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

The ZHK moves on to the next Big East opponent on the schedule and that is the West Virginia Mountaineers.  To recap thus far, the ZHK has predicted a 3-2 record for through the the first month of the season.  That’s more than the entire last season win total!  Now fresh off a bye week, the Orange roll up against the team that has grabbed the position of beast in the new look Big East football era.

What we know

The defending Big East champs aren’t without controversy as they start the season.  Rich Rodriguez left his alma mater to take the Michigan job.  The messy divorce from the WV program is going to cost him and UM $4 million.  His replacement, Bill Stewart, may have been the perfect person to guide them in their BCS dismantling of Oklahoma, but he could be a long term risk, as evidenced by SI’s Stewart Mandel shredding.

We like to think of WV as some inconquerable beast, but in reality this team lost two games in conference last season.  The wins were to Western Michigan, Marshall, maryland, East Carolina, Cuse, Mississippi St, Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati.  The losses:  South Florida and Pitt - a game that cost them a shot at the BCS title.

The offense will be just as potent as last season.  Seven starters return, including QB Pat White and a veteran offensive line.  Noel Devine replaces Steve Slaton at RB.  The big concern is durability at the skill slots as Slaton and White lost time in several games with various nagging injuries.  The WR core is inexperienced but talented with Dorrell Jalloh and Wes Lyons stepping in.

On defense, only four starters return but they are key.  Linebackers Reed Williams and Mortty Ivy were the teams top tacklers.  The secondary will be competely overhauled and the line will be manned by sophomore Scooter Berry and Frosh Chris Neild.  I’m not sure they can expect to maintain their standing as a top 10 D (7th overall last season - 8th in scoring/16th rushing/14th passing), but they should be enough given their potent offense.

Quick Fact

Dan Mozes’ 2006 Dave Remington award is the only major hardware garnerd by a WV player.

Why we can win

We have a week to prepare for this game and this could be trap game for WV sandwiched between Rutgers and Auburn. Wait a minute, I think I hear something. Oh its my alarm clock waking me from the ‘87 SU/WV classic.
1987 SU/WV

Why we can lose

Well we have lost the last 6 games by an average of 34-13. We haven’t won in Morgantown since 2000. To think we can pull of a big upset would be surprising to say the least. I think we can easily expect another 20+ point pounding.

ZHK says

I’m not one for moral victories, but I think this season is going to need a number of these such “wins” to save GRob’s job. And how SU plays against the top dawgs like WV will go along way in determining his fate. SU will have to try and match WV’s speed on offense by controlling the ball and taking advantage of WV’s young line and secondary. Can we do it? Maybe for a quarter or half, but I would expect that SU will have a hard time winning in Morgantown.

Next ZHK: South Florida breakdown

Well it is finally time to address the Big East schools on the schedule. And it brings us to the Pittsburgh Panthers.

What we know

The Panthers are this year’s darling to make a splash in the Big East Conference race for a BCS slot. Much of this is largely based on Pitt’s upset of West Virginia in the season finally 13-9,that effectively ended the Mountaineers chance to play in the BCS championship game.  Also coach Dave Wannstedt has been stacking up Top 25 recruiting classes like a weightlifter on a steriod program.  Last year Pitt finished with a 5-7 record and 3-4 in conference play with wins over Eastern Michigan, Grambling St, Cincinnati, Syracuse and West Virginia. Losses were to Michigan St, UConn, Virginia, Navy, Louisville, USF and Rutgers.

Things went south for Pitt when QB Bill Stull was lost for the season with a thumb injury and true frosh Pat Bostick was given the reins. Also lost for the year was talented WR Derek Kinder. He is back as is Oderick Turner, burner TJ Porter and they welcome 6′6″ 5-star Jonathon Baldwin.  LeSean McCoy was a revelation at RB, rushing for 1300+ yds and 14 TDs. If there is a concern on offense its that the OL returns only one starter. The line needs to gel, but the weapons are definitely there.

The real reason that expectations are high is that the defense has a chance to be special. Last year the D ranked 5th overall in total yards allowed thanks to allowing only 167.2 yds a game, good for 3rd in the nation. The DL is really talented and deep, led by end Greg Romeus, a man who terrorized our line last season as the Panthers got 6 sacks against us last season. The Defense also returns all three starting LBs.

