problems late in games.
• The status of Syracuse cornerback Keon Lyn hasn't changed -- he remains suspended from the team.
• West Virginia fullback Shawne Alston saved the day for the Mountaineers against USF with a heads-up play. Flipper the Dolphin picked West Virginia to beat Clemson.

The question comes up every time an opponent faces West Virginia.

How do you stop Geno Smith and the offense?

That is of particular importance to Syracuse as the Orange prepare to host No. 15 West Virginia on Friday night at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

Syracuse has struggled against the pass this season, allowing four teams to go over 300 yards passing. Rutgers was three yards away from 300, so clearly this is an area of concern.

Especially when you consider West Virginia has the No. 4 passing offense and has thrown for more than 400 yards in three games this season.

What makes West Virginia different than the other opponents Syracuse has faced is its ability to stretch the field with a variety of go-to players. Against USC, for example, the Orange could focus on Robert Woods. Against Rutgers, they could focus on Mohamed Sanu.

But West Virginia has Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin and Ivan McCartney, who each rank in the Top 4 in the league in receiving yards per game and receptions per game.

"Each week, we play against great receivers and now we're playing against multiple great receivers, so we have more players out there that we have to be alert for," coach Doug Marrone said. "If you commit to try and take one of those players away, which we've tried to do against some of those other teams, and force the quarterback to throw to those other receivers, well, this quarterback has thrown to those other receivers. That's the challenge of what goes on with this team, but from a schematic standpoint, it's much more difficult to take these guys out of the game because they are all over and they are spread out across the field."

Bailey leads the team with 634 yards receiving and five touchdowns on 32 receptions. Austin leads the team with 42 receptions for 564 yards and two touchdowns. McCartney has 34 catches for 455 yards and three touchdwons.

Twelve different receivers have at least one catch, and seven of
those receivers have scored a touchdown. Seven also have double-figure receptions.

Syracuse has been banged up on defense, particularly in the secondary. Shamarko Thomas, Keon Lyn, Ri'Shard Anderson and Olando Fisher all have nursed injuries. That has left some young, inexperienced players in the back end.

But Marrone says this is the healthiest his team has been all season, and it is imperative his unit slows down Smith the way it did last season.

"Geno Smith is a good quarterback and if you allow him to sit back and pick your defense apart, that is something he will do," said Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones, who returns this week. "He has a lot of guys who complement him like Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, guys in the open field who can make big plays. Our job is not to let Geno Smith sit in the pocket and pick us apart."

West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen worried that his team would lose rhythm during the bye, but his concerns were alleviated when he saw his team practice. The timing is there, McCartney says. Now West Virginia has to start as fast as it finishes games.

"Most of our numbers come in the second half," McCartney said. "If we were to put together a full game like we do in the second half, I believe we can put 100 points up on the board."

Hard as it may seem, Mohamed Sanu went into the season a little bit overshadowed.

Mark Harrison had a standout season last year. Brandon Coleman was the talk of the spring. Tim Wright got some buzz as he returned from a knee injury.

Sanu? Just a part of a talented receiving corps.

Then the games kicked off. Now we know Sanu is not just a part of the group -- he is the best player in the group. And it's not even close.

Sanu goes into Saturday's conference opener against Syracuse off the most productive game in league history. Sanu caught a league-record 16 passes against Ohio last week, following up on his 13-reception game at North Carolina.

He has 36 receptions for 363 yards on the season -- nearly half of Rutgers' team total of 62. He leads the nation in receptions per game and is No. 8 in receiving yards per game (121). And he has four of Rutgers' seven receiving touchdowns.

Two major factors have contributed to his early success: He is completely healthy and completely focused on receiver.

"Everybody has a guy that has special talents. That's Mohamed," coach Greg Schiano said. "Because of that, we needed to use him in the Wildcat because we felt that was the only way to run the football effectively. This year, he's back at his natural position and he's doing a fine job."

Sanu said he has focused on his technique and trusted his training so far this year. But he did not really set any goals for himself for this season.

"I just came into the season open minded," Sanu said. "I wasn’t sure what I was going to do or how I was going to do it. I'm just trying to play well each and every game."

Asked for his thoughts on leading the NCAA in receptions, Sanu said, "I don’t really pay attention to any of that stuff. I'm just trying to help my team win. If that’s how we’ve got to do it, I’m just going to embrace my role and continue to play at a high level."

