Thus, a cohesive and focused week of practice under Campanile in his second stint as an interim head coach gave Syracuse some extra juice. Villari added that his tight end coach took the challenge in stride and led the team admirably. That enabled the players to think exclusively about football, and resulted in Syracuse’s (6-6, 2-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) best offensive performance against an ACC opponent this year, winning 35-31 over Wake Forest (4-8, 1-7 ACC) to clinch bowl eligibility.ĭan Villari said Campanile didn’t change much in terms of practice but was sensitive to the players’ personal relationships with Babers. One of the first things he did upon being named interim head coach was make SU feel comfortable talking about the coaching change and its implications. “There are some special guys in that locker room.”Ĭampanile didn’t pretend like Babers’ dismissal wasn’t a factor, and that resonated with his players. “I totally encouraged them to address it, to communicate with it, talk to assistant coaches about it, but at the same time, they did an excellent job of staying focused on this game,” Campanile said. Campanile said he knows how deep player-coach relationships can be, and he wanted to approach the situation head-on. Interim head coach Nunzio Campanile didn’t hide from the news or try to push it aside. Many players were surprised by the firing, as they found out indirectly. Still, he called multiple players this week to check in, including quarterback Garrett Shrader. Babers was fired a week ago after nearly eight years of coaching Syracuse football. His Hawaiian shirt and tranquil presence were absent from the sideline Saturday, but former head coach Dino Babers made an impact against Wake Forest. Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
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