Dino Babers: ‘We've got to find a way to not turn the ball over’

Three days before the matchup with Florida State, Syracuse Orange head coach Dino Babers talked to the media today on the ACC teleconference.

Jamar McGloster has grown tremendously since arriving on campus

The senior offensive lineman from Hillside, N.J. came into college without much football experience. After only playing for two seasons in high school, his athletic ability and size appealed to Babers.

“You're talking about someone that was a basketball player in high school that wanted late in his [McGloster’s] high school career wanted to become a football player, got an opportunity to come to Syracuse University and has really continued to develop since then,” he said. “I think he's made great strides in the weight room with our strength and development department and then the things that he does on the football field. I think that he is one of the leaders on our football team.”

Now, a starting tackle for the team, he has become a key member for the offense. After starting all 12 games last season, his size, athleticism, and leadership in the locker room have become integral for the overall future success of the team. With only one month left in his (regular season) career with Syracuse.

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Dungey will “touch” all parts of the field with his passing

Already amassing over 2,200 passing yards, junior quarterback Eric Dungey has been the offense’s best player in almost every game this season. Still, as the season has progressed, he has noticeably been taking fewer chances on deep balls.

“One thing you're going to do if you're going to be the quarterback of Syracuse University is you're going to throw the deep ball and you're going to throw the deep ball well,” Babers said. “I think he has thrown that ball well, and he will continue to throw that football. We're not -- we're going to take our shots vertically down the football field. We're going to touch every part of the football field.”

With over half the season already over, Dungey’s ability to throw and run will be so important for the team. While he may or may not be throwing the ball deep down the field, the team will need him to keep performing at a high level.

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Turnovers killed the Orange

Perhaps the most obvious statement from the press conference, SU struggled to score points two weekends ago against Miami due to mistakes and turnovers from the offense. With Dungey throwing four interceptions in the first half, the team struggled to get going early.

“When you think about four turnovers and the opportunities to score points and those four turnovers happening very early in series or drive calls, I think that had something to do with it, as well. We've got to find a way to not turn the ball over like that if we want to score more in the 20s, and then we also need to find a way to not put our defense in those situations if we want to keep that part of the point total down, as well.”

If the Orange want a chance at going back above .500, they need their quarterback to be safer with the ball. He needs to not turn the ball over early so they can set the tempo and keep their defense off the field. Without much depth in the secondary, you want them to be off the field for as long as possible, hopefully allowing the team to keep their momentum.