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| Shafer called a timeout on the 1 with 1:01 to go in the half? Yeah, cry about it. |
Labels: Crying Child, Football
Oh good. You guys.
Syracuse is coming off a stinging loss to Pitt at home for Homecoming. Now they have to travel down to FSU to take on a team that probably isn't competing for a National Championship this year, but is still very good. Chances are this doesn't end well for SU.
Syracuse has some solid pieces together. But overall, they can't close out a game to save their lives, and the defense fades in the 2nd half, along with the ability for the SU offense to fool people. Syracuse doesn't have the playmakers that FSU has, so this one will be tough. The only way Syracuse will have a chance in this game is to suck in the linebackers on play action passes. The only way to do that is actually be able to run the ball. If Syracuse can't run the ball, nothing else on offense matters, as you can only have so many fluke big plays. That goes double against a team like Florida State. Either way, I don't have high hopes. We've seen some big upset wins from the Orange in the last few seasons, especially in the Marrone era (Also, mostly in the Big East). But I don't even get an inkling of a feeling that that's possible with this team right now against the teams in our division. No Golson, no problem. Their backup took first team snaps all week anyway. No starting running back? No problem. Their third string is probably bigger and better than our first. Just the reality of FSU recruiting over SU these days. I'm taking FSU over the Orange 42 to 13.
This game is available nationally (yaaaaaaay) on ABC at 12:00pm. Also available on WatchESPN. I have a game myself so I won't be watching much. John will be on the Tweets. Try not to hate yourself for watching too much. Go Orange!
Pittsburgh - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Even More Brutal!
0 Comments Published on by Brian Harrison
Shafer has a great first half. Then...
It just was not meant to be. Syracuse head for about 51 minutes. Then Syracuse allowed a Pitt final drive, which included a converted 4th down fake punt, to kick a game winning field goal as time expired. Awful to watch as the defense seemed helpless. Syracuse lost 23 to 20. To the abbreviated report card.
Offense
C+
Dungey gave it a good effort. And the first couple drives of the game gave us all hope that this was going to be a good game, with Syracuse moving the ball on offense. But two picks in the second half really hurt SU's chances at winning. And the running game only provided a couple big plays. A tail of two halves.
Defense
C-
Had to get a stop at the end of the game. The defense was either gassed, given bad play calls, or were just plain not as talented. To repeat what I've said again and again, the way to beat Syracuse is pass. Syracuse hasn't had a good secondary in over ten years. They continue to allow big plays or even just chain moving plays at will late in games.
Special Teams
B
Not much to complain about except allowing a 4th down conversion on a fake punt on the final drive. Dixon was great, and Murphy was perfect on the day.
Coaching
C
Shafer had everything going in the first half. The staff made good calls, got some stops, and won all their challenges (which I was most impressed with). Then halftime happened. And Pitt outcoached Shafer and his staff almost the entire second half.
GPA
C+ (2.25)
Syracuse owned the first half in almost every phase, but when you give the other team two more possessions through picks, but more importantly don't score yourself, it makes it hard to win. Not getting a stop on the final opponent drive with time ticking down ruins the day for everyone. If Syracuse can figure out how to close out a game this could be a team worth believing in. As of right now, I'm not sure they could close down a lane of traffic.
Syracuse's schedule only gets more fun with Florida State, Louisville, and Clemson coming up. L'ville is the most vulnerable, but none of them are easy and probably all are losses. Giddy up.
Labels: ACC, Football, Pittsburgh
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| A disappointing Homecoming loss puts Syracuse perilously close to losing the season. |
Labels: Crying Child, Football
I can't post a logo tonight for some reason. #DealWithIt
It's another Homecoming weekend. I'm already in Syracuse writing this, not on my usual rig, so I can't even post an awesome throwback Pitt logo. Either way, it should be a fun weekend for all involved. And hey, this is a winnable game. One of the last on the schedule. You know, because Pittsburgh isn't Clemson or Florida State.
