As training camp winds down, classes begin and Syracuse’s first opponent looms, tensions are high on Scott Shafer’s team. And he likes it that way.

“I know the anxiety of the kids is high, in a good way, that they just look forward to getting out there and starting to play football, hit somebody other than each other,”he said in Tuesday’s teleconference.

Syracuse begins the season against Villanova on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. With the first game of his second season at the helm just three days away, Shafer touched on his desire to simplify ahead of the opener, the freshmen that battled their way up his depth chart and how defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough’s unit prepares for Villanova’s non-traditional offense.

The freshest of men

Three true freshmen battled their way into Syracuse’s two-deep defensive depth chart during training camp.

The Orange released its updated pecking order Monday and Parris Bennett, Zaire Franklin and Juwan Dowels all cracked the second-string defense. Winning camp battles for roster spots gave them a chance to debut or even feature in Friday’s opener against the Wildcats, depending on how the game unfolds, Shafer said.

“What factored into the decision is they beat out the guy in front of them,”he said. “It’s as simple as that — three very mature young men that love to play the game.”

Bennett will back up Cameron Lynch at outside linebacker, Zaire Franklin is behind Marqez Hodge in the middle linebacker spot and Juwan Dowels sits behind Brandon Reddish at cornerback.

“I feel good about all three of those young men playing for us Friday night,”Shafer said.

Keep it simple, Syracuse

About 12:15 p.m. Tuesday was time for Shafer to clean out his office, to throw away what he didn’t need.

“I’m going to be cleaning up my office, throwing away a bunch of stuff, trying to get to a minimalist approach, which is really the same game plan we have,”he said.

Some calm before the season opening storm, Shafer said, is needed, both for himself and his players.

They’ve practiced all summer with each other. Preparation has heightened nerves and Shafer hardly minds.

“A lot of nervous energy,”he said, “which is good.”

It’s just defense

Villanova runs an atypical offense with a set of “influence”plays in which the Wildcats will leave a defensive tackle unblocked and run around him —similar to the way other zone-read or triple-option attacks treat defensive ends, Shafer said Saturday.

But the Orange head coach said he isn’t talking to his players any differently in preparation. He just wants them to stay aggressive, recover from any unusual plays Villanova may pull off and stick to the basic defensive principles of sticking to assignments and knocking opponents backward.

“The big thing is if we get something that’s whacky that we’ve never seen before, we try to cover it down and play sound defense,”Shafer said. “If they get one on us, we’ve got to brush it off and go to the next play. That’s got to be the mind-set when you’re playing in a game like this.”

Shafer said he told his players to make sure the Orange’s Football Championship Subdivision opponent isn’t capitalizing on Syracuse’s mistakes, but earning whatever yards it gets in the Carrier Dome.

“The thing I like to talk to the defense about is earned plays,” Shafer, SU’s former defensive coordinator, said. “… but we’re not going to take away from our aggressive style on defense, but I think Coach Bullough and the rest of the defensive staff — they have the boys ready to play.”

Published on August 26, 2014 at 1:35 pm

Contact Jacob: jmklinge@syr.edu | @Jacob_Klinger_