The Executioner must wait

Well, well, well.  The Syracuse University Orange won a football game last night, defeating the Louisville Cardinals 28-21.  The win improved the Orange to 2-6 on the season and kept slim hopes alive for a post season bowl game.

The game was also a likely stay of execution for Greg Robinson, as it has been talked about ad naseaum that his firing is not a question of if but a question of when.  But while Greg may have survived the axe this week, there appear to be some new targets this week for executioner in the Big East.

With a loss this week to Cincinnati, South Florida coach Jim Levitt should find himself directly in the cross hairs of the exectioner.  How in the world does a team that was predicted by many to represent the Big East in the BCS bowl game, fall to 1-3 in conference and tied with you know who for LAST PLACE in the Big East?  While he should be given credit for rising the profile of South Florida football from backwater to BCS, the alarming losses the last two years should be a sign that Levitt is merely a good coach and not a great one.  How long should he last at USF? 

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Well, the familiar theme occurred on Saturday for the Syracuse football team.  The offense looked pretty decent for one half and then failed to register a single first down in the second half.  The defense played its usual consistent game of non-existent resistance.  The results:  a typical run of the mill beat down to the tune of 45-13.  (Some props to Reyes for his close 42-10 prediction).

The game went completely awry in the second half when Cam “The Pez Dispenser” Dantley, coughed up the ball, or should I say pezzed,  on a 3rd down pass play; gift wrapping a Bulls touchdown that made the score 28-13 and in effect put the game away.  It is not the first time that Dantley has shown little regard for ball security and it likely won’t be the last.

There was yet another coaching snafu when Greg Robinson failed to insert Andrew Robinson for the last couple of series basically because, “What happened was, I’m coaching over on the (defensive) side. I run over there (to the offensive side), and it’s too late. We’re already out. I think that Andrew deserves to get in there and do something like that.”  You would think somewhere amid all that driving that USF did in the 2nd half that he could have said, “Start warming up ARob and get him in next series.”  But he forgot.  It is comments like this that will seal GRob’s fate.  The man just can’t stay in the moment as the head coach.  Clearly he is in over his head.  Even when he has the chance to look over the film he still gets confused - “I watched very, very closely. I went back and I watched it quite a bit,” Robinson said of Dantley’s performance (11-of-17 passing for 129 yards) against USF. “And I don’t know there’s a whole lot there…”  Oh really?  It looked to me and to Dantley that he was completely off his game.  “I really just panicked - not panicked - I just didn’t think on my feet.”  Quotes are compliments of Donnie Webb’s blog.

Now the grades:

The good: Another solid performance by Curtis Brinkley, gaining over 100 yards in the first half alone and finishing with a buck twelve.  Curtis is on pace to be the first 1000 yard gainer since Walter Reyes in 2003.  He ran hard and his 24 yard TD burst in the 2nd quarter was about the last salvo that SU threw at USF on Saturday.

Dante Davis and Marcus Sales also played decently.  They both seem to excel on the slant patterns.

The bad: Penalties came and reared their ugly head.  I don’t know if it was the heat or what, but this was the most penalties that SU had all season.  A recall a Ryan Durand hands to the face penatly negated a nice Sales catch.  Jonathan Meldrum was in over his head against George Selvie.  The offensive line did next to nothing to stop the Bulls in the second half.  They seemed completely overwhelmed.

The ugly: It has to be the defense, as if this is a surprise.  Aside from the fumble that stopped USF’s first drive of the second half, they could do nothing right.  Most glaring was the blown coverage on first and goal following Dantley’s aforementioned pezzing.  There was no one and I mean no one on the outside to cover USF wide receiver AJ Love and he easily scored the touchdown.  The defense also couldn’t contain Matt Grothe and his patented draw play.  I almost stopped watching when he coverted a 3rd and 10 with a 20 yard scamper.  Thanks to alcohol and my trusty espn360 replay, I was able to endure.

Fortunately the footballers are on bye next week and I know that for some that means the hope of a Grob firing.  But don’t count on it.  The administration has shown no signs of pulling the ejection seat yet, even though this plane has not only started going down it has already crashed.  If we are all lucky the black box won’t be recovered either.  No one really wants or needs to dissect just what the hell has happened these last four years do they?

It’s tough to think that if we had a somewhat decent Head Coach - the Orange might be 2-0 in the Big East - and possibly playing a meaningful game this weekend in terms of how the conference will shake out. Now we’re headed to Tampa to try and play spoiler to the Bulls - which probably means the Orange wont notch a Big East victory until November…if at all.

When: Saturday October 18th, 2008 - 12:00 PM Eastern

Where: Tampa, Florida at Raymond James Stadium.

Capacity: 65,857

Television: Time Warner Sports - Channel 26

The Spread: The Line opened at Syracuse +25 - but has since fell to Syracuse +23.5 with just about 46% of the money going on Syracuse to cover.

Rivalry info: Rivalry? Since South Florida has joined the Big East - they have had no problem with the Orange. The Bulls are 3-0 all time against the Orange - outscoring them by an average of 32-7.

Coaches: South Florida - Jim Leavitt - 12th season at South Florida (84-47 overall.) Syracuse- Greg Robinson - 4th season at Syracuse (8-33 overall.)

Syracuse Offense ranked #106 vs South Florida Defense ranked #11: Want to see how much Curtis Brinkley and our Offensive Line has really improved? You’ll get your chance this weekend. South Florida ranks among the best at #6 against the run thus far this season. Only once have the Bulls allowed a opposing rusher to gain more than 60 yards against them this year - that being Pitt RB LeSean McCoy (142 yards) - who ran against a Bulls defense without star DE George Selvie and starting LB Brouce Mompremier. Both are expected to be suited up and ready to go this Saturday -which doesnt bode well for the Orange.

The only chance the Orange have in this game lies again in the hands of Curtis Brinkley - who has looked stellar gaining 100+ yards in his last three outings and averaging nearly 5.5 yards a carry this season. The Orange dont have nearly the speed or athleticism to try and get into a shoot-out with the Bulls so they’re best shot is to do what they’ve done best - run the ball. The Orange were able to hold onto the ball for nearly 12 minutes more than the Mountaineers and were able to churn out a total of 20 first downs - and that probably played a big part as to why the Mountaineers were held to 17 points (Pat White or not, WVU should have scored in the 30’s.) It’ll be hard to run the ball on the Bulls - seeing as they’ll attack the ball better than anyone we’ve seen this season, but you cant take the ball out of Brinkleys hands with how he’s ran the ball.

