Yeah, what better time to post a video/song I did about former Syracuse Football coach than two days before the Mountaineer basketball team takes on the Orange. To be fair, I did this with the encouragement of awesome Syracuse blogger Sean at Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician. But still, maybe I could have/should have waited until after Wednesday. Oh well, fuck it!
Showing posts with label Syracuse Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Syracuse Football. Show all posts
Monday, February 02, 2009
Thursday, October 16, 2008
WVU-Syracuse Wrap Up Q&A Part 2
Here's part 2 of the Q&A series wrap up with Brian from Orange 44. Thanks for stopping by, Brian. Best of luck the rest of the way. Also, here are my answers to Brian's questions.
1. Even though you didn't win either the Pitt or WVU game, did either or both of those games give you a sense that things could turn around with the right person running the program?
Without question. I have had two big issues with this coach. First, these kids, as evident by the last few games, just cannot last all four quarters. Their conditioning is poor and they cannot play with enough stamina to not cause a major problem for the team down the stretch. This was evident by the 92 yard run by Noel Devine in the fourth against Syracuse.
Second, clearly we are not recruiting the players that we used to. Players that could block, and specifically players that could tackle. I think if we had a better coach, one with actual head coaching success and recruiting success, clearly Syracuse would not be at the bottom of the league. They might not be on top, but at least we would be better than we are, and a contender in every game. Because Greg Robinson is just not the guy to do it, but this team has shown flashes of greatness this season, I firmly believe that most other experienced coaches could take this team to at least a better place than eight wins in four seasons.
2. I've gone on and on about what is lacking with West Virginia's 2008 team. Give me your take, after watching this past weeks game, on what is wrong with the Mountaineers? Is it a matter of x's and o's, intensity, or both?
In this past week's game, I think you have to chalk it up to intensity. The offense just looked lackluster and they seemed unmotivated by the fact they were just playing lowly Syracuse. They pulled the classic Syracuse trick of playing down to their opponent. They just cannot phone it in against anyone, especially without Pat White.
However, I agree with your assessment in my questions to you. I think they need to open up the playbook a little more, as well as establish a run up the middle before trying to spread the offense out. Now, whether that was because they were less confident of your backup QB, or if that was the game they would have called with Pat White in is a good question. Either way, they needed a spark on offense and they were missing it.
3. Who were you impressed with and on the flip side, disappointed with for WVU?
In this game I was very impressed with Curtis "Boonah" Brinkley and his running ability in the game. He obviously earned a lot of the ground for Syracuse during this game and occasionally made the WVU defense look silly. Overall this season the offensive line has really improved from last year and it was evident in this game.
Disappointing for WVU was Jarrett Brown. Only earning 52 yards on 14 completions for the quarterback of the West Virginia Mountaineers is unacceptable. You are still being protected by the same offensive line as Pat White, and you are still throwing to the same people that Pat White does. While you may not be able to run like him, you should still complete some passes.
4. Point that back at the Orange, who has exceeded expectations and who has fell short for Syracuse?
The defense continues to fall short. While Noel Devine is talented, he should not have been able to rip off a 92 yard run that late in the forth quarter. The defense all season has let the team down at various points, putting the game out of reach or crushing the hopes and dreams of fans. For Greg Robinson to be heralded as a defensive guru coming in, and putting this defense on the field, is simply an embarrassment. I cannot overstate enough how disappointing the defense has been all season.
5. Instead of looking at who will be the next coach at SU, let's talk about the qualities you are looking for in the next coach. Is it important that he be an alumnus, or do you put more weight on things like a proven track record or familiarity recruiting the northeast?
