sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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It's National Cheese Pizza Day!
www.youtube.com
Welcome to National Cheese Pizza Day!
National Cheese Pizza Day is dedicated to the pie shaped flatbread with toppings, first eaten in Naples in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At the time, this coastal city was not part of Italy, but its own kingdom. The working poor, or lazzaroni, lived outside or in small homes, and needed cheap food. Pizza consisted of flatbread with toppings such as tomatoes, garlic, cheese, oil, or anchovies, and it was sold by street vendors and informal restaurants, and eaten for any meal. Naples became part of Italy in 1861, and in 1889, Queen Margherita and King Umberto visited Naples and tried pizza. Legend has it that she loved mozzarella pizza, which included mozzarella cheese, red tomatoes, and green basil—the colors of the Italian flag. The pizza then took her namesake. But, pizza didn't end up becoming popular in the rest of Italy until the 1940's.
SU News
Film review: Timely blitzing shows true chaos of 3-3-5 defense (DO; Alandt)
Over the last three seasons, Syracuse recruited and ran a successful iteration of the 3-3-5 defense, one that gave advantage to its undersized athletes. Yet, heading into 2023, SU has experienced mass turnover. The Orange have lost two position coaches and three starters to the transfer portal and NFL Draft.
Syracuse’s season-opening matchup against Colgate provided a look into the potential of Rocky Long’s defense. The unit held the Raiders to just 106 yards of total offense and quarterback Michael Brescia to 29 yards and two interceptions.
Here are some examples of how SU’s defense clinched a shutout victory on Saturday:
Lowery’s decoy allows Wax to Clean Brescia
65-0?! Syracuse vs. Colgate | Full Game Highlights
Syracuse crush central New York rivals Colgate 65-0 at the JMA Wireless Dome.#ESPN #espn #CFB✔️Subscribe to ESPN+ http://espnplus.com/youtube✔️ Get the ESPN ...
youtu.be
Long called his first blitz package on the third play of Colgate’s opening drive. Linebacker Marlowe Wax flew through the line of scrimmage, untouched, for a drive-ending sack. A combination of a decoy on the strong side and Wax’s starting position was what freed him up.
Leon Lowery was standing opposite the right tackle. Wax hovered over the nose tackle and began to creep forward. But with an empty set and running back Jaedon Henry sent in motion out right, the Raiders looked positioned to face a soft coverage.
At the snap, Lowery dropped back in coverage to help with a double team, allowing Wax to blow up the quarterback. The disguised blitz exposed Colgate’s offensive line. Even if Brescia got the pass off on his first read to Henry on a wheel route, defensive back Jaeden Gould was streaking in to likely tackle for a loss of yards.
Bringing the house
65-0?! Syracuse vs. Colgate | Full Game Highlights
Syracuse crush central New York rivals Colgate 65-0 at the JMA Wireless Dome.#ESPN #espn #CFB✔️Subscribe to ESPN+ http://espnplus.com/youtube✔️ Get the ESPN ...
youtu.be
On this 3rd-and-5, Syracuse kept Wax and Lowery closer to the line of scrimmage than on previous blitzes. SU was going all in, perfectly fine with playing man defense against Colgate’s four receivers. Wax flew around the horn while Derek McDonald bull-rushed his way through a double team. McDonald’s move gave Kevon Darton and Caleb Okechukwu space up the middle to act as pseudo quarterback spies.
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Syracuse crushes Colgate in 65-0 season-opening win (thenewshouse.com; Kinane)
Syracuse football demolished an outmatched Colgate squad 65-0 in its season opener Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome.
The victory is the most lopsided the program has had under head coach Dino Babers. Babers’ previous personal best was a 59-point win against Wagner in 2022. The last time the Orange won a game by more points dates back to 1959, also against Colgate when SU won 71-0.
A flurry of scoring by the Orange had the game nearly sealed by the end of the first quarter with a 23-0 lead. From there, it just kept coming.
“I thought we had some ups, we had some downs but I am satisfied,” Babers said. “I thought the guys played hard overall even though there were periods where we didn’t play as hard as I would’ve liked.”
