Tim Lane has waited and waited and waited for his chance in the Syracuse offense. He spent a year watching from the sidelines as a redshirt and two more almost exclusively on special teams. Until Sunday’s game against West Virginia, he hadn’t recorded a catch in college.

Now, he’s the lone veteran in the wide receiver rotation for the Orange. Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the Carrier Dome, Lane will line up as a starter opposite sophomore Rice Moss against Buffalo as the oldest receiver on the team.

Lane has the size and the pass-catching ability to lead SU’s new West Coast Offense (at 6 feet 2 inches, he holds the San Diego high school touchdown record with 29) . He claims he’s just as fast as any defensive back (‘except for the first few steps,’ he says), but after fellow junior Landel Bembo broke his leg last week in practice, he’s the one guy the other receivers are looking up to.

‘I feel that I’m the leader in this group,’ Lane said. ‘(Bembo) was my partner in crime. He was a great fit in this offense. We complemented each other with size and speed and he was a great loss.’

Entering this season with Bembo, the group had 18 career catches. Without Bembo, only four. Such is the nature of football where seniority can rule over talent, where you can watch for three years before being thrust into a starting role.

Lane isn’t bitter that his chance is only coming now, though. He simply wants to make the most of the opportunity. After a difficult two-catch, one-drop performance Sunday against West Virginia, the Bulls provide him that chance.

‘I’m excited to get over West Virginia,’ Lane said. ‘We have some things to prove to ourselves and to everyone else that this offense is going to work. Just be patient with us and we’ll show you some good things.’

Where former head coach Paul Pasqualoni let his upperclassmen take the majority of practice reps, Lane is glad new head coach Greg Robinson has kept an open mind.

Moss earned time during his freshman season in 2004, including one start, and recorded four catches. Other than Lane and Moss, though, none of the receivers on the Orange depth chart had lined up in college.

‘This year, all of our traveling receivers get a chance to get out there and work on some plays,’ Lane said. ‘It’s great because when Bembo got hurt, Rice had been taking plays all camp. If he hadn’t, he’d have been lost.’

Robinson proved he is giving every SU player a fair shot by naming freshman Bruce Williams, a backup at receiver to begin the season. Williams, undersized and under-recruited, didn’t even have an offer from Syracuse until Robinson became head coach.

Now, he plays the key role of a third or fourth option in the offense.

Against the Mountaineers, quarterback Perry Patterson completed only five passes to his wide receivers. This week against a weaker Buffalo defense, he should have time to look to guys like Lane and Moss.

It’s now the receivers’ job to prove they won’t hold the offense back.

‘I think we’re getting better as the year goes on,’ Moss said. ‘I’ve seen us progress since the day coach Robinson got here.

‘Our fresh start was against West Virginia, though it didn’t work out that way. (Against Buffalo) we’re just gonna go out there and try to get a win.’

Published on September 7, 2005 at 12:00 pm