Being an alumnus would be a huge plus, but I have three main criteria I would like in the next coach. First and foremost, they need to have immediate and prosperous recruiting ties to several areas. Syracuse used to recruit the likes of McNabb, Harrison, and Freeney. Now, the talent committing to Syracuse is not even close to what it should be. Syracuse needs a coach that can immediately come in and convince top talent that a new day is coming to the program and Syracuse will once again reclaim some of its past glory. Then and only then will the team truly get better, because you can have the best coach in the world, but he is only as good as the talent of his players at the end of the day.Second, they need to have measured success in the college game. Growing a middle of the pack program, showing the ability to win big games, or something like this should be a must. The last thing I want is to get some big name NFL guy that has not been in the college coaching ranks for years. The college game is different than the NFL, we all know this. We need a coach that understands this as well.Third, Syracuse needs someone they can believe in. By Syracuse, I mean the fans as a whole. The community needs a reason to believe that this team is going to get better and a new day has dawned. The last thing this program needs is something that the public perceives as more of the same. While the Athletic Department can't "clear" their final choice with the public, they clearly need to be reasonable in who they pick and not pick someone who the public is clearly showing they do not favor. If the department does pick someone that the public does not believe in, the money will not start flowing and attendance will not rise until they start winning again, and this might not be immediately. However, if it is someone the public does believe in, attendance and revenue will rise immediately, which will help everything. Immediately.
6. Who's going to win the Big East this year, and do they have a shot in hell of winning their BCS game?
I have never, and still do not believe that UConn will win the Big East this season, so let me quell that rumor right now. I think Pittsburgh is the team to beat in the Big East right now. They are 2-0 in the Big East with one of the wins being against ranked USF. I think they have a really favorable schedule for the remainder of the season that doesn't appear to be too testing. I think Pittsburgh still has the best show right now to win the league.
Second, I would have to say that West Virginia is next to have a shot at the league title. However, their schedule is far hardier in my opinion in that they still face USF and rival Pitt. Hopefully the offense will get into gear and give us some classic Big East football games. Plus, West Virginia has to be pissed about last year still right?
Either way, I just do not think this is the year to continue the Big East winning their BCS Bowl. While the press usually favors whatever other team the Big East plays (usually incorrectly), this year I just think the Big East is weaker than usual, therefore I just do not have the usual confidence in the league that I did last year or the year before when we were "dead". But it is always possible that whoever wins the league will surprise me. However, if it does happen to be UConn, we will definitely lose. No question.
7. Will the Big East still be composed of 16 teams, or will the football schools break away in 2010?
I have to believe that we will stay at 16 teams. It is a huge point of pride that we have the 16 team basketball league in the NCAA, and while the Big East takes a lot of crap for being a "weak football conference", it is usually not the case as evidence by our non-conference records the past several seasons, as well as our BCS Bowl record in the same time frame. Either way, despite the rumblings, I think we will stay at 16 teams. At least I hope we do. Because I am first and foremost, despite my love of college football, a mega college basketball fan and I love this league. I also love that the Big East Tournament in New York is all 16 teams now, so that will be even more exciting.
WVU-Syracuse Wrap Up Q&A Part 1
Originally, I had planned on running the answers to these questions from Orange Squeeze and Orange 44 in the same post. But given the detail and greatness of the answers, I'll run them as a two part series.
First off, here's the response from AEM at Orange Squeeze. Thanks again to AEM for reaching out to me to begin with. Here are my answers to AEM's questionsI wish I would have had time for discussion with the rest of my blog friends in the Syracuse blogosphere. So I'll make up for it with links-Troy Nunes-Hoya Suxa-Three Idiots. Now on to the questions and best of luck the rest of the way.
1. Even though you didn't win either the Pitt or WVU game, did either or both of those games give you a sense that things could turn around with the right person running the program?
Yes is the simple (and short) answer.
The more complex answer is a long (and somewhat harsh) one. This team right now has had several different offensive coordinators under the Robinson regime, a new coaching staff would probably mean yet again changing the OC. Meaning that these players would once again be learning a whole new system. The other major part of a college coach, the recruiting, is pretty dead as of right now, and that will take time for anyone to rebuild the pipelines that were once Syracuse's and now are of other NE teams.
The right person that comes to SU has to be one that wants to stay here for a long while, because it is going to take more than a couple of seasons in order to begin fixing this program (please make sure to read that again, "begin" is the key word). So, yes, the right person can turn the program around, the keys are: 1) will the right person want to come to Syracuse when many other big programs will be looking for a new coach, 2) will the right person want to stay here for the time needed to straighten out this program, because a guy that uses this program as a stepping stone, staying here 2-3 years isn't going to be the solution, and finally 3) will the right guy see enough money to be lured to Syracuse.
