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Head Coach Doug Marrone Press Conference Transcript
The Orange football team will continue its road travels when it plays Louisville on November 14 (12 p.m., BIG EAST Network). The Orange has won the two most recent games against the Cardinals, and leads the series, 5-3.
"I think they do a nice job running the football, more than what people might think, as far as what their background has been and their coaching staff there,” said SU head coach Doug Marrone. “They do a nice job. Defensively, they keep you off balance. From game-to-game, it changes on what they do coverage-wise. We're very much in the early stages of what we're doing planning-wise for them and really finalizing some of the base starts right now. They're a team that is going to be a battle. I'm more concerned about our team than I am about the opposing team right now as far as turnovers and keeping ourselves on track."
Senior running back Delone Carter kept on track with his second 100-yard rushing game in the last three outings. He earned BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll recognition after his game-high 143 yards rushing. The Copley, Ohio native broke out on a career-long 58 yard run on SU’s second play from scrimmage. It was the third honor of the season for Carter, who also earned league honors after his performances against Maine and Akron. Carter is 23rd on Syracuse's all-time rushing yards record list with 1,573 and ranks 51st in the nation and fifth in the conference in rushing average (80.3).
Orange quarterback Greg Paulus has completed 144-of-221 passes (65.2 percent) through nine games, which is the best single-season performance in Syracuse history. The 65.2 completion percentage ranks sixth on the BIG EAST single-season record list. His 166.3 passing yards per game is fi ft h in the BIG EAST in 2009. Syracuse’s passing game is producing 196.11 yards per outing, which ranks eighth on the school single-season record list. The 2009 Syracuse offense is the most productive it has been since 2004. SU is averaging 20.33 points per game this season (24.0 in 2004), while the rush attack is averaging 113.44 ypg (178.8 in 2004), and the offense is producing 309.56 ypg (349.0 in 2004).
The Orange roster continued to change today, with the reinstatement of defensive end Torrey Ball, running back Antwon Bailey and offensive guard Andrew Tiller from suspension and with the season-ending injuries suffered by senior nose tackle Arthur Jones and junior offensive tackle Jonathan Meldrum.
Entering the ‘fourth quarter’ of its schedule, the Orange has its sights set on achieving its pre-season goal of qualifying for a post-season game.
“Our goal is still ahead of us, we can still win six football games (and get to a bowl game),” Marrone said. “It starts off with concentrating on Louisville. What we have to do is understand that this happens a lot in all sports. Here we are sitting at 3-6. The way we prepare, the way we practice, the way we work with each other, the way we encourage each other during a period where there is some type of frustration between coaches and players, that's where we have to really show who we are. That's where our character has to come out. That's what I challenge the team with. The team that practices well, the team that executes well, the team that has the right mental attitude will probably win this game on Saturday. That's a challenge for our players. In sports you get situations like this and you think they're hard, but in life you're going to get things that are so much tougher than this. If you know how to deal with this and if you deal with this the right way, it will help prepare you for the things you have to deal with when you get older."