Last year’s 20-17 win by Pitt has squared the overall series at 30-30-3. The game was close throughout with Pitt scoring late to go up 20-10 and then hanging on as the Cuse staged a comeback.  Pitt has won 5 of 6 after SU had totally dominated the 90’s.

Quick fact:

The University of Pittsburgh officially claims nine National Championships for the Panthers football team: 4 unanimous, (1916, 1918, 1937, and 1976) and 5 shared titles (1915, 1929, 1931, 1934, 1936).

Why we can win:

The two teams played a tight affair last season in a game that saw Cam Dantley come in and play well in place of Andrew Robinson.  The game being in the dome will definitely help.  Despite McCoy running well we hung around.  Our offense should be better w/ a stable of healthy backs to prevent Pitt’s defensive line from just having to tee it up on every play.

Why we can lose:

A top notch dline that can reek havoc on an inexperienced oline. A RB that can pound away and get tough yards. Experienced and improved QBs. The promise of a top 25 season and the maturation of several highly rated recruiting classes gives hope for at least an 8 win season and a nice bowl game.

ZHK says:

If I drink the kool-aid being served to me by every talking head, this game is the proverbial no-brainer. Pitt should win this game easily. The problem is, I still have some lingering doubt about Wannstedt as a college coach. And not that I don’t think Pitt will be very dangerous going forward. There is also this quote from Browning that has me intrigued, “I have been pleasantly surprised by the talent on hand”. If there was any shred of hope, its the knowledge that the Oline woes can be turned around. And the hope that Browning thinks improvement is achievable this season.  By this point we know what we have and whether any of this preseason speculation means anything. I think we can keep this game close and get a late FG by Pat Shadle to secure the early season surprise.

Next Week: West Virginia

Next on the docket this week is the Northeastern Huskies. This is the obligatory Div I-AA or FCS team that most Div-I or FBS (I can’t stand those acronyms am I the only one?) team’s schedule. Heck there are BCS teams that schedule more than one of them.

What we know:

Well, not much. As far as cupcakes go, this one is should come with a glass of milk. Last year they finished at 3-8 with wins to Northwestern St, New Hampshire and Hofstra. Losses were to Northwestern, Richmond, UC Davis, James Madison, UMass, Maine and Rhode Island. They return QB Anthony Orio, a four year starter and returns 15 starters from last year’s team. Does it matter?

As for the spring game, I think we found someone we outdrew, but not by much.

Quick fact:

ESPN SportCenter anchor Michelle Bonner is an alumni.

Why we can win:

Let’s just say that there won’t be many games where we are favored. Even in this darkest of eras, GRob has managed to take care of the one game everyone thought we should win. Well this is that game on the schedule.

Why we can lose:

Look no further than last year as big bad Michigan fell to FCS Appalachian St. While Northeastern isn’t even at Appalachian St’s level, we aren’t exactly at Michigan’s are we?

ZHK says:

Yeah, so what. Are you really reading this? I probably could have typed, blah, blah, blah and you might not even have noticed. If the Cuse were to lose this game, I and the rest of Orange Nation would probably have to hide the steak knives, and probably put Linkin Park’s Given up on permanent rotation. The season and GRob’s job would be effectively over. But alas, this should be a relatively easy game. It will be the third of four straight at the dome, and should be a good game to move the ball on the ground and hopefully get the 2nd and third stringers some PT in advance of the BE opener the following week against Pitt.

Thoughts? Talk to the Zero Hand…

Well, well, well, look who is back on the schedule.  After an 18 year hiatus, the Penn St Nittany Lions are back to renew a rivalry that dates back to 1922.   Well it really isn’t much of a rivalry, as the season series is lopsided to the tune of 23-40-5.  In the eyes of many Orange fans, it was becoming a rivalry, when we took consecutive games in ‘87 in the dome and ‘88 in Happy Valley.  It would have been interesting to see how the teams would have played in the 90s.  However, the series halted when SU failed to give in to more home games at Penn St and the Big East failed to envision itself as a football conference when it shunned overatures by PSU to join the conference.  With that, the concept of “Eastern” football died.

