South Florida - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Bull$hi+
0 Comments Published on 9.20.2016 by John Brennan
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| Lots of thinking happening in this picture |
Offense
C
1st quarter: A; 2-4 quarters: F. So really, C might be generous. When the offense is on, it's on. When it's not, you wanna cover your eyes, or visit the concession stand, or piss in a trough. Dungey still had a decent game (32 of 48 for 350 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs). The passing game is on a higher level than the ground game, which has a lot of issues right now. Some bright spots, but it's the weaker of the two. But if you look at all the stats, you scratch your head wondering how this team only scored 20 points. That's gotta change.
Defense
D
For as long as the defense continues to give up huge plays -- several in a game -- it's gonna be the Achilles Heel of this team. And while the offense is overall pretty good, it needs to be crazy great to overcome the deficiencies of this defense.
Special Teams
B+
Sterling Hofrichter punted five times for 209 yards. Cole Murphy was good on field goals from 40 and 48 yards, and successfully hit both extra point attempts. Kickoff returns were decent from Sean Riley. Good effort from this squad.
Coaching
C
I think the coaches are doing a good job preparing the team for games and making decisions in-game. But there's only so much they can do. The players still play the game. And when the players don't win, that's a reflection on the coaches. So I can't give the coaches a failing grade.
GPA
2.08 (C)
This grade is too high. It should really be a D, at best. But I guess the bright spots you see from time to time seem to balance out the overall score. Maybe that gives us hope for the future... but not for this year.
If you were extremely disappointed by this game (and the complete breakdown of anything good after the first quarter), you might just want to skip the UConn game altogether. UConn is a game we look at and think Syracuse should win. Don't fool yourself. Or, rather, don't get your expectations up. Assume the worst and be pleasantly surprised if things work out peachy. That's probably the outlook we should all take from here on out.
Labels: Football, Recap, Report Card
Louisville - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR That Didn't Go Well
0 Comments Published on 9.13.2016 by John Brennan
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| We saw a lot of this on Friday night. |
Any sane person knew that Syracuse had little to no chance of beating Louisville in the Dome last Friday night. And we all knew it would be a high scoring affair, at least based on the offensive performances of each team the previous week. But who among us saw a 62-28 drubbing as a realistic possibility? Well, probably people smarter than me. But that's what the Cardinals did to the Orange. Let's pass some judgment on Syracuse.
Offense
C
Clearly, the Week One matchup against Colgate overinflated our view of the Syracuse offense. Are they a pretty decent squad? Yeah, sure. But going up against some actual talent exposed some flaws. It was very promising to see Syracuse when it had momentum moving the ball in the hurry-up no-huddle. Unfortunately we only saw that a few times, and even then momentum would be stalled by a Louisville injury or cramp. More on that below. But at any rate, QB Eric Dungey was a more down-to-earth 25 of 51 for 255 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Many receivers got in on the action again -- this time around eight -- with Amba Etta-Tawo leading the way with eight receptions for 103 yards and two TDs. Steve Ishmael caught four, but you could feel the tension in the Dome that the fans wanted to see him more. The ground game had varying degrees of success, but I felt the coaches called the "run up the middle" play way too much. Is there something cemented into the playbook that every coaching administration must run up the middle?
Defense
D
This probably should be an F, but I can't make scapegoats out of a defensive unit that doesn't have the talent (or enough time) in Dino Babers' system. When you give up 62 points, you can't be proud of your performance. When you give up 30 first downs, 414 net rushing yards, 431 passing yards, (for a total of 845), and just can't seem to figure out how to defend what's being thrown (or run) at you, you're not gonna have a good time. But even putting all that aside, I think even a good or a great defense would have had trouble with this Louisville offense. Lamar Jackson is a beast on the field, and with so many options on how to run an offensive attack, you almost need an additional 11 defenders just to be able to defend anything that could happen. So, this was a bad defensive performance, but even David couldn't have beaten this Goliath.
Special Teams
B+
With the Syracuse offense stalling so much, the punting game was needed to keep the Orange respectable in field position. Sterling Hofrichter didn't disappoint: 11 punts for 489 yards, which included a long of 61 yards, three inside the 20, and a touchback. Five of the eleven traveled more than 50 yards. Unfortunately, Cole Murphy wasn't as successful in his one field goal attempt at the end of the first half, missing from 55 yards as time expired. Quite frankly, the offense should have just attempted a TD there -- would have put the Orange within seven points at the half. Oh well, that's on coaching...
