After a much-needed week off, Syracuse is feeling rejuvenated.
On Thursday night on ESPN, the Orange traveled to play
Virginia Tech.N.Y. Syracuse It was unanimous among players and coaches that
Syracuse's bye week couldn't have arrived at a better time. Prior to beginning
ACC play, the Orange were unbeaten in the non-conference part of their
schedule. After losses to Clemson, UNC, and Florida State, Clemson is now 4-3
overall and the only team in the conference without an ACC win.
For this group, however, the past is the past. With five games left in the regular season,
Syracuse's schedule is among the easiest in all of college football. Cuse took
advantage of their bye week to regroup mentally and prepare for the final five
games with maximum intensity.
The captains united and assumed leadership of the week's operations. Following their return from Florida State, the team as a whole watched the full tape as a unit. Rather than
simply dividing the team into position groups to rewatch the game, they wanted
everyone to know where the team could still make improvements.
The captains sought to put forth a greater overall effort during their few practices by picking up
the pace and intensity. Justin Barron, the defensive back, thinks it will be
beneficial for the remainder of the season as well as against Virginia Tech.
The captains got together to discuss our goals and trust our gut feelings, mixed with other
factors. We just have similar thoughts," remarked Barron.
What the players did with their time off over the weekend was up to them. It didn't matter what
they did; everyone seemed rejuvenated after the season's first seven games. It
was the decision of players such as wide receiver Damien Alford to spend a few
days away from Central New York.
"In reality, I returned to Canada and spent some time with my relatives. simply to take my
mind off football before my return on Sunday. It felt nice and long-lasting,
like I had been gone. Rather than returning home, Barron used the bye week to strengthen his bonds with his teammates who remained in Syracuse. In the latter half of the season, he
thought it would be beneficial to establish a stronger connection with the boys
through it.“I took Marlowe to a UAlbany football game to watch one of his
teammates from high school play. Going to a game as a fan and ignoring the
other team's strategies to outwit you was awesome.Quarterback Garrett Shrader
says he was able to heal from bothersome knocks and bruises over the past week.
Because he had more time off, Shrader feels physically better than he has since
surgery. However, by completing non-football-related tasks like reset, QB1 is
mentally in the right frame of mind."I mean, I set up some trail cameras
in an effort to locate some deer. My girlfriend and I had a great day hanging
out, as usual. I didn't do anything else, though. I took a nap, and it felt
good," Shrader remarked.
Thursday night, Syracuse travels to face the Virginia Tech Hokies in their first game back
after their bye week. ESPN will broadcast the game nationwide.
In Blacksburg, kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.