Beyond the scoreboard, Syracuse racked up some impressive stats outgaining Colgate 677-106 in total yards for a new school record, holding the Raiders to 1.4 yards per carry, and gaining 34 first downs compared to just six from the visitors. The 677 total yards set a new school record.
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Syracuse RB LeQuint Allen Jr, center, celebrates with wide receiver Ishiah Jones, left, and tight end Dan Villari after scoring during the first half of a win over Colgate on Saturday. Adrian Kraus, AP
LeQuint Allen impresses in Syracuse football opener: Local college notebook (pressofatlanticcity.com; Russo)
Running back LeQuint Allen opened his sophomore season with an impressive performance Saturday.
The Millville High School graduate rushed for 107 yards and a TD on 16 carries in Syracuse University’s 65-0 win over Colgate. DL Denis Jaquez Jr. (St. Augustine Prep) had two tackles, including half of a sack, and a QB hit for the Orange.
LB Solomon DeShields (Millville) made two tackles, including one for a loss, in Pittsburgh’s 45-7 win over Wofford.
LB Mohamed Toure (Pleasantville) made eight tackles, including 1.5 for a loss and a sack, in Rutgers’ 24-7 win over Northwestern. Toure, a senior, is a team captain this season. LB Tyreem Powell (Vineland) made eight tackles, including a sack. DB Max Melton (Cedar Creek) had two tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. DB Carnell Davis (Galloway Township resident) made one tackle.
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SU football’s young talent makes a mark in rout vs. Colgate: ‘I have to let ‘em know’ (PS; $; Leiker)
Umari Hatcher was surprised how much Colgate’s secondary pressed Syracuse football’s receiving corps.
Usually, when a defense is outmatched it falls back on more zone-based coverages to help minimize an offense’s biggest threats down the field.
Colgate didn’t, and Hatcher took advantage.
“They were playing a lot of man, and I don’t tolerate man,” Hatcher said post-game. “I don’t like when somebody pressing me like that, so I have to let ‘em know.”
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Babers tabs penalty woes as biggest area to improve in Week 2 (PS; Leiker)
There’s not much to nitpick about a 65-0 win.
But there are, still, things Dino Babers wants to see his Syracuse football team improve this week ahead of its Week 2 game against Western Michigan.
The main one is penalties.
“Well, I think as a team obviously there are certain penalties that are acceptable and certain penalties that are not acceptable,” Babers said during his Monday press conference. “As a coaching staff, young men are allowed to make a mistake once, but if they make it twice, the coaches are responsible for that, too.”
The Orange, which tied for most-penalized team in the country last season, finished the 2023 season opener with seven penalties. Four came in the first quarter while Syracuse’s starters were in the game — two false starts, an illegal formation penalty on a Colgate punt and an offsides.
Babers had said postgame Saturday said that he wasn’t happy about the penalties, and that, in particular, the offsides that allowed Colgate’s offense to keep the ball was a big problem.
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Syracuse football: Three takeaways from the Orange’s 65-0 win versus Colgate (TNIAAM; Chiappone)
The Syracuse Orange started on fire and never looked back in a 65-0 shutout win over the Colgate Raiders to kickoff the 2023 season. One down, five to go for Operation: Pinstripe Bowl Part II?
While there were some minor issues here and there, Syracuse’s victory was the second-largest shutout versus the Raiders since a 71-0 in November 1959. That’s nothing to shy at to begin the year - Syracuse got the job done in promising fashion, just like it needed to do (add in that the Orange reached 677 total yards on offense, a program record).
There was lots of questions that needed some answers heading into the Orange’s season opener, and we’ve got 60 minutes worth of game time to dissect.
With all that in mind, here are the three main takeaways from Syracuse’s opening win:
Shrader begins his return to form
Heading into the season opener, most eyes were on Shrader’s performance coming off the offseason right arm procedure, and it’s fair to say that he looked pretty solid in his 2023 debut....
https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/football/podcast-colgate-recap-wmu-preview-090523 (SI; podcast; The Bleav)
Bleav in Syracuse podcast episode 75, presented by Bet Online, Hofmann Sausage Company and Purple Banana, is out! Hosts Mike McAllister, Josh Crawford, Griffin Della Penna and Sydney Supple discuss Syracuse's season opening win against Colgate, what it means for the Orange moving forward, what needs to improve in week two against Western Michigan, head scratching losses by future Syracuse opponents and how week one impacted the outlook for SU's 2023 season. You can subscribe and listen on your favorite podcasting platforms as linked below.