Coaching
B-
Demerits here are for the previously mentioned FG attempt at the half, for the excessive running up the middle, and for just totally being mismatched against a superior team. Obviously that last part isn't this coaching staff's fault, and you can only do so much with what you have. The coaches just need to find a way to get more out of these defenders. Otherwise, word will get out about how easy it is to exploit the defense, and Syracuse won't see the winning side of a football game the rest of the season.
GPA
2.25 (C+)
Of course there was going to be drop-off from Week One, but, that was just really rough. It really sucks that the excitement we all felt after the Colgate game went away so quickly. And now, of course, the fan base feels hopeless, like the season is lost. But, as always, perspective is the key. Syracuse needs to face a true peer -- a program with similar talent who we can realistically compete with. USF much closer fits that bill, and with the game being in the Carrier Dome and it being Homecoming, Syracuse might just have a shot to showcase its abilities against a school on the same level.
Finally, much has been said about Louisville defenders cramping up at times inconvenient to the Syracuse no-huddle #OrangeIsTheNewFast offense. I was disappointed that the fans in attendance chose to boo these injuries; I thought we were better than that. Were the players faking it? If they were, it wasn't blatant (i.e. flopping). And I can attest how extremely hot and humid it was inside the Dome. But Babers and the Orange players brought good points -- why was it only happening to Louisville's defensive players, not their offense? Why was it not happening to Syracuse players? Was it conditioning? Was it improper hydration or lack of electrolytes? Or just flat out cheating? It's hard to tell, and we'll probably never know for sure. This is probably something we'll have to deal with all season. If Syracuse is good enough, then these things won't matter. That's the bottom line. But in the meantime, let's no boo opposing players who are down -- fake injury or not. We're better than that, Orange Nation.
Labels: Football, Recap, Report Card
Colgate - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Scoring is the New Fast
0 Comments Published on 9.06.2016 by John Brennan
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| The Dino Babers Era begins with a win! |
At his introductory press conference back in December, Dino Babers invited us to close our eyes and imagine an up-tempo offense that doesn't huddle, that keeps a defense on its heels & winded, that executes with precision, and that scores a lot of points. That was the brand of Syracuse Football we were being sold. The biggest question was how soon would Babers be able to showcase that type of play on the field? The answer was: game one. Of course, game one was against FCS team Colgate from just up the road. And after the game, Babers admitted it's the slowest this offense will ever play, comparing it to watching paint dry. Nonetheless, Orange fans saw a marked improvement over last year, and can only imagine the offense getting better and harder to beat going forward. For last Friday's purposes, the offense (and the rest of the team, frankly) did everything it needed to do to beat its opponent, Colgate, 33-7.
Offense
A
I really wanted to give an A+ here, but that would be symbolic of a perfect performance, which this was not. But it's a well earned A, and certainly gives them room to improve to earn that A+ later on. 25 first downs, 554 all-purpose yards (437 passing, 117 rushing) with an average of 6.8 yards per play. The Orange was 8-18 in third down conversions (not good) but was 3-3 in fourth down conversions. Syracuse only had to punt three times. That's how high octane this team was. Eric Dungey had a monster performance on 34-40 passing for 355 yards and two touchdowns. Grad transfer Amba Etta-Tawo made his presence known immediately, with 12 catches for 210 yards and a TD (and Erv Philips "chipped in" 14 catches for 87 yards and a TD). In fact, in all, six receivers caught the ball. The ground game was less effective: Moe Neal led the way with 68 net yards on nine rushes. Babers, recognizing the Colgate front line was just having itself a day, decided to go with the passing game since that's what was working. We'll see a more balanced approach in the future, but obviously Babers likes to go with his hot hand and won't force something that isn't working. Seems to be a good approach to coaching.
Defense
B
Maybe this grade would be lower, and it definitely would have been if I was writing this immediately after the game. The way the defense crumbled on Colgate's opening drive -- allowing a Raiders TD -- seemed to portend what could be an abysmal defensive season. But then the defense put on its big boy pants and went to work, shutting out Colgate for the rest of the game, holding Colgate to 11 first downs, 45 yards on the ground, 98 in the air, and ten punts. So, obviously a great effort. But watching the defense in person just seemed to be very frustrating to me; like, I couldn't get over it when they missed a tackle or blew some coverage. Hopefully they get better at that; or I get better at coping with it particularly when the net result is only giving up seven points the entire game.
