Orange Preparing for Northeastern

Game Notes
Head Coach Greg Robinson Press Conference Transcript

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The 2008 Orange will play the fourth non-conference game of the season and the third in a four-game homestand on Saturday (Sept. 20) against Northeastern in the Carrier Dome.

“In getting ready for Northeastern, this is a very important game for us,” said head coach Greg Robinson. “We know that. We're at home again and there's just so much at stake. We need to gain momentum. We need to play well. We need to win. All of those things make this a very, very meaningful football game as we get ready to go into the BIG EAST next week.”

The honorary captain contest will be All-American Chris Gedney. A tight end for SU from 1989-92, Gedney set school records for receptions by a tight end in a season (34 in 1992) and career (91). As a senior, he caught 34 passes for 587 yards and five touchdowns. He helped lead Syracuse to the Fiesta and Peach bowls. Gedney was named a unanimous All-America selection in 1992 and was named to the Syracuse All-Century team in 1999.

As honorary captain, Gedney will participate in all activities with the team beginning the night before the game. He will address the team, participate in the Quad Walk and accompany 2008 Orange captains Tony Fiammetta, Jake Flaherty, Patrick Shadle and Bruce Williams for the pre-game coin toss.

“Chris was an outstanding football player for our program and went on for a number of years to play in professional football,” said head coach Greg Robinson. “I have first-hand knowledge of Chris, having coached against him, but I've also gotten to know him very well since he's been part of the program working with the athletics department. I think that this is a great person to bring back and to honor. He spends a lot of time with our team already. He does a great job spending time with our players at different times. He really is committed to just being a part of the overall program.”

While this will be Syracuse’s first game against the Huskies on the gridiron, Robinson is familiar with the team that lost 34-27 in overtime at Georgia Southern last Saturday.

"Their quarterback (senior Anthony Orio) is a very good player,” Robinson said. “You can tell he's a leader. He runs their offense well, throws the ball well and he ran the ball a number of times the other day. He's big and physical. They list him at 240 lbs. I don't know if he's that big, but he's good-sized. Their tailback (Alex Broomfield) played well. I thought they did a good job up front. They utilized a lot of people in their offense.”

All 2008 tickets are available online and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (888-DOMETIX). Individual game tickets for Northeastern, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Connecticut are $36 for adults and $18 for youth (ages 12 and under).

In addition to celebrating Homecoming, the Classes of ’58, ’68 and ’83 will each celebrate milestone anniversaries. Homecoming traditions, including the parade, pep rally, bonfire and all-alumni-and-campus party, will also take place during the course of the weekend. A pre-game barbecue and tailgate party will be held on the Quad before the Orange kicks off against Northeastern. Grupo Pagán, a Latin-American band based in Syracuse, will entertain the crowd on the Quad.

Visitors to for the Homecoming Weekend will also have the opportunity to experience the Syracuse vision of Scholarship in Action in a variety of different ways during the course of the weekend. The newly constructed, state-of-the-art Life Sciences Complex – a 230,000-square-foot structure that features a research wing housing 27 interconnected laboratories, an imaging center and a genomics center for the study of genetics – will be open for tours. Guests will also have the opportunity to tour the campus, visit the restored Slocum Hall and attend breakfast with Deans from the nine schools and colleges.

The Homecoming weekend will also feature a variety of exhibitions at the University Archives, SUArt Gallaries, The Warehouse Gallery and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Michelangelo: The Man and the Myth – the works of a Renaissance master, will highlight the list of exclusive art exhibitions available over the weekend. Guests will also have the opportunity to attend a mock trial program demonstration and other shows including “From Sonnets to Spirituals” at Syracuse Stage and the Redhouse Theater.

Syracuse University Athletics

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