What we Know

The Nittany Lions went 9-4 last season, doing most of their damage in Happy Valley.  Wins over Florida Int, Notre Dame, Buffalo, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue, Temple and Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.  Losses were to Michigan, Illinois, Ohio St and Michigan St.

Conventional wisdom has this team in the Top 25 even though they could finish 4th or 5th this season in the Big 10.  I would hesitate to say that a 10 win season is attainable, especially considering the Cuse is probably the marquee game on a non-conference slate that includes Coastal Carolina, Oregon St and Temple all at home - yikes!

Spring developments

When you think of Penn St, you think of those generic white uniforms and Joe Paterno.  Paterno has personified longevity, coaching for an absurd 42 years.  And with that stability you would expect tranquility but alas, the Lions had their share of off the field hijinks and it pails in comparison to sneaking in to steal equipment.

On the field, LB Sean Lee went down w/ an ACL tear, leaving the Lions w/o the Big 10’s 2nd leading tackler. Fortunately, potential conference Def POY candidate Maurice Evans is around.  A sack machine who registered 12.5 last season, Evans leads an experienced Dline that returns 7 players who saw significant time.  The line was a prime reason the D was stingy against the run, rating 7th in the nation.

On offense, the major concern will be at QB as Joe Pa could be placing junior Daryll Clark and sophomore Pat Devlin on the proverbial merri-go-round.  Their offensive line will be a strength w/ AQ Shipley at C and guard Rich Ohrnberger both starters for the 3rd straight year.  The trio of WRs Deon Butler, Derrick Williams and Jordan Norwood are in the top 10 in receptions in school history.  Throw in RB Evan Royster who rushed for over 500 yds as a frosh and its easy to see that the Lions should maintain their 30.3 pts per game average next season.

As for the spring game, well let’s just say that they drew a few more fans than we did  and leave it at that.

Quick fact

Despite a long and proud tradition, the Lions have only one Heisman and that’s John Cappelletti in 1973

Why we can win

One need only look at last year’s stunning win over Louisville to see that there is hope that a top 20 foe can be knocked off.  The game is at home, where the Loud House can have influence.  Even PSU blogger There Is No Name on My Jersey gives us a punchers chance, albeit before the suspension of Mike Williams.  Teams were able to hang and beat PSU via the air last season and that will likely be the way such an upset would occur this season.

Why we can lose

The strength of PSU on both sides of the ball is their lines.  Evans and company may have a field day harassing ARob if the line reverts to its porous sack numbers.  A stout run defense could make life miserable for Hogue/Carter and Brinkley. I could see Joe Pa calling out mobile qb Pat Devlin to run roughshod on the LBing core, similar to how Jake Locker did last season against us in the dome.

ZHK says:

While its nice to see some old school rivals on the schedule,  this team is ill prepared to handle a team that is as balanced as Penn St.  Of course we said that last year at Louisville too and that game came off of demoralizing efforts against Washington and Iowa.  The stands should be filled, hopefully in orange.  Still, this game seems tailor made for a loss. How big of a loss will determine how well the program is received with FCS foe Northeastern in town next week.

Next week  Norhtheastern

Now talk to the Zero Hand…

In this installment of the ZHK, we will break down SU’s 2nd opponent, the Akron Zips.

This is the home opener for the Cuse, and thanks to my negative prediction last week of a loss to Northwestern, AD Darryl Gross can safely estimate an opening day crowd of 27K to watch us battle this MAC foe. On a side note, any chance of building some kind of rabid fan base with this blog probably went south with that pick too. Oh well, at least my pick was etched in pencil. But seriously, many fans will be taking a hard look at the program this season and that first game will either bring a full chorus of vitriol on Greg Robinson or maybe it could signal a Rich Brooks led Kentucky like resurrection of the program, or maybe neither.

Now back to the Zips.

What we know:

The Zips went 4-8 last season with wins over Army, Kent St, Western Michigan, and Ohio. Losses were to Ohio St, Indiana, UConn, Temple, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Miami OH, and Central Michigan. The Zips really struggled on Offense, ranking 97th in scoring, 90th in rushing (although at 127.8 yds per game its more than double our total 62.8 per game), and 100th in passing yds. The offense returns 7 of those starters, including All-Mac left tackle Chris Kemme.