The Bulls have been somewhat decent against the pass ranking 47th in the nation - but thats not saying much considering some of the passing attacks they’ve faced (Tenn Martin, FIU, UCF, NC State.) No matter who you bring in it’s tough to replace CB’s like Jenkins and Williams who were lost to the NFL Draft. Lobdell finally broke out and grabbed a few nice balls and Donte Davis was solid as well grabbing a game leading 7 receptions last week. If Dantley is unable to put together a few things in the air the Orange will be dead in the water. I expect the Bulls to bring the house starting early and it’s important Dantley burns them once or twice to keep them as honest as possible.

South Florida Offense ranked #25 vs Syracuse Defense ranked #107: Once again - the Orange are just simply outmatched. We got a break last weekend without having to face White - but now we’re faced with an even tougher task in the name of Matt Grothe. Grothe has racked up just over 1500 yards all purpose and has accounted for a total of 11 TD’s six games into the season (9 passing, 2 rushing.) He can burn you with either his arm or his legs and probably has his best set of recievers to throw to since hes been in South Florida (primarily Taurus Johnson and Jessie Hester.)

There really is no way for us to stop Grothe - but if we can avoid making the same type of mistakes that we did against Penn State weeks ago (primarily missed tackles and mis-reads) then we might be able to at least contain Grothe and Co. to an extent.

South Florida defensive coaches phones were off the hook this offseason with calls from college coaches dying to know how they were able to stop West Virginia and the spread - their answer? Speed and fundamentals. Since the spread is geared to create 11 one-on-one matchups and to exploit individual speed - form tackling is a must. If the Orange make the same weak arm tackle attempts against South Florida its going to result in a ton of big plays (since you really have no defensive back up) and the scoreboard is going to roll.

There really isnt one scheme or trick to stopping the spread - if you have a few playmakers its going to be quite easy to rack up yardage inbetween the 30’s. Once you hit the 30 its tough to really utilize the spread to your advantage because theres not as much field to work with. The Orange are going to have to hold strong during that time and hope to cut a few South Florida TD drives into FG attempts.

Why Syracuse will win: The South Florida Defense is still banged up and Brinkley is able to take advantage and continues his hot streak. Ball Control! Last week Syracuse held the ball for 36 minutes and were in the game deep into the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh held the ball for 37 minutes against the Bulls (resulting in 16 more plays) and were able to hold the Bulls to 21 points and win the game.

Why South Florida will win: South Florida is just too fast for the Orange. Grothe has no problem burning an undermanned Syracuse Defense and jump out to an early first half lead. Mike Ford and the Bulls ball control the second half and still end up beating the Orange big.

Syracuse player to watch: RB Curtis Brinkley - 621yards rushing - 3 rushing TD’s - 8 receptions for 41 yards

South Florida player to watch: QB Matt Grothe - 63.9% completion - 1,304 passing yards - 9 TD’s 3 INT’s - 258 yards rushing - 2 rushing TD’s

Reyes39 Prediction: South Florida 42 - Syracuse 10

-Stats thanks to ncaa.org and cfbdatawarehouse.com

-Lavarr Lobdell photo from Frank Ordonez/The Post Standard

Well its a little late here on the game recap.  But I wanted to get out ahead of the upcoming Reyes preview of the USF game.  Some thoughts…

I thought this was the type of game earlier that would actually score GROB points.  You know, hang with the conference heavyweights, show improvement, make a strong showing on the road etc.  But since we’ve hung the “lame duck” moniker on Greg Robinson all that is out the window.  He again gets skewered for game management.  Should he have kicked a FG to make it 10-9?  Hell, shouln’t he have kicked at 4th and 18 when you need two scores?

I can’t really fault either decision frankly.  I think you need to try and get a TD when you are inside the 5 and the game is in the balance.  West Virginia had more 3 and outs against us then we probably allowed all season.  I think the pressure would have been on if we could have gotten ahead 13-10.  On the 4th and 18 decision there was under a minute left while of course we could have gotten the onside kick and had a short field, the reality was we had no timeouts and would have needed to go down the field in a hurry.  Hard to see that happening with this club.  But either way, our lame duck was damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

Now let’s look ahead:

The good:  I will say that outgaining the Mountaineers was both a surpise for both our offense (ie over 300 yards/20 first downs) and our defense (holding an opponent under 300!).  These are building blocks for the rest of the season.

Curtis Brinkley continues to be a beast on the ground.  He showed alot of fight while getting the bulk of the carries.  He has been nothing short of a workhorse for this team.

Hello WR play!  Donte Davis continues to grow in his role and we finally started seeing Lobdell have the kind of impact we needed on Day One.  His terrific catch helped sustain that long first quarter drive.  Van Chew and Marcus Sales have played well.

3 and outs!  The defense finally registered some three and outs and you can see how key that is to game management.  I’ll have some more of that please!  If they can do that this week, I may start to agree that this could be a good defense Gregger.  Game ball to Derrell Smith.  The kid is getting better each week.

Bad:  Still light on sacks allowed and gotten.  Pressure needs to be better.  On O, I don’t think the end of the Corey Chavers era can begin soon enough.

Ugly:  What is going on in the underbelly of the program?  First, an incident with an undergrad and multiple players and now the Doug Hogue saga?  While the first is out of a coach’s control, the 2nd is directly related.  What is going on Greg?

Anyway, if we continue to show improvement it appears that we can still get a win.  The number of possibilities are growing.  Louisville:  needed all the special teams help they could get to win at Memphis.  Cincy is in the mix now, ekeing out a 13-10 win over Rutgers.  How motivated will they be to finish the season off with us?  Rutgers is clearly at our level.  The spread will be manageable.  I still think UConn is doable.  They are one dimensional and just don’t make alot of mistakes.  We can hang around.

