Syracuse wide receiver Lavar Lobdell watched from the sidelines with a left shoulder injury last season as his offensive teammates struggled, as the passing game stalled, as opponents flooded the box with eight men, daring the Orange to pass the ball.

SU’s opponents could take that gamble because they knew, for the most part, the Orange couldn’t pass the ball, especially deep.

The Syracuse offense has been a much-scrutinized area after SU finished last season 1-10 and, more importantly, ranked 115th out of 117 teams in total offense and pass efficiency.

Now Lobdell believes teams would be foolish to think this is the same Syracuse passing game. As spring practices start, the attention turns to a receiving corps, which fell flat last season. But the receivers recognized the problem long before the seasons turned, and they believe they’ve done the work necessary to correct the errors and surprise some teams when the season comes.

‘For the receiving corps, it’s definitely in the back of our minds,’ Lobdell said. ‘We’re going to open up that box. We want to be able to open up that run game. Eight guys in the box, that’s disrespectful to us. We don’t want that.’

This winter, the receivers worked with quarterback Perry Patterson in the Carrier Dome trying to figure out the West Coast Offense while learning to communicate with each other. The players went through the coaching staff to arrange time to use the Dome, but the workouts were initiated by the receivers and Patterson.

The workouts were even more important, considering the receiving corps has a different look this season. Sophomores Quinton Brown, Nick Chestnut and Bruce Williams all switched to defense, and Lobdell and Jeremy Horne are back from injuries that held them out all last year.

Syracuse also added receivers through recruiting, and freshman Taj Smith started practicing with the team this week. The early reports on Smith and sophomore Horne have the Orange believing it will be able to beat secondaries deep with speed.

‘A lot of people are going to sleep on us,’ Horne said. ‘They came up in the box a lot. We’re going to be able to go deep this year.’

The tendency of defenses to push up and focus on stopping the run was a major problem for the Orange last year. Still, the only way SU can correct the problem and make defenses more honest is by performing better through the air. Last season, Syracuse only had six passing touchdowns and threw for 150.8 yards per game.

The bulk of that responsibility falls upon returning starters Tim Lane and Rice Moss, and they both know it. Moss said he and Lane have accepted the leadership position and realize all eyes are on them to set an example. So far, the receivers have followed Moss’ practice habits.

‘Everybody’s looking at me and Tim,’ Moss said. ‘They expect us to know what we’re doing and do our thing. We have to go out and prove that we’re doing our thing.’

Moss said he’s seen better work ethic out of himself and, in turn, the other receivers. With no starting spots fully assured, the receivers have all the incentive needed to show effort and improve upon last season.

With that improvement has come a better attitude.

‘I think it’s more fun because everybody’s seen a big progress,’ Moss said. ‘Everybody’s trying to get a spot now because it’s spring ball. Once we start the season, everybody will have a feel for where they’re going to be. Everybody’s having fun trying to prove themselves.’

The loose, yet intense, atmosphere wasn’t apparent just to receivers. Chestnut, now playing cornerback, had a chance to watch some of his teammates at his old position practice and was impressed with their play, especially for the first week of spring practice.

Chestnut said with more players competing for a receiver slot, everyone in the receiving corps seemed to work harder. The additional work should pay dividends once the Orange takes the field for its first game.

‘I got to watch them and they seemed pretty excited about being out there,’ Chestnut said. ‘They’re catching balls, flying around, running their routes.

‘With the improved class we’ve got and with some receivers coming in, they looked pretty good out there. Our receivers are going to come along this year and are really going to surprise some people.’

Published on March 22, 2006 at 12:00 pm