Orange Brace for Quick Turnaround Against Louisville
11/5/2018 3:00:00 PM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – On the rise and back at home.
No. 13 Syracuse (7-2, 4-2 ACC) plays its final home game of 2018 and puts its perfect Carrier Dome record to the test against Louisville (2-7, 0-6 ACC) Friday, Nov. 9. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
After cracking the national polls for the first time in 17 years one week ago, the Orange continued their climb up the rankings after a third straight win Saturday at Wake Forest. The Orange are No. 13 in both the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll and the latest Amway Coaches Poll. It's Syracuse's highest AP ranking since the team was No. 11 when the wire service released its poll for Sept. 28, 1998.
The Orange aren't ready to stop there, though. Head coach Dino Babers took the podium to address the media in his weekly press conference inside the Iocolano-Petty Football Complex Monday morning and shifted the attention to the team's next two goals: prepare for Louisville and honor this year's seniors.
The Cardinals enter Friday night's game on a six-game losing streak, including a 77-16 setback at Clemson last Saturday. Louisville owns a 10-6 all-time series lead, however, and have won three of the last four games played in the Dome. Syracuse's last win against the Cardinals came in 2012.
"We were in here yesterday and I put up the scores from 2016 and 2017," Babers said. "I asked our athletes, 'How many of you have beaten the Louisville Cardinals?'
"I told them that we play one game at a time, and we're in the third game of the second half of our season. And they said, 'Okay.'"
Friday is also Senior Night and Syracuse will honor 17 of its student-athletes, as well as eight managers, in a pregame ceremony and again with a postgame lap around the field.
Among the seniors who will be introduced are starters Cody Conway, Antwan Cordy, Jamal Custis, Eric Dungey, Ryan Guthrie, Koda Martin, Ravian Pierce, Aaron Roberts, Chris Slayton, Dontae Strickland and Kielan Whitner.
"I'm really excited about the Senior Walk that's happening Friday," Babers said. "We're going to have a Senior Walk after the game – win or lose – the seniors will come back out for a last walk around the Dome."
Babers said he hopes Orange Nation will stick around after the game to celebrate and support the the senior class for their contributions to the program.
"I really want this to be something where the fans can hang around, share a memory with the seniors or just stand near them and give them some applause for the type of career that they've had," Babers said. "I think it's something we'd really like to start here, and I think it's something that could be really, really special for the seniors."
No. 13 Syracuse (7-2, 4-2 ACC) plays its final home game of 2018 and puts its perfect Carrier Dome record to the test against Louisville (2-7, 0-6 ACC) Friday, Nov. 9. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
After cracking the national polls for the first time in 17 years one week ago, the Orange continued their climb up the rankings after a third straight win Saturday at Wake Forest. The Orange are No. 13 in both the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll and the latest Amway Coaches Poll. It's Syracuse's highest AP ranking since the team was No. 11 when the wire service released its poll for Sept. 28, 1998.
The Orange aren't ready to stop there, though. Head coach Dino Babers took the podium to address the media in his weekly press conference inside the Iocolano-Petty Football Complex Monday morning and shifted the attention to the team's next two goals: prepare for Louisville and honor this year's seniors.
The Cardinals enter Friday night's game on a six-game losing streak, including a 77-16 setback at Clemson last Saturday. Louisville owns a 10-6 all-time series lead, however, and have won three of the last four games played in the Dome. Syracuse's last win against the Cardinals came in 2012.
"We were in here yesterday and I put up the scores from 2016 and 2017," Babers said. "I asked our athletes, 'How many of you have beaten the Louisville Cardinals?'
"I told them that we play one game at a time, and we're in the third game of the second half of our season. And they said, 'Okay.'"
Friday is also Senior Night and Syracuse will honor 17 of its student-athletes, as well as eight managers, in a pregame ceremony and again with a postgame lap around the field.
Among the seniors who will be introduced are starters Cody Conway, Antwan Cordy, Jamal Custis, Eric Dungey, Ryan Guthrie, Koda Martin, Ravian Pierce, Aaron Roberts, Chris Slayton, Dontae Strickland and Kielan Whitner.
"I'm really excited about the Senior Walk that's happening Friday," Babers said. "We're going to have a Senior Walk after the game – win or lose – the seniors will come back out for a last walk around the Dome."
Babers said he hopes Orange Nation will stick around after the game to celebrate and support the the senior class for their contributions to the program.
"I really want this to be something where the fans can hang around, share a memory with the seniors or just stand near them and give them some applause for the type of career that they've had," Babers said. "I think it's something we'd really like to start here, and I think it's something that could be really, really special for the seniors."
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