2. I've gone on and on about what is lacking with West Virginia's 2008 team. Give me your take, after watching this past weeks game, on what is wrong with the Mountaineers? Is it a matter of x's and o's, intensity, or both?
I played this game for a long time, I played it at the Division I level, and what I saw in the WVU's game plan was a "don't lose the game" mentality, almost as Bill Stewart was saying "we don't have Pat White, let's win this and then see what's what when he is back" to his team.
I was taught that a good coach will put its team as a whole, and the players individually, in the best position to succeed. That wasn't happening during the second half of the game for the Mountaineers, and those kids out there aren't dumb, they know what is going on. If you send in a play that has no chance to gain 15 yards when it's 3rd and very long the players are let down, and even though they go and execute to the best of their ability, subconsciously they know that this isn't going to work.
Momentum and home field advantage has so much to do with winning at the college level. When you have your fans booing you have lost both of those things. I thought on one of those third and long's I would see a bomb thrown, and even if intercepted it would be like a punt, just to get the crowd back into the game. If it goes incomplete, at least WVU tried. All I saw were very safe plays that might not yield a turnover, but won't gain much either.
So to answer the question, if the x's and o's aren't being put in properly, then the intensity of the team goes down, it's a vicious cycle and one that almost (and should have) cost West Virginia the game.
3. Who were you impressed with and on the flip side, disappointed with for WVU?
Sorry, have to give you the "played way too much football" answer. While most people don't consider them players, I thought the one that really kept WVU in the game was the kicker. Four kicks inside the 20 (out of seven he had to make). Just one a touch back, you have to like that as a special team coach. In the battle of field position Pat McAfee helped out his team a lot Saturday.
On the negative, I will have to go with Jarrett Brown. While 14 for 20 is great percentage wise (70% completion rate) a quarterback that throws for 52 yards in all isn't going to help his team to win. Factor in that one of the passes was for 16 yards, making the other 13 go for a net of 36 yards, that is less than 3 yard per.
4. Point that back at the Orange, who has exceeded expectations and who has fell short for Syracuse?
He hasn't exceeded expectations, since he had said before the season he wanted to get 1,200 yards, Curtis Brinkley is doing one heck of a job running the ball, especially when you see that the passing game isn't much for the Orange and the defenses can load the box against him.
For the one I am disappointed in it is someone that didn't play against the Mountaineers, and that would be ex starting quarterback Andrew Robinson. Having watched him since he came to SU I think that this year he regressed. Maybe because he was once again under a new play book (as I talked about before) or maybe because he went from having two great wide receivers (Mike Williams and Taj Smith) last year, to having almost nothing this season. Whatever it was it just seemed that this year he was not the player that most people thought we would see.
5. Instead of looking at who will be the next coach at SU, let's talk about the qualities you are looking for in the the next coach. Is it important that he be an alumnus, or do you put more weight on things like a proven track record or familiarity recruiting the northeast?
If you check every single team in the North East they all have one thing in common, except for Syracuse, they all have a head coach that is from the NE and has worked in this part of the country. It takes a lot of talent to go into the South and bring players this way, and if you aren't from here you won't know how to do it (in my opinion).
If I was the search committee I would forget big time names, head coaches that were in big programs, and I would look for someone that is an assistant and would do cartwheels in order to get a job at SU. Or in other words I would be looking for someone that coming to the `Cuse is going to be a step up and not a side step or worst, a step down. Let's face it, every time I hear the name Kiffin and am told "he was the recruiter at USC" I laugh, because if anyone thinks that recruiting at one of the best programs in the last decade is going to be anything like recruiting at one of the worst programs in the last year, well, I got news for them, it's not!
I can still remember when the buzz about Greg Robinson was positive, and all were saying "he comes from Texas", as though that was going to get something. What did that do for Syracuse exactly? The answer is: Nothing! Texas and USC are full of five star players, SU is lucky to get one per season (if that). It is sad for me to say this, but right now SU needs a coach that deals with 2-3 stars recruits and gets the most out of them, not one that opens its door everyday and can pick whomever they want.
6. Who's going to win the Big East this year, and do they have a shot in hell of winning their BCS game?
I think it is going to be UConn and I think that they will lose against whomever they play. The Big East is down and it needs to bulk up its teams and not watch them slide like Rutgers is doing this season, or Syracuse has for a while, or Pittsburgh who has until this season.
