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Teams: Syracuse Orange (0-0) vs. Villanova Wildcats (0-0)
Day & Time: Friday, August 29, 7:30 EST
Field: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
Line: No Line
TV: ESPN3 (for now, no actual television options to watch the game)
Announcers: Dave Popkin, Al Groh & Steven Fenig
Radio: Syracuse IMG Network, WAER 88.3, Sirius 93/XM 193
Villanova News: VUHoops.com
Rivalry: Syracuse leads 2-1
First Meeting: Early in Ben Schwartzwalder's tenure, the Orangemen to Philadelphia for their first showdown with the mighty Wildcats. They were downed 14-13 in their season-ender, leaving a bad taste in their mouth that would only be bested with a revenge 28-6 victory the following year.
Last Meeting: Frank Maloney got his second season started off right with a 24-17 victory over Villanova. Of course, this was after the 14-point favorite Orangemen allowed Villanova to get out to a 17-0 lead before storming back. Let's hope history does not repeat itself.
Current Streak: 2, Syracuse
Head Coaches: SU: Scott Shafer (2nd Year,7-6), Nova: Andrew Talley (30th Year, 204-125-1)
Last Year: Coming off of a CAA co-champ 8-4 season, Villanova took a step back and ended up 6-5. They did start the season playing Boston College relatively close in a 24-14 loss.
Head Coach Bio: Andy Talley is Villanova's Jim Boeheim. He's been the head coach there since 1985 and has seen the program rise up the ranks from D-III to its current status in the CAA. Talley has led the Cats to the playoffs ten times, including a National Championship victory in 2007.
"Fear Me, I've Killed Hundreds of Timelords": Quarterback John Robertson enters the game as CAA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He's also on the Watch List for the Walter Payton Award, the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy. Last season he completed 169 of 247 passes for 1,957 yards and 13 TDs while also rushing for 1,405 yards and 20 TDs. So, you know, let's keep an eye on him.
If Syracuse Wins...: What do you mean "if?"
If Syracuse Loses: Wheeee! Off the bandwagon we all go!
Fun Fact: This will be the third time in four games that Syracuse vs. Villanova is a season-opener.