Certainly Schiano would like some of his other receivers to step up. Fullback Joe Martinek is the next closest to Sanu with five receptions. Harrison and Coleman have three each. Wright has four.

They could get an opportunity against the Orange, who have had their share of struggles against the pass. Syracuse has given up 10 passing touchdowns -- second worst in the nation. The Orange rank No. 91 in pass efficiency defense and No. 106 in passing defense.

Both Wake Forest and USC threw for over 300 yards against Syracuse. Two receivers -- Chris Givens of Wake Forest (seven catches, 170 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Eric Page of Toledo (13 catches, 148 yards) -- notched 100-yard games this season as well. Syracuse also had to defend USC receiver Robert Woods.

But Syracuse has been dealing with injuries to several of its top players in the secondary. Keon Lyn, Ri'Shard Anderson, Olando Fisher and Shamarko Thomas all have been hobbled. Coach Doug Marrone closed practice this week, and it is unknown who will be able to go on defense.

You can bet whoever is out there will be focused on Sanu.

"He's one of the better athletes -- if not the best athlete on the field," Marrone said. "He can make every catch, he can run all the different routes -- short game, intermediate, down the field. The line does a great job of protecting. This has been a recurring theme for us. We had Woods, we had Page. Now we have Sanu."

Lunchtime links have arrived ...

• Cincinnati players and coaches are probably humming Rocky Top right about now. The Bearcats and Vols are looking to restore some past glory. John Adams of The Knoxville News Sentinel does not mince words in his column, calling Cincinnati a Conference USA team at heart.
• UConn defensive coordinator Don Brown will not take Vanderbilt lightly.
• Louisville offensive tackle Hector Hernandez is making up for three wasted years. Louisville commitment Kevin Houchins, a cornerback in Ohio, tore his ACL and is out for the season.
• Pitt offensive tackle Juantez Hollins knows there is room for improvement. The Panthers are focused on causing more turnovers.
• Rutgers will open up its offensive playbook against North Carolina. All signs point to Mohamed Sanu handling punt-return duties. A carousel at defensive end prepares for a big challenge.
• Keon Lyn answered the call for Syracuse despite a sore shoulder. Emotion filled the Carrier Dome in Syracuse's first game after 9/11.
• USF coach Skip Holtz is easing up on his players after an emotional week. Freshman Elkino Watson relished his first taste of playing time and is eager for more.
• How to keep West Virginia from looking past Norfolk State. The SEC has made no contact with West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck. West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel helped shape Norfolk State assistant Mark DeBastiani.

Every Big East team, minus West Virginia, has now released depth charts. I already took a look at Louisville and Pitt. Here is a quick glance at the others:

Cincinnati

• Only a few competitions remain before the opener Saturday against Austin Peay. At right guard, it will be either Austen Bujnoch or Andre Cureton. Chris Williams and Reuben Johnson are still fighting for the nickelback spot.
• Blake Annen will start over Adrien Robinson at tight end.
• The Bearcats have plenty of true freshmen sprinkled throughout the two-deep. Alex Chisum and Shaq Washington are listed as backup receivers. Ralph David Abernathy IV is listed as the kickoff returner. But at linebacker, three true freshmen should play: Nick Temple, Clemente Casseus and Dwight Jackson. Though Jameel Poteat had a good camp, George Winn still is the backup behind Isaiah Pead at running back.

Connecticut

• No clarity at quarterback, where you have Scott McCummings or Johnny McEntee or Michael Nebrich. We won't know who starts until the game against Fordham Thursday.
• There are still position competitions ongoing: at left guard, Gary Bardzak or Steve Greene will start; at tight end, Ryan Griffin or John Delahunt. Even at tailback, where it will be D.J. Shoemate or Lyle McCombs.

Rutgers

• Paul Carrezola and D.C. Jefferson are still competing for the starting tight end job. Defense also still has some positions up in the air. Manny Abreu or Michael Larrow will start at defensive end; Marvin Booker or Ka'Lial Glaud will start at the other end; Anthony DiPaula and Justin Doerner are competing to be the punter.
• There are true freshmen listed on the two-deep at critical spots: backup quarterback Gary Nova, backup right tackle Kaleb Johnson; backup defensive tackle Kenneth Kirksey and backup linebacker Kevin Snyder. You also have Savon Huggins, who might start at running back.

