#ACCKickoff: Day 2 Recap

GREENSBORO, N.C. – On Monday it was head coach Scott Shafer's turn to make the media rounds at the 2014 ACC Football Kickoff at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center. Shafer made the same stops Sean Hickey and Cameron Lynch did Sunday and addressed a variety of topics throughout the day. However, the prevailing theme was how much more comfortable Shafer and the Orange are this season as opposed to 2013.

Links: 'Cuse #ACCKickoff Central Blog Replay | Press Conference Transcript
CuseTV: Shafer Interview | Shafer Press Conference
ACC Digital Network Video: Shafer on #44, Terrel Hunt
More: Beyond the ACCtion Blog

Last year, everything was new. It was Shafer's first season as a college head coach. It was the Orange's inaugural season in the ACC and it was the team's first year with a new quarterback after the departure of Ryan Nassib.

This time around Shafer and the Orange aren't the new kids on the block. Shafer is in his second season. The Orange knows what to expect in the ACC Atlantic Division and Terrel Hunt opens 2014 as the first-string quarterback after starting the last 10 games of 2013.

So how do you go about building upon a 7-6 season in which the Orange won the Texas Bowl, its third bowl victory in four years? For Shafer, the answer is simple.

"We start with bettering everything we did the year before by one," Shafer said. "That's the starting point. By no means is that the bar. The bar is to go to the top, to try to win the ACC and get ourselves in a championship situation. Let's get eight or more wins. That's how it starts."

One of the other major areas of focus is playing better at the Carrier Dome. The Orange has six home dates this season, including visits by defending national champion Florida State, 2013 ACC Coastal Division champion Duke and league newcomer Louisville.

"Let's play great football at home for our home crowd," Shafer said. "They deserve better and our kids are anxious to do that."

Other notes from the final day of ACC Kickoff:

JIMBO FISHER IMPRESSED WITH THE CARRIER DOME
Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher spent 13 years as an assistant coach in the SEC before joining the Seminoles. He's been to places like The Swamp and Bryant-Denny Stadium and believes the atmosphere in the Carrier Dome ranks up there with the best of them.

"Syracuse and the Dome is one of the great places to play in college," Fisher said. "It's one of the unique places, extremely loud, extremely vocal, they have great tradition. It will be a tremendous challenge for our football team, no doubt about that."

9-UNDER WINS GOLF TOURNAMENT
The 12th annual Skeeter Francis Golf Championship took place Monday morning on the Grandover East Course. The tournament, named in honor of former Wake Forest SID Marvin "Skeeter" Francis, featured several ACC student-athletes, coaches, media, bowl representatives and staff.

Three teams carded 63 (-9) to tie for first place. The winning foursome via a tie-breaking procedure was Tim Brant (Raycom Sports), Willie Byrn (Virginia Tech), Bret Strelow (Fayetteville Observer) and Chris Knight (Orange Bowl).

Mark Larson of Time Warner Cable News in Syracuse won the closest to the pin contest on the par-3 seventh hole. Larson hit a 6-iron to within five feet to claim the prize.

FLORIDA STATE, MIAMI ARE THE FAVORITES
The results of the 2014 ACC Preseason Media Poll were released Monday afternoon. Defending national champion Florida State is the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Division and defeat Miami in the Dr. Pepper ACC Football Championship Game. The Seminoles garnered 109 out of 112 first-place votes. The Hurricanes received 26 first-place nods and 614 points to edge Duke (33 first-place votes, 597 points) in the Coastal Division.

The Orange (368 points) was picked fourth in the Atlantic behind Florida State (670 points), Clemson (660 points) and Louisville (564 points).

Reigning Heisman winner Jameis Winston of Florida State was the overwhelming choice to repeat as ACC Player of the Year. Winston received 99 of the 108 votes cast for the honor.

Click here for the full results of the 2014 ACC Preseason Media Poll.

Season tickets for the 2014 season, which start at $99, and the three-game package that includes Villanova, Florida State and a third home game in the Dome of the fan's choice ($125 per package) are available now online (Cuse.com), by phone (888-DOMETIX), at Destiny USA kiosks and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B). In addition, discounted group tickets (20+), with prices as low as $10 each, are available for home games by calling the Ticket Sales office (443-3212).

Syracuse University Athletics

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