In what almost seemed scripted, Orange give victorious send off to its beloved leader.
Hardnosed, tough-minded and gutsy. These superlatives often have open-ended definitions, and are cliché terms in the world of sports. How one term differentiates from another is challenging for even the most skilled of linguists.
“Football’s a game of inches,” head coach Scott Shafer said. “It’s one play here, one play there that can determine the outcome of a ball game and we saw that.”
The Syracuse football team (3-4, 1-2) gave the No. 25 Pittsburgh Panthers (6-1, 4-0) all they could handle, but fell just short with the end result being the same as their previous three contests. The Panthers kicked a last-second field goal to defeat the Orange 23-20.
Former Orange head coach Shafer returns to the Carrier Dome September 9; SU will face Clemson on October 13
The ACC released its college football schedule for the upcoming season on Tuesday, officially finalizing Syracuse’s 2017 slate of games.
Four of the Orange’s opponents next season have won a national championship within the past 11 years: LSU, Clemson, Miami, and Florida State. Clemson is fresh off its national championship win a season ago.
Dino Babers, who currently serves as the head coach at Bowling Green State University, will officially announce his joining the Orange on Monday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m.
Coach Babers was on the sidelines coaching the Falcons to a Mid-Atlantic Conference championship last night, 34-13 over the Northern Illionois Huskies. Today, he is the new head coach of the Syracuse Orange football program.
The search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
Scott Shafer was relieved of his duties as Syracuse football head coach Monday morning. The decision will be effective after the conclusion of the final game of the season this Saturday versus Boston College in the Carrier Dome.
Head Coach Scott Shafer will face his old team to kick off the season Friday at 7.
Hopes are high as the Syracuse Orange kick off their 2015 college football season on Friday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. against Rhode Island at the Carrier Dome.
The Orange offense was once again stuck in neutral through much of the annual scrimmage event.
Syracuse football fans got their first look at the 2015 Orange squad at the Carrier Dome on Saturday during the program's annual "spring game."
Although there was no game clock or score kept during the course of the event, more than 4,000 fans were treated to an afternoon of activity, including free hot dogs and post-game "selfie stations" on the field with players and coaches.
Here are a few nuggets from a busy afternoon at the Dome:
The Panthers pile up 256 rushing yards in a convincing 23-point victory.
A Pittsburgh defense that had given up an astounding 147 points over its past three games presented the Syracuse offense with a great opportunity to turn around what has been a dismal season.
SU is now eliminated from bowl contention for the first time since 2011.
The Carrier Dome hasn’t been kind to the Syracuse Orange this season.
Hoping to keep its postseason hopes alive against Duke on Saturday, the Orange instead dropped its third straight game, 27-10, in front of 39,331 fans on Senior Day. SU will finish 1-5 at the Dome and out of the bowl picture.
The Duke head coach spoke highly of AJ Long and the rest of the Orange prior to their Saturday showdown.
Duke (7-1) head football coach David Cutcliffe spoke to the media Wednesday afternoon during the Atlantic Coast Conference's weekly coaches teleconference.
Not surprisingly, Cutcliffe talked about the Blue Devils' upcoming date with Syracuse (3-6) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.