Fan Fest Is This Saturday

All 'Cuse football fans are invited to watch the team in its preparations during the annual Syracuse football Fan Fest on Saturday, August 9! The event kicks off at 3 pm at the SU Soccer Stadium, located on the East Colvin Street side of Manley Field House. The Orange will take the field for practice at 4:30, followed by an autograph session. The Orange will sign the new 2014 Syracuse Football schedule poster.

"I can't wait to see the fans and can't wait to see the kids," said Orange head coach Scott Shafer. "We've had a great group of young kids running around these last few years and I always look forward to seeing them and I know our kids do as well. It's a nice break in the action for our kids to see who they're going to be playing for – the people and the kids of the community. That's who we play for.

"We're going to have a light practice in the morning so the kids are freshened up and we'll liven it up a bit over in the soccer stadium. They've got it lined, I saw it driving in this morning and I was juiced up because I know we're going to do some tackling on Saturday -- (smiling) hopefully not too many missed tackles -- but we're going to do some blocking and tackling and that'll be a blast for the kids."

Admission is free and complementary parking is available in Manley North and South lots.   

The Fan Fest will feature food and refreshments, including complimentary Pepsi and Perry's ice cream (while supplies last),  prizes, various activities on the Wohl Lacrosse Field, including appearances by Orange student-athletes and Otto, inflatable bouncers for kids, a merchandise trailer, and much more.

Tickets for the 2014 season will be available at Fan Fest. Any fan who purchases a Cuse three-game pack will earn purchase priority over the general public for the Orange men's basketball game against Duke.

Syracuse opens the season at home Friday, Aug. 29 against Villanova. Season tickets for 2014, which start at $99, and the three-game package that includes Villanova, Florida State and a third home game in the Dome of the fan's choice ($125 per package) are available now online (www.Cuse.com), by phone (888-DOMETIX), at Destiny USA kiosks and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B). In addition, discounted group tickets (20+), with prices as low as $10 each, are available for all home games by calling the Ticket Sales office (443-3212).

Tickets for the 'Syracuse Section' for the 2014 New York's College Classic vs. Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium are on sale now, starting at $80, via www.NYCollegeClassic.com, phone (888-DOMETIX, Option Zero), or in person at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B).

For complete coverage of Syracuse and Syracuse football, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Orange & Syracuse Football) and Twitter (@Cuse & @CuseFootball). Check out exclusive videos on Orange All-Access and behind-the-scenes pictures on Instagram (syracuseathletics).

Highlights from Day 6 of Training Camp

Scott Shafer Press Conference:

Top Stories from Aug. 7 on the Orange:

CuseNation Blog: Daoust Breaks Down the Defensive Line

Cuse Confidential: Hunt Leads Syracuse

Syracuse.com: Measurables: Hickey, Estime and Reddish Top the Charts

Daily Orange: Palmer Impresses Offensive Line Coach Adam

Training Camp Day 5: Full Go

The hitting commenced today for the Orange during the first practice session in full pads.

The addition of full pads allowed the coaches to get their first look at live football. Head coach Scott Shafer noted the play of a pair of Syracuse upper-classmen and, as he promised he would do earlier in camp, he talked about some of the squad's newcomers.

"Had a couple skill guys make some plays today, (junior wide receiver) Ashton Broyld made a play in traffic across the middle that was real nice to see. (Junior safety Durell) Eskridge had a couple of real nice interceptions and I was real pleased with the tempo with which we went about our kicking game and into the team period. All-in-all it was a pretty good day's work.

"We had some freshmen do some good things ...
"I'm excited about (running back) Ervin Phillips, I've been very impressed with him. Very few missed assignments for him, especially for a young guy."
"I think (wide receiver) Steve Ishmael has a chance to be a very good player."
"(Wide receiver) Adly Enoicy is one of the sharpest kids I've been around in a long time. He's picked things up really well and is able to move from different positions – inside or outside. I've been real pleased with him."
"(Wide receiver) Jamal Custis is a raw, young guy out there. But it's hard to teach that 6-foot-6, 235 lbs. and he can run, so I'm excited about him."
"On the defensive side, I like our freshmen linebackers – JT (Jonathan Thompson) has made some good plays, Parris Bennett is going to be a good football player."
"(Linebackers) Colton Moskal and Zaire Franklin are just what I thought they'd be – tough, hard-nosed kids who learn well. That whole (linebackers) room learns extremely well."
"The young DBs in general, Rodney Williams, you guys are going to like this guy. Juwan (Dowels) did some nice things."

NOTES FROM PRACTICE:
Winfield moving to defense
Coach Shafer announced that redshirt freshman Corey Winfield is changing sides of the ball, moving from wide receiver to cornerback. He commended the 6-1 St. Louis natives unselfishness in making the move and anticipates him making an impact for the defense.

"The other thing we're doing is we're playing (sophomore) Corey Winfield at corner now," Shafer said. "I think he's too good of an athlete to be a backup or a backup to a backup. I like his length – he's got close to a 40-inch vertical jump – I like his athleticism, and I've had good success (switching wide receivers to cornerback)."

Ishmael settling in
Freshman wide receiver Steve Ishmael says he is getting comfortable with the playbook. He also mentioned Jeremiah Kobena as a veteran that has taken the Miami product under his wing and mentored him.

"He has been real firm on me, telling me to get extra reps when I can," Ishmael said.

Eskridge making plays
All-ACC safety Durell Eskridge led by example on the team's first day in full pads, making two interceptions in practice. The Orange's leader in tackles and interceptions from last season described the plays as ones where her took advantage of his 6-4 length, going up and picking off a pass on a receiver that was trying to go over top of him and the other coming in man coverage where he "attacked the ball at its highest point."

Laguerre on the field
Junior walk-on linebacker Hernz Laguerre practiced for the first time this training camp. Senior wide receiver Franklin Santos chose to pursue opportunities outside of football, which opened up a spot on the 105-man training camp roster.

"He was out there today getting practice number one," Shafer said. "He'll have to go through five before he's full-go. You're saddened with one guy leaving, but you're excited with Hernz having the opportunity to be back in."

Top Articles from Aug. 6 on the Orange:
CuseTV: Durell Eskridge Interview
CuseTV: Terrel Hunt Interview
Orange Fizz: Running Backs and Linebackers Have Most Depth
CuseNation: Ishmael Learning from the Vets
Syracuse.com: 'The Sky is the Limit' for West in 2014
Daily Orange: Eskridge Stands Out on Day 5