7. Will the Big East still be composed of 16 teams, or will the football schools break away in 2010?
The Big East of 16 teams is ruining basketball in my opinion. There will come a year (and this one could be it) where 9 or 10 teams are good enough to get into March Madness, but because of some bubble busters in small conference post season tournament, or because another BCS conference has an extra team that is good as well and the BE will have one, or even two, teams missing the NCAA tournament.
This goes for all of college basketball conferences that do this and not just the Big East. How can you have real standings when not all the teams play one another equally? Unfortunately the needs of a basketball conference are totally different than one of a football conference. In the BE where half of the conference doesn't play football, you know something has to give, because the needs of 8 teams are going to be different than the needs of the other eight.
Yes is the simple (and short) answer.
The more complex answer is a long (and somewhat harsh) one. This team right now has had several different offensive coordinators under the Robinson regime, a new coaching staff would probably mean yet again changing the OC. Meaning that these players would once again be learning a whole new system. The other major part of a college coach, the recruiting, is pretty dead as of right now, and that will take time for anyone to rebuild the pipelines that were once Syracuse's and now are of other NE teams.
The right person that comes to SU has to be one that wants to stay here for a long while, because it is going to take more than a couple of seasons in order to begin fixing this program (please make sure to read that again, "begin" is the key word). So, yes, the right person can turn the program around, the keys are: 1) will the right person want to come to Syracuse when many other big programs will be looking for a new coach, 2) will the right person want to stay here for the time needed to straighten out this program, because a guy that uses this program as a stepping stone, staying here 2-3 years isn't going to be the solution, and finally 3) will the right guy see enough money to be lured to Syracuse.
2. I've gone on and on about what is lacking with West Virginia's 2008 team. Give me your take, after watching this past weeks game, on what is wrong with the Mountaineers? Is it a matter of x's and o's, intensity, or both?
I played this game for a long time, I played it at the Division I level, and what I saw in the WVU's game plan was a "don't lose the game" mentality, almost as Bill Stewart was saying "we don't have Pat White, let's win this and then see what's what when he is back" to his team.
I was taught that a good coach will put its team as a whole, and the players individually, in the best position to succeed. That wasn't happening during the second half of the game for the Mountaineers, and those kids out there aren't dumb, they know what is going on. If you send in a play that has no chance to gain 15 yards when it's 3rd and very long the players are let down, and even though they go and execute to the best of their ability, subconsciously they know that this isn't going to work.
Momentum and home field advantage has so much to do with winning at the college level. When you have your fans booing you have lost both of those things. I thought on one of those third and long's I would see a bomb thrown, and even if intercepted it would be like a punt, just to get the crowd back into the game. If it goes incomplete, at least WVU tried. All I saw were very safe plays that might not yield a turnover, but won't gain much either.
So to answer the question, if the x's and o's aren't being put in properly, then the intensity of the team goes down, it's a vicious cycle and one that almost (and should have) cost West Virginia the game.
3. Who were you impressed with and on the flip side, disappointed with for WVU?
Sorry, have to give you the "played way too much football" answer. While most people don't consider them players, I thought the one that really kept WVU in the game was the kicker. Four kicks inside the 20 (out of seven he had to make). Just one a touch back, you have to like that as a special team coach. In the battle of field position Pat McAfee helped out his team a lot Saturday.
On the negative, I will have to go with Jarrett Brown. While 14 for 20 is great percentage wise (70% completion rate) a quarterback that throws for 52 yards in all isn't going to help his team to win. Factor in that one of the passes was for 16 yards, making the other 13 go for a net of 36 yards, that is less than 3 yard per.
4. Point that back at the Orange, who has exceeded expectations and who has fell short for Syracuse?
He hasn't exceeded expectations, since he had said before the season he wanted to get 1,200 yards, Curtis Brinkley is doing one heck of a job running the ball, especially when you see that the passing game isn't much for the Orange and the defenses can load the box against him.
