After the opening day of spring football practice for the Syracuse football team Friday, reporters asked SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni as to his top preseason priority. Entering his 14th season, Pasqualoni didn’t even hesitate. It would be filling the quarterback position, he answered quickly.

After having the stable combination of either Troy Nunes or R.J. Anderson the past three seasons, Syracuse has four players competing for the position, making this preseason one of the most unusual springs in recent memory.

It’s a four-man race between junior Xzavier Gaines, sophomore Perry Patterson, redshirt freshman Matt Hale and true freshman Joe Fields. The race is so wide open that Fields, the youngest of the four quarterbacks, could conceivably win the job. The Texas native finished high school a semester early to ensure he could compete for the job in spring practice.

Neither competitor has much experience. Patterson appeared in six games last season, all in relief of Anderson. But he did not attempt a pass. Gaines played in one game and didn’t attempt a pass either.

‘Nobody’s really had much game experience at this point,’ said Steve Bush, the quarterbacks coach. ‘In the past, we’ve had someone that’s played some, started some going in and maybe had a little more experience. But we’ve always opened it up in the spring and let them all compete. This is a little different because they’re all kind of inexperienced right now.’

The depth chart lists Gaines and Patterson in the starting spot, but that’s only because someone needs to be listed as No. 1. But Bush and Pasqualoni said the race is not decided. Patterson and Gaines both have a slight edge, just from being in the program and knowing the offense. Fields, though, declared upon arrival his intentions to compete for the job.

Bush said there’s no timetable for a decision, and the competition probably will go into the summer’s preseason camp. On Friday, all four quarterbacks took snaps with offensive first unit. For much of the time, the older quarterbacks were paired with a younger one. Gaines worked in a group with Hale, while Patterson teamed with Fields.

Pasqualoni said this was done so the younger players could observe the veterans if they had any questions. Normally, veteran players take freshmen under their wings to nurture the younger players until they graduate. In this case, the freshmen could be taking the older players’ job.

‘I know Joe’s coming in with the same mind frame as me,’ Patterson said. ‘But I’m still helping Joe. It’s all a team thing.’

It’s no secret, though, that Patterson desperately wants the starting role. A year ago, he appeared the clear favorite to take over for Anderson this season or possibly even beginning last season as the starter. A devastating right knee injury ended Patterson’s spring season, knocking him out for six months and disrupting his development. He now says that his knee is 90-95 percent healed but should be 100 percent by the start of the season.

Gaines, meanwhile, aided himself this off-season by not participating in basketball, as he did last season as a walk-on. Instead, Gaines lifted, ran and watched film with his teammates.

‘I came to the decision on my own,’ Gaines said. ‘I’m here for a purpose. I’ve got a scholarship in football. I’ve got goals and ambitions. I want to be the starting quarterback for Syracuse University, so I’ve got to do whatever it’s going to take.’

Besides the quarterback position, Pasqualoni said his other priorities include replacing Rich Scanlon at linebacker, replacing Louis Gachelin and Christian Ferrara on the defensive line and getting settled at wide receiver. Steve Gregory has moved from cornerback to wide out, and SU must cope with the losses of Johnnie Morant – last year’s receiving leader – to graduation and Rashard Williams, who didn’t enroll for the spring semester.

The Orangemen practiced for nearly three hours without pads in the Carrier Dome on Friday and did so again late Saturday morning. SU practices again this afternoon. The spring season includes 15 practices and concludes with the spring game on April 24 at 1:30 p.m.

‘We’re starting where we left off on Dec. 6,’ Pasqualoni said, referring to the Orangemen’s 38-12 win over Notre Dame. ‘We left off on a high note, with an outstanding performance, probably our best performance of the entire year. It’s good to come back with that kind of feeling, that kind of momentum.’

Published on March 28, 2004 at 12:00 pm