We’re all sick of the 1-10 references. The fans. The players. The media. For the last nine months, 1-10, 1-10, 1-10.

Of course, those references won’t disappear any time soon. Last year was the worst season in school history.

But in less than 48 hours, the Syracuse football team will own a brand new record. The Orange visits Wake Forest at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at Groves Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., to start the 2006 season.

Five primary questions face SU in its season opener. The fans, the players and the media will finally have these new storylines to discuss:

1. Can Perry Patterson improve his consistency and accuracy in the West Coast offense?

What else could go first? At least Syracuse opens the season with a clear-cut starter for the first time since R.J. Anderson in 2003.

Orange head coach Greg Robinson insists the ‘attack’ — which finished 115th out of 117 Division I-A teams in 2005 (told you the references wouldn’t go away) — will remain the same in design under new offensive coordinator Brian White. That means three- and mostly five-step drops in the passing game.

Patterson, a senior who has started most of the past two years, certainly needs help from the rest of the offense. But critics will always come back to the quarterback, justified or not. So perhaps the most important factor for Patterson is maintaining his cool if things go wrong.

There’s potential for a positive start. Opponents passed for more than 200 yards eight times in 11 games against the Deacon Demons last year.

Robinson said no one worked harder in the offseason to prepare for this season than his starting quarterback, who lost about 20 pounds.

‘He has done everything he can to give himself a chance to have an outstanding senior year,’ Robinson said.

2. Will the receiving corps go from SU’s biggest liability to its biggest strength?

Remember this name: Taj Smith.

The junior college transfer should provide Syracuse with an immediate deep threat that’s been missing in the recent past. He could also prove valuable on quick hits that put the ball in his hands and let him dance. The West Coast offense often utilizes the run-after-the-catch.

Tim Lane and Rice Moss recovered from trouble dropping passes at the beginning of last year to finish as the Orange’s leading receivers (27 and 26 receptions, respectively). They’ve gone from inexperienced to experienced in 12 months and will open as the two starting wideouts. Lane should be Patterson’s top option when needed to move the chains.

With Lavar Lobdell and Jeremy Horne behind them, there’s no more need to experiment with cornerback Nick Chestnut as a deep threat and J.J. Bedle (who is no longer with the team) and Quinton Brown as flanker screen specialists.

3. Can A.J. Brown or Joe Fields come close to duplicating Anthony Smith’s performance at free safety?

Probably not. Wake Forest will no doubt test whoever starts for Syracuse early and often. Smith, a third round pick by the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, managed to put himself near the ball so often. Smith finished with six interceptions in 2005.

Fields never expected to be in serious competition for the job, but Robinson hasn’t eliminated the former quarterback who almost transferred over the summer. Robinson specifically noted Fields’ experience on the other side of the ball and his ability to hit receivers coming through the middle.

Brown comes into year without much more experience than Fields. Brown redshirted as a freshman in 2004 and played in nine games last season.

4. Is Curtis Brinkley the answer at starting running back?

Robinson finally chose Brinkley over Paul Chiara and Delone Carter on Tuesday after months of speculation Brinkley would win the spot.

Brinkley possesses the game-breaking speed that could create much-needed big plays for the Orange. Last season’s starter Damien Rhodes’ tentativeness masked his quickness until he got in the open field. Brinkley flashed around the ends in the spring game faster.

‘He has a darting style of running,’ Robinson said of Brinkley. ‘I think that he can make a person miss. He is quick to the hole.’

By no means count out Carter as the first option later in the season. He should see significant playing time right away.

But Wake Forest could prove more stout than expected. The Demons only gave up 133.5 yards per game on the ground despite their losing record.

5. Will Jameel McClain and Lee Williams pressure Wake Forest quarterback Ben Mauk?

Syracuse’s defense was actually pretty good last season. Who knows how well the defense would’ve played if it wasn’t on the field as much.

Graduated ends Ryan LaCasse and James Wyche set the tone up front, making it especially difficult to throw against the Orange with Smith roaming the secondary. But LaCasse and White, who had nine and 4.5 sacks, respectively, are gone.

In Robinson’s defense, one of the ends concentrates on pass rushing more. McClain, a junior, has impressed as that speed rusher off the end, LaCasse’s old position. The other end spot was less certain throughout camp because of the lack of depth.

The lack of a pass rush could be devastating for an Orange defense designed to attack.

But any of these questions may be left unresolved after one game. All that’s certain is Syracuse’s record won’t be 1-10 anymore.

‘Coming off last season, if we had a winning season, I would be happy,’ Robinson said.

Published on August 31, 2006 at 12:00 pm