The ZHK has been notably asleep at the wheel at a time when everyone is weighing in with their two cents on anything and everything about Orange football.  So read on brave readers for what can only be a regurgitation of what you must already be aware of.  Its what the ZHK does best.

Ok, its October and if you already haven’t figured it out, the Big East is completely mediocre.  Completely.  As if we needed last night’s game to remind us of that.

Now when I started doing preseason analysis, I predicted that we would be 3-2 after the Pitt game and as we know, we are not.  But the sad reality is, that with a decent coach we would have been!  A decent coach would have figured out how to stick it to Akron.  A decent coach would have gone for the kill on 4th down (or hell attempted a 55 yd FG which should be doable for Shadle), remembered to insert their stud RB instead of burning the frosh year of Antwon Baily especially when Fiametta or Daniel Bailey (who had already gotten carries in the Pitt game) were available or managed to make one in game adjustment.  Now to complete the fantasy, imagine being 3-2 right now knowing the team you just beat went to the supposed best team in the BE and handled them.  What would we be thinking now?  Hey we have a chance to compete with anyone.  We could hang with one dimensional UConn, and mistake prone Louisville both at home.  We could catch a WV or USF sleeping, or stick it to a struggling Rutgers.  Cincy is on to their 3rd string QB, that game could have value to us.

Hey recruits, we are looking good!  Get on the bandwagon now!

But alas that is not what we are thinking right now.  We are focused on our future head coach search.  On who’s been seen on campus (Lloyd Carr?) and who hasn’t?  Where’s Gross today and why?  We all have our lists, our timetables for change (face it its November, whether you like it or not).  Hell we are even distracted by our feel good Express star Ernie Davis’ hacked up statue.

So now what is a fan to do with so much season left to do?  Well, this fan is going to the cabinet to mix a batch of kool-aid.  Anyone want a drink?  Did I forget to mention that I will be adding some liquor as well?

The kool-aid:  I have been pleasantly surprised by Curtis Brinkley.  I am the first to admit that I had him 3rd in the triumvirate of Hogue/Carter/Brinkley.  He has shown a ton of heart and his performance on the field has been a revelation for a team in need of a spark.  Brinkley has averaged 95 yards per game and is on pace to eclipse 1000 yds this season.  I will watch the rest of the season just to see this kid wrap up his career.

Mitch Browning is the next person to tip my hat to.  If you would have told me that the offensive line would have given up only 7 sacks through 5 games (it was 22 at this point last year).  I would have understood why we should be 3-2.  He has done a great job with line and the running game.

The young receivers are improving.  Yes they really are!  We see Marcus Sales, Van Chew and Dante Davis incrementally getting better.  (I refuse to say flash!)  They will prove to provide nice depth for the next coach to work with.

The offense does have some promise for the future.  Now the defense….

What a new coach should do: Focus on the D please!  There will be some parts to work with - namely Arthur Jones and Anthony Perkins.  But everything else is in need of an overhaul.  Holmes has regressed, and Merkerson has looked lost jumping back and forth now to both sides of the ball last week.  Since this recruiting year could be a total loss, why not troll the JC arena looking for some linebackers and someone who can legitimately rush the passer?  Look for someone who can step in immediately and compete.  Louisville did that (and found Ron English) and they are much improved from a year ago.  The tackling has to improve and maybe it will.  The unit all around is pretty young and maybe it just needs to grow in experience.  What I think it needs is someone who hasn’t been a part of it, tackling machine with a high motor to step in change the personality.  This defense has been nothing more than bend don’t break for 4 seasons.  It needs a new mindset and personality to run it.

So will we win again this season? Good question, with no good answer.  We could in theory hang around with UConn or Louisville.  These are our best shots since they are at home.  Well the best hope on the road is Rutgers, who have taken a big step back without Ray Rice.  Something tells me we will steal a win in one of those games.  But logic says don’t bank on it.  We are still being lead by Greg Robinson after all.

Some trends to watch: Since we are in lame duck mode, and tracking improvement by wins and losses isn’t likely to occur, we will have to reach deep to see if the team is actually improving.  So here a few things that aren’t so hot now that can still be improved on.

Kickoffs:  Still aren’t very deep.  Most of the kickoffs in the Pitt game were caught at the 5 or ten yard line.  That isn’t helpful to coverage units.  C’mon Nico, you were supposed to be the best of this bunch!

Dropped passes:  Seeing less of this, with Merkerson’s drop last week the most obvious in his brief return to the WR group.  Can you imagine having a team like USF with 14 receivers catching passes and 11 different players having scored a TD?

3rd Down conversions:  Still stink.  We don’t have a bread and butter play to execute to keep the chains moving, whether its short yardage runs or a quick slant.  It just isn’t there.  You can tell the staff has been trying the unexpected with its 3 deep throws on 3rd down that resulted in 2 TDs and a should have been pass interference.  Keep an eye on this in BE play for any improving trends.

3rd Down stops:  Getting off the field has been a challenge.  It seems as if opponents can do whatever they want on 1st and 2nd downs, safely knowing that they have good old 3rd down to convert against us.  Whether it was Akron’s give-up draw plays, Penn St’s sweeps, or Pitt’s passes to Derek Kinder, the SU defense has been very accommodating to opposing offenses.  It is the sole reason why Greg Robinson will be out of a job this year.

Sacks:  Hello?  Where is the pass rush.  It just doesn’t exist and the lack of pressure is the key to helping fix the 3rd down problem above.  Outside of an occasional Anthony Perkins siting in the backfield, we just aren’t getting a consistent presence on the edge.  Which leads me to…

Too much “flashing”:  All right I said it.  Greg’s favorite word is out there.  Players have flashed.  Well we have to get passed the occasional good play and more consistency.  Better blocking, better throwing, better tackling.  We look good for 1Q or even a half, then the wheels come off.  There has to be more than the occasional good shot to get fans to come back to this product.  This isn’t like golf.  The bags need to come off the fans heads.  Alums like Jim Brown need to be proud of the effort even in defeat.

That’s all for now fans.  Let us know what you think!

Big weekend for all Orange fans as the Penn State Nittany Lions return to the Carrier Dome for the first time in almost 20 years.