Syracuse Football Report Card vs. Colgate (ornagefizz.net; Aitken)
In a dominant 65-0 win for Syracuse over Colgate, it’s hard to imagine anyone would have less than an A+ performance. While plenty of players on the Orange aced the season opener, not everyone was perfect. Here are the most important player, coach, and position group grades of the victory.
Secondary: A+
I know I said that not everyone on SU was perfect, but the secondary was close to it. The group forced 3 turnovers, and Jeremiah Wilson even tallied a pick-six. But that wasn’t where they really shined. The starting group held Colgate’s first team to six completions on 12 attempts for a total of 25 yards. Raiders receivers struggled to get any space at all. Syracuse’s secondary lost the trio of Duce Chestnut, Ja’Had Carter, and Garrett Williams this offseason, but the new group has certainly stepped up to the challenge of replacing them.
Jason Beck and Rocky Long: A
There was lots of change for Syracuse football this offseason. Jason Beck took over as the offensive coordinator, while Rocky Long became the leader of the defense. Both coaches shined in the season opener.
Beck spread the ball around to everyone he could. The top four offensive weapons got touchdowns in the first half: Oronde Gadsden, LeQuint Allen, Damien Alford, and Isaiah Jones. Many expected SU’s offense this year to be Gadsden and no one else. However, Syracuse’s tight end was double teamed often, so today’s game was a great chance for Beck to prove that he can guide a successful offense using the entire roster.
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https://www.northjersey.com/story/s...nj-package-deal/70704611007/(northjersey.com; Tartaglia)
The Dye twins are “in the driver’s seat” for their senior football season at Passaic Tech. It just happens that one got there before the other.
Travon Dye, an All-North Jersey linebacker in 2022, and Trashon Dye, an All-North Jersey running back, both have committed to play at Syracuse.
Inseparable as they are on the field – they turned down offers from schools that tried to recruit them individually – the two were apart for last month’s Super Football Conference Media Day. Trashon was at the MetLife Stadium event, while Travon was testing for his driver’s license.
“I passed the first try, easy,” Trashon said with an irrepressible grin.
More recently, the other brother got to tell his side of the story.
“I failed because he jinxed me,” Travon said half-jokingly in a Friday phone conversation. “It was the parallel parking [that got me]. I’ve got another test, though, in October. I’ve been practicing.”
The irony is that Travon was the first to take a serious interest in football. Trashon was not a fan of the conditioning drills at first, but eventually, he came along for the ride.
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High hopes and excitement: Syracuse Football fans anticipate a promising season after opener (cnycentral.com; Ostrander)
With the start of the college football season, fans are always hopeful for what is in store for the Syracuse Orange.
CNY Central went out to talk to Syracuse football fans who have some high expectations coming into this upcoming season.
Syracuse football fans were excited before heading into the JMA Wireless Dome, as many felt that the team from the first half of the year last year would be back this season.
Mark Cupelo, who is the head of the Enrique Syracruz NIL Tailgate, shared his thoughts with CNY Central before the game saying that it would be, “a chance to see what we got, to kind of reset expectations and understand what is going to happen going forward. I foresee an epic year for these kids, and they are great kids, and they deserve it.”
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30 Minutes In Orange Nation 9-4-23 (ESPN; radio; Orange Nation)
Steve and Paulie kick off Labor Day with their reactions to Syracuse football’s dominant 65-0 blowout of Colgate. Then, Paulie is leaning head first into “Overreaction Monday” by re-thinking his original predictions for the Orange’s season win total. Later, some sound from Coach Babers’ Monday press conference where he shares who impressed him Saturday and sounds off on how late hit penalties are being called.
