Syracuse Football Using Virtual Reality For Training, Fan Engagement
Even if you weren’t at the Carrier Dome on Oct. 13, you can feel as if you could’ve stormed the field after the Syracuse football team’s upset win against defending national championship Clemson.
That’s because throughout the game, cameras captured action in full 360-degrees for fans to see in a virtual reality experience that was later released. The footage places you inside the stadium, giving you the same vantage point that a fan seated in the first couple of rows might have.
Fans got a great view of Syracuse’s opening score, a 23-yard screen pass delivered to running back Dontae Strickland.
Not only does the VR bring you in-game action, it takes you into the locker room as well. You can watch as head coach Dino Babers delivers a rousing postgame speech in front of his players.
Engaging fans isn’t the only way Syracuse is using VR. Back in 2015, the Orange became the first ACC team to use virtual reality after signing a contract with EON Sports. It’s been a vital resource in developing quarterbacks. Coaches work with players (like starting quarterback Eric Dungey) to pour over film using the VR headsets.
“This is the way that they see Madden, so to speak,” co-offensive coordinator Sean Lewis said, referring to the video game. “You know, they have that vantage point of the game in this way and they’re excited to come in and to watch tape in this format.”
The technology can take a quarterback and put them right in the pocket — all without having to take a single hit. This way a player like Dungey can take his time dissecting each practice play and learning nuances he might not usually pick up.
“This is a whole new world, basically,” Dungey said in the offseason video. “It’s basically like going through practice again. I love going through practice, I love practicing so it’s basically like doing that all over again but it’s easier on the body. You know you kind of just get mental reps.”
Dungey ultimately accounted for 339 yards and three touchdowns against Clemson. And with help from technology, Syracuse sits at 4-4 for one of its better starts in recent memory.
