What Syracuse head coach Dino Babers had to say about Clemson
No rest for the weary. After a demoralizing loss to Florida State on Saturday, the Clemson Tigers (2-2, 0-2 ACC) have to get ready for a conference road game against undefeated Syracuse (4-0, 0-0 ACC), a team that has traditionally given Clemson fits.
The Tigers and Orange have played every year since 2013, with Clemson winning nine out of ten, but the last two years have been decided by just a single score. Syracuse head coach Dino Babers, now in his 8th season with Syracuse, spoke to the media on Monday about his team's conference opener against Clemson.
"First of all, excited about having the opportunity to get that win [Army]," Babers said. "Excited about our next opponent, obviously, Clemson. Orange Out, Homecoming, all the same weekend. We're expecting a huge crowd and I know they will be in the right frame of mind for the Clemson Tigers."
With Clemson sitting winless in the conference through two games, it could be easy for Syracuse to get confident, but Babers is well aware of how talented Clemson still is.
"I think they are still a championship-caliber team," said Babers. "They were six or 12 inches from winning the game this week [against Florida State]. Beat them in every statistical category. They beat Duke in every statistical category. This is what they are. This is a championship, big-time football team coming in."
"It gives us an opportunity to be 1-0 in conference," continued Babers. "These guys are the same champions that they've always been. There's a reason why they've won so many championships and they've been in final fours. Their athletes are different, their amenities are different. I'm sure they're going to come in here and they're going to bring a bunch of fans. There's going to be two types of orange in the Dome, hopefully, it's more our color than theirs."