Syracuse needs to do two things. Make Eric Dungey's life easy and call plays that set him and Syracuse up for success on offense. And stop Pitt on 3rd downs. Dungey is surprisingly efficient as QB and is in the top 25 in the nation. However, Pitt defense is also very efficient in making stops. Something has to give. My gut is to give it to the Pitt Defense, however I honestly have a feeling that Dungey and Tim Lester will be getting a ton of film study and getting the top plays ready for this weekend as this is without question even more a must win game compared to last weekend. I think Dungey stays in the pocket more and will make smarter passes down the field. Pittsburgh will be able to contain him for a while but he will be making plays with his arm and his feet. If the Syracuse defense can limit Pitt from marching down the field on every down they have a shot. Otherwise, Pitt will run away with it. But it's Homecoming and I'm not picking against Syracuse versus Pittsburgh. The last few games have been decided by a point and even though Pitt comes in #25 Syracuse always plays Pitt tough. This one should be an entertaining battle. But I'm taking the Orange in this one. Syracuse over Pitt 28 to 27.
This game will be available nationally on ESPN U at 12:00pm. NOONER! Both John and I will be in the Dome tomorrow so it should be a fun time. Say hi. We'll see you out there. For everyone making the trip, have a safe journey, and as always GO ORANGE!
Labels: ACC, Football, Pittsburgh, Preview, Rivalries
Syracuse - Virginia Postgame Reactions OR That's Tough To Take
0 Comments Published on by Brian Harrison
It's all smiles and claps when you're leading.
Brutal. Syracuse led most of the game, Went to 3 OTs against Virginia on the road. And lose. Basically because Eric Dungey didn't throw the ball away on 3rd down and instead took a sack, making it a ridiculous distance for a field goal. And then Virginia marches down for a TD to end it. ROUGH. Virginia won in 3 OT, 44 (ooh!) to 38. Get to the grades quickly.
Offense
B
Dungey (16/22, 150yds, 2 TD, 0 INT) had a fine day. Nothing spectacular, but nothing that would set the world on fire. He did have the play of the year though, rushing and leaping a defender for a TD, which was awesome. The rushing attack fared a little better, but again, nothing that would be considered elite. But, Syracuse did manage to put up 38 points. 21 first downs, 6/14 on 3rd down, 1/2 on 4th down, and 334 yards total. Not too bad.
Defense
The pass defense continues to be dreadful. And being gassed is no excuse for not making plays, no matter how many overtimes you have. SU allowed 25 first downs, 9/17 third downs, 1/1 on 4th, and 393 yards. Those numbers aren't horrific, but watching the game you know it was bad.
Special Teams
B+
Another Heisman Effort for Riley Dixon. Cole Murphy had a rougher day, only making 1/3. The final one would have been a career long to go up 3 in the 3rd overtime. Not his fault. Either way, a good effort overall.
Coaching
Conventional wisdom would have you go for the win in OT on the road by going for 2 on a play you run to perfection. Either way, the playcalling all day was pretty lackluster and did not set up Dungey for success.
GPA
C+(2.33)
A heartbreaking finish to a game that SU led most of the way. Not the best way to end your Saturday. Syracuse better get it together if they want to compete in the winnable games left on the schedule.
Syracuse has rival Pitt coming in this week. They have a change. Just like they did at Virginia. Limit mistakes and capitalize on your opponents. That's how they win overachieve.
Offense
B
Dungey (16/22, 150yds, 2 TD, 0 INT) had a fine day. Nothing spectacular, but nothing that would set the world on fire. He did have the play of the year though, rushing and leaping a defender for a TD, which was awesome. The rushing attack fared a little better, but again, nothing that would be considered elite. But, Syracuse did manage to put up 38 points. 21 first downs, 6/14 on 3rd down, 1/2 on 4th down, and 334 yards total. Not too bad.
Defense
The pass defense continues to be dreadful. And being gassed is no excuse for not making plays, no matter how many overtimes you have. SU allowed 25 first downs, 9/17 third downs, 1/1 on 4th, and 393 yards. Those numbers aren't horrific, but watching the game you know it was bad.
Special Teams
B+
Another Heisman Effort for Riley Dixon. Cole Murphy had a rougher day, only making 1/3. The final one would have been a career long to go up 3 in the 3rd overtime. Not his fault. Either way, a good effort overall.
Coaching
Conventional wisdom would have you go for the win in OT on the road by going for 2 on a play you run to perfection. Either way, the playcalling all day was pretty lackluster and did not set up Dungey for success.
GPA
C+(2.33)
A heartbreaking finish to a game that SU led most of the way. Not the best way to end your Saturday. Syracuse better get it together if they want to compete in the winnable games left on the schedule.
Syracuse has rival Pitt coming in this week. They have a change. Just like they did at Virginia. Limit mistakes and capitalize on your opponents. That's how they win overachieve.