Special Teams
A
In the field goals department, Cole Murphy was a perfect 4-4 with a long of 41. Unfortunately the other three tries (and makes) were stalled offensive drives inside the red zone. Not his fault, though, and he did his job. Murphy was also good on kickoffs, averaging 62 yards per kick while only getting two touchbacks. On the punts, with Riley Dixon in the NFL, our new punted Sterling Hofrichter picked up where Dixon left off, with three punts for 136 yards, a long of 47, with one inside the 20. Hopefully he's not called on a lot this season, but when he is, it's nice to have a boot to rely on.
Coaching
A
Babers delivered on what he promised. You have to appreciate the prep work that went into teaching this no-huddle offense and actually getting it to work. Also, big props to the conditioning coaches, who made sure the players were physically prepared to run plays at that speed. And as I mentioned above, Babers shied away from the running game when he saw how dominant the Colgate front line was. I'm paraphrasing him here, but why keep on trying to do something you know isn't working, when you have another tool that is working just fine? Adapting to what's actually happening in the game is important for success, and Babers had no problem abandoning what might have otherwise been his gameplan on offensive plays in lieu of the heavy reliance on the passing game we saw.
GPA
3.75 (A-)
Pretty much as good a start to the season and to the Dino Babers Era as you could hope for. Not only was it a win, but it was a very well-rounded, team win. As a Syracuse fan, you have a lot to be excited about. You know this season is going to be daunting, given the schedule we're working with. But after Friday's performance, you know this team just won't roll over and die -- they have a very real possibility of stealing a game they should otherwise win. Hell, some bowl projections have Syracuse in. Maybe my 6-6 prediction isn't that crazy after all? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. One game down, eleven more to play (hopefully more).
And of course, that next one is the traditional Week 2 ACC matchup. Last year it was Wake Forest. Doable. This year it's Louisville. So... we'll see about that! Stay tuned!
Labels: Dino Babers, Football, Recap, Report Card
Notre Dame - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Platinum is the New Orange
0 Comments Published on 10.02.2014 by John Brennan
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| Perfect weather at MetLife Stadium for a late September game |
This was the
Offense
B
First let me reiterate what I said above: Notre Dame plays a really tough defense. So that said, the B grade is a bit on a curve. A lot of credit goes to Terrel Hunt, who seemed to throw best when he had designed plays to throw the ball 10+ yards. The opening drives of each half started that way, with deep completions to Orange receivers. He had some errant throws, sure, but overall I think had a good game passing. The running game wasn't so lucky; the Irish defensive line was essentially a brick wall. What Notre Dame could execute on its offensive bubble screens, Syracuse lacked the necessary blocking to get any more than a yard or two each toss. Oh, and the longest offense rush was by -- who else -- punter Riley Dixon on a fake. I should probably downgrade the B because of more red zone woes, but, then I'd have to scroll back up.
Defense
B
I originally had this as a C+ but then I rethought it and there were two factors that made me change the grade: Notre Dame is really good, and this defensive unit created what, five turnovers? A big thing I noticed both live from section 336, and when watching the replay on DVR, is that Syracuse defenders had trouble shaking off blocks during offensive plays. The Irish offensive blockers, particularly the wide-outs, were so engaged that their defenders couldn't swarm toward the ball. This, as much as anything, led to the effectiveness of Notre Dame on the screens and short passes.
Special Teams
D
Honestly, the only reason this isn't a fail is because of the Riley Dixon fake punt. Otherwise, here's what we're looking at: 1-2 on field goals, 0-1 on extra point attempts. Why Syracuse, which plays at least six games in a DOME every season can't recruit the best kickers in the country, well, that doesn't make any sense to me.
Coaching
C
I'm not gonna rag on the coaching staff too awful much about its game plan or its play calling. In fact, I was real happy to see George McDonald let Hunt air the ball out, even in the absence of Ashton Broyld. In the days since the game, McDonald has been quoted as calling some of his plays the "fuck it" offense. I'm all for taking chances and opening things up, as long as they're smart about it. I'm still really weary about the discipline of the team -- way too many boneheaded penalties that had huge effects on drives, momentum, and field position. You can't say Syracuse wins without those penalties, but, you know Syracuse lost with them.
GPA
C+ (2.25)
I think this is pretty much the grade an average team should get against a good top 10 team. Look at the Orange stats -- turnover margin, offensive production -- you'd have thought Syracuse won. And if they had, it would have been a well earned win. But that's not how it worked out. But I think it's important to look at this game and realize that Syracuse played decently well in some areas of the game that gave the team a chance to win -- while at the same time realizing that there are areas that need improvement and until those things are fixed, teams will exploit them and that'll be what leads to future Syracuse losses.
