Schedules are made years in advance. In the case of Syracuse’s home opener on Saturday against No. 14 Iowa, the home-and-home series was scheduled in 2004.

At the time, SU was spiraling in mediocrity. Iowa was establishing itself as a national power. But conventional thinking suggested it would be a battle between two storied programs two years later, one of those made-for-TV, non-conference events that packs stadiums and excites scalpers, that elicits promotions on television in a Keith Jackson-like deep voice about ‘the Orange and the Hawkeyes, live at 3:30 on ABC.’

Not quite.

Instead, it’s an afterthought on the national television schedule, buried behind other marquee non-conference duels. SU has lost 10 straight games and odds makers are dubbing the Orange 19-point underdogs – an indication of Iowa’s ability and SU’s hopelessness.

But upsets happen. They’re improbable, but not impossible. If the Orange hopes for a rush-the-field instant classic, here are three keys that will help achieve it:

Establish a running game

It sounds simple, but it’s essential for any success. Syracuse won’t be able to win a shootout with Iowa, so it must maintain consistent offensive drives.

SU uses three running backs — sophomores Curtis Brinkley and Paul Chiara and freshman Delone Carter. None received more than eight carries in Saturday’s 20-10 loss to Wake Forest. They rushed a combined 19 times, which isn’t even a lot for a featured running back.

Offensive coordinator Brian White said Wednesday the position will sort itself out and one player will eventually emerge as the leader of the group, but wouldn’t provide a timetable for when it will it happen.

It will only happen, though, if SU can establish a running game.

‘You can get in a rhythm, but it does get tough,’ Chiara said. ‘I think you just need a good drive to get in a flow. Whether you get the ball or not, you’re still on the field and in the play. You don’t need to get 20 carries — I mean, everyone wants 20 carries — but I think you can get in a pretty flow just by being out there.’

Make the Carrier Dome a tough place to play

This is an intangible that might seem out of the players’ hands, but it isn’t.

The Carrier Dome can be a devastating place for an opponent to play. Besides the obvious factor of crowd noise in a compact space, opponents often complain about the stale air in the Dome and the difficult lighting.

The latter two will be present regardless. The crowd noise, though, is contingent on the team. A close game will provide fans reason to cheer, and better yet, stay until the end. SU has historically played to the competition of high-caliber non-conference opponents at home.

In 2003, the Orange beat Notre Dame at home, 38-12. In 2004 and 2005, SU lost to Florida State and Virginia by a combined seven points at home.

‘We have to pack the Dome up, get everyone up on third downs,’ Smith said. ‘It’s a real big game, ABC, it’s going to be a lot of fun. We just need everyone to be here. That’s the biggest thing. If we can pack that Dome and get everyone in there, we’ll have a chance to win this game.’

Neutralize the lines

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is known for emphasizing team toughness, especially on his offensive and defensive lines. A former NFL offensive line coach, Ferentz has churned out high-quality linemen on both sides of the football in his seven seasons at Iowa.

On the offensive line, Iowa lost two starters but returns key seniors Mike Jones, Marshal Yanda and Mike Elgin. The Hawkeyes are always fundamentally sound, but their talent is in place, too.

‘They have real good players; I don’t know if it’s coaching or anything like that,’ Syracuse senior linebacker Kelvin Smith said. ‘I was watching (Yanda). He’s real good and we’ll have to keep our eye on him. But those guys are good players. It’s a mentality. It’s been that mentality the past couple of years. It’s a hard-nosed team.’

It’s the same on defense. Iowa’s defensive line is headlined by junior end Ken Iwebema, who earned All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore. His speed around the edge is something SU must particularly combat.

But the entire line impresses White, who had the same impression as Smith — physical and tough.

‘Their defensive line is a dominant group,’ White said. ‘It’s a very physical group, as physical and well-coached as any defensive line in the country — bar none.’

Published on September 7, 2006 at 12:00 pm