Syracuse

• There are not many surprises on the Syracuse depth chart. With Keon Lyn hurt for a chunk of spring, Ri'Shard Anderson will start at cornerback. Prince-Tyson Gulley or Jeremiah Kobena will handle kickoffs.
• As expected, freshman Dyshawn Davis will start at linebacker. Freshman Brandon Reddish, who turned heads during fall camp, will be a backup to Kevyn Scott at cornerback.

USF

• Evan Landi made the transition from receiver to tight end during fall camp, and now he is penciled in to start there over Andreas Shields.
• At running back, Darrell Scott or Demetris Murray will start.
• We heard a lot about the speedsters at receiver, and true freshmen Andre Davis and Ruben Gonzalez, but none are listed on the two-deep. Behind A.J. Love, Sterling Griffin and Joel Miller, you have Deonte Welch, Victor Marc and Stephen Bravo-Brown, a former walk-on who just earned a scholarship.
• Defensive tackle Elkino Watson and punter Mattias Ciabatti are the only true freshmen listed on the two deep.

Syracuse has had closed practices all week as it begins preparations for the opener against Wake Forest. What are some lingering questions heading into the season?

1. How will injuries impact the team? Syracuse has had the worst luck of all the Big East teams on the injury front. Shamarko Thomas, Phillip Thomas and Keon Lyn have all missed time, though none have been ruled out for the season opener. There also were significant injuries to backups on the offensive line. The good news is that only one player, backup tackle Sean Hickey, is out for the season. The starting offensive line is intact. On defense, having some of the projected starters sit on the sideline also has gotten some young players reps. But with the opener less than a week away, all the contributors need to get back to full contact work as quickly as possible.

2. Will the faster, undersized defense be just as good? Much has been made of the size issues Syracuse has up front. But defensive coordinator Scott Shafer believes his unit will be fast and athletic, and that will help make up for any shortcomings with their size. "We're a little undersized, but as a whole we've been undersized in the two years previously, and other places I’ve been we've done OK," he said. "You try to play with speed and an attack mentality. I don’t get concerned there. The biggest thing is we don’t have guys who have a lot of snaps."

3. Receivers. With questions about whether Marcus Sales is going to play this season, Syracuse goes into the season with solid players Van Chew and Alec Lemon. Both had good camps after injuries slowed them in 2010. But who steps up with them in the event Sales is out for a long period of time? You have Dorian Graham, Jarrod West, Adrian Flemming and a trio of freshmen as well. The reports out of camp were good for the receivers, but we will see who emerges once the games begin.

I had a chance to catch up with Syracuse defensive coordinator Scott Shafer. Here is a little of what he had to say:

• Though Shamarko Thomas, Phillip Thomas and Keon Lyn have been out with injuries, the good news is younger players have gotten more reps. One young safety who has stood out is Durell Eskridge. “He has all the skill sets we look for at safety,” Shafer said. “He’s got the ability to play at a lot of positions, but we’re going to try to keep him at free safety so the learning curve isn’t too heavy on him. He’s done good things, but he flashes like most freshmen. He’s a great kid, works hard and is hungry to be a good player.”
• As for the prospects of Eskridge playing this season, Shafer said, “We need to get through some scrimmage situations and see how he does under the fire. Compared to a lot of freshmen, he’s on pace to be ready to play and hopefully our depth is such we get everybody healthy and he’s in a backup role. I’m starting to feel comfortable he’s putting himself in a position to be a contributor.
• At cornerback, Shafer said Ri’Shard Anderson, Kevyn Scott and Lyn are competing for the two starting spots. True freshman Brandon Reddish also has impressed. “I’m excited about his ability and skill sets as well,” Shafer said. “You can compare him to Eskridge in that he’s ahead of the learning curve compared to most freshmen. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what he can do.”
• Linebackers: Yet another true freshman has impressed here: Dyshawn Davis. He was in for spring, so that has given him a huge advantage. “We’ve put a lot on his plate but he’s got a nice attitude, good work ethic and we’re pleased with how he’s doing.”
• On why Marquis Spruill is more suited for middle linebacker: “At his prep school, he played in the box more and that’s where we really like him. He has a knack to play inside out and get to the ball. He had good speed as an outside linebacker, but as a middle linebacker he has great speed. On the outside, you can get exposed in space a little bit more. But if you have good enough speed inside, you become a fast linebacker who can run sideline to sideline. That’s exciting to me.”
• On his defensive tackles: “I’ve always felt like inside in college football, if you’re lucky you’d like to play four even five guys in a rotation. We’re going to have that. Right now Cory Boatman has done a nice job with Jay Bromley. Deon Goggins has improved immensely. He’s still a bit up and down but when he goes, he shows flashes of being a good player. We have Ollie Haney back. I’m excited about a young kid named Eric Crume. He’s a big kid, and he’s done some real nice things coming off the football. Robert Welsh has done some nice things. So we’ll have a committee of kids. If we can go in and say I’m going to get 30 snaps rather than 75, mentally through committee and rotation you can have a group by the fourth quarter that is not getting winded as much and can become a real strong group.”