It's unfortunate the schedule is what it is -- an NC State or a Wake Forest would be a great opponent right now. This Syracuse team could beat those teams. Instead, the Orange gets a gauntlet of Louisville and Florida State. Louisville is vulnerable, and Syracuse tends to get big time wins on Friday nights in the Dome (*cough* Villanova excluded *cough*). A win over the Cardinals would do great things to the morale of this team, which has played well enough the last two times out to earn a win, without the W to show for it.
Labels: Football, Report Card
Boston College - Syracuse Postgame Reactions OR Two Minute Drill
0 Comments Published on 12.01.2013 by John Brennan
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| Because of this, the Orange live to play another game in 2013 |
At 5-6, Syracuse was in the proverbial "win-or-go-home" situation. Lose, and you finish at 5-7 and no bowl game. Win, and you're 6-6, bowl eligible, get some extra practices, and get a nice bowl trip out of it. Not to mention, the Scott Shafer Era and ACC Era would be judged on how they started, and a losing record wouldn't be acceptable. Syracuse rose to the occasion against Boston College on Saturday, leading for much of the game but giving up the lead in the third quarter and having to battle back. The drama, of course, came on a Syracuse drive starting at the its own 25 yard line with 2:08 left to go in the game, with the score BC 31, SU 27.Orange QB Terrel Hunt, cool and collected, and almost without any sense of urgency, marched his offense down the field and scored a touchdown on a beautifully executed pass to Josh Parris with six seconds left. That would prove to seal it for the Orange, who won 34-31.
Offense
A-
This may have been the best all-around offensive game for the Orange all season. 480 total yards - 270 through the air, 210 on the ground. Leading the charge was Hunt, who arguably played the best game of his young career: 29 completions on 43 attempts (67%) for 270 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 90 net yards rushing including a touchdown of his own. With so many key injuries, offensive coordinator George McDonald was forced to change up his game plan from last week, which resulted in a heavier reliance on the passing game and for Hunt himself to run the ball more. While some of those rushes were reads, it was clear a good number of them were designed rushes -- and they worked. Hunt was able to spread the ball around to ten different receivers -- but to be fair, one of them was himself, as he foolishly caught a tipped pass for a loss of 16 yards. He made up for it the next play on a long completion, though. One of my biggest complaints about the offense is its continued under-utilization of Ashton Broyld.
Defense
A-
The focus of the Boston College offense is RB Andre Williams, who came into this game a potential Heisman candidate. Though he was limited by injury for much of the game, the Syracuse defense mostly held him in check before he got hurt. Williams was stuffed in the backfield several times, and if it weren't for the long touchdown run he had, his stats would have been completely pathetic. So, major props to the Syracuse D for stepping up big against big competition. BC quarterback Chase Rettig did his best to slice up the Syracuse secondary, but in the end only passed for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Just another solid game for this defense, which is what we come to expect these days.
Special Teams
C
Conventional wisdom is to dog pile on Ryan Norton. On the plus side, he successfully hit all his point after attempts and two field goal attempts; on the minus side, he missed a field goal attempt early in the first, sent a kickoff out of bounds, and routinely purposely kicked the ball short. I didn't quite understand that logic, because it seems like it really gave up some good field position. Interesting stat: Syracuse only punted twice; Riley Dixon kicked for 97 yards, including a booming 52 yarder.
Coaching
A-
As I mentioned earlier, George McDonald called a much better game on the offensive side of the ball than he did last week. Except for the predictable run up the middle on first down, and the option making its way back onto the field a couple times, many of the play calls were spot on. With the confidence that this injury-plagued squad gained in this win, hopefully this gives the coaches the drive to really open up the playbook during these extra practices in preparation of a bowl game. I challenge them to use Ashton Broyld more -- he's a playmaker who can catch the ball, run with the ball -- and even throw the ball (remember, he was recruited as a QB!). We have the ability to see some stunning plays at the end of December if the coaches can make the best out of the personnel they have.
GPA
3.28 (B+)
Syracuse played a good game. BC did not, for much of the game. Syracuse did its best to capitalize on BC's ineptness, but some early miscues kept this game a lot closer than it should have been; Syracuse had the opportunity to score at least 10 points, yet failed to hit the field goal and score a touchdown. But the Orange led for a great portion of the game, and when it mattered during the two-minute drill, Syracuse was able to make things happen and pull ahead for the win.
