'Cuse Football Ready 'To Go To Work'

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse football team is more than ready to get started under first-year head coach Dino Babers. The Orange reported for preseason camp on Friday and met with the media inside Manley Field House before hitting the practice field tomorrow to begin preparations for the season opener against Colgate on Sept. 2.

"It's time to go to work," said Babers. "Sometime tonight after everyone gets done [meeting] with our football team, I get an opportunity to talk to them, tuck them into bed and get started tomorrow. That's what I'm excited about."

Babers, linebacker Zaire Franklin and offensive lineman Jason Emerich all said that the team has made great strides during the summer conditioning program and everyone is now ready to put that product on the field.

"I'm excited because I think the team looks different and I can't wait to see what they're going to do on the football field," Babers said.

For the players, preseason camp is time to prepare for the season and focus on the first game of the year.

"We have full faith in the coaches and that they are driving us in the right direction and we're following their leadership," Emerich. "We're excited to get going starting tomorrow with practice all the way to Sept. 2."

"Now, I think it's about locking in and getting ready for Colgate and the long season," Franklin said. "We're trying to put ourselves in the best position moving forward."

As part of Friday's orientation, the Orange attended meetings and heard presentations from various support staff units after meeting with the media.

Syracuse will hold its first practice session at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning at Hookway Fields. The team will conduct 19 practices on campus from Aug. 6 to Aug. 20 before traveling to Fort Drum for the fifth year in a row. The Orange will spend Sunday, Aug. 21 at the military post, which is home of the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division. Syracuse will put on a youth football clinic for children of military personnel and engage in a paintball match.

The Orange returns home on Monday, Aug. 22 for its last week of camp before turning its attention toward the opener against Colgate.

Season and individual game tickets for Orange football are on sale now online, by phone (888-DOMETIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B). Season tickets start at $99 ($16.50 per game) with lower-level seats in the end zones available for as little as $125. Single-game tickets start at $20 for non-conference games against Colgate and USF, $25 for the Louisville and NC State games, and $30 for the Virginia Tech and Florida State contests.

For complete coverage of Syracuse and Syracuse football, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Orange & Syracuse Football), Twitter (@Cuse & @CuseFootball), Instagram (@Cusepics, @CuseFootball) and watch exclusive video content on Cuse TV.

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Jason Emerich

Zaire Franklin

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