Orange Ready for 2023 Opener

The 134th campaign of Syracuse football gets underway Saturday, September 2 when the Orange take on local foe Colgate. Opening kick in the JMA Wireless Dome is scheduled for 4 p.m.

The Raiders are Syracuse's third-most frequent opponent all time, with Saturday's matchup being the 68th all-time. The number trails just Pittsburgh (78) and Penn State (71) on the all-time ledger. The series is also dead even, at a mark of 31-31-5, however 'Cuse enters with a streak of 16-straight wins in the matchup.

Season tickets, partial plans and individual game tickets are now on sale at Cuse.com/Tickets. Season tickets, which start at just $99, remain the best value for Orange fans. Fans can also purchase group tickets, hospitality packages and tailgate packages.

Syracuse looks to build on its success in 2022, which began with six-straight wins and ended in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. After four weeks of preseason camp, head coach Dino Babers and the Orange are looking forward to performing in front of the home crowd.

"We're excited to get started this season," Babers said. "We're excited to find out exactly where we are. People talk about the grind of one-a-days – I never believed in that being a grind. I believe in it being a find. Find out where you're at. It'll be an opportunity to test ourselves versus Colgate University. Coach Dakosty will have those guys ready, there's no doubt about it. We're looking forward to getting back in the Dome in front of our fans, seeing how crazy they can be this year. We're definitely going to need our 12th man if we're going to get the things done that we want to get accomplished this year."

Syracuse has won eight of its past nine season openers and eight of its last-10 home openers. Last season, the Orange won five-of-seven games played in the JMA Dome in a year that featureda pair of sellouts. Saturday's game will be the first contest in the Loud House for several members 'Cuse newcomers.

"I think the biggest thing is that there's so many new individuals who haven't been in the Dome," Babers said. "For them to go into the venue and get an opportunity to see it filled up and see what kind of home field advantage we actually have, I think it's going to motivate, especially those new guys, that there is no place like Dome."

Syracuse has won 19-straight games against FCS foes and has an all-time record of 20-0 against FCS opponents. Despite those numbers, Babers will have his team focused on the task at hand.

"You get [the players] to focus on themselves, to focus on us," Babers said. "We know what our standards are. We know what our standards need to be for us to compete on the highest level, if we meet those standards, we're going to be ok. The issue with teams like this is guys think it's going to be easy and it's not going to be easy."

Babers announced the full list of Syracuse's 2023 captains on Monday. The group features senior Garrett Shrader (offense), junior Damien Alford (offense), redshirt senior Isaiah Johnson, (defense), junior Marlowe Wax (defense), junior Justin Barron (special teams) and sophomore Brady Denaburg (special teams). Captains were elected via two team votes.

"It's a quality group," Babers said. "The teams that go very far are the teams that are player led, not coaching led. Those guys are leaders. Everything that they've done on and off the field since the end of the 2022 bowl game has been exactly that. I think the team did a fine job picking out people that maybe aren't the most popular – but definitely the people that you want to follow."

It all starts Saturday in JMA Dome at 4 p.m. on ACC Network Extra and the Syracuse Sports Network from Learfield IMG College. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and visit the Toyota Fun Zone and 'Cuse on the Quad, which opens at 1 p.m.

Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Damien Alford

Justin Barron

Brady Denaburg

Isaiah Johnson

Garrett Shrader

Marlowe Wax

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