What a great way to win for the seniors on Senior Day. While the Eagles aren't cream of the crop ACC, they were an already bowl eligible team at 7-4 heading into this game, and was favored to win. Give credit to the Syracuse fans who showed up for this game, kept energy high and allowed the team to feed off that enthusiasm. While a good number of those in attendance participated in the wave DURING THE GAME WHILE SYRACUSE HAD THE BALL, Syracuse was forced to punt and shortly thereafter gave up the lead. Many of those wave-promoting fans left the game early, so karma didn't allow them to see the awesome end to the game.
Syracuse now waits around until the bowl matchups are announced next week, likely on Sunday, December 8. The Orange became the 11th bowl eligible team from the ACC, so they might not even end up in an ACC bowl, so stay tuned on what craziness might happen with bowl selections.
Labels: ACC, BC Sucks, Football, Report Card
Syracuse - Wake Forest Postgame Reactions OR One Win Closer
0 Comments Published on 11.09.2013 by John Brennan
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| Credit the Syracuse defense for this win |
This game was a 12:30pm start. It was just after noon and we were in the parking lot finishing up our last beers & cleaning up our tailgate before trekking up the Hill to get to the Dome for kickoff. Turns out, we could have tailgated another two hours, and not missed a thing. Neither team scored in the first half -- something that defensive-minded Head Coach Scott Shafer thought was "sexy." Out of the locker room, Syracuse was able to put up 13 in the third quarter, which is all the scoring this game ended up seeing. Syracuse wins 13-0, advancing to a 4-4 record (2-2 ACC) and two wins away from bowl eligibility.
Offense
C
Some may call this grade harsh (like probably BH, who would've given them a solid B probably), but let's face it, overall they played average. Not putting anything on the scoreboard for three of the four quarters isn't exactly good offense. Terrel Hunt had a decent 18-30 passing day for 144 yards; he also ran the ball ten times for a net gain of 36 yards, and scored the game's first touchdown from six yards out. Prince-Tyson Gulley and Jerome Smith again split the majority of the rushes, combining for 147 yards net. As a team, Syracuse passed for 169 yards and rushed for 183. Clearly the play of the game was the reverse to Jarrod West, who faked a run and instead threw to a wide open Brisly Estime in the end zone for the touchdown. He caught it right below my seats in section 215, I had a great view of it. It was a greatly designed play, and props to the players for executing it. Sadly, it couldn't create any more offensive momentum for the rest of the game.
Defense
A+
I teetered between A and A+ for this grade, but settled on the A+. They held a conference opponent scoreless for the entire game. They allowed only 173 yards passing, and held Wake to an abysmal 25 yards rushing. Not a typo. 25 yards. This was absolutely the key to the game. The defense also produced three QB sacks, and Isaiah Johnson came up with the big interception that led to Syracuse scoring on the trick play. I don't think you can ask your defense to do much else, especially when your offense really isn't explosive.
Special Teams
B-
Syracuse punted 11 times for 442 yards -- but of note, three were punts of 50 yards or more, and three were pinned inside the Wake Forest 20. In a back and forth battle of field position, you need your punting team to step up and play like that. With Ryan Norton suspended for the game, Syracuse attempted no field goals, and went 1-2 on extra points.
Coaching
B
Most of the credit here goes to the defensive game plan to stop the Wake run and get tackles for losses, and for the designed reverse run fake to pass for a touchdown. Other than that, the offensive game plan left much to be desired. Still, though, a win is a win.
GPA
B (2.925)
It wasn't necessarily pretty (especially if you like scoring), but a win is a win and you really have to feel good about the way the defense played. Granted, Wake Forest contributed to its own incompetence, but Syracuse exploited it.
It should also be noted that Syracuse honored legendary quarterback Donovan McNabb during a halftime ceremony, and his #5 jersey now hangs in the Carrier Dome rafters. DNabb thinks Hunt will be a really good quarterback next year. Let's hope so! But before we talk about next year, we have a game coming up against departing ACC member Maryland, with an opportunity to get one game closer to bowl eligibility.
Labels: ACC, Donovan McNabb, Football, Report Card
Even Santa cries about this season.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Holidays to all our loyal readers. The 2011 Syracuse football season was, overall, a disappointment. A losing season. No bowl game. Regression in many aspects of the game. After each game this season, Orange::44 has graded the offense, defense, special teams, and coaching. Now that the season is over, it's time for the final report card, to see the final averages for the team. Let's just say, this isn't something to take home to mom & dad, hang on the refrigerator, and get a bonus in your allowance or a special dinner at that fancy restaurant.