Spring Developments:

On the positive front, Akron broke ground on a new on campus football stadium. On the not so positive front, expect Akron to lose 5 scholarships thanks to the NCAA. The defense plays an unconventional 3-3-5 defensive set. Only 4 starters return on D and to put more talent on that side of the ball, All-MAC RB Bryan Williams moved to the secondary. Several transfers from BCS schools (Miami, WV, Iowa) are expected to fill in and play critical roles.

Chris Jacquemain runs the offense. He may be pushed by redshirt frosh Matt Rogers. To continue to mock our spring fling, Akron split their team into a Blue vs Gold matchup and played a full game. None of this offense vs defense crap.

Most pundits are picking Akron as a middle of the pack team in the MAC with a potential to contend if things fall into place. The Quad ranks Akron as the #103 team out of all Div-I schools.

Quick fact:

Akron sports NFL Man of the Year/Dancing with the Stars runnerup Jason Taylor as a prominent alumni.

Why we can win:

On paper, Akron appears to offer a one dimensional ground attack. With the sheer number of changes going on the defensive side, this game is tailor made for the offense to establish something positive on the ground.  We also should have some success working in our youngsters at WR. The lack of productivity on the passing game for the Zips will alleviate our inexperience in the secondary.

Why we can lose:

Anyone that watched last season’s game against Miami Oh knows what we are capable of. Akron’s strength’s will be their OLine and depth of RBs. If they can run the ball and minimize mistakes they could hang around.

ZHK says:

This game should shape up as a solid indicator of where the team is heading. Typically, teams show their greatest improvement between the first and second games. A decisive win would do well to put fannies in the seats for the remaining home schedule. Struggling in this game, will cause me to rethink the merits of blogging this program. Plus it all but guarentees that next week’s game w/ PSU will feel more like a game at the Happy Valley then a home game.
Fortunately I’m not picking that. I expect to see Delone Carter make a big splash and rush for 100 yards. This is a game that we shouldn’t miss the services of Instant Six (Who I will forever reference as Deep Sixed from this point forward). The knob is turned down to simmer on the Grob seat this week. Chisel this game in stone as the Cuse gets a nice win. Hope springs eternal as Penn St rolls in next week.

Next week on ZHK: Penn St.

Thoughts? Talk to the Hand…

Well, I think Hee Haw’s bit really hits home here for Greg Robinson:
Hee Haw - Gloom

It has been one strange circumstance after another w/ top flight players and the SU program. As chronicled by Donnie Webb , the football program has been hit by one painful event after another since Greg Robinson took over as coach.

So what to make of Williams departure? Is there any chance for his return?

Judging by the sounds of it, I’m not guessing that he will be back this season. That leaves a giant hole at WR. So what are the team’s options? Do they move Merkerson back to WR? Do they just hope that Lobdell can take over as #1, a man who has 13 career catches? Does Donte Davis or Dan Sheeran now move up automatically? What about promising frosh like Marcus Sales or Trey Fairchild. The pressure will be on for them to step in and produce immediately.

Now how does it effect gameplanning? We already saw that teams would crowd the line of scrimmage and make us one dimensional. Now there will be even more concern that the line can run block effectively. We can expect even more blitzing to take advantage of our now REALLY inexperienced set of WRs.
Browning’s hands may be tied as to just how much the offense can do. What really hurts is that Williams’ dismissal comes after spring practice, when the team could have spent time dealing with his loss.

Does this change Gross’ impression on expectations for this season? Is GRob the proverbial dead man walking? Will anyone care, as attendance continues to plummet? Could you blame GRob if he started hitting the bottle pretty heavily right now? I think I would be inclined to pass my paper bag stash over to him as well.

Welcome to in the inaugural edition of what I am currently calling the ZHK, Zero Hand Knowledge. Its everything you have the ability to know but are too lazy to hunt down yourself. Consider me your zero hand!