For the one I am disappointed in it is someone that didn't play against the Mountaineers, and that would be ex starting quarterback Andrew Robinson. Having watched him since he came to SU I think that this year he regressed. Maybe because he was once again under a new play book (as I talked about before) or maybe because he went from having two great wide receivers (Mike Williams and Taj Smith) last year, to having almost nothing this season. Whatever it was it just seemed that this year he was not the player that most people thought we would see.
5. Instead of looking at who will be the next coach at SU, let's talk about the qualities you are looking for in the the next coach. Is it important that he be an alumnus, or do you put more weight on things like a proven track record or familiarity recruiting the northeast?
If you check every single team in the North East they all have one thing in common, except for Syracuse, they all have a head coach that is from the NE and has worked in this part of the country. It takes a lot of talent to go into the South and bring players this way, and if you aren't from here you won't know how to do it (in my opinion).
If I was the search committee I would forget big time names, head coaches that were in big programs, and I would look for someone that is an assistant and would do cartwheels in order to get a job at SU. Or in other words I would be looking for someone that coming to the `Cuse is going to be a step up and not a side step or worst, a step down. Let's face it, every time I hear the name Kiffin and am told "he was the recruiter at USC" I laugh, because if anyone thinks that recruiting at one of the best programs in the last decade is going to be anything like recruiting at one of the worst programs in the last year, well, I got news for them, it's not!
I can still remember when the buzz about Greg Robinson was positive, and all were saying "he comes from Texas", as though that was going to get something. What did that do for Syracuse exactly? The answer is: Nothing! Texas and USC are full of five star players, SU is lucky to get one per season (if that). It is sad for me to say this, but right now SU needs a coach that deals with 2-3 stars recruits and gets the most out of them, not one that opens its door everyday and can pick whomever they want.
6. Who's going to win the Big East this year, and do they have a shot in hell of winning their BCS game?
I think it is going to be UConn and I think that they will lose against whomever they play. The Big East is down and it needs to bulk up its teams and not watch them slide like Rutgers is doing this season, or Syracuse has for a while, or Pittsburgh who has until this season.
7. Will the Big East still be composed of 16 teams, or will the football schools break away in 2010?
The Big East of 16 teams is ruining basketball in my opinion. There will come a year (and this one could be it) where 9 or 10 teams are good enough to get into March Madness, but because of some bubble busters in small conference post season tournament, or because another BCS conference has an extra team that is good as well and the BE will have one, or even two, teams missing the NCAA tournament.
This goes for all of college basketball conferences that do this and not just the Big East. How can you have real standings when not all the teams play one another equally? Unfortunately the needs of a basketball conference are totally different than one of a football conference. In the BE where half of the conference doesn't play football, you know something has to give, because the needs of 8 teams are going to be different than the needs of the other eight.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
In Which I Admit West Virginia Shouldn't Have Won That Game
More Q&A stuff with Orange Squeeze right heya! Big thanks again to AEM for that! Work is work, so I won't have time to shoot him any questions until later tonight. So look for that tomorrow as well as some questions for Brian over at Orange 44.
AEM was kind enough to give me a link for my College Football Song and say lots of nice things about me, so without asking him any music questions, I reply by posting a Squeeze video. Does that make any sense? I hope so...
Sure, there are better Squeeze songs. But Pulling Mussels isn't possible, and Tempted might make you look at me a little funny. So, you get what you get.
AEM was kind enough to give me a link for my College Football Song and say lots of nice things about me, so without asking him any music questions, I reply by posting a Squeeze video. Does that make any sense? I hope so...
Sure, there are better Squeeze songs. But Pulling Mussels isn't possible, and Tempted might make you look at me a little funny. So, you get what you get.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Syracuse Q&A: Count-Pointer Count
I'm feeling my Kentucky Fried Movie today, so before we get started:
First off, thanks to Orange Squeeze for asking us to do this! The Syracuse sports blogosphere was already our favorite in the sphere, but now I have serious concerns for anyone to ever overtake them. Well, they're not really concerns as I'm quite happy the way things are, but...well...shit! I keep getting sidetracked by this ginormous purple spider in my office. I think it means to kill me.... good thing I only have to copy and paste from the email, because the acid is most definitely kicking in. ( I kid, but it's the only reasonable answer as to why there is a giant purple spider in the office other than Halloween coming round the corner.)