When: Saturday September 13th, 2008 - 3:30 PM Eastern

Where: Syracuse, New York in the Carrier Dome

Capacity: 50,000

Television: ABC - ESPN360 - ESPN Gameplan

Tailgating information: http://www.texanmarktailgate.blogspot.com/

The Spread: Opened at Syracuse +26.5 - which has already jumped to Syracuse +28.

Rivalry info: Syracuse and Penn State have faced off 68 times since 1922 but havent played each other since 1990. Penn State leads the series 40-23-5.

Fun Fact:

Coaches: Penn State - Joe Paterno - 42nd season at Penn State (374-125-3 overall.) Syracuse- Greg Robinson - 4th season at Syracuse (7-30 overall.)

Last time they played: October 13th, 1990. Penn State beat the Orange 27-21 in College Station.

Syracuse passing game (ranked #99) vs. the Penn State secondary (ranked #80): Last week against Akron - Senior Cameron Dantley was actually able to get a few things going in the air. Dantley completed 13 of 20 passes and threw for three touchdowns. The only problem is - 6 of those completed passes were to Tight Ends Mike Owen and Nick Provo - and two were to FB Tony Fiametta. No, its not a bad thing if your Tight Ends and backs are heavily involved in the passing game, especially with Brownings offense - but it’s a big problem when your Wide Receivers are basically non existent. Outside of Donte Davis (4 receptions a game) all other Orange receivers have only been able to manage a measly 5 total catches in two games against Northwestern and Akron - two teams that aren’t know for their cover corners. Penn State has seemed to of played a bit or a “bend but dont break” pass defense in its first two games giving up 450 yards in the air but for the most part has been able to keep the ball out of the endzone.
Who has the edge? With Dantley at the helm things seemed to flow a little bit more when it came to the passing game. If he can continue to involve TE Mike Owen and if Lobdell or Sales are able to step up - Dantley should be able to keep the Nittany Lions honest giving Carter and Brinkley a bit more room to run. Although Dantley looked promising - we’ll have to give Penn State the nod due to our lack of receivers. You would have to think Lavar Lobdell is at least better than WR Trent Usher out of Coastal Carolina (3 receptions/50 yards/TD against PSU) though…right?
Syracuse rushing attack (ranked #42) vs. the Penn State front six (ranked #29): Ah, one of the lone bright spots to the team this year. Brinkley and Carter have ran the very well thus far - both averaging nearly 6 1/2 yards a carry. Boonah was able to find his way into the endzone for the second straight game last week and racked up a career best 143 yards on 21 carries while Carter chipped in 77 on 13 carries. Although I do want to see one primary back recieve most of the carries - I don’t agree with a guy like Hogue only getting three carries. He’s too good of a player to keep on the sidelines and I would’ve loved to of seen him take that 4th down carry which definitely suits his running style. The more I see from our stable - the more I want to give all three of our backs twenty carries a game. With how we’ve thrown the ball…why bother? Penn State on the other hand has done pretty well against the run thus far - although the two teams they faced do most of their work in the air opposed to on the ground. All-Big 10 DE Maurice Evans and starting DT Abe Koroma have been suspended for this weekends game for a marijuana incident a few weeks ago.
Who has the edge? With the suspension of Evans and Koroma and with how Carter and Boonah have ran the ball so far - I’m going to give us the slight edge. The Offensive Line has done a much better job than last season and hopefully can continue to open a few lanes if we have any chance in competing this weekend.
Syracuse Offense (rated #87) vs. Penn State Defense (rated #50) synopsis: Hopefully Dantley can continue to provide some spark in the offense like he did last week against Akron. I really liked what I saw from the offense last week and if they can mirror what they did last week a few more times we might be able to stay competetive a bit later in this one than a lot of people think. Penn States defense has been relatively untested so far this season and the suspensions really work in our favor. Theres no reason we should be held under 20 points this Saturday.
Penn State passing game (ranked #42) vs. the Syracuse secondary (ranked #84): Penn State QB Darryl Clark has been a decent surprise this season and thus far has done all he has had to do to put a W on the board. Clark has only completed 25 passes out of 37 attempts for 361 yards and 3 TD’s in two games as Penn State has done a majority of their damage on the ground. Darryl is probably feeling better than ever - because after two games his offensive line has yet to let up a sack. Penn State won’t need to air things out this Saturday but if need be it seems Clark can just find WR Jordan Norwood - who has reeled in half of Clarks passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. The Orange will probably have to have all 11 guys in the box if they have any chance at slowing up the Penn State rush offense - but Clark has the arm to burn you if need be. I don’t see Penn State throwing the ball more than 20 times but I’m sure Clark will hook up with Norwood a few times to keep up honest. Bruce Williams returns to Safety this weekend for the injured Mckinnon and is expected to start. Hopefully he didn’t forget to tackle.
Who has the edge? Penn State wont need to throw the ball - but if they do Clark should be able to dispose of Merkserson and Holmes accordingly.

Penn State rushing attack (ranked #7) vs. the Syracuse front seven (ranked #114): Touchdown Evan Royster. Thats something both Coastal Carolina and Oregon State have probably heard enough of - and something we’ll probably witness a handful of times this Saturday. Royster is off to a fast start this year after racking up 205 yards and 6 TD’s in two weeks of action. A touchdown every four carries isnt bad - and the Penn State offense as a whole has already put up 500+ rushing yards and 11 TD’s. The Orange on the other hand havent done much against the run - mostly because of poor tackling. Akron was able to ‘Zip’ through the Orange defense using the draw gaining 218 yards on the ground. Yeah, 218 yards on the ground to Akron. Arthur Jones has a lot of work on his hands.