Axe: SU football's first-win feeling is worlds apart from last season (PS; $; Axe)
Asked Saturday night to compare Syracuse football’s 65-0 drubbing of Colgate to last season’s convincing debut victory over Louisville, Dino Babers had a mini-Deion Sanders moment.
It wasn’t quite Coach Prime going scorched earth on the non-believers in his Buffaloes, but it stirred a little slight in the eighth-year head coach.
“I’m too old to get frustrated, but I look at it, we finished third in the ACC Atlantic last year,” Babers said. “People seem to forget that. Last time I checked, Clemson was first; Florida State was second. Syracuse was third. I think that’s difficult to do and league wins are important.”
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Keeping Up With The 315 9-4-23 (ESPN; radio; The 315)
Brian Higgins discusses what we learned from Syracuse football’s week 1 blowout win over Colgate. Then, he reacts to some of the most interesting comments from Dino Babers after the game. Finally, Brain previews the schedule ahead after some SU future opponents had strong weeks and some not so much.
Colgate fans take over Skytop before football game (DO; Alandt)
Rich Derrick was a distance swimmer for Colgate in the mid-2000s, something his two other friends on the team — Emily and Brad Oastler — would never touch. While the three are devout Colgate followers, Brad met a Syracuse fan through the Liverpool Fire Department that the trio would let tailgate with them, though only if the Orange fan set up outside of the tent.
The group’s setup at Skytop Parking lot at Syracuse University’s South Campus began around 10 a.m., with Derrick and the Oastlers finding a spot next to the tree line left of the main driveway. They stared down a sea of Orange flags, stuffed Ottos and a mobile home commissioned for SU tailgates.
Despite saying he was done driving bigger cars, the group unloaded a wide variety of beer — from Shiner Bock and Saranac to Samuel Adams — chairs, tables and whatever else they’d need from Brad’s new SUV.
“I picked a car for tailgating,” Brad said.
They stood under a Maroon tent with three tables and a flag — hand sewn by Brad’s mother, Marie — displaying the patented “go ‘Gate.” Below it sat a black flag with a skull and crossbones, marking their territory for the Raiders. One table had a decommissioned Colgate helmet that Brad bought a few years ago for $25 at an alumni rummage sale.
Inside the helmet sat Hoodoo the Owl, a stuffed animal Brad named after the Curse of the Hoodoo. As legend goes, a Colgate student snuck into the construction site of Archbold Stadium, where Syracuse football called home prior to the JMA Wireless Dome, and buried a Maroon ‘C’ sweater somewhere in the cement. The Raiders won the next five meetings at Syracuse before getting shut out 38-0 in 1915. He stared off from the sheltered post as he watched Emily’s sister come with her infant son in an Otto the Orange outfit.
“It’s how we met each other. It’s everything. We love the school,” Emily said.
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How SU football transfers fared: Jordan has long TD run in Louisville win (PS; Owens)
Former Syracuse running back Jawhar Jordan’s 74-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run helped lift Louisville to a 39-34 season-opening Atlantic Coast Conference win at Georgia Tech on Friday night.
The Cardinals were down 28-13 at the half, but a Brock Travelstead field goal and pair of touchdown passes from Jack Plummer to Jamari Thrash put the Cardinals ahead by a point in the fourth quarter. One play after a Georgia Tech fumble in Louisville territory, Jordan ran up the middle, broke a tackle just past the line of scrimmage and rambled 74 yards for a touchdown with 3:41 left to help seal the win.
Jordan finished with 96 yards rushing on seven carries, and caught one pass for 6 yards. He also returned one kickoff for 23 yards.
Jordan appeared in four games for Syracuse in 2019 as a redshirt freshman, and three more in 2020 before a knee injury ended his season. He transferred to Louisville before the 2021 season.
Jordan’s run is at the 1:19 mark of the video below:
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/football/how-former-syracuse-players-fared-week-one-new-schools (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse football lost several players to the transfer portal this offseason as is the new normal in college football. Here is how they performed this past weekend.
