Spring Practice Notebook: Week 2

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Spring football practice is in full swing. The Orange have completed six of their 15 allotted sessions and capped their second week of work with their first scrimmage Saturday morning at the Ensley Athletic Center. Syracuse ran 129 plays in 90 minutes. The defense controlled the action early, with the offense turning the tide as the play count started to rise.

For head coach Dino Babers, it was the aggressiveness of both sides, more than the tempo that stood out.

"We got 129 plays in 90 minutes. It's a tad slow, but we don't have the depth that we're going to have in the fall," Babers said. "I thought the way they went after it, the sounds you were hearing during the scrimmage, it sounded like a football game and that's good to hear the first time out."

Coordinator Brian Ward's defense was sharp at the outset. The unit forced two safeties and two turnovers on four straight drives in the early going. Quarterback Rex Culpepper was chased out of the end zone and Eric Dungey was sacked behind the goal line on consecutive possessions. After the safeties, cornerback Scoop Bradshaw picked off Zack Mahoney and defensive end Kendall Coleman recovered a fumble.

The offense broke through on the next possession when Dungey hooked up with tight end Ravian Pierce for a score. A 1-yard TD run by Dontae Strickland followed. Strickland's scoring plunge was set up by a long completion from Dungey to Ervin Philips. Later in the scrimmage, Dungey and Philips connected again, this time for a touchdown.

Running back Tyrone Perkins finished with three touchdowns on the day. He scored on two short runs and caught a screen pass for a score during red-zone work. Pierce and Moe Neal both had two touchdown catches, with Pierce scoring his second TD on a 20-yard pass during the red-zone period.

Other highlights included Steve Ishmael making a highlight-reel catch to start off the red-zone session. Ishmael went up high and made a twisting, 20-yard grab in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown. Defensively, Kielan Whitner and Christopher Fredrick each had interceptions. Coleman added a sack of Dungey to go along with his fumble recovery. Linebackers Parris Bennett and Andrew Armstrong recorded sacks, as well.

Syracuse will hold three more practices this coming week. The Orange return to the field Tuesday, April 4 with an early-morning workout inside Ensley.

COACHING STAFF COMPLETE
Babers rounded out his coaching staff Monday, hiring former Edinboro University (Pa.) head coach Justin Lustig as the Orange's special teams coordinator and running backs coach. Lustig has extensive experience coaching both areas was named the D2Football.com Coach of the Year in 2016 after taking an 0-11 Edinboro squad and leading it to a 9-2 finish.

Full story: Cuse.com/LustigHire

Babers also added to his support staff Thursday by appointing Dave Boller Syracuse's director of player personnel. Boller, a longtime NFL scout, will help bolster the program's recruiting efforts. He worked with Babers at Arizona State in the mid-1980s when the two men were just beginning their careers.

Full story: Cuse.com/BollerHire

MAHONEY AND CO. TO "BRAVE THE SHAVE"
Six members of the Orange program, including backup quarterback, Zack Mahoney, will shave their heads during tomorrow's St. Baldrick's Day celebration at Kitty Hoynes. The student-athletes are members of Lilly's Army. All funds raised from the event go to fight pediatric cancer.

Full story: Cuse.com/StBaldricks

On Wednesday, Mahoney stopped by the Bridge Street morning show to help generate support for Lilly's Army.

DUNGEY RATED HIGHLY
The folks at Athlon Sports ranked all 130 FBS starting quarterbacks. Syracuse's Eric Dungey fared well, slotting in third among ACC signal callers and No. 33 overall.

Complete list: AthlonSports.com/FBS_QB_Rankings

ORANGE SHOWCASE PART OF ESPN'S SPRING FOOTBALL COVERAGE
For those who can't make it to the Carrier Dome on April 22, Syracuse's Spring Showcase, brought to you in part by Falso Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, is one of 21 spring games slated to air on ESPN platforms during the month of April. The Showcase starts at 10 a.m. and will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. Admission and parking are free, so check out the Orange in-person if you can.

Full story: espnmediazone.com/21springgames

TICKETS, TICKETS, TICKETS
A friendly reminder that season and group tickets for 2017 Orange football are on sale now at Cuse.com/tickets and the Carrier Dome Box Office (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 home against Central Connecticut State. The schedule features seven home dates, including ACC 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

Andrew Armstrong

Parris Bennett

Scoop Bradshaw

Kendall Coleman

Rex Culpepper

Eric Dungey

Christopher Fredrick

Steve Ishmael

Zack Mahoney

Moe Neal

Tyrone Perkins

Ervin Philips

Ravian Pierce

Dontae Strickland

Kielan Whitner

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