Who has the edge? After almost three days of thinking this through - I’ll have to go with Penn State. Who am I kidding - Penn State is going to man handle us on the ground. What we’ll see this weekend is probably just a taste of what we’ll get from Devine, McCoy, and the likes later on this season.
Penn State Offense (ranked #12) vs. Syracuse Defense synopsis (#113): Penn State has dished out brilliant offensive performances so far and are averaging 55 points a game. The Orange have surrendered 36 points a game thus far…I don’t expect much to change this weekend.
Why Syracuse will win: The entire Penn State offense gets caught up in Down Under Leather on Marshall Street (pot shop) and get ripped before the game. Royster and Co. get so high they can’t even stand straight and continually fall over and our defense doesnt even need to make a tackle. (OK, maybe they’re not all pot heads…but c’mon, how else are we going to win/make a tackle?)
Why Penn State will win: They continue to run the ball as well as they did in the first two games.
Syracuse player to watch: RB Curtis Brinkley. Brinkley gained 143 yards on 21 carries last week with a score notching his best ever career start. He’s averaging 6.4 yards a carry this season.
Penn State player to watch: Quarterback Evan Royster. Royster has already scored 6 times this season and racked up 205 yards on the ground.
Reyes39 Prediction: Penn State 49 Syracuse 21
Lvilleorange Prediction: Penn State 56 Syracuse 10
CollegeFootballNews Prediction: Penn State 41 Syracuse 14
-Stats thanks to ncaa.org and cfbdatawarehouse.com
-click on photos to see them from host site

I knew I might regret blogging this football program and after Saturday’s game vs Akron, my worst fears were realized:

“Oh my, we suck again”.

At least on defense, where the Cuse was shredded like mozzarella on a cheese grater, picked apart like a dead carcas by a vulture,  hammered like a drunken frat boy, abused like a red headed step child, exposed like a piece of film, beaten down like Rodney King, run over like herd of bulls in Pamplona,  discarded like yesterdays news,  spanked like a XXX starlet,  crushed like a vat of grapes at a winery, fragile as a new born baby, destroyed like a bunker by a heat seeking missile, bullied like a preteen in the cafeteria,  duped like Frazier on a snipe hunt, smashed like pumpkins on Halloween, carved like Thanksgiving turkey, blitzkrieged like France in WWII, mauled like a menacing hungry bear at a campsite, mulitated like scissored paper, violated like the code of conduct and beaten like the Syracuse defense.  Oh wait I’ve come full circle!

This season’s new theme song is the blog’s title:  My Apocalypse by Metallica.  (Great song by the way, best thing I’ve heard from them since And Justice for All).  It is truly the end for Coach Robinson.  It cannot be a question of if anymore, it’s a question of when.  It is the end of the fans, as aluminum will be more prevalent than Orange the rest of the way.  To complete my thoughts on SU football 2008, I’ll conclude w/ more Metallica references.  The shortest straw has been pulled for you, GRob.  Color my world blackened.

After an ugly loss against Northwestern - It’s time to put that behind and look into our next opponent, the Akron Zips (0-1.) Once again, props go out to Reyes39 for the breakdown and pacusefan for giving us research material. Now, read along for all the information you’ll need for the game!

When: Saturday September 6th, 2008 - 3:30 PM Eastern

Where: Syracuse, New York in the Carrier Dome

Capacity: 50,000

Television: TWC 26 and FSN Ohio

Tailgating information: http://www.texanmarktailgate.blogspot.com/

The Spread: Opened at Syracuse -7. Has quickly moved down to Syracuse -4.5

Rivalry info: This will be the first time the two teams have ever played each other.

Fun Fact: Akron Head Coach J.D. Brookhart served under Syracuse Head Coach Greg Robinson as a defensive assistant when Robinson was the Defensive Coordinator of the Defensive Broncos.

Coaches: Akron - J.D. Brookhart - 5th season at Akron (22-27 overall.) Syracuse- Greg Robinson - 4th season at Syracuse (7-29 overall.)

Last time they played: Never

Syracuse passing game (ranked #101) vs. the Akron secondary (ranked #10): After last week…I’m not sure we have anything that resembles a passing game. Robinson looked pretty bad much of the game - only completing 14 of 28 passes for just over 100 yards and an interception. Andrew looked tight the entire game and rarely put the ball where it had to be in Brownings new short swing/slant passing offense. Rumor has it Senior Cameron Dantley has been getting looks with the first team offense this week during practice - but we’ll just count Arob in as the starter until we see otherwise. I’m not sure if it was our recievers, the loss of Williams and Taj - or a combination of both. But Robinson just did not look comfortable in the offense and didn’t seem to groove with anyone last Saturday. No matter who gets the start on Saturday there has to be an improvement - and maybe a passing attempt down field…or two. Akron on the other hand didn’t recieve much of a test against Wisconsin. The Badgers did their work on the ground and only threw the ball a total of ten times but the Zips were able to pick off one of those attempts to keep things tight in the first half.
Who has the edge? It’s hard to really judge the Akron secondary since they were untested most of the game - but with how bad we were in the air in week one we’ll have to go with a push. Neither side showed much of anything in week one to warrant the edge.

