Delone Carter spent 12 days searching for answers.

But he couldn’t find any. After running for only six yards on five carries in Syracuse’s opening game against Wake Forest on Sept. 2, the freshman running back knew he lacked something. He just didn’t know what it was.

Carter spent last Thursday evening dissecting game film, analyzing his technique and moves. He knew he could better understand the schemes. He just didn’t know how.

Suddenly, it clicked with Carter.

‘I was getting frustrated,’ Carter said. ‘Some plays I’d do well. Some others I wouldn’t. I was just studying the film, sitting there and looking. (I realized) there were times I needed to be patient. There were times when I needed to be impatient.’

Two days later, he teamed with sophomore Curtis Brinkley to run for 132 yards on 37 carries in SU’s 31-21 victory over Illinois. Carter ran for 63 yards on 19 rushes, his best performance in his three games as a collegiate player.

SU head coach Greg Robinson will continue to use the two-back system when the Orange hosts Miami (Ohio) on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Carrier Dome.

Awarded the prestigious Mr. Ohio football honor in high school, Carter ran for 2,788 yards and 49 touchdowns his senior year at Copley High School. Carter thought he could immediately carry that success as soon as he stepped on the field against Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons’ defensive line looked small and slow, he observed. In Carter’s eyes, he was going to run all over them.

He was wrong. The players were faster and they hit harder than what he saw in high school.

‘I was out there thinking about this is what’s supposed to happen,’ Carter said. ‘I wasn’t thinking all these other things might happen so I might have to adjust. I was just looking for one thing when a whole series of things can happen.’

A similar performance happened again against Iowa when Carter only ran for five yards. Carter was trying to make big plays even when he was only used for short-yardage purposes.

Against Illinois, he relished the role. Robinson wouldn’t explain why he used Carter for that purpose.

‘For me to sit there and talk about something, I don’t know,’ Robinson said. ‘Delone happened to be the guy carrying the football. I’m not going to go into it much more than that. But he did a good job running those things. I also think we ran off a tackle on one play and there was good blocking, too.’

Carter knows he can only improve, but heading against the Red Hawks he wants to make that progression gradual this time.

He admits, given he’ll be playing in front of fans who saw him in high school, he would love to be able to say at the end of the game, ‘We beat you.’

Carter also acknowledges a player’s goal is always to have the starting position. But right now Carter doesn’t see that as his to take. Given Brinkley’s success-186 total yards-Carter has no legitimate claim for the job.

His time will come whenever he proves himself. But right now Carter has a different role-to complement Brinkley.

‘Curtis and I talk about how we have to get in the end zone,’ Carter said. ‘We had nice runs but we want longer runs. We want to improve. I feel like I have a lot more to offer.’

The first benchmark to reach is to score on a rushing touchdown, a feat the Orange has yet to accomplish this season.

Carter said he’s been trying to emulate Brinkley’s slashing style and ability to read the holes in practice. He also takes cues from his favorite former running backs, ranging from Barry Sanders’ cutting to the strength and quickness perfected by Jim Brown and Ernie Davis.

The goal in that approach is to combine various strengths from different talented backs into one man. Carter knows that won’t immediately show on Saturday. But it’s a start.

‘I knew it was going to be a big adjustment,’ Carter said. ‘It took me a while to get the hang of what was going on out there on the field. Finally it came along-the patience I needed to have when I’m out there and the urgency to go when I needed to go.’

Published on September 18, 2006 at 12:00 pm