S Ja’Had Carter (Ohio State)
Did not play. Word throughout camp is he was in a battle with two other players for a starting safety spot. All three were expected to play in the opener against Indiana, but Carter did not. There were rumblings he may have been banged up, which led to him not playing. One to watch moving forward this season.
CB Duce Chestnut (LSU)
Recorded four tackles and one interception in LSU's loss to Florida State. Chestnut was frequently targeted by the Seminoles in the second half, and gave up multiple touchdown catches. After leading 17-14 at halftime, Florida State went on a 31-0 run in the second half that led the the statement victory.
WR Dom Foster (Butler Community College)
Foster is at Butler Community College (JUCO) after leaving Syracuse. Butler has played two games thus far. In the first on August 24th, he made one catch for 23 yards and a touchdown. This past weekend, he had one catch for nine yards in Butler's win over Highland.
DL Jatius Geer (South Carolina)
Did not play in a season opening loss to North Carolina due to injury. He is expected to return for week two.
DL Josh Hough
Could not find any information that he ended up somewhere else or is still playing football.
WR Courtney Jackson (Arkansas State)
Jackson started for Arkansas State and led the team in receiving in the loss at Oklahoma. He finished with three catches for 66 yards.
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It was nice having some of the SU team over to the house recently...
ACC News
Why Duke football is a genuine ACC contender after beating Clemson (fayobserver.com; Baxley)
Duke football expected to win against No. 9 Clemson.
Head coach Mike Elko, quarterback Riley Leonard and defensive lineman DeWayne Carter said as much following the Blue Devils’ impressive 28-7 win against the Tigers on Monday at Wallace Wade Stadium.
“I didn’t come here for one good year,” Elko told his team in the locker room.
“I didn’t come here for one good game. You guys didn’t come back for one good game. This is the start of a season – that’s what this is. This is a statement for who you are and what you’re all about.”
For the Blue Devils, Monday’s field-storming victory was less of an upset and more of a sign of things on the horizon. After beating a top-10 opponent for the first time in 33 years, could Duke be in line to compete for its first ACC championship since 1989?
If you need a reference, the Blue Devils beat a top-10 Clemson squad in 1989 on their way to a share of the ACC title.
HOW DUKE STUNNED CLEMSON:Duke football stuns Clemson, students storm field as Blue Devils knock off top-10 foe
GRADES FOR THE BLUE DEVILS:Duke football, Riley Leonard will be happy with report card vs Clemson
“We certainly didn’t come into this game talking about an upset,” said Elko, who has won 10 of his first 14 games at Duke.
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Clemson football reaction: Is the Tigers' run of dominance over after Duke upset loss? (greenvilleonline.com; Gray)
Clemson football started the 2023 season with the same kind of expectations it has had since Dabo Swinney's run of 10-win seasons began in 2011.
Contend for a national title, a playoff spot and win an ACC title.
Clemson came into Monday's opener at Duke ranked No. 9 in the country and as the media-voted ACC favorite.
"The reason I came to Clemson was for two things — for the culture and to win a national championship, quarterback Cade Klubnik said during ACC Media Days in July. "And I believe we'll be able to do that while I'm here."
The Tigers have a schedule that is a step up in difficulty inside the ACC, with Florida State and North Carolina at home along with trips to Duke, NC State and Miami. Those five teams make up the programs voted second through six in the preseason media poll.
Add in non-conference games against Notre Dame and South Carolina, and Clemson's path to meeting all those expectations would be difficult but possible.
But the Tigers opened the season with a 28-7 loss to Duke on Monday night in a performance filled with critical mistakes and turnovers. It was the kind of jarring, ugly performance that produces a lingering stink.
It's about expectations for Clemson. In 2021 and 2022, the Tigers lost a combined five games. While that may not sound like a major issue, Clemson's expectations and goals become less and less possible.
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Ready for Florida State? Suddenly, Clemson football can't dare to look that far ahead on its schedule (greenvilleonline.com; Keepfer)
Well, so much for looking ahead to Florida State.
After its season-opening debacle at Duke Monday night, resulting in a 28-7 defeat in which Clemson failed to capitalize on every opportunity with which it was presented, the Tigers must instead focus on righting their ship against two of the lesser opponents on the schedule – namely, Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic.