Syracuse rushing attack (ranked #70) vs. the Akron front six (ranked #113): Syracuse was able to nearly double their rushing average from 2007 on Saturday rushing for 122 yards overall. The only problem is 60 of those yards came on two bursts by Brinkley and Carter and Grob has yet to chose a back to carry the load. I understand the problem in chosing a back - its gotta be hard not to try and involve the three headed duo of Carter, Hogue, and Brinkley - but by splitting the carries like we did takes the momentum right out of the ground game. No one was able to really get into sync since each drive there was a new back manning the tailback position. The Offensive Line looked improved but still not to the point we would want it - our backs were unable to find much room inside the tackles and usually profited most by bouncing the ball outside or following Fiammetta. The Orange should be able to run the ball down the Zips throat just like the Badgers chose to do. The Zips run a 3-3-5 defense that Wisconsing and P.J. Hill were able to gash open for over 400 yards but to return a decent and experienced Defensive Line. We’re not Wisconsin - but If our O-Line can at least engage all 6 Zips in the box our backs should be able to find a few holes in the Zips easy to run on defensive scheme.
Who has the edge? Although we were pitiful in the air - I think the Orange have an edge over the Akron defense. If we follow the Badgers blueprint and keep the ball on the ground we should be able to put up a few more points this week. Akron was able to keep things closer than expected due to three Wisconsin turnovers - be smart with the ball, run, run, and run - and our offense should be alright this week.
Syracuse Offense (rated #102) vs. Akron Defense (rated #101) synopsis: I wouldn’t mind seeing the Orange try to open things up a bit more with the pass against an opponent we can likely tweak a few things against - but I’d rather go the safe route. Keep the ball on the ground just like Wisconsin did and eat up the clock en-route to a few to a few scores. The Orange actually have more experience on this side of the ball and hopefully flow a bit more like they did last week in the first quarter. I give the Orange the slight edge - no matter who is behind center. We should be able to pick up some good chunks of yardage against the quirky 3-3-5 defense Akron utilizes.
Akron passing game (ranked #43) vs. the Syracuse secondary (ranked #71): Akron Quarterback Chris Jacquemain probably had one of his best performances last week going 22-36 for 227 yards and 2 TD’s against a decent Wisconsin secondary and was able to break his streak of seven consecutive games with an interception thrown. Perhaps some of his success could be attributed to JC transfer Deryn Bowser - Akron’s top catch in the 2007/08 recruiting season. Bowser has great size (6-2 215 lbs) and was able to grab five balls for 76 yards. The Orange defense wasnt spectacular but was able to somewhat slow down one of the nations best and most experienced passing units last week. Like the Wildcats - the Zips run a shotgun spread offense but don’t have the firepower - especially at QB - to run it as fluently as Northwestern. If Brown, Merkerson, and Holmes play a little better than last week then they should be able to force a turnover or two and stall the Zip offense a bit.
Who has the edge? Syracuse. Akron QB Jacquemain had the best game of his career but due to his past turnover issues It’s not enough to believe he has really turned the corner just yet.
Akron rushing attack (ranked #94) vs. the Syracuse front seven (ranked #109): Like Syracuse’s passing game - Akron didn’t show much of anything in their opener on the ground. Akron ran the ball only 22 times for a total of 70 yards - deciding to keep the ball in the air much of the game. The Orange just flat out didn’t do much against the run of Northwestern - missing tackles and assignments - letting the NU ground game eat them up for much of the game. Good thing is - there’s not one back on Akron’s roster that is anything like Sutton and Akron was unable to run the ball well against any formidable defenses last year. Odds are the Zips will try to run the ball a little more than they did against the Badgers since that was our weakness - but as long as we can tackle a little bit better the Akron ground game shouldn’t provide much of a problem.
Who has the edge? Akron does return two 2nd team all MAC offensive lineman - but I think Arthur Jones and Jared Kimmel answer the call and shake things up a bit. LB Mike Mele has to step things up if he wants to see much more of the field. Overall the Orange run Defense has a lot to prove after such a sad performance against Northwestern - but Akron didn’t seem to try to do many things on the ground. I give the Orange the edge for just that reason.
Akron Offense vs. Syracuse Defense synopsis: If the Orange can tackle…they shouldn’t have a problem creating some problems for Akron. Sounds easy - but if you watched last weeks game you know we’re far from fundamental.
Why Syracuse will win: The Orange take a page out of the Badger playbook and run wild on the Akron defense. Brinkley and Carter both rack up nearly 100 yards a piece while Hogue chips in with 50. Jones reverts to 2007 form and makes life for Jacquemain hell as he’s on his back all day. The Orange actually make a few tackles.
Why Akron will win: History repeats itself.  The Cuse blows some assignments on D, there are missed tackles and Akron is allowed to get comfortable while the boo birds come out in full force.  On offense, the play calling stays conservative.  There are lots of 3rd and long situations and down the field passing is non-existent.
Syracuse player to watch: Safety A.J. Brown. Brown made 11 tackles and intercepted a pass against Northwestern in week one.
Akron player to watch: Quarterback Chris Jacquemain. Jacquemain had a career game against Wisconsin throwing for 227 yards and two scores.
5 Things I don’t want to see:
1) The offense pinned inside its 20 all game. If we have 3 or more possessions inside our 20, that means that both the offense and defense are not winning the battle up front and we are losing the field possession game. A recipe for disaster.
2) “The rotation” - I want to see us find the hot hand at tailback and go to him. Someone needs 20 touches. I would think it should be Carter, with Brinkley the 3rd down guy and Hogue as short yardage.
3) “The dropsies” - must be cut down. Lobdell and Davis have to come up with balls to keep the chains moving. Otherwise, I expect that the field will get alot shorter as the defense crowds the box.
4) Maybe this should be heard vs. seen, but here goes: No “I’ll have to look at the tape” quotes from Grob. Give us your take as you saw/remembered. I expect that you were watching this game as keenly as I was.
5) Aluminum. I want to see fans in the seats for 4 quarters. These are our kids. Let’s get behind them. All the way. Period.
Reyes39 Prediction: Syracuse 27 Akron 21
Lvilleorange Prediction: Syracuse 31 Akron 16
-Northwestern helmet thanks to Nationalchamps.net
-Stats thanks to ncaa.org and cfbdatawarehouse.com
-click on photos to see them from host site

Well so much for that.

The kool-aid has been returned to the refrigerator. An offseason of optimistic hopes faded in watching the 2008 edition of the Syracuse Orange take the field against Northwestern. If the Orange was going to make a run at a bowl appearance this season, the opener against Northwestern was going to be important game. Well the Orange showed it is not bowl ready. Now comes the real question. Just how much from this game can be taken as a barometer for the rest of the season?

In the pregame write up there were 5 things I didn’t want to see:
5) Any quick kicks on 3rd down - check
4) Corner backs playing 15 yards off the ball - I give this a check as well, although with the spread you really cannot afford to be too far off of the receiver. Overall I liked the coverage schemes.
3) 3 or more sacks allowed - well we gave up 2 and it was mostly a biproduct of the 3 step drop
4) CJ Bacher having all day to throw. Well 1 sack and 3TDs and getting 10 different players involved in receptions means we didn’t do a much to deter Bacher.
5) No hideous march onto the field - check.

Hey that’s 4 out of 5, so why were we so dismal?

The answer could fill a book, but the long and short of the problem could be filled with about 2 statements.

1) The no huddle completely wore down the defense. It was apparent early that Northwestern was going to have their way with the defense. While it was admirably that they allowed only 23 points, it was clear that NU could do what they wanted when they wanted.
2) SU lost terribly the battle for field position. The Cuse spent the day unside their own 10 3 times and inside the 20 3 other times, just in the first half alone. This put alot of pressure on the arm of Andrew Robinson and the offensive line and it was clear that neither were up to the challenge.

