Wednesday, September 24, 2014
AFCA Honors Rodgers for Dedication to Community Service
Syracuse senior long snapper and team captain Sam Rodgers is one of 22 student-athletes named to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in recognition of his dedication to community service.
This prestigious college football award pays tribute to a select group of student-athletes who have worked to positively impact the lives of others. The 22 players honored with this distinct recognition have not only dedicated their time to succeeding on the field, but have made a commitment to enriching the lives of others while contributing to the greater good of their communities.
Rodgers, who has been nominated twice for the AFCA Good Works Team, has been active in numerous community service organizations in his time with the Orange, including organizing the Syracuse chapter of Uplifting Athletes and taking mission trips to Haiti.
He was selected for the award by a voting panel that whittled a record 182 nominees down to the 22 student-athletes, 11 from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 11 from the Football Championship Subdivision, selected to the team.
The State College, Pennsylvania native made his second trip to Haiti in the last two years with the group Poverty Resolutions. During this trip, which he made with his family and fellow Syracuse student-athletes, he assisted on a number of projects including aiding the Mission of Grace Orphanage.
He taught children English, helped build green houses for the orphanage and ran a soccer clinic for more than 100 children from the surrounding village. He was able to provide soccer balls, cleats and shoes to many of the kids in attendance.
The Syracuse chapter of Uplifting Athletes, which Rodgers helped to start and is currently the president of, is a member of the national Uplifting Athletes organization that aligns college football with rare diseases and raises them to national priority through outreach, research and advocacy.
Rodgers recently organized the third-annual Lift for Life event which raises awareness and funds to combat brain tumors, a cause Rodgers and the chapter decided on after former Orange punter Rob Long was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2010.
Rodgers is also active with the Building Men program and the Ronald McDonald House with his teammates.
A two-time selection to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Team, Rodgers was named a Remembrance Scholar for 2014-15 at Syracuse. The Remembrance Scholarship is one of the highest awards a Syracuse student can receive and was established in honor of the 35 Syracuse students studying abroad that were among the 270 men, women and children who were killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988. The Remembrance Scholarship is given to seniors for distinguished scholarship, citizenship and service to the community.
The senior has been the team's long snapper in all-41 games in the last four seasons.
Rodgers is the fourth former Syracuse student-athlete to be named to the AFCA Good Works Team, joining Matt Tarullo (2004), Graham Manley (2003) and Kyle Johnson (2000).
Shafer Looks Ahead to the Irish
After suffering its first loss of the season on Saturday, head coach Scott Shafer and the Orange have a big opportunity to rebound this week when 'Cuse hosts No. 8 Notre Dame (3-0) at MetLife Stadium in the New York College Classic in prime time.
SU sits at 2-1 on the season, after falling 34-20 to Maryland on Saturday, despite out-gaining the Terrapins by 220 yards on offense.
"I think the biggest theme on both sides, including the kicking game is finish," Shafer said. "We have to finish the play better. I felt like we were going up and down the field offensively. I felt like we couldn't be stopped unless we stopped ourselves and that's exactly what happened. It was an 18-point game for so long we never pushed until we got that momentum swing.
"It was disappointing, not discouraging because we have good things going on as well. When I look at the big picture of things we have to learn from them, go to work on them and get some extra red zone work in this week on offense and keep on keeping."
The Orange is now focusing on taking down its first top-10 opponent since beating then No. 8 Virginia Tech 50-42 in triple overtime.
"We've got a great game coming up in the Meadowlands against a great, top-10 Notre Dame," said head coach Scott Shafer. "This is why you coach the game and this is why these kids play the game. So, it'll be an exciting week of practice and I'm looking forward to that."
For more of coach Shafer previewing the Irish, watch the full interview on CuseTV: Coach Shafer Interview
"I think the biggest theme on both sides, including the kicking game is finish," Shafer said. "We have to finish the play better. I felt like we were going up and down the field offensively. I felt like we couldn't be stopped unless we stopped ourselves and that's exactly what happened. It was an 18-point game for so long we never pushed until we got that momentum swing.
"It was disappointing, not discouraging because we have good things going on as well. When I look at the big picture of things we have to learn from them, go to work on them and get some extra red zone work in this week on offense and keep on keeping."
The Orange is now focusing on taking down its first top-10 opponent since beating then No. 8 Virginia Tech 50-42 in triple overtime.
"We've got a great game coming up in the Meadowlands against a great, top-10 Notre Dame," said head coach Scott Shafer. "This is why you coach the game and this is why these kids play the game. So, it'll be an exciting week of practice and I'm looking forward to that."
