Bowl Preparations Include the Basics
12/16/2010 12:37:19 PM | Football
It was back to basics for the football Orange as second-year head coach Doug Marrone and the squad prepare to face Kansas State in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium two weeks from today (Dec. 30, 3:20 p.m., ESPN). The team begins game planning for the Wildcats over the weekend and will practice three times in Syracuse next week before heading to New York City on Sunday, December 26.
“This time of year we're just getting back to the basics,” said senior cornerback Mike Holmes . “We're focusing on the fundamentals and making sure everything we do is fundamentally sound.”
Tickets for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl are available online. A variety of attractive fan packages are available. Packages include various combinations of tickets, travel options, hotel accommodations and access to pre-game activities. To purchase any tickets in sections with Syracuse fans and book travel packages, click here or call 866-832-6746.
“It is hard because when you're in season you know what you're going to do and you know how things are going to work so you lose the fundamental things,” senior linebacker Doug Hogue added. “Coach has been emphasizing that and I'm actually re-learning a lot of things I've missed out on.”
Syracuse enters the New Era Pinstripe Bowl with the fifth-rated defense in the nation, allowing just 295.0 yards per game. It marks the fewest yards allowed by an Orange defense since 1997 when the defense surrendered 290.2 yards per game. Defensive coordinator Scott Shafer has proven he can improve defenses, in addition to the improvement at Syracuse, Shafer's 2007 Stanford defense improved in every category from the previous season.
“They like to run the ball,” said senior linebacker Derrell Smith of the Wildcats. “Our goal is to stop the run, which is our whole defensive philosophy. We just have to do a better job on stopping the run in this last game.”
“When going against a team that runs the ball a lot you have to stick your foot in the ground and strap up your helmet and get some more air in your helmet because you won't get a lot of passes with a team like this,” said junior defensive end Chandler Jones. “We'll use different reads to help us stop the run. They have a great quarterback and a good team with a lot of athletes. Their running back is supposed to be an NFL Draft prospect. We just need to do the same things we've been doing.”
The Orange defense will be put to the test by Kansas State, which enters the contest with 2,472 yards rushing, including six games with 200 or more yards. The Wildcats rank second in the Big 12 and 20th nationally. Running back Daniel Thomas has paved the way with 1,495 yards of those yards, ranking ninth nationally while William Powell has also provided a spark, averaging 10.9 yards per carry.
“We know they're going to be coming at us hard,” said senior defensive tackle Anthony Perkins. “Their running back is great, they have two or three quarterbacks, I don't know how many they just have a lot of people that can run. What we're going to do as a d-line is get in shape, keep running and make sure we get to the ball at all costs, that is our main focus.”
“We're looking to contain everything up the middle, when they run the read option a lot of the cut back seams are right up the middle,” Perkins continued. “If we're right there holding our gap and maintaining our gap integrity then we should be just fine. Then they'll have to bounce and bounce. We have three great linebackers that are going to run downhill to the ball. As long as we hold our gap integrity we'll be just fine.”
Syracuse faces Kansas State in Yankee Stadium on Thursday, December 30 at 3:20 p.m. on ESPN. Prior to the game the Orange will take part in some exciting activities, including ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and attending the lighting of the Empire State Building.
“I have an opportunity to learn more about this team, getting here early, watching more film,” Hogue said. “It is exciting just like during the season. This is my last time playing for Syracuse University so I have to enjoy it while I still have it.”