Charleston Southern, an FCS opponent coming off a 2-8 season, escaped North Greenville with a 13-10 victory last week. Florida Atlantic is a Conference USA member that went 5-7 last season and opened the Tom Herman era last week by drubbing Monmouth.
Those should be easy victories on a schedule that includes games against eight bowl teams from 2022, but after the strange implosion against Duke at Wallace Wade Outdoor Stadium, the perspective for the Tigers – and their fans – has been dramatically altered.
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Duke and coach Mike Elko see big opportunity in opener vs. No. 9 Clemson, the ACC’s perennial power :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com; Murphy)
A nationally televised primetime victory over the ACC's top program is one way to elevate your program.
Duke defeated ninth-ranked Clemson 28-7 on Labor Day night at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, outscoring the Tigers 22-0 in the second half making good on second-year coach Mike Elko's off-season goal to "elevate" the Duke program beyond last year's surprising success.
Now Elko and the Blue Devils have a signature victory to validate what he's been preaching all along in Durham.
"It's important on the outside because, I think, it makes people believe a little bit more in what we've been saying," Elko said of the win, televised on ESPN. "We've been saying internally is this is what Duke football is capable of. We've never ever wavered from that at all. I think what it says now on the outside is they get a little validation that it's possible."
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How Florida State can help itself -- and the ACC -- with a breakthrough this year (ESPN; Adelson)
Florida State athletic director Michael Alford picks up a thick white binder in his office, one that he keeps with him at all times for reference. He calls it a "living, breathing document," one that has pages and pages of financial models, valuations and projections for his athletic department all the way through 2043.
When he says both Florida State and the ACC are facing an insurmountable revenue gap with the SEC and Big Ten, he can point to the spreadsheets. His concerns have been aired both privately and publicly. Florida State has been the most vocal school in the ACC about this revenue gap and also what that gap could mean for FSU's long-term future in the league.
Florida State's vocal approach has been strategic -- and has coincided with what is expected to be its best football season in nearly a decade. Ten years removed from its last national championship, No. 8 Florida State knows there is no turning back -- both from its very public demands for more money and the on-field stakes for the team and the conference when it plays No. 5 LSU on Sunday night in Orlando (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
This, of course, presents an interesting contrast. The ACC needs Florida State to be good to change its own football narrative and help close the revenue gap with the SEC and Big Ten. But a championship-contending Florida State could have the leverage to leave the ACC when another seismic shift in conference realignment arrives.
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ACC Football Week 1 Recap (pittsburghsportsnow.com; Vukovcan)
While it wasn’t perfect, it was a good start to the 2023 college football season for the ACC Conference.
One member team did suffer a disappointing loss, while two other teams recorded big wins over teams in the top conference in college football.
The two most impressive wins were no doubt No. 8 Florida State dominating No. 5 LSU and No. 21 North Carolina convincingly beat South Carolina.
For the most part, all other ACC teams played in games that they were heavily favored to win.
Here’s a quick recap of Week One and keep in mind that tonight Duke takes on No. 9 Clemson.
North Carolina State 24 UConn 14
New NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong (who transferred from Virginia) threw for 155 yards, while also running for 96 yards on 19 carries and 2 touchdowns. The Wolfpack rushing attack was effective as they ran for 209 yards, after averaging just 114 yards a year ago. Senior Jordan Houston gained 57 yards on 13 carries. NC State will have their hands full this coming weekend as they host No. 13 Notre Dame.
Wake Forest 37 Elon 17
Wake Forest entered this game as 33-point favorites, so they didn’t cover but they did win. Wake Forest quarterback Mitch Griffis had a nice debut, completing 19 of 30 passes for 329 yards and 3 touchdowns. His main target was wide receiver Jahmal Banks, who caught 6 passes for 108 yards and 1 touchdown. Leading the way on the ground was Demond Claiborne with 70 yards on 13 carries. Next up for Wake Forest is a home matchup against Vanderbilt.
