Photo by: Sara D. Davis, theACC.com
Orange Trio Meets Media at #ACCKickoff
7/13/2017 4:55:00 PM | Football
Babers, Dungey, and Franklin preview upcoming season
CHARLOTTE – Orange head coach Dino Babers, junior quarterback Eric Dungey, and senior linebacker Zaire Franklin represented the Syracuse football team at the annual Atlantic Coast Conference Football Kickoff on Thursday at the Westin Charlotte Hotel. The trio participated in nearly seven hours of interviews with the more than 500 television, radio, print, and online media members in attendance.
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"We are playing in one of the toughest divisions in football," Babers said. "Two of the last four national champions, winning record in bowl games. When you are trying to rebuild a football team in a conference that strong, it is really, really difficult. The one thing about it is that we are playing fantastic competition week in and week out. Everything that doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. When you're playing in the ACC, you have only one choice but to get strong."
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Babers welcomes back 20 starters from 2016, the most of any team nationally. Despite missing the final three games, Dungey finished 11th in the country in total offense, averaging 330.2 yards per contest. On the defensive side of the ball, Franklin and classmate Parris Bennett combined for 211 tackles, with each eclipsing the 100-tackle mark.
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"Even if we are going the fastest we can, Coach always wants to go faster," Dungey said. "If that is what he shoots for, that is what we shoot for."
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"We are comfortable with the coaching staff, comfortable doing the same things with the same guys," Franklin said. "We brought everybody back, so we are just looking forward to the year."
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The 2017 season opens in the Carrier Dome on Friday, Sept. 1 against Central Connecticut State at 7 p.m. Season tickets, partial plans and group tickets are on sale now online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B). Season tickets start at $125.
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Single-game tickets for all home games are also on sale now. Tickets start at $25 for non-conference games against Central Connecticut State, Middle Tennessee and Central Michigan, $30 for ACC matchups with Wake Forest and Boston College, $35 for the Oct. 7 Pittsburgh game on Orange Central Weekend, and $45 for the Clemson game on Oct. 13.
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) July 13, 2017
"We are playing in one of the toughest divisions in football," Babers said. "Two of the last four national champions, winning record in bowl games. When you are trying to rebuild a football team in a conference that strong, it is really, really difficult. The one thing about it is that we are playing fantastic competition week in and week out. Everything that doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. When you're playing in the ACC, you have only one choice but to get strong."
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Babers welcomes back 20 starters from 2016, the most of any team nationally. Despite missing the final three games, Dungey finished 11th in the country in total offense, averaging 330.2 yards per contest. On the defensive side of the ball, Franklin and classmate Parris Bennett combined for 211 tackles, with each eclipsing the 100-tackle mark.
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"Even if we are going the fastest we can, Coach always wants to go faster," Dungey said. "If that is what he shoots for, that is what we shoot for."
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"We are comfortable with the coaching staff, comfortable doing the same things with the same guys," Franklin said. "We brought everybody back, so we are just looking forward to the year."
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The 2017 season opens in the Carrier Dome on Friday, Sept. 1 against Central Connecticut State at 7 p.m. Season tickets, partial plans and group tickets are on sale now online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B). Season tickets start at $125.
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Single-game tickets for all home games are also on sale now. Tickets start at $25 for non-conference games against Central Connecticut State, Middle Tennessee and Central Michigan, $30 for ACC matchups with Wake Forest and Boston College, $35 for the Oct. 7 Pittsburgh game on Orange Central Weekend, and $45 for the Clemson game on Oct. 13.
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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