Story and photo by Aubrie Tolliver
SYRACUSE, NY -- It’s been almost eight months since Dino Babers was hired as head coach of the Syracuse football team. Since then, the team has had just 15 practices, all of which occurred in the Spring.
Saturday, the team will begin full-squad practices of the fall. There are just 28 days left until the season opener against Colgate on Sept. 2, which means the team has just over 40 practices to implement Babers’ entirely different “system,” as he refers to it.
“We know we’re behind but that’s okay,” Babers said in a press conference Friday afternoon at Manley Field House. “People have been ran down from behind before.”
The System
The system, Babers says, will consist of a hurry-up offense and Tampa 2 defense; a defense which relies on quicker, more agile defensive players.
“Fast pace offense, relentless defense,” redshirt senior Jason Emerich described it. After three seasons under previous head coach Scott Shafer, he and the other veteran players must learn to adopt the entirely different style of play.
“We can never be fast enough and that’s what we’ve come to notice during our first 15 practices this Spring,” Emerich said. “Going into camp, I’m hoping that it sticks to practice 16 and we aren’t starting back over.”
Implementing the Changes
Individually, Babers says with the help of the team’s new athletic performance coach Sean Edinger. the players are stronger and prepared to adopt the system and apply the changes.
“They’ve had a fantastic offseason,” Babers said. “We know the effort is going to be there. It’s just making sure that they're doing the little things correct so we have the opportunity to do big things during the season.”
In the first week of practice, Babers says he will focus on improving techniques and fundamentals, along with teaching the newer players what is expected of them being part of the team.
“That’s what I’m excited about. To really get the opportunity to know these guys and know exactly what they can do,” Babers said.
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