Connecticut - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Sorry Coach P.
1 Comments Published on 10.24.2012 by Brian Harrison
Fun to see that Coach P face one last time, on a different sideline.
The Orange faced a familiar face on the opposite sideline on a Friday night. I love Friday night games, but not as much as the Syracuse football team apparently. Granted, UConn isn't exactly a powerhouse. But dropping 40 points on a team that you were expected to barely beat is always fun. Syracuse beats UConn 40-10.
Offense
A-
Ryan Nassib (14/20, 251yds, 2 TD, 0 INT) had a great game. Jerome Smith had 133 yards on 19 carries, bowling over UConn players. In a feat I've never seen, Syracuse had exactly the same rush yards as passing yards with 251 each. They had 21 first downs, were 8/15 on third downs, had 502 total yards, and had the ball almost ten minutes more than UConn. They also put up 28 of Syracuse's 40 points. A great day on the field, despite a relatively slow start.
Defense
A-
-6. That's right, UConn had -6 rushing yards. Granted, sacks played a part of that, but limiting Lyle McCombs to only 16 yards on 12 carries os pretty fantastic. They forced a turnover in a fumble and picked off a late INT to stop any hope of a garbage time TD. No complaints here, except for the one UConn touchdown that was allowed due to just a terrible blown coverage in the secondary. That was just terrible. But I guess it mattered little in the long run. Either way, that earns the minus.
Special Teams
A
Ross Krautman went 4/4 on field goals, including a 47 yarder. Not to mention the great field position Syracuse often started in, and the not so great field position UConn did. Bang up job.
Coaching
A
There were no issues that came up like trying to make a comeback late in this game. The gameplan worked and was executed. Syracuse stopped practically everything thrown and ran at it. The Tank Formation and running the ball worked extremely well. All and all, Marrone and the coordinators earned their paychecks.
GPA
A (3.85)
Clearly this is the best outing of the year. While UConn is not a good team, Syracuse just played extremely well in all phases of the game. Absolutely fun to watch when a team plays this well against a team that you love to see them beat. I like when Syracuse wins. I love when Syracuse beats UConn. Sorry Coach P.
Intangibles
D- to the extra security. Not only was it unnecessary, not only did it create a long line, not only was it pretty pointless, but they didn't even really use the metal detecting wands when I got to the front of the line. So that means that there was just a long line for no reason. Thanks Carrier Dome
Syracuse likely goes out beating UConn in their final match up, not only in the conference, but probably for a good long while. Syracuse travels to South Florida for another evening affair, but this time on a Saturday. USF hasn't won a conference game yet. Syracuse's defense could stop them, or get owned. We'll find out on Saturday.
Labels: Big East, Coach P, Football, UConn, UConn USuck
This is the best avatar of the season. It's frightening too.
It's our old friend Paul Pasqueloni. I have nothing bad to say about the man. I just have plenty bad to say about how his coaching turned out. He's not even close to the level of bad that man over his right shoulder is, but he let a great Syracuse program slip into mediocrity before Greggers finished the job. Either way, we now face him and his Connecticut UConn Huskies in East Hartford.
Syracuse had a rough go of it last weekend in Louisville. But these Syracuse players are talented and they should bounce back from a bad week. And what better team to do it with than UConn. Syracuse hasn't beaten UConn at Rentchler Field ever. That's since 2006 so it isn't that impressive, but still it would be nice to head out of there with a win if you're Syracuse. And by all accounts they can. Syracuse has a talented starting quarterback in Ryan Nassib and UConn uses a rotation, with the main player being Johnny McEntee with a magical 8TD/4INT ratio. No UConn player is really good with the long pass, and pending any epic breakdowns of a secondary like Pittsburgh had to allow them to score their touchdown against them, this should not be a game played with long passes. The running games are equal as well. But Syracuse converts third downs at a much better rate than UConn (43%-29%). This could be a field position game, but both teams should be able to make plays as it should be around 50 and sunny out so the weather will not affect the game too much. If Syracuse can get in an offensive rhythm, they should take the lead and never look back. UConn has a good defensive line, so if Syracuse's offensive line can create running lanes and protect Nassib, Syracuse should rule the day. Syracuse's secondary is their weak point, but if they even make competent plays, UConn will have trouble scoring. UConn's offense will not set the world on fire and it is their main weakness. The joke for a long time at Syracuse was that Coach P's offense was "Run, Run, Pass, Punt". That isn't much of an exaggeration for what UConn has done so far this season. They beat USF, but lost to teams like Western Michigan, Vanderbilt, and Iows State. Syracuse can put up points though, and UConn cannot. I'll take the Orange in this one in the Coach P Bowl. Syracuse over Connecticut 27 to 17.
This game is on the national broadcast on ESPN U at 12:00pm EST. John and I will be live in East Hartford so be sure to check out the tweets that day of the goings on in the stadium. As always, you have to check out our favorite artist, Mike Borkowski's latest picture for the UConn game here. It's fantastic as per usual. Enjoy the game, hopefully we beat P and the Connecticut UConn Huskies, and GO ORANGE!
Like it or not, this Saturday's game in East Hartford between Syracuse and UConn is more about Paul Pasqualoni than anything else. It's the one thing that immediately links these two football programs. Syracuse football flourished in the Big East under P's tutelage, until, of course, it didn't. After his firing from Syracuse on December 29, 2004, P landed a few NFL jobs before eventually returning to the college ranks to coach UConn beginning this season. The Connecticut native, P seems at home at UConn, picking up right where he left off at Syracuse: destroying the program. And what better way to tell his story than through various snapshots of time?
We of course start with the best. In celebrating a double overtime win over Pittsburgh in the Carrier Dome, Coach P and Diamond Ferri share a moment, along with crazy helmet guy who somehow got on the turf and was obviously doing some kind of victory dance. I'm so glad the Post-Standard still had this archived at syracuse.com. I laughed uncontrollably when I first saw this picture some seven or eight years ago, and I still can't stop laughing. Everything about it is great! But, it led to...
Remember facebook groups? Someone I know, who shall remain nameless, created a group before P was fired called "I F***ing Hate Coach F***ing P" and created this picture as the official picture for the group. It's amazing how much a couple red lines in the shape of an X over P's face in MS Paint can just transform a picture. When P was fired, the group name was changed to "I F***ing Hate Coach F***ing P Still" -- and I think the group still exists. It obviously wasn't so much hate for the man as it was hate of him as our coach. I think we all get that, right?
Coach P then landed a good gig in Dallas, as a coach on the Cowboys staff. I believe originally he was coaching the tight ends. Obviously Jason Whitten is so awesome because of P. P has this ability to look like he has no idea what's going on any time a camera is snapped. Or, maybe, Jerry Jones paid him to look this way.
P then joined the Miami Dolphins in 2008 as defensive coordinator. He brought those same talents of intense confusion with him to South Beach. Incidentally, he was on the Dolphins staff when Miami traveled to Toronto to play the Buffalo Bills, a game at which the Syracuse University Marching Band performed. Needless to say, there was some "shooting the breeze" going on, reminiscing about his old Syracuse days. That may or may not have led to his being fired, and being rehired by the Cowboys as defensive coordinator. He then left the team following the 2010 season with head coach Jason Garrett hiring new staff.
Which of course brings us to today, as head coach of the Connecticut Huskies. P is older, maybe wiser, but still not so photogenic. His Huskies whimper along to the beat of their own drum, which always seems to be on the off beat. Maybe eventually he can turn around that program. In fact, I hope he does. Just as long as it's not at the expense of Syracuse.
Labels: Coach P, Syracuse Football