1. Brent Axe put up a story about Syracuse's biggest rivalry games and the lack of a clear cut "we hate them more than anyone" game on the schedule. How do you rank Syracuse's biggest rivalries? Feel free to include Penn St., BC, etc.
In football it should be Penn State first, a rivalry that began in 1922, and went on until 1990, until this season when the two teams met again. The overall record is 41-23-5 for the PSU, but if the two teams do not get together and begin playing on a yearly basis there is no way it could be a true rivalry.
The second I would say should be Boston College, but with the Eagles gone to another conference, unless a yearly game is set up this can not be called a true rivalry. What might be good about this one though is that SU and BC could keep the Big East/ACC hate going stemming from Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech leaving one conference for the other.
The one I like to see happen, as it is a college in the same state as Syracuse, and if you want tradition (on and off the field) this is the place for it, is Army. I think it would be great to see this happen, but it is doubtful that it will.
2. The Greg Robinson firing is a forgone conclusion at this point, so who are you looking at to be the next coach at Syracuse?
Got a name, since everyone else does. That should be the slogan around the Syracuse campus. I have heard Lane Kiffin (ex Raiders coach, ex USC assistant). Randy Edsall (UConn) was another name being mentioned. Some of the ex players have made their opinion known with a letter to Dr. Gross and chancellor Nancy Cantor, asking to hire Steve Addazio (assistant head coach/offensive line coach at Florida). I like Skip Holtz (East Carolina) and wrote about it.
But in the end, I think what is needed at Syracuse is someone who knows the Northeast and is not taking a step down, or a side step, but is going to feel coming to SU is a promotion of sort. Kiffin is an ex NFL head coach, coming to Syracuse isn't going to be anything more than a "stop" while waiting for something better. Randy Edsall is rebuilding the program at Connecticut, to stop there and re start at SU is something that I could understand, since he is a alumni, but I just don't see it happening. Skip Holtz might want to get into the BCS conferences, but with what he has done at ECU and the jobs that might open up in the South I am not sure that he would want to move North. Addazio, or someone like him, might just be the way to go. Hopefully, whomever it is, it will be someone who will bring back the glory days.
3. Most memorable WVU-SU game in your mind?
While "The Brawl" comes to mind because of the on the field mess that happened with a few minutes left in the game, however it's not the one I remember the most. The one was the most memorable to me was another played in Morgantown, in 2000. I was supposed to go out with friends, my wife was at the door and the game was about 5 minutes from being over. I knew that listening to the radio was going to be ok, but not as good as being in front of the television.
I left the house as the game was on commercial, and thought it was over anyways as the Mountaineers were up by 3, 27 to 24, and having the ball. West Virginia was still up when we joined up with our friends, but when I turned on the radio once again SU had gotten the ball back from WVU (I found out later they had intercepted the ball). The Orange would then drive the field and score to win the game with few seconds left on the clock.
But what made me remember this game the most was the fact that the same day/night (or the following day/night) West Virginia's head coach stepped down from the position, retiring after 21 seasons in Morgantown. I guess the fact that not watching the best part of the game, the happenings after the game with WVU's coach retiring, made this one of those games that when I think of the Mountaineers and the Orange it pops up before any other.
4. Curtis Brinkley has had the majority of the load at running back this year, but I notice a lot of talk about how many running backs will see time. Do you think Robinson is waiting for someone other than Brinkley to step up, or is it just a matter of getting everyone some touches?
I am a fan of the two headed monster when it comes to the running back position. At Syracuse this year they could easily have a three headed monster with Curtis Brinkley, Delone Carter and Doug Hogue getting touches. However, I think that three is too many, since they don't get enough playing time to be effective.
Asking me about Robinson and "what he is waiting for" I could go on and on and on with, but regarding to the running backs I will say that I am not sure who you are going to see starting this Saturday, but I am pretty sure that you will see a main back and then one coming in to get some reps and finally the third one getting a few touches here and there.
5. Give us someone on offense and defense that we need to keep our eye on.
I could go the easy way on offense, and say any of the running backs and probably be pretty accurate, since they are the heart and soul of the offense this year. But I am going to go with a tight end, Mike Owen, who right now has the most TDs through the air (2) and second in catches (11) and second in yards (102). If SU wants to be able to cut into WVU's defense Owen needs to have a good game for when quarterback Cameron Dantley has third and long.
