Syracuse and Tennessee are opening their respective football seasons Saturday in the Aflac Kickoff Classic inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It could easily be called an early Orange Bowl given the colors of the competing schools, and the Transfer Quarterback Bowl would certainly fit as well. Neither Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli nor Volunteers counterpart Joey Aguilar went through spring practice with their current teams, winning the job instead with impressive preseason scrimmages after transferring.
While Aguilar’s journey took him to Diablo Valley Community College near San Francisco for two seasons before spending two more seasons at Appalachian State, Angeli initiated his first change of address in May after spending three years at Notre Dame.
As a result, Tennessee fifth-year defensive coordinator Tim Banks has spent his share of time studying film of last season’s Fighting Irish.
“It’s as helpful as it can be in terms of watching Notre Dame tape,” Banks said Tuesday in a news conference. “The offenses are a little different in terms of what Syracuse does, but you can see the mannerisms and some of the throws that he’s made and some of the poise that he’s played with. That’s the only reference we have, and we’re just kind of projecting what we think it will look like.