Did you know Mike London used to be a cop?
Syracuse laid a stinker at "South" Florida last weekend. Syracuse now faces a must win game if they want a chance of going Bowling, however slim that chance might be. This is the most winable game remaining on the schedule. So Syracuse needs to show up on the road.
Eric Dungey played alright at USF, but he made some bad decisions like taking sacks and other things more veteran players avoid. He also had some turnovers that USF capitalized on. If Dungey goes and throws it around and it making good plays, Syracuse has a shot, if not, it's a hard road to climb. The good news is that the Virginia offensive line is banged up. That means that Virginia won't have ten foot holes to run through like USF did. Additionally, pass protection should be compromised and give Syracuse a shot at punishing the Virginia Quarterback. This game really is a toss up. And frankly I'd like to give the edge to Virginia for being at home. I initially picked Virginia back August in this one. But I think with the offensive line issues for Virginia, and the extra motivation of this being a "must win" for Syracuse, I'll give them the edge. I'll take the Orange 31 to 27.
This game is available regionally on the ACC Network at 3:30pm. Check your local listings here to see if the game is on. If it is, you are blacked out. But if it isn't, it will be available everywhere else on WatchESPN. John will be in the Home Office. I'll be at my wife's Homecoming at UMass, also with a 3:30 start. So I'll be unavailable. But maybe that's for the best. We'll find out soon enough.
Syracuse - South Florida Postgame Reactions OR Very Disappointing
0 Comments Published on by Brian Harrison
Yeah we weren't pleased either, Coach.
Syracuse headed down to "south" Florida with a lot of momentum. Eric Dungey had recovered from an upper body injury, Syracuse played LSU pretty tough, they had three wins to start the year. Everything seemed to point that Syracuse should play a competitive game, and probably even beat USF. Not the case. Syracuse ended up getting trounced 45 to 24.
Offense
C
Eric Dungey (21/34, 232yds, 2 TD, 1 INT) had an alright day out there. He did have one turnover. But really, the two fumble losses is more costly. No one really got the rushing attack going, putting a lot of pressure on Dungey to make plays. He did, but not enough. And he didn't get too much help from the defense in the 2nd half.
Defense
D+
The defense allowed five second half touchdowns. Along with 26 first downs, 7/11 on 3rd down, and 541 total yards. They failed to stop Marlon Mack rushing. They failed to stop a flea flicker, the easiest play to stop. Like a flea flicker has a success rate of like 1 every 27 tries. Terrible performance.
Special Teams
A
#DixonForHeisman continues. Cole Murphy was perfect. Coverage was good. No complaints.
Coaching
B-
Coming off a bye week, how could Syracuse look so flat on both sides of the ball? It's astounding.
GPA
B- (2.5)
In the end, it was a terrible outing for Syracuse. While the Orange managed to score, it was a great reality check for us all. Syracuse isn't going to have an easy game the rest of the season, despite what ugly games other teams have put out there as well. Syracuse could always have an uglier one. And that was evident down there.
Labels: Farewell Big East Football, Football
You guys again. Great.
After Syracuse's triumphant game against The Bye, Syracuse now heads down to "southern" Florida to take on a familiar foe. Familiar for the last few years of the dying Big East Football conference. Yet, Syracuse actually managed to lose to them more than not. And they weren't very good either. Syracuse was just way worse. THANKS GREGGERS. But Syracuse came back to win in their final conference game. Can Syracuse win again?
Syracuse comes in with a nice bit of momentum to this game. USF is desperate for a win. And it's the USF Homecoming. They'll be in a white out. Will that be enough for a team that isn't very good to overcome Syracuse? USF is great at running the ball. The Syracuse defense is good at stopping the run. The only X Factor really, is if QB Quinton Flowers can break off some big runs. He is a QB that runs quite a bit. But I'm not sure if that's because they give him a lot of designed runs, or if he's got a bit of the Happy Feet. Either way, he has playmaker potential. Which is why if Syracuse manages to stop the run, the game should be well in hand. Syracuse gets QB Eric Dungey back, as well has Hybrid Back Erv Phillips. All good news for the Orange, who played surprisingly tough against #8 LSU, and is otherwise undefeated. Syracuse has the potential to go 4-1 here. I called SU winning this game before the season started, and I have even more reason to like them in this game. Pending some crazy plays from USF, I like Syracuse to stop the run early, create a couple turnovers, and get a nice lead heading into the 2nd half. By then it may be too late for the Bulls. I'm taking SU 34 to 21.