On defense I am going to go with Jake Flaherty, who has been playing pretty well all season with 95 tackles (6 1/2 for loss) on a team that has been having problems with missed tackles.
6. Bill Stewart-Finding his way as a first year head coach or Larry Coker all over again?
I will say that I am a firm believer of recruiting in order to win in the college game. If you can bring in the talent, sooner or later you are going to win. So, for now, I am going to say "finding his way as a first year head coach", and then wait to see what he can do on the recruiting trail and see who comes to Morgantown.
7. Prediction for the game?
In this game, while I wish I could be less negative, it isn't going to be close. The game is over before half time and the final score is Syracuse 14 - West Virginia 37, with the only good thing being that the Orange cover the 24 points spread.
Thanks again to Orange Squeeze for taking the time to answer our questions about this weeks game with Syracuse!
Linkdump 10/09/08
Yup, no more Coal Tattoo. You already figured that one out, though. Right?
Anyhow, I have a Q&A up over at The Orange Squeeze about Saturdays game. Thanks to AEM for inviting me over. I hope to have some questions for him up later today or early tomorrow.
The producers of The Express have really ruined any chance of me seeing that movie. It's sad, because I was really looking forward to it. I'll be the first to admit that we have the craziest, and probably rudest fan base in the country. But I think when it comes to matters of lies about things we didn't do, I have to draw the line. Just a shame...because we weren't all that bad back in the day.
White is still on the mend. He didn't have a concussion last Saturday, supposedly. But can't remember a thing about the Rutgers game. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.......I think. Anyhow, Stewart says he's going to play. Hopefully he can stay healthy and be available for games we really need down the stretch.
Let's revisit the Coker-Stewart similarities, why don't we. As long as the same downward trend doesn't happen at WVU, I'm cool with it.
Brent Axe examines the Syracuse rivals, and the lack of a clear cut rivalry game.
Bring it home, Kenny!
Anyhow, I have a Q&A up over at The Orange Squeeze about Saturdays game. Thanks to AEM for inviting me over. I hope to have some questions for him up later today or early tomorrow.
The producers of The Express have really ruined any chance of me seeing that movie. It's sad, because I was really looking forward to it. I'll be the first to admit that we have the craziest, and probably rudest fan base in the country. But I think when it comes to matters of lies about things we didn't do, I have to draw the line. Just a shame...because we weren't all that bad back in the day.
White is still on the mend. He didn't have a concussion last Saturday, supposedly. But can't remember a thing about the Rutgers game. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.......I think. Anyhow, Stewart says he's going to play. Hopefully he can stay healthy and be available for games we really need down the stretch.
Let's revisit the Coker-Stewart similarities, why don't we. As long as the same downward trend doesn't happen at WVU, I'm cool with it.
Brent Axe examines the Syracuse rivals, and the lack of a clear cut rivalry game.
Bring it home, Kenny!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Because There is a Reason We Don't Have Fuck Syracuse Shirts
As far as rivalries go, the Syracuse game has always taken a back seat to Pitt, Penn St., and Virginia Tech. Now, with the new Big East there's still Pitt. But teams like South Florida and Louisville have come in with silly little things like the ability to win games that have helped them to leapfrog Syracuse in the list of most hated.There was a time, though, that Syracuse drew the ire of West Virginia fans. But that was mostly due to poor officiating rather than anything Syracuse was able to do on the field. I was at that game, and had an all too good view of the action. It's amazing that so many Syracuse players were involved and yet able to miss on all but one of their punches. They had a lot of "want to", but they just couldn't connect. A harbinger of things to come, I suppose. But they don't kick you out of games for failing to connect, apparently. So several West Virginia players were kicked out of the game, and one third string lineman in street clothes was kicked out for the Orange.
We gave a lot to Syracuse. The coach, Ben Schwartzwalder, that gave them their only national championship. What have we got in return? Tony Caridi, Jason Colson, and an easy W on the schedule.
The beginning of something beautiful, the 2005 WVU-Syracuse game. Soak it in, there were more Cuse fans at that game than all the combined games since.
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