College football is back. The Syracuse Orange opened up fall camp on Wednesday morning at the Ensley Athletic Center.

The Orange have high expectations for themselves, even if outsiders do not. On day one of practice, all eyes were on the offense.

Head coach Dino Babers brought in new offensive coordinator Robert Anae this offseason with the hopes of getting more of a balance between the running and passing games.

Players have had time to learn the system, but admitted they're still learning the ropes. They're excited about the potential they can show.

"He gives everybody an opportunity to make plays, whether it's running backs or receivers," quarterback Garrett Shrader said of Anae's offense. "And he plays to our strengths too. It makes it a lot easier. They don't put us out of position to do things we may not be good at, so we're growing and getting a lot better. It was a fun first day though. There's a lot of hope for this season."

"Coach Anae is really good at what he does," Babers added. "Our conversations are very short. I'm asking, he fills in the blanks and we move on. We don't think differently. I don't think we think that differently."

As much as fans want to see more of a passing attack, the offense will continue to run through the legs of Sean Tucker after a record-breaking season in 2021.

"Everything we're going to do is based around what he can do, and everything else will build from there," Shrader said. "He's doing a lot more. He's catching the ball a lot, but we're trying to expand our game as much as we can. We're seeing what we're capable of."

"I don't know what his next step is. I think it's just get better," wide receiver Courtney Jackson said. "Everybody is looking to get better. He means so much to this offense, to have an All-American running back like that. It helps me. It takes a lot of attention away from me. He's a big focal point on offense."

Offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron said he thinks the next step for Tucker is the 2,000 rushing yards mark. And while that is so hard to attain, anything is possible.

We'll next get a chance to see the Orange on Friday morning, and to speak with defensive players and specialists.