Miami (FL) 38 Miami (OH) 3
Mario Cristobal’s team turned in a dominating performance on both sides of the ball against Miami (OH). Offensively, the Canes were balanced as they rushed for 250 yards and passed for 243 yards. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke completed 17 of 22 passes for 201 yards and 1 touchdown, while running back Henry Parrish led the Canes on the ground with 90 yards (9 carries) and 1 touchdown. Van Dyke spread things around, completing passes to 8 different receivers, with Jacolby George 6 catches, Xavier Restrepo 5 catches and Colbie Young 4 catches. Miami will find out about themselves this week as they host Texas A&M.
Louisville 39 Georgia Tech 35
Louisville fought back after trailing, 28-13, at halftime to defeat Georgia Tech. Transfer quarterback Jack Plummer led his team back throwing 3 touchdown passes. The Cardinal went ahead with 8:08 remaining as Plummer found Jamari Thrash for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Following a forced fumble by Dezmond Tell, Louisville put the game away on a 74-yard touchdown run by Jawhar Jordan. For the game, Plummer completed 18 of 31 passes for 247 yards, while Jordan rushed 7 times for 96 yards. For the Yellow Jackets, quarterback Haynes King completed 19 of 32 passes for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns. In Week 2, Louisville will host Murray State, while Georgia Tech will take on South Carolina State.
No. 12 Tennessee 49 Virginia 13
On an emotional day, the Cavs were never in this game as they were dominated by a good Tennessee team. Quarterback Tony Muskett took over for Brennan Armstrong, who transferred, and struggled, completing just 9 of 17 passes for 94 yards, before injuring his shoulder. The Cavs had their chances early as they started 3 of their first 6 possessions in Tennessee territory but when three and out on 5 of those six possessions. Virginia’s offense collected just 201 total yards and were just 5 of 18 on 3rd down conversions. Defensively, the Cavs allowed 499 total yards, 287 of which were on the ground.
Northern Illinois 27 Boston College 21 (OT)
Boston College fought back to send this game to overtime but ended up losing it anyway. BC scored two touchdowns in the last 6 minutes of the game, including one with 1:44 left, which sent the game to overtime. Northern Illinois quarterback Rocky Lombardi scored on a 1-yard quick-snap quarterback sneak to give Northern Illinois the win. This is the second win in the last three years by Northern Illinois over an ACC opponent, as they beat Georgia Tech 22-21 in the 2021 opener. Since 1983, this was Northern Illinois’s 18th win over a Power Five team. Boston College used two quarterbacks in this game, starter Emmett Morehead was just 4 for 10 for 30 yards and Thomas Castellanos was 13 for 28 for 138 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
Syracuse 65 Colgate 0
Syracuse was expected to win easily as they were 40.5 favorites, and they did just that winning by 65 points. Team stats were obviously heavily in Syracuse’s favor: First downs 33-7, Rushing yards 271 to 54, Passing yards 406 to 52. Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader was 18 of 24 for 257 yards and 4 touchdowns, while LeQuint Allen led the ground attack with 16 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown. Next up for Syracuse is a match at home against Western Michigan.
No. 21 North Carolina 31 South Carolina 17
Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback Drake Maye threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns leading the Tar Heels to the victory. The biggest story line of the game though was the performance of the Tar Heels defense as they sacked South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler 9 times. This is big when you consider the Tar Heels recorded just 17 sacks all of last season. UNC’s defense also stuffed the run allowing South Carolina just 11 rushing yards for the game. North Carolina’s ground game was also working as British Brooks ran for 103 yards and Omarion Hampton scored two short TD runs.
Virginia Tech 36 Old Dominion 17
A nice opening day win for the Hokies, who were coming off a disappointing 38-8 season in 2022. This was the first time in 14 games that Virginia Tech scored over 30 points. Virginia Tech added 11 transfers in the offseason and on Saturday, three of those transfers accounted for all the touchdowns. Quarterback Grant Wells threw for three touchdown passes and rushed for another. Wells, won the job over Baylor transfer Kyron Drones, completed 17 of 29 passes for 251 yards. Transfer wide receiver Ali Jennings caught 5 passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Jaylin Lane, who transferred from Marshall, caught four passes for 69 yards.