For more of coach Shafer previewing the Irish, watch the full interview on CuseTV: Coach Shafer Interview
Join the Ultimate Tailgate
Going to the Meadowlands to cheer on the Orange against Notre Dame in New York's College Classic? Syracuse Athletics, the Orange Club and SU Alumni Relations are partnering to host the New York's College Team Ultimate Tailgate prior to the game!
The event will run from 6-8 p.m. in the Bud Light Plaza inside Gate 1 of MetLife Stadium. For just $30 per person, Orange fans can enjoy a picnic-style buffet, soda and water with a cash bar available, all while being entertained by "The Pride of the Orange" Syracuse Marching Band, the cheerleaders and Otto the Orange. 'Cuse legend and Football Hall of Famer Floyd Little '67 will be in attendance and mingling with fans as well.
Fans can register online here, or call the Orange Club for more details at 315-443-1419.
The New York's College Team Ultimate Tailgate: THE place to be before the Orange tackles the Irish!
The event will run from 6-8 p.m. in the Bud Light Plaza inside Gate 1 of MetLife Stadium. For just $30 per person, Orange fans can enjoy a picnic-style buffet, soda and water with a cash bar available, all while being entertained by "The Pride of the Orange" Syracuse Marching Band, the cheerleaders and Otto the Orange. 'Cuse legend and Football Hall of Famer Floyd Little '67 will be in attendance and mingling with fans as well.
Fans can register online here, or call the Orange Club for more details at 315-443-1419.
The New York's College Team Ultimate Tailgate: THE place to be before the Orange tackles the Irish!
Orange Falls to Maryland 34-20
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Big plays doomed the Syracuse football team on Saturday at the Carrier Dome as the Orange lost its first game of the season to Maryland, 34-20, dropping 'Cuse to 2-1 on the year.
The Terps (3-1) used an interception return for touchdown, a 90-yard touchdown pass and a blocked punt to set up another score to open up an 18-point halftime lead that the Orange couldn't overcome.
Cuse TV: Highlights | Coach Shafer Press Conference | Lynch & Hunt | Whigham
Links: Statistics | Postgame Notes | Photo Gallery | Infographic
Quotes: Coach Shafer | Syracuse Players | Maryland Players | Maryland Head Coach
"Usually you rush 280-yards more then you have a shot to win," said head coach Scott Shafer. "But I look at those fleeting opportunities and you've got to come down with the ball. I never felt like we gave ourselves a push in the momentum to get ourselves on track. The defense came out there in the second half and kept fighting. Almost pitched a shutout in the second half, minus the fumble and the points off the field goal, so I was pleased with that."
The Orange out-gained the Terrapins in total yards, 589-369, led by 370 rushing yards. Quarterback Terrel Hunt led the way with 156 yards on 23 carries and two scores. It was the first time a SU quarterback went over 100 yards on the ground since Donovan McNabb against Miami in 1997.
Prince-Gulley piled up 138 yards on 14 carries, his second100-yard day of the season and fourth of his career, while Adonis Ameen-Moore added 68 yards on nine attempts.
Hunt completed 14-of-28 passes for 219 yards on the day. His 375 yards of total offense ties him with Don McPherson for eighth in program history for a single game.
Syracuse got on the board first with Ryan Norton's 35-yard field goal capping off an 11 play, 59-yard drive on the game's first possession.
Maryland tacked on a pair of quick touchdowns, with C.J. Brown finding Marcus Leak in the back corner of the end zone for the game's first touchdown on the Terps' first drive and Brandon Ross breaking off a 90-yard touchdown on a screen.
The Orange scored on its next two possessions, with Cole Murphy converting his first-career field goal attempt – a 49 yarder, followed by an eight-yard touchdown rush by Hunt to cut Maryland's lead to one at 14-13.
The Terrapins answered with three unanswered scores, which were set up by Maryland's defense and special teams to head into the locker room with a 31-13 lead, despite the Orange holding a 357-256 first half advantage in total offense.
After a Brad Craddock field goal with 12:38 to go in the half, the Terps blocked an SU punt deep in the Orange's territory on the ensuing possession that set up a Jacquille Veil touchdown run from four yards out.
Just over two-minutes later, William Likely intercepted Hunt's pass and took it 88 yards down the sideline for the touchdown and final score of the half. The turnover was the Orange's first of the season.
Coming out of the locker room, both defenses held strong with neither team finding the scoreboard for over 25 minutes. A Craddock field goal with 4:17 remaining in the game and a Hunt two-yard run with 48 seconds left were the only second half scores.
For the third-consecutive game, Cameron Lynch led all Orange tacklers with 7 tackles and added a sack.
