Babers Previews Opener Versus Central Connecticut State

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse football team opens its season on Friday at home against the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils. This game is set to being at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ACC Network Extra. The 2017 season marks the 128th Orange football campaign and its second under head coach Dino Babers whose 2016 inaugural squad set 44 school records on offense.

"Our opponent this week, the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils are a very veteran football team coming back with eight starters on offense and eight starters on defense," Babers said at his weekly news conference Monday. "This is a team that, on paper, some people may think we should have an easy time with, but as a football coach and as football players we don't look at it like that."

The Blue Devils were 2-9 a season ago under head coach Pete Rossomando. They were picked to finish fourth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) this year and placed four players on the Preseason All-NEC Team, including senior defensive back Jevon Elmore who was an FCS All-American in 2015.

This marks the fourth consecutive season that the Orange have opened the year against an FCS opponent. Syracuse is 15-0 against FCS foes at the Carrier Dome. Most recently, Syracuse kicked off the 2016 campaign with a 33-7 victory over Colgate in Babers' first game at the helm of the program.

"You don't know what is going to happen in a football game," said Babers. "I think that is why it is so exciting and why so many people enjoy the game. It is really hard to predict. They have a chance just like we have a chance."

Among the key returners for Syracuse are starting quarterback Eric Dungey and free safety Antwan Cordy, both of whom missed part of last season due to injury. Cordy, who played in only two games for the Orange before a fractured forearm ended his season, was second on the team in tackles in 2015. Dungey started nine games for the Orange, passing for 2,679 yards and 15 touchdowns in addition to rushing for six scores.

"I think Dungey is really good and he's coming back," said Babers. "I would love to have him for 12-15 games and, if we do, I think we all are going to be very excited about him."

With friends and family in the Houston area, Babers also took a moment Monday to reflect on the disaster relief occurring there in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

"My heart goes out to those people and hopefully the rest of the country rallies, like we always do, to make it easy on them, for the city of Houston to get back on its feet," said Babers. "I've spent a lot of summers down there as a kid and there is nowhere for that water to go. My prayers are out to them and hopefully they will be okay."

Season tickets, partial plans, group tickets and individual game tickets for Orange football are on sale now online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B). Tickets start at $25 for non-conference games against Central Connecticut State, Middle Tennessee and Central Michigan, $30 for ACC matchups with Wake Forest and Boston College, $35 for the Oct. 7 Pittsburgh game on Orange Central Weekend, and $45 for the Clemson game on Oct. 13.

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Syracuse University Athletics

Babers Previews Opener Versus Central Connecticut State

Players Mentioned

Antwan Cordy

Eric Dungey

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