Camping World Bowl: All-Access
12/23/2018 2:30:00 PM | Football
The 17th-ranked Syracuse football team is in Orlando, Fla., for the 2018 Camping World Bowl. Stay tuned to Cuse.com and the Orange's social media platforms for live updates throughout the week as Syracuse gears up for Friday's game against No. 15 West Virginia (5:15 p.m., ESPN).
Day 5 (Friday, Dec. 28): Gameday
Syracuse and West Virginia meeting for the 61st time tonight. The Orange hold a 33-27 lead in the all-time series and have won three straight against the Mountaineers.
Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m. from Camping World Stadium.
Day 4 (Thursday, Dec. 27): Taking the Podium
Syracuse head coach Dino Babers and West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen kicked off Thursday morning with a joint press conference, addressing local and national media for the final time before Friday's game.
While the game marks the Orange's return to the postseason for the first time since 2013, Babers said the outcome – win or lose – won't define his team. Syracuse's accomplishments this season speak for themselves.
"Whether we win or lose, we've accomplished a lot this year," Babers said. "I think the biggest thing is the reinforcement that we have, the confidence that we have now, from the student body, the alumni base, and the community, and along with the administration, to have them standing behind us and having faith that we can get this thing done. I think that's the biggest accomplishment.
"We're going to battle. We're going to play. The team that makes the least amount of mistakes is probably going to win the game. But I don't think that's going to have a true effect what this season really means to Syracuse University."
Day 3 (Wednesday, Dec. 26): Giving Back
Prior to holding their final practice ahead of Friday's game, the Orange joined West Virginia at the Camping World Bowl Day for Kids. Approximately 100 Orlando-area youth were invited for a morning of fun at Andretti Indoor Karting & Games through LIFT Orlando, a nonprofit organization made up of business leaders who have partnered with residents to accelerate community transformation.
Each child was paired with one Syracuse player and one West Virginia player for the experience. Together, they engaged in a variety of activities including bowling, laser tag, go-karting and an assortment of arcade games.
"Being able to give back to the community, help these kids and give them a fun time and a good day. It's awesome," Whitner said. "We've been blessed with the opportunity to come down here and have a great experience in Orlando. Just being able to take a little time out of our trip to give back to these kids is great."
"We've had good practices," senior wideout Jamal Custis said. "We're two days out from this game, and although we're having fun out here, this game is still important to us. We're going to take every practice seriously and give it our all."
Day 2 (Tuesday, Dec. 25): Practice and Nighttime Adventures at Universal Orlando
Merry Christmas, Orange Nation! Syracuse received the best gift of all this year: football under the warm Florida sun. The Orange were back in preparation mode after an action-packed first day, practicing inside Camping World Stadium for the first time on Christmas Day.
"We need to lock in, and I think these guys are in the right frame of mind," head coach Dino Babers said of his team while addressing the media before practice. "I think they understand they're going to have to do some work. They had some fun last night, and we're going to have to make sure we have some fun today out here on the practice field."
Day 1 (Monday, Dec. 24): Arrival and Last-Minute Shopping
Goodbye, snowfall. Hello, sunshine. Syracuse departed for Orlando, Fla., on Monday to begin its final stage of preparations for the 2018 Camping World Bowl against West Virginia.
The Orange took off from Syracuse Hancock International Airport around noon and touched down in The City Beautiful at approximately 3:30 p.m. Syracuse received the red-carpet treatment from the moment it stepped foot on the tarmac.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @CuseFootball
Instagram: @CuseFootball
YOUTUBE
Welcome Party | Universal Studios | Day for Kids
PHOTO GALLERIES
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
INTERVIEWS
Practice #1 (Dec. 25): Babers | Dungey
Day for Kids (Dec. 26): Martin
Practice #2 (Dec. 26): Babers | Custis | Coleman
Head Coaches Press Conference (Dec. 27): Babers/Holgorsen
LINKS
Syracuse: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes | Digital Bowl Guide
West Virginia: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes | Digital Bowl Guide
Camping World Bowl: Website | Fan Guide | Stadium Information
Day 5 (Friday, Dec. 28): Gameday
Syracuse and West Virginia meeting for the 61st time tonight. The Orange hold a 33-27 lead in the all-time series and have won three straight against the Mountaineers.
Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m. from Camping World Stadium.
Finish what we started. 🔥🍊🔥 pic.twitter.com/dJEWQk1BLZ
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 27, 2018
Day 4 (Thursday, Dec. 27): Taking the Podium
Syracuse head coach Dino Babers and West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen kicked off Thursday morning with a joint press conference, addressing local and national media for the final time before Friday's game.
While the game marks the Orange's return to the postseason for the first time since 2013, Babers said the outcome – win or lose – won't define his team. Syracuse's accomplishments this season speak for themselves.
"Whether we win or lose, we've accomplished a lot this year," Babers said. "I think the biggest thing is the reinforcement that we have, the confidence that we have now, from the student body, the alumni base, and the community, and along with the administration, to have them standing behind us and having faith that we can get this thing done. I think that's the biggest accomplishment.
"We're going to battle. We're going to play. The team that makes the least amount of mistakes is probably going to win the game. But I don't think that's going to have a true effect what this season really means to Syracuse University."
After going through a final walk-through with his team inside Camping World Stadium, Babers took the stage during Syracuse's pep rally at Pointe Orlando and delivered a rousing speech to the Orange faithful, highlighted by his popular "Whose House?" chant.
