SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Perry Patterson has a different look, and so does the Syracuse offense. And that's a good thing for the Orange.

Looking perhaps more comfortable than ever as he prepares for his senior season, Patterson led the offense to a 34-25 victory over the defense on Saturday in the team's final spring scrimmage.

Head coach Greg Robinson called Patterson first-string quarterback instead of naming him the starter when spring ball started. But it's obvious the job is Patterson's to lose. He's started 17 of 23 games in his career and ranks seventh all-time in passing yards (3,355) and sixth in completions (298) at Syracuse.

“Perry is a better passer today than he was in November. I know how hard he's worked,” Robinson said. “March and April have been a lot of fun for him. He wants to go out a winner.”

He sure is giving that impression under the guidance of new offensive coordinator Brian White.

When he started the season finale last fall at Louisville, Patterson weighed 255 pounds. He's since dropped 14 pounds and wants to lose another 10 before summer camp in August.

“I just want to look sharp and play well,” Patterson said.

Against a revamped defense that lost starting defensive ends Ryan LaCasse and James Wyche, a three-year starting cornerback in Steve Gregory and first-team All-Big East safety Anthony Smith to graduation, Patterson was 9-for-11 for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

“I know where I'm supposed to be with the ball. Last year, I would get confused where I had to be with my reads,” Patterson said. “Now, I know exactly where I'm supposed to be.”

Patterson displayed a nice touch when he hit Tim Lane on a 39-yard touchdown pass along the left sideline to open the scoring.

“I thought we dominated,” said Lane, who had one other catch for 11 yards. “The offensive line blocked real well. I'm so proud of the receiving corps. Everybody had a catch, everyone was making big plays.”

Including walk-on Max Meisel. The 5-foot-4, 149-pounder had two catches for 23 yards, breaking a couple of tackles along the way as the crowd of 2,677 cheered. He was hoisted on the shoulders of his teammates after the game so the fans could see him and get his autograph.

“That was cool,” Meisel said. “I wasn't expecting that.”

Backup quarterback Joe Fields was 8-for-10 for 103 yards, including a 63-yard catch-and-run by Jeremy Horne, one of 13 players who caught passes. Former Christian Brothers Academy star wideout Lavar Lobdell, who missed all of 2005 because of a shoulder injury that required surgery, had one catch for 11 yards.

“We've got to go out and work hard every day just like we did in the spring,” said Rice Moss, who led the team with four catches for 78 yards and one TD. “Everybody is fighting for a position. We've got freshmen coming in in the summer and fall, and everybody still is going to be fighting.”

Last year's spring game, Robinson's first, was much different. A crowd of 6,029 - the largest to see the spring scrimmage without a lacrosse twin bill since the Carrier Dome opened in 1980 - turned out to welcome the new head coach and his staff. The defense prevailed in that game, a preview of what would happen during the regular season.

The Orange finished at 1-10, the worst record in school history, and offensive coordinator Brian Pariani's attack was awful -115th in total offense of the 117 teams that play at college's top level, 114th in scoring, and last in third-down conversions.

Although Robinson's defense lost this time, it did manage eight sacks.

“I was pleased,” he said. “I see improvement on the whole team.”

“Everybody did well as a team,” linebacker Jerry Mackey said. “The offense played great. It's something to look forward to for the season, fill up the stands.”

Notes: Cornerback Tanard Jackson and wide receiver J.J. Bedle did not play. They were suspended earlier in the spring by Robinson “for conduct detrimental to the team.” Robinson has not offered specifics about their misconduct, but he said the door remains open for both to return.