No. 8 Florida State 45 No. 5 LSU 24
After trailing 17-14 at the half, the Seminoles dominated LSU in the second half, outscoring Brian Kelly’s team 31-7. Quarterback Jordan Travis was talked about a lot in the offseason and last night he looked like a Heisman candidate. Travis completed 23 of 31 passes for 342 yards and 4 touchdowns. The star of the game though was Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman with 9 receptions for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns. Along with controlling this game, Florida State controlled time of possession: 35:23 to 24:37. Florida State will have two very winnable games (Southern Miss and Boston College) before taking on Clemson in Week 4.
Clemson vs. Duke Game Highlights | 2023 ACC Football (youtube; video; ACC DN)
Duke took home the huge upset victory over No. 9 Clemson in its season opener, 28-7. The Blue Devils’ defense bent but didn’t break all night long, as it allowed 422 total Clemson yards, but forced turnovers at clutch times, including 2 key fumbles and a late interception that squashed any comeback hopes for the Tigers. Riley Leonard was the engine for Duke’s offense, as he finished the game 17-33 for 175 yards, while also running 8 times for 98 yards and a touchdown.
LSU vs. Florida State Game Highlights | 2023 ACC Football (youtube.com; video; ACC DN)
After going into the locker room down 3 at halftime, Florida State exploded in the second half to make a statement in a 45-24 victory over LSU in the Camping World Kickoff Game. QB Jordan Travis tossed 4 touchdowns on 23-31 passing and 342 yards. He’d add another touchdown with his legs. Keon Coleman had a game to remember for the Noles, catching 9 passes for 122 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Old Dominion vs. Virginia Tech Game Highlights | 2023 ACC Football (youtube; video; ACC DN)
The Hokies got the 2023 season started on a good note with a home win. After losing to Old Dominion in 2022, Virginia Tech got a 36-17 victory in Blacksburg. The Hokies only led 16-10 at halftime, but they dominated the second half. Quarterback Grant Wells threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns on 17-29 passing. Wells ran the ball seven times for 27 yards and a touchdown as well. Old Dominion transfer Ali Jennings caught five passes for 72 yards and two touchdowns for Virginia Tech. Jaylin Lane had four catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.
North Carolina vs. South Carolina Game Highlights | 2023 ACC Football (youtube; video; ACC DN)
North Carolina looked strong in its season opener against South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Kickoff with a 31-17 win in Charlotte. Carolina’s defense looked much improved from last season, and it started up front, as the Tar Heels sacked Spencer Rattler 9 times. Drake Maye threw for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the victory, Omarion Hampton scratched across two scores of his own, and British Brooks racked up 103 yards on the ground in his return to action. Mack Brown became the first FBS coach with 100 or more wins at two different schools with the victory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtF4oeDRm7w (youtube; video; ACC DN)
Colgate vs. Syracuse: The Syracuse Orange took care of business with their 65-0 season-opening win over Colgate on Saturday. Garrett Shrader sliced up the Colgate defense for 297 total yards with a career-high 4 touchdown passes in just over a half of play. Carlos Del Rio Wilson came in and did his own damage, completing 10-13 passes for 149 passing yards with 3 touchdown passes. The Orange limited the Raiders to just 106 yards of offense in the game, sacked the quarterback numerous times, forced a fumble, and picked off 2 passes with Jeremiah Wilson taking one to the house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8I9nTsnDj0 (youtube; video; ACC DN)
The Pitt Panthers opened their season at home with a 45-7 rout of Wofford. New Pitt QB Phil Jurkovec registered 255 total yards on 17 of 23 passing and 2 TDR. Rodney Hammond and Daniel Carter each rushed for scores for the Panthers. The Pittsburgh defense was stout to say the least, only surrendering a paltry 126 yards and racking up 4.0 sacks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxOL61q3B_w (youtube; video; ACC DN)
Northern Illinois vs. Boston College: The NIU Huskies opened the 2023 season with a hard-fought overtime win over the Boston College Eagles, 27-24. It was a defensive battle throughout most of the game, and in overtime Rocky Lombardi answered