Syracuse will next play on Sept. 27 in the New York College Classic against Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium. The game is scheduled for a prime-time start of 8 p.m. on ABC. Tickets can be purchased NYCollegeClassic.com.
The Terps (3-1) used an interception return for touchdown, a 90-yard touchdown pass and a blocked punt to set up another score to open up an 18-point halftime lead that the Orange couldn't overcome.
Cuse TV: Highlights | Coach Shafer Press Conference | Lynch & Hunt | Whigham
Links: Statistics | Postgame Notes | Photo Gallery | Infographic
Quotes: Coach Shafer | Syracuse Players | Maryland Players | Maryland Head Coach
"Usually you rush 280-yards more then you have a shot to win," said head coach Scott Shafer. "But I look at those fleeting opportunities and you've got to come down with the ball. I never felt like we gave ourselves a push in the momentum to get ourselves on track. The defense came out there in the second half and kept fighting. Almost pitched a shutout in the second half, minus the fumble and the points off the field goal, so I was pleased with that."
The Orange out-gained the Terrapins in total yards, 589-369, led by 370 rushing yards. Quarterback Terrel Hunt led the way with 156 yards on 23 carries and two scores. It was the first time a SU quarterback went over 100 yards on the ground since Donovan McNabb against Miami in 1997.
Prince-Gulley piled up 138 yards on 14 carries, his second100-yard day of the season and fourth of his career, while Adonis Ameen-Moore added 68 yards on nine attempts.
Hunt completed 14-of-28 passes for 219 yards on the day. His 375 yards of total offense ties him with Don McPherson for eighth in program history for a single game.
Syracuse got on the board first with Ryan Norton's 35-yard field goal capping off an 11 play, 59-yard drive on the game's first possession.
Maryland tacked on a pair of quick touchdowns, with C.J. Brown finding Marcus Leak in the back corner of the end zone for the game's first touchdown on the Terps' first drive and Brandon Ross breaking off a 90-yard touchdown on a screen.
The Orange scored on its next two possessions, with Cole Murphy converting his first-career field goal attempt – a 49 yarder, followed by an eight-yard touchdown rush by Hunt to cut Maryland's lead to one at 14-13.
The Terrapins answered with three unanswered scores, which were set up by Maryland's defense and special teams to head into the locker room with a 31-13 lead, despite the Orange holding a 357-256 first half advantage in total offense.
After a Brad Craddock field goal with 12:38 to go in the half, the Terps blocked an SU punt deep in the Orange's territory on the ensuing possession that set up a Jacquille Veil touchdown run from four yards out.
Just over two-minutes later, William Likely intercepted Hunt's pass and took it 88 yards down the sideline for the touchdown and final score of the half. The turnover was the Orange's first of the season.
Coming out of the locker room, both defenses held strong with neither team finding the scoreboard for over 25 minutes. A Craddock field goal with 4:17 remaining in the game and a Hunt two-yard run with 48 seconds left were the only second half scores.
For the third-consecutive game, Cameron Lynch led all Orange tacklers with 7 tackles and added a sack.
Syracuse will next play on Sept. 27 in the New York College Classic against Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium. The game is scheduled for a prime-time start of 8 p.m. on ABC. Tickets can be purchased NYCollegeClassic.com.
Shafer Weekly Press Conference: Maryland
The 2-0 Syracuse football team welcomes Maryland (2-1) to the Carrier Dome on Saturday looking to get off to its first 3-0 start since 1991.
To do so, the Orange will have to get past a Terrapins squad that is coming off a last-second 40-37 loss to West Virginia.
"The kids have been preparing hard for the talented, fast Maryland football team," said head coach Scott Shafer. "They definitely present some great challenges for us and we're looking forward to tackling those challenges head on."
The game will be SU's first with just one week to prepare, following a bye after the season opener. However, Shafer views that as a positive.
"I've slept better at night because there's not as much time to worry," Shafer said. "It's nice to be in that daily grind of football which is probably the biggest thing. It's nice to be back in that in-season rhythm."
Something SU will have to control to get its third win of the season will be the dynamic return duo of wide receiver Stefon Diggs and cornerback William Likely, who both have broken off big plays on special teams thus far.
"They're very talented. They have great speed with great playmakers on offense but also in the kicking game, obviously with two guys who have returned the ball extremely well. They're averaging almost 38 points per game, they know how to be productive that's for sure. We've got our game plan and now we need to go out and play that game plan to its highest ability. Great challenges in front of us."
Kickoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Children 12-years-old and younger will get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket. The first 10,000 fans will also receive Orange Nation pom-poms.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)