Taking a look at practice around the league:

Cincinnati: Several freshmen have already impressed their teammates. One tradition during fall camp is for the young players to lose the stripes on their helmets when their "big brother" on the team feels they've earned it. On Monday, defensive back Trenier Orr had his stripe removed by Camerron Cheatham and receiver Shaq Washington had his stripe removed by Zach Collaros.

Connecticut: The Huskies have spent time shuffling around players on their offensive line to see who gives them the best fit. The only locks -- tackle Mike Ryan and center Moe Petrus. Everybody else has been shifted.

"We're moving people around, looking at our depth so that guys can play different positions," offensive line coach Mike Foley told the Hartford Courant. "A guy like Gary Bardzak can play both at guard and he can also play center so it gives you that flexibility so you can always get your five best on the field. A guy like Adam Masters who plays tackle but also is playing guard and that allows us, with (tackle) Kevin Friend, to get some work with that first group, move it around and see what our best combination of guys is and really take it from there."

Louisville: Freshman Lorenzo Mauldin has moved from defensive end to tight end. Mauldin was moved to give the Cardinals some bodies at that position because of injuries to Nate Nord and Stephon Ball. Both players are expected to return to practice in the next few days. In another position switch, tight end Jordan Tennyson has moved to defensive end. Receiver Michaelee Harris has been practicing with a soft cast on his thumb, but made a couple of great catches during team work Monday morning.

Pitt: The Panthers are going to go with Ryan Turnley at center and Chris Jacobson at guard, though the two are still competing at center. Coach Todd Graham said during the scrimmage Sunday there were four mishandled snaps, so Turnley has to keep working. Jacobson is getting reps at left guard with the starters and center with the second unit. Graham wants his starting five to play together this week. "We need to get to the point where five guys are repping together constantly as a unit," Graham said. Receiver Cameron Saddler and cornerback K'Waun Williams sat out practice Monday because they were "dinged up." Receiver Devin Street left practice early, but Graham didn't think the injury was serious.

Rutgers: Coach Greg Schiano still wants to see more out of his offensive line, even after an impressive rushing performance in the scrimmage Saturday. "We have to make sure we protect better, continue to protect better. We protected better than we have but not good enough for a game," Schiano said. Running back Jawan Jamison (hamstring) returned to practice but was limited. Meanwhile, receivers Brandon Coleman and Miles Shuler, defensive end Manny Abreu and running back Jeremy Deering all wore non-contact jerseys.

Syracuse: Some injured players have slowly started to make their return to the field for the Orange. Running back Prince-Tyson Gulley and Steve Rene were in full pads Monday. Both should be cleared for full contact soon. Safety Shamarko Thomas also is likely to be back on the field today, and cornerback Keon Lyn could return this weekend. Coach Doug Marrone was asked whether he was worried about any of his injured players being out for the opener Sept. 1. Offensive lineman Sean Hickey is out for the season, but Marrone also is worried about lineman Ian Allport because of the severity of his concussion.

USF: Quarterback B.J. Daniels participated fully in both practices Monday. Fullback Armando Sanchez has moved back to linebacker from fullback. Coach Skip Holtz said the decision to redshirt all the freshmen linebackers played into the decision. Holtz also singled out all the true freshmen he expects to play this season, including defensive tackle Elkino Watson and receivers Andre Davis and Ruben Gonzalez.

West Virginia: Coach Dana Holgorsen has had high praise for young running backs Vernard Roberts, Dustin Garrison, Trey Johnson and Andrew Buie. But the Mountaineers may not necessarily go with a running back by committee approach. Nor are they looking for somebody who is going to be an afterthought to the passing game. Running backs coach Robert Gillespie told the Times West Virginian: "We would like a guy we could strap the team on his back and go,” he said.