Offense
Season GPA: 1.693
I think the offense is the unit that regressed the most through the season. Led by quarterback Ryan Nassib, the offense started as a solid C unit. It was getting the job done, putting points on the board, winning games. It all peaked with that monster win over West Virginia. And then, well, the bottom fell out. The once-accurate Nassib was now badly missing his targets; receivers weren't getting open; the line couldn't hold open the pocket. It was bad. Antwon Bailey had a good season and will be known for being a small but strong runner who could make something out of nothing. But too often he was a non-factor in this offense; there were some games where his numbers were simply awful -- not because he didn't play well, but because he wasn't given the ball. Nassib will be returning for his senior year, and the young receiving corps will have a chance to shine next year, but there are a lot of questions to be solved between now and September. Does this offense have the ability to do well?
Defense
Season GPA: 1.803
It wasn't always pretty, but often times this defensive unit kept the team in the game. We'll put it on the offense as to whether a win resulted or not. Coming off a 2010 campaign where the defense was strong, veteran, and clearly the most dominant unit on the team, the 2011 version had younger players, and some key injuries. Most damaging was losing Chandler Jones after the Wake Forest game. He provided a nice spark for the line upon his return, and was constantly able to put pressure on opposing QBs. Jones also had the uncanny ability to be all over the field, following the ball and making stops. I'm too lazy to look up the stats, but he probably led the team in tackles. Maybe he should teach the rest of the defense how to tackle, because they were awful. Just awful. It was Greg Robinson Era tackling for many games. Pass coverage was soft too... as if we had seen that before in a prior administration. At any rate, a healthier, more experienced defense should help out this team next year. Especially if Chandler Jones sticks around. We need more interceptions from him like the one he got in Pittsburgh to close out the season.
Special Teams
Season GPA: 2.026
In many ways, this was not a typical season for the Syracuse special teams unit. Filling the boot of Rob Long proved to be an extremely difficult task. As a result, Syracuse gave up some yards on the field position game that hurt the defense. Field goals & extra points weren't the automatics we were generally used to. Toledo game, anyone? The one bright spot on this squad was the kick return unit. Led by Kobena & Graham, you could often times count on a nice run back and a good starting position for the offense. Again, whether the offense would do anything with it would be up to the offense.
Coaching
Season GPA: 1.803
We all expected more out of Doug Marrone and his staff. Sure, we had all gotten used to his conservative play-calling, but we weren't content with it. Especially when we saw him open up the playbook at the Pinstripe Bowl last year, we all thought, maybe, we'd see an exciting offense this year. Not so much. There was the occasional trickery, razzle-dazzle, whatever you wanna call it. Flea flickers, WR passes, a new name for the Wildcat. But that was all pretty rare. Outside of the play-calling, coaching disappointed me with the lack of discipline on this team. False starts, holding, personal fouls. Sure, those things are done by the players, but the leadership, the discipline, the preparation, they all come from the coaching staff. You take a look at some of the boneheaded things that happened at the last home game against Cincinnati, or the season finale at Pittsburgh; those were the actions of a team in week 1 or 2, not week 12. We saw some players face suspensions for "violating team rules," and you have to wonder what was going on in that locker room. Was there a lot of in-fighting? A mutiny? This doesn't seem like Doug Marrone's team. Not the Doug Marrone who cleaned house when he was hired, getting players off the team who weren't willing to buy into his work ethic and his way of doing things. I don't know what it is. That's a coaching issue, a team issue, that Marrone needs to regain in the off season. Otherwise, all the talent in the world isn't going to win a game on the field next season.
Overall
Season GPA: 1.831 (C/C-)
You crunch the numbers and you end up with a C/C- and you think to yourself, "Yeah, that sounds about right." On the lower part of the curve, decent, but not good enough. At the halfway point, this team was 4-2, and I said they were either the best 4-2 team in the country, or the worst 4-2 team in the country. It ended up being the latter. Other than the upset victory over West Virginia, the Orange lost every game of the second half of the season. And you look back at those four wins, and you realize they were just good enough to win those games. Two of them required overtime. We'd all be singing a different tune about "just good enough" if that equated into six wins and a bowl berth. But five, just not good enough. 2011 wasn't a total failure; it's simply another chapter in the Syracuse anthology currently being authored by Doug Marrone. We just hope that, as the pages turn from 2011 to 2012, the narrative doesn't turn into a horror story.
Labels: Report Card, Syracuse Football, Year In Review