College Football Spotlight Shines on SU
8/18/2009 8:59:28 PM | Football
Head Coach Doug Marrone's Press Conference Transcript
Syracuse football captured national attention with two major announcements in the last 24-hours. Monday, head coach Doug Marrone announced graduate student Greg Paulus will be the starting quarterback when the Orange take the field against Minnesota on Saturday, Sept. 5 in the Carrier Dome (12:00 p.m., ESPN2). That was followed by Tuesday's news that the New Meadowlands Stadium Company unveiling its plan to host select Syracuse University football games in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
"I think Greg Paulus is going to go out there for us and win football games right now," Marrone said. "All of our quarterbacks need to be able to learn from each other. I think it's going to give our players and receivers a chance to get used to the quarterback. We can give Greg more reps now and I'm excited about that. I've always said that as soon as you see separation you can make a decision and then you can get that player ready to play."
Paulus, a native of Syracuse, led Christian Brothers Academy to the 2004 NYSPHAA Class AA championship during his senior year and was named the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. Marrone made the decision to name Paulus the starter over sophomore Ryan Nassib eight days into the team's preseason camp.
"I think he's a natural leader,” Marrone said. “I also think Ryan has done a very good job of that and I think Charley (Loeb) has. I learned from Coach (MacPherson) that position itself tends to have leadership qualities. You're in the huddle, you're calling the players, you're the quarterback. We all know it. I wish I grew up as a quarterback. I grew up as an offensive lineman. I think all of our quarterbacks possess leadership qualities. The difference with Greg is that he has been through that stage before after being a point guard with a highly successful basketball program (at Duke)."
While Marrone's primary focus is on the 2009 Orange, his vision for the program's success is aided by the opportunity to play USC and Notre Dame in the New Meadowlands.
"To play those teams in that venue is a good situation for us,” Marrone said. “We go down there and we get a chance to play in a fantastic venue in the Meadowlands, and we're such a strong University in the metropolitan area, that will help us. Obviously we recruit those areas. I think that'll help us when we go down there and play for some of the players who can't get down there. For our fans up here, I encourage them to come down and take the trip. Come on and go to the city, or catch a play, or go ahead and tailgate – there's definitely more opportunity for that kind of experience because they have tremendous parking lots down there. I think there's a lot of positive in it. I'm excited about it, but again, that's down the road and my focus right now is this football today, tomorrow, and getting better."
Syracuse will play the University of Southern California on September 8, 2012 and will face Notre Dame twice, including September 27, 2014, and September 3, 2016 at the New Meadowlands.
Tickets for the 2009 season are available online and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (888-DOME-TIX).
Season tickets start at $100 for the 2009 season. Adult Individual game tickets for all eight home games are $38 each. Youth tickets (ages 12 & under) for seven home games are $18 each. For the game against Maine on September 26, Youth & Senior Citizen day, all youth and Senior Citizens (ages 60 & over) tickets will be $15 each. Family Packs are available for all home games when purchased in advance, with the exception of games against Maine and Akron. A $99 Family Pack, which is a $28 savings, includes two adult tickets, two youth tickets (12 and under), $5 concession coupon and a $10 parking pass.
The Minnesota Two-Game Pack offers fans the opportunity to purchase a ticket to Syracuse's home-opener, which is Marrone's Dome debut, and any other home game of their choice ($66 adult/$26 youth). Fans are invited to save up to 40% on the ticket price by purchasing tickets in groups of 35 or more and 100 or more. For questions about Group Sales, please call (315-443-3212).
For further questions and details call the Carrier Dome Box Office during business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1-888-DOMETIX.