#Orlando is #OurHouse! 🍊🗣️ pic.twitter.com/iEmu7dSgtI
— Syracuse Athletics (@Cuse) December 27, 2018
Day 3 (Wednesday, Dec. 26): Giving Back
Prior to holding their final practice ahead of Friday's game, the Orange joined West Virginia at the Camping World Bowl Day for Kids. Approximately 100 Orlando-area youth were invited for a morning of fun at Andretti Indoor Karting & Games through LIFT Orlando, a nonprofit organization made up of business leaders who have partnered with residents to accelerate community transformation.
Each child was paired with one Syracuse player and one West Virginia player for the experience. Together, they engaged in a variety of activities including bowling, laser tag, go-karting and an assortment of arcade games.
For senior linebacker Kielan Whitner, the event was an opportunity to help brighten someone else's day.Got a chance to hang out with local kids at the arcade and turn them into Orange fans. pic.twitter.com/6bwJElqaeH
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 26, 2018
"Being able to give back to the community, help these kids and give them a fun time and a good day. It's awesome," Whitner said. "We've been blessed with the opportunity to come down here and have a great experience in Orlando. Just being able to take a little time out of our trip to give back to these kids is great."
It was then time to work. The Orange headed over to Camping World Stadium and ran through a 90-minute workout in shorts and helmets, putting the finishing touches on their preparation for Friday's game.
"We've had good practices," senior wideout Jamal Custis said. "We're two days out from this game, and although we're having fun out here, this game is still important to us. We're going to take every practice seriously and give it our all."
Practice 2 in Orlando ✅ pic.twitter.com/sADrFp4cRL
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 26, 2018
The fun rolled on after practice. Syracuse spent the evening at the Amway Center, watching the NBA's Orlando Magic take on the Phoenix Suns in a Tuesday night showdown.
Great time at the @OrlandoMagic game last night 🏈🏀 pic.twitter.com/6x9zi6FHqM
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 27, 2018
Day 2 (Tuesday, Dec. 25): Practice and Nighttime Adventures at Universal Orlando
Merry Christmas, Orange Nation! Syracuse received the best gift of all this year: football under the warm Florida sun. The Orange were back in preparation mode after an action-packed first day, practicing inside Camping World Stadium for the first time on Christmas Day.
"We need to lock in, and I think these guys are in the right frame of mind," head coach Dino Babers said of his team while addressing the media before practice. "I think they understand they're going to have to do some work. They had some fun last night, and we're going to have to make sure we have some fun today out here on the practice field."
Having fun out here, but we didn't forget why we came. pic.twitter.com/bdsBZQ05Fc
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 25, 2018
The "hog mollies" on the offensive line had no problem keeping it loose.
The Orange capped their day with a social outing to Universal Studios Orlando Resort. No better way to wind down than riding roller coasters, eating ice cream and kicking back on a warm Florida night.The big dogs can get down too.
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 26, 2018
Welcome to the electric factory pic.twitter.com/cFNKImmFqx
.@CuseFootball spent the night at Universal Studios to cap off the first-full day of the @CWBowl last night. pic.twitter.com/cxGI8n1Alh
— Syracuse Athletics (@Cuse) December 26, 2018
Day 1 (Monday, Dec. 24): Arrival and Last-Minute Shopping
Goodbye, snowfall. Hello, sunshine. Syracuse departed for Orlando, Fla., on Monday to begin its final stage of preparations for the 2018 Camping World Bowl against West Virginia.
The Orange took off from Syracuse Hancock International Airport around noon and touched down in The City Beautiful at approximately 3:30 p.m. Syracuse received the red-carpet treatment from the moment it stepped foot on the tarmac.
We out here pic.twitter.com/M47zlQ4ode
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 24, 2018
From there, the team buses made a brief stop at the hotel before shuttling the Orange to Best Buy. Armed with $400 gift cards, Syracuse student-athletes and staff enjoyed a last-minute Christmas Eve shopping spree courtesy of the Camping World Bowl.
Joining the last-minute shopping crowd isn't too bad when you've got yourself a @BestBuy shopping spree as part of the @CWBowl experience 💰 pic.twitter.com/0pqaUsPTjT
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 25, 2018
The night finished with a party in the hotel's exclusive players' lounge. Arcade games, video games, a barbershop, a live DJ, a photo booth, tons of food and more - the Orange closed out Day 1 in Orlando with a bang.It was a long search through Best Buy's shopping spree... But @ChrisElmore36 got his Apple Watch. pic.twitter.com/9ayhO6UhIt
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 25, 2018
The @CWBowl Player Party: 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lfJA8Rf95P
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 25, 2018
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @CuseFootball
Instagram: @CuseFootball
YOUTUBE
Welcome Party | Universal Studios | Day for Kids
PHOTO GALLERIES
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
INTERVIEWS
Practice #1 (Dec. 25): Babers | Dungey
Day for Kids (Dec. 26): Martin
Practice #2 (Dec. 26): Babers | Custis | Coleman
Head Coaches Press Conference (Dec. 27): Babers/Holgorsen
LINKS
Syracuse: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes | Digital Bowl Guide
West Virginia: News | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Notes | Digital Bowl Guide
Camping World Bowl: Website | Fan Guide | Stadium Information
Players Mentioned
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