This game will be available nationally on CBS Sports at 3:30. Check your local listings. I'll be in and out of the home office all day. Busy football slate of my own. John will be on the Tweets for sure. Enjoy the game, and let's see if SU can go 4-1.
Labels: Big East memories, Football, Preview
LSU - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Not Too Shabby
0 Comments Published on 10.07.2015 by Brian Harrison
#DixonForHeisman
Everyone knew it would be a talk task taking on the #8 team in the nation. And with the leading Heisman Candidate (for September) on the other team, everyone knew Syracuse wasn't going to be able to stop him all day. Syracuse put in one hell of an effort, and I have to say even with a 5th string QB there is a lot to like about this team. Syracuse lost, but not as much as you would think, to LSU (beating the spread as well) 34 to 24.
Offense
B
While not the best day, putting up 24 on #8 isn't a bad thing with your 5th string QB. Syracuse had 21 first downs (more than LSU), were 5/17 on 3rd down and 3/4 on 4th. Not too bad. SU possessed the ball about as much as LSU, but only earned 281 yards. Zach Mahoney (16/38, 154yds, 3 TD, 1 INT) had a pretty good day overall. The backs were pretty bottled up and shared duties but the rushing averaged four yards a carry, which isn't bad at all. LSU only went 3/10 on 3rd down as well. A pretty solid day.
While not the best day, putting up 24 on #8 isn't a bad thing with your 5th string QB. Syracuse had 21 first downs (more than LSU), were 5/17 on 3rd down and 3/4 on 4th. Not too bad. SU possessed the ball about as much as LSU, but only earned 281 yards. Zach Mahoney (16/38, 154yds, 3 TD, 1 INT) had a pretty good day overall. The backs were pretty bottled up and shared duties but the rushing averaged four yards a carry, which isn't bad at all. LSU only went 3/10 on 3rd down as well. A pretty solid day.
Defense
B
All things considered, I think they did a pretty good job on Leonard Fournette. He did rack up 244yds and 2 TDs, but frankly it could have been worse. Syracuse gang tackled and stuffed the box as much as they could, so it was an admirable effort. Syracuse also got to the QB a fair amount as well. I'll take it.
All things considered, I think they did a pretty good job on Leonard Fournette. He did rack up 244yds and 2 TDs, but frankly it could have been worse. Syracuse gang tackled and stuffed the box as much as they could, so it was an admirable effort. Syracuse also got to the QB a fair amount as well. I'll take it.
Special Teams
A
Do I need much more than this?
Coaching
A-
I guess with nothing to lose, Shafer threw out his conservative tendencies and went for it on four 4th downs. He also risked a lot with that fake FG from Dixon. An astounding stat to me is SU only had 4 penalties for 36 yards. Pretty good for a squad that has been pretty flag happy the past decade or so. That is a direct result of good coaching. Shafer and his staff called a much better game and made much sharper decisions, unlike the Central Michigan game.
I guess with nothing to lose, Shafer threw out his conservative tendencies and went for it on four 4th downs. He also risked a lot with that fake FG from Dixon. An astounding stat to me is SU only had 4 penalties for 36 yards. Pretty good for a squad that has been pretty flag happy the past decade or so. That is a direct result of good coaching. Shafer and his staff called a much better game and made much sharper decisions, unlike the Central Michigan game.
GPA
B+ (3.43)
Overall, a solid effort against a far superior team, that may end up competing for a National Championship, and as of right now has a few national award winners on it. While I would have rather they won, I was very encouraged by what I saw from this team. I'm starting to rethink some of my preseason W/L picks after seeing the effort by this team, and how some of the other ACC teams have been playing.
Syracuse earns a restful bye, followed by old Big East foe South Florida. That should be a fun trip down memory lane. Until then, Syracuse should remain undefeated against the Fightin' Byes.
Overall, a solid effort against a far superior team, that may end up competing for a National Championship, and as of right now has a few national award winners on it. While I would have rather they won, I was very encouraged by what I saw from this team. I'm starting to rethink some of my preseason W/L picks after seeing the effort by this team, and how some of the other ACC teams have been playing.
Syracuse earns a restful bye, followed by old Big East foe South Florida. That should be a fun trip down memory lane. Until then, Syracuse should remain undefeated against the Fightin' Byes.
Labels: Football