“Close your eyes… Visualize this. You’re in the Carrier Dome. Your house is filled. The feeling is electric. The noise is deafening. You have a defense that’s relentless. You have a special teams that has been well-coached. You have an offense that will not huddle. And you have a game that’s faster than you’ve ever seen on turf.”
Dino Babers’ first words to the Syracuse fans and media assembled at Manley Fieldhouse when he was introduced as the newest SU head coach. We wondered how long it would take. An answer soon follow, “Year two, weeks four to six.” We heard it many times over the last 22 months. What did Babers need to make it happen? Belief without evidence. Faith.
We got a little evidence last season with the Orange topping number 17 Virginia Tech to move the Orange to 4-4, but that would be the last win of the year. But fans caught a glimpse. A vision of what this thing could be when humming at the highest of highs.
Friday. Year two, week 7. Syracuse fans, coaches and players got all the evidence they needed. A 27-24 win over 2nd ranked Clemson, the defending National Champions, assumed to be on their way to an undefeated regular season and a third straight meeting with Alabama in the title game (and the Tigers could very well still be headed for that meeting with the Tide— after all, they did lose to Pitt last year around the same time of the season).
A piece of evidence. A reason to believe. A program changing win.
For fans of history, this game screamed of the Nebraska win in 1984. The Huskers were a powerhouse. Mowing teams down. Winning titles. Clemson came to the Dome Friday with the nation’s longest winning streak– 11 games. Coming off back to back title appearances and already with 3 top 15 wins this season alone.
Sure, the win over Nebraska came during a 6-5 season, and this Clemson win could very well come in a 6-6 (or worse) year for the Orange. But three years later, the Orangemen went undefeated and went to the Sugar Bowl. They’d be mainstays in the AP poll for the next 15 years, up through 2001. They had success, made BCS, now New Years’ Six, caliber bowl games. Produced NFL talent like Marvin Harrison, Donovan McNabb and Dwight Freeney. It was one of the two truly great eras of SU Football.
Could this be a precursor? Really, who knows?
So lets go back to December 7th, 2015. The Orange had just lost to rival Georgetown in the first non-conference game between the two schools in nearly 40 years. And this new coach was standing at the front of the room, after being handed a jersey by Mark Coyle, asking us to close our eyes.
“The house is filled. The feeling is electric.” The Dome was Friday night with better than 42,000 in attendance.
“You have a defense that’s relentless.” Parris Bennett flew around the field logging 9 tackles. The defense picked up 4 sacks, including Chris Slayton’s body long dive with 6:30 to go in the game to force Clemson into what turned out to be a fake punt.
“You have a special teams that has been well-coached.” Sean Riley, the punt returner came up to bat a ball away on a fake punt pass by freshman punter Will Spiers.
“You have an offense that will not huddle. And you have a game that’s faster than you’ve ever seen on turf.” Boy did the Orange show that Friday night. The second snap of the game came as fast as I’ve ever seen a snap after the ball was set. The first drive was perfectly called, and perfectly executed, right down to the screen pass that went for 23 yards and the touchdown.
“Open your eyes. That’s going to be a reality. That’s going to be Syracuse football.” Dino Babers told us on December 7th, 2015. For one night, one really big night, it was reality. It was Syracuse football.