Poll Question: How many games will SU Football win this season?
It sounds like a cliché headline, but SU Football's win over Wake Forest was a much needed early season "wake up call" for the team as a whole. Both the offense and defense are reflecting back this week on how they were able to adjust game plans on the fly, and more importantly buckle down and show resilience as a team when they had to in order to get the job done.
"We just came together as a team as we did in camp, as a brotherhood, as a band", says senior defensive tackle Deon Goggins, "second half we came into the locker room and just looked at each other and talked about how hard we worked together this summer and in camp. We talked about being a team that changed history, and Coach Marrone talks about that a lot, so we wanted to beat an ACC team and get out first win in the Dome"
As far as the offense goes, those second half adjustments made all the difference in the world as the team mustered up 22 points and a 39-29 overtime victory. And while the ability to have success with adjustments on the fly is impressive, the team doesn't want to be in that position again against Rhode Island.
"Coach Marrone is really stressing that this week in practice," explains MacPherson, "we're gonna come out fast and we're gonna come our firing on all cylinders. Last week we kind of sputtered in the beginning a little bit having a couple three and outs, especially in the first quarter. We can't do that to our defense as an offense, not matter who we play we're gonna shot ourselves in the foot (if we do that)"
The same thing goes on defense, where there are certainly more young players learning on the fly. The lessons learned from week one should go a long way for a squad who knows they have a lot to live up to.
"Just taking in the little things as far as paying attention to detail," says senior defensive tackle Deon Goggins, "As far as getting the calls and as far as playing the snaps and making the right snaps, and that goes for everybody on both sides of the ball."
"That game showed a lot," says cornerback Kevyn Scott, "our defense is resilient and we're gonna keep fighting until the end. We just fought until the very end, and I think that says a lot about those young players, that we just kept fighting until the end and we didn't give up."