With the football season on the horizon, I want to start with some incite on our upcoming opponents. As we all know, this is really a make or break season for Coach Robinson. The fan base has already witnessed the tearing down of the program. We knew that the talent had declined in the later part of Paul Pasqualoni’s career, but no one invisioned 1-10, 4-7 or 2-10 for this program. Robinson now has 3 recruiting classes in house. What can we expect this season as fans? More than one win in conference? A bowl appearance? I’ll try and pick apart the schedule and see how our opponents are looking. In this addition, the ZHK will break down our opening game foe, the Northwestern Wildcats.

What we know:

# of returning starters O - 8
# of returning starters on D - 7

Northwestern’s record last year was 6-6. Many experts rated their schedule as one of the easiest in the nation, yet they did not go bowling. They did not play Wisconsin or Penn St. They pretty much beat who they were expected to beat minus losing to Duke at home. Wins: Northeastern, Nevada, Mich St, Minnesota, Eastern Michigan, Indiana. Losses: Duke, Ohio St, Michigan, Purdue, Iowa, Illinios. Their best win was against Michigan St on the road.

This is a pass first team. They return their core group of skill players. CJ Bacher led the Big 10 in passing last season. He has an experienced cast of receivers in Eric Peterson (66 catches), Ross Lane (49) and Rasheed Ward (46). Running backs Tyrell Sutton and Omar Conteh combined for 50 receptions as well and split the carries evenly also on the way to a combined 1000 yards. Sutton has the potential to be a big time back. He rushed for 1500+ yards as frosh and 1000 as a sophmore but missed 7 games last season. How well Sutton returns will dictate whether the Wildcats will have balance on offense or rely on Bacher to direct the attack.

Key Spring developments:

Northwestern must replace 3 starters on the line and it looks like redshirt frosh Al Netter will be manning the all important LT position. They have an new O Coordinator like we do in Mick McCall. He is looking to install a no-huddle offensive to help turn the Wildcats offensive yardage into points.

On the D side, Mike Hankwitz takes over as D coordinator and will be looking to improve on a defense that gave up alot of yards via the air and sacked opposing QBs only 18 times. The secondary is undergoing some position battles that will be decided in fall. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

Spring game:

The NU spring game pretty much followed the breakdown of their team. The offense scored TDs in 3 of its first 4 series. And get this, they were able to pull off a 75 play scrimmage! That’s like a double spring session for us Cuse fans!

Quick fact:

Head coach Pat Fitzgerald played during the Gary Barnett era, won Nagurski/Bednarik awards as LB.

Why we can win:

It’s the opener. The Cats will be unveiling 3 new starters on the line. Their secondary weakness could be exploited by our biggest strength in Mike Williams, aka Instant Six! We will learn alot about our team in the opener. Last year we played a mobile QB in Jake Locker and were horribly exploited. Bacher is a throw first qb in the lines of our Andrew Robinson. Hopefully that means easier assignments for our D, which will have to put pressure on and limit the running game. Their Dline did not pressure the QB well and if we can get time to throw that will be to our advantage. Having a healthy stable of RBs in Hogue/Carter and Brinkley will take pressure off of ARob. Mitch Browning’s experience with having seen Northwestern will be a plus.

Why we can lose:

It’s the opener, duh, and its on the road. We are also trotting out a new offensive system and our weaknesses on the Oline will still be unknown as to any or how much improvement. NU’s strength is on offense and if their new no-huddle starts clicking we could be in for a long day, as they have the experience needed to make it work. This aspect scares me more than any other development. If Sutton runs well we will be in trouble. Our LB core, while it got some experience last year, is not a strength at this point. Our young secondary will be tested as well. Northwestern could be a sleeper this year in the Big 10. This will not be an easy game.

Areas of note:

Check out Northwestern blog laketheposts for his interview with Brian from Orange::44!
A more historical look at NU can be found at hailtopurple.

ZHK says:

We will probably be a team that gets better as the season progresses. If we want to entertain any thought of going bowling, this game is a must win. On the other hand, it may be alot to expect a win given Northwestern’s offensive experience. We can probably hang with them, but their ability to move the football will be a big factor, especially at home. I pencil this game as a loss.

Next ZHK: Akron

Now, talk to the Zero Hand!