The Good:
1) From a first half perspective only, the rushing attack seems to be improved. All 3 of Brinkley, Hogue and Carter were able to bust runs in excess of 10 yards. The Orange matched their 2007 season average after the first quarter. It was clear that the scripted play calling was successful. After that???
2) Penalties. Only 5 which I took as very good. One of them, the 15 yarder on McKenzie for a chop block was BS. Overall a good job there.
3) We won the turnover battle despite ESPN’s Pam Ward and their crack graphics displayed late in the game. AJ Brown’s int squelched a sure scoring drive in the first quarter and Jared Kimmel’s strip of Sutton helped put the Cuse in the lead in at the start of the 3rd Quarter.

The Bad:
1) Where were the down field throws? I don’t think the Cuse went down the field until there was under 6 minutes left in the game. As a result, the NU defense was allowed to get closer and closer to the line of scrimmage. The result - 68 total yards in the second half and a predictable interception. Note to Browning - is there a pump fake in that 3 step drop playbook?
2) The RB rotation. It looked like GRob went developmental league on us with the rotation of Brinkley, Hogue and Carter. Brinkley starts because of seniority? Carter comes in cold to start the 2nd quarter standing in his own end zone and predictably fumbles. I saw Hogue run more sweeps than smashing between the tackles where you’d think his size would give him more of an advantage. I wasn’t happy with the personnel decisions at RB. Someone has to get 2/3rds of the carries and the other two will have to split what’s left. Note to GRob - your job is on the line. Start coaching like it.
3) Mike Mele - part of the blown coverage that created Northwestern’s first TD, was run through on a couple of occasions. Not his best game. The overall LB core needed to play better and he was the worst of the group.
4) The dropsies were back. Lobdell and Davis started well on the first drive, but each had some regrettable drops. This does not give ARob any confidence and likely caused him to overthink a few throws, especially in the 2nd half. Marcus Sales did look decent in his first game as a collegian.

The Ugly:
1) I have to put Andrew Robinson here. He was off target all day. For a guy with a full year under his belt, his performance was very discouraging
2) Tackling. Part of the problem with the defense was the total lack of commitment to tackling. Numerous arm tackles put NU in short yardage situations all day, allowing them to do all sorts of things and really get their no huddle into high gear.
3) Corey Chavers did not have a good game. Missed several run block assignments, matadored Wooten much of the game, allowing the pressure that brought the safety. It just wasn’t a good game for the senior who will now be pressed by Jonathan Meldrum for playing time.

The GRob Hot seat meter:
Africa Hot. A few more games like this and AD Darryl Gross will have more than two cell phones crammed in his ear.

Around the BE:
Well we aren’t the only team in the Big East that is in big trouble. 25th ranked (well not now anyway) Pittsburgh rolled over in its opener to Bowling Green. Louisville scored a whopping 2 points in its crudge match opener with Kentucky. Both teams played at home and both teams coaches are probably on the hot seat as well.

On the winning side, Cincinnati looked good with Grutza in command. Pat White and WV threw the ball way more than it ran it. A sign that they may be trying to save White some wear and tear early. UConn ran all over Hofstra as expected and USF rolled in its opener.

Rutgers will try and salvage what can only be described as an overall dismal performance by the Big East in Week One as it faces Fresno St today.

Well its finally time to put summer camp aside and focus on our Week One opponent, the Northwestern Wildcats. Read along for everything you’ll need to know about this game! A huge thank you to reyes39 for providing the majority of this preview.

When: Saturday August 30th, 2008 - 12:00PM Eastern/ 11:00AM Central (local kickoff time)

Where: Evanston, Illinois at Northwestern’s Ryan Field

Capacity: 47,130

Television: ESPN2 HD

The Spread: Opened at Syracuse +12. Currently floating around Syracuse +11 and +11.5

Rivalry info: The two teams have faced each other seven times. The last being in 1984. Syracuse owns a 4-3 record in the all-time series winning the last four meetings.

Fun Fact: The upcoming movie showcasing Ernie Davis and the Syracuse Orangemen, “The Express” - was shot mostly in Evantson, Illinois. Producers felt Ryan field closely resembled Archbold Stadium - home of the Orangemen until 1980.

Coaches: Northwestern- Pat Fitzgerald - 2 seasons at Northwestern (10-14 overall.) Syracuse- Greg Robinson - 3 seasons at Syracuse (7-28 overall.)

Last time they played: Syracuse pulled out a nail-biter over Northwestern on September 15th, 1984 - beating the Wildcats 13-12.

Syracuse passing game vs. the Northwestern secondary: Heading into 2008 the Orange expected to have one of the top passing units in all of the Big East. Then - top Wide Receiver Mike Williams was kicked off the team for academic reasons, Taj Smith bolted early for the NFL (Green Bay Packers), and Dan Sheeran broke his leg in summer camp. Now the Orange are left with a group of unproven and inexperienced talent at the position. Lavar Lobdell is the most talented and top receiver from 2007 returning but has shown little in his few opportunities in orange and blue. Freshman Marcus Sales is expected to contribute immediatly and Donte Davis returns after missing all of 2007 with a hand injury. Rounding out the group is Bruce Williams who transitioned back over from safety and will take time to get comfortable in the offense again - and theres a small chance freshman Van Chew will be worked into the mix after joining the Orange in early January.
Northwestern lost two starting DB’s in FS Reggie McPherson and CB Deante Battle but do return SS Brendan Smith who missed most of ‘07 due to injury. Last years staff did yield 243.3 ypg but is expected to be improved with 3 of 4 starting backs returning with strong game time experience. The only real question mark heading into 2008 is with CB Justan Vaugh who is expected to share time with Jordan Mabin opposite Sherrick McManis.
Who has the edge? Although unproven, Lobdell and Robinson should be able to find some holes in the Northwestern secondary. Initially I would think it would be a push…but due to our overall uncertainty at the WR position - Northwestern gets the nod.
Syracuse rushing attack vs. the Northwestern front seven: After ranking dead last in almost all major rushing categories in 2007 - the Orange look to be in much better shape heading into the 2008 season. Delone Carter and Curtis Brinkley are both back and healthy - and Doug Hogue rounds out what should be one of the most well rounded RB units the Orange have had in years. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter who’s in the backfield if the Offensive Line is anything like it was last year. New Offensive Coordinator Mitch Browning has a great track record or piecing together great Offensive Lines - but will he have enough time in Syracuse to really make a change?
Northwestern returns a rather experienced and strong front seven that was able to mingle in the mid 60’s-70’s nationally against the run in 2007. Fortunately, big run stuffing DT John Gill, Northwestern’s best defensive player, has been suspended from the season opener against the Orange. Losing Gill is something the Orange will try to take advantage of - but giant DE Wootton (6′7”) will provide enough problems in the trenches alone. Northwestern also lost leading tackler Kadela to graduation who racked up 125 tackles last year.
Who has the edge? Due to the Orange’s problems with the Offensive Line in 2007 - we’ll have to give Northwestern the edge for now until we see Brownings product on the field this Saturday. The Orange are in much better shape at Running Back than last season though. A true starter is yet to be named - but its probable Coach Robinson will use a committee anyways.
Syracuse Offense vs. Northwestern Defense synopsis: Everything falls on the offensive line. If they are indeed improved from 2007 the Orange have the play makers to put up some points. Expect things to look sloppy at times as the Orange transition into Brownings offense regardless of the offensive lines performance.
Northwestern passing game vs. the Syracuse secondary: Northwestern probably brings one of the most well rounded and underrated WR crops in the Big Ten to the table this Saturday. Peterman, the best overall receiver in the bunch, returns after a 66 catch 744 yard performance in 2007. He’ll be joined by Rasheed Ward (brings speed/elusiveness) and Ross Lane (Big target/red zone threat.) Converted quarterback Andrew Brewer figures to be worked back into the mix in the Wildcats four wide sets as well. The success of the Wildcats falls into the hands of their best players - QB C.J. Bacher. Bacher led the Big Ten in passing yards per game averaging just over 300 yards last year but did have problems controlling the ball - throwing 11 interceptions in the Wildcats final four games last season.
The Orange are expected to only have two starters in the secondary with starting experience in SS A.J. Brown (pressured strongly by Kevyn Scott) and sophomore CB Mike Holmes. Da’Mon Merkerson has made the transition from WR back into his natural CB position and officially won the starting spot over Nico Scott just days ago. Scott is expected to see the field quite a bit especially against Northwestern’s spread 3-4 receiver sets along with senior Ryan Howard. Mike Holmes will be starting opposite Merkerson and was rather impressive in action last year notching starts at both CB and Safety.
Who has the edge? Once again - the Orange are beat out by a much more experienced WR core. Bacher is slated to have a monster season with all of his major targets from 07 returning. Syracuse’s secondary will be much improved from last season and has a bright future but might not show for a few weeks.
Northwestern rushing attack vs. the Syracuse front seven: Like the Orange - Northwestern also has offensive line problems of their own. The Wildcats do return one of the Big Ten’s top RB’s in Tyrell Sutton. Sutton has close to 3,000 total yards in his career although he was banged up and unavailable much of the 2007 season. Omar Conteh is a serviceable compliment to Sutton and last year was able to rack up nearly 5 yards per carry. The offensive line is the Wildcats biggest question mark especially after losing three starters from last year - although thats not necessarily a bad thing. Last years line had trouble protecting much of anything and gave up 32 sacks on the year.
With DT Arthurt Jones - the Orange should be able to flourish against a weak and diminished offensive line. Kimmel has to take advantage of the extra attention Jones will receive - and Santiago (lost 40lbs in offseason) and Girruzi (transitioned from LB) only have one more year to showcase their talents. The only glaring issue heading into 2008 is with the Linebacking core. The Orange seem to be all set at MLB with Flaherty - but outside of him the unit is young and rather raw. Conley has voiced his satisfaction with his entire core but Orange fans don’t really know what to expect from Mele and Smith until we see them in action on Saturday. Overall the group is in better shape due to youngsters getting PT last year - but until Saturday its another coin flip.
Who has the edge? When it comes down to the trenches - I think Syracuse has the definite edge. But our questions at Linebacker still loom large and the two headed Wildcat running attack give them the slight edge overall. If Kimmel and Giruzzi can keep Sutton contained we have a shot at really slowing down Northwestern ground game.

Northwestern Offense vs. Syracuse Defense synopsis: If the Orange can contain Sutton and Bacher - the Orange should completely dismantle the Wildcat offense. The thing is - thats not easy - especially with the question marks we have on defense.
Why Syracuse will win: Arthur Jones and the Defensive Line expose Northwestern’s weak Offensive Line and shake up Bacher and Sutton. The Orange Offensive Line makes a 180 degree turn and Carter and Co. run wild on the Gill-a-monster-less Northwestern D-Line making it easy for Robinson to hook up with Lobdell for a few red-zone scores.
Why Northwestern will win: Bacher and Sutton are just way too much for the Orange to handle and shred a young Orange defense. The Orange O-Line isnt much improved from 2007 and Carter and Co. aren’t able to get things rolling. Robinson has the usual 3 seconds of time to pass and cant establish a passing game without Taj or Mike.
Syracuse player to watch: Defensive Tackle Arthur Jones. Jones is the staple of the Orange Defense and was able to rack up 17.5 TFL in 2007.

Northwestern player to watch: Quarterback C.J. Bacher. Bacher lead the Big Ten with 305 passing yards per game and totaled for 23 scores in 2007.

Five things I don’t want to see on game day:
5) A punt/quick kick on third down.
4) The corner backs playing 15 yards off the ball.
3) 3 or more sacks allowed.
2) CJ Bacher having all day to throw.
1) The Orange walk out of the tunnel. I want to see fire and emotion not that parade march we endured last season.

Reyes39 Prediction: Northwestern 35 - Syracuse 27
Lvilleorange Prediction: Northwestern 38 - Syracuse 23
Collegefootballnews Prediction: Northwestern 37 - Syracuse 20
Phil Steeles Prediction: Northwestern 31 - Syracuse 21
-Northwestern helmet thanks to Nationalchamps.net
-Stats thanks to ncaa.org and cfbdatawarehouse.com
-click on photos to see them from host site