Spring Practice Notebook: Week 1

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse football team wrapped up its first week of spring practice with a two-hour session Saturday morning inside the Ensley Athletic Center. The practice was SU's first in full pads and second-year head coach Dino Babers liked what he saw.

"I thought the intensity was good today, I really did," Babers said. Obviously, I think it's a new era. The kids have really bought in and the effort has been good."

The majority of Saturday's practice was a "thud" session with ball carriers not tackled to the ground. The only live tackling came during the final team period.

Spring ball continues to ramp up this week with three more practices – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The Get Back
It's been a long wait for two key Orange contributors to make their returns to the field. Quarterback Eric Dungey and safety Antwan Cordy are back practicing with their teammates after injury-shortened 2016 seasons. Dungey missed the final three games of the year after getting hurt in the opening quarter at Clemson on Nov. 5. Cordy sat out the last 10 games after suffering a forearm injury in Week 2 against Louisville.

Here's what both players had to say about coming back and what they've noticed so far during spring drills:

TACKLING TANDEM
Seniors Zaire Franklin and Parris Bennett both had outstanding 2016 campaigns. How good? The pair are one of 10 returning linebacker duos with 100+ tackles each last season. Franklin and Bennett combined for 211 stops a year ago.

Here's the full list, courtesy of Duke Sports Information:

Syracuse – Parris Bennett (Jr./110) & Zaire Franklin (Jr./101)
New Mexico State – Dalton Herrington (Jr./113) & Terrill Hanks (So./103)
Texas State – Bryan London (F.r/141) & Gabe Loyd (Jr./102)
TCU – Travin Howard (Jr./130) & Ty Summers (So./121)
Buffalo – Khalil Hodge (So./123) & Ishmael Hargrove (Jr./103)
North Carolina – Cole Holcomb (So./115) & Andre Smith (So./113)
Virginia Tech – Andrew Motuapuaka (Jr./114) & Tremaine Edmunds (So./106)
FIU – Treyvon Williams (Jr./109) & Anthony Wint (Jr./108)
Maryland – Shane Cockerille (Jr./108) & Jermaine Carter, Jr. (Jr./106)
Duke – Joe Giles-Harris (Fr./107) & Ben Humphreys (So./106)

STEVE STANARD TAPPED TO LEAD DEFENSIVE ENDS
Babers filled one of the two vacancies on his staff earlier this week, naming Steve Stanard SU's defensive ends coach. Stanard has 29 years of experience, including 20 seasons as a defensive coordinator. Most recently, he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Wyoming. His 2016 Cowboy defense ranked third in the country in defensive touchdowns and 10th in takeaways to help Wyoming go from 2-10 in 2015 to 8-6 last season.

Full story here: Cuse.com/Stanard

PERSONNEL NOTES
Syracuse added another walk-on to the mix Thursday, welcoming receiver Ben Brickman to the program. A Latham, N.Y. native, Brickman played the 2016 season at Hudson Valley Community College. In eight games for the Vikings, Brickman caught three passes for 37 yards (12.3 avg.).

Moe Neal and Zack Lesko are both testing out new positions this spring. Neal, SU's second-leading rusher in 2016, is working at inside receiver after spending his freshman season at running back. Lesko, who joined the program as walk-on linebacker last year, has shifted to defensive end.

Babers said he has no doubt Neal will contribute. It's just a question of where.

"The biggest thing with Moe Neal is he's got such flexibility," Babers said. "He can be a receiver. He can be a running back. He can be an inside receiver, an outside receiver. He's going to play. We just have to figure out where he's going to play.

GET THOSE TICKETS NOW!
Season tickets and group tickets for 2017 Orange football are on sale at Cuse.com/tickets and by calling 888-DOME-TIX. Season tickets start at $125, a savings of more than 15 percent compared to single-game prices. Tickets for groups of 15 or more start at $20 per ticket.

This year's campaign begins Friday, Sept. 1 at the Carrier Dome against Central Connecticut State. The schedule features seven home dates, including Atlantic Coast Conference games against Pittsburgh, Clemson, Wake Forest and Boston College.

For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).

Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Parris Bennett

Ben Brickman

Antwan Cordy

Eric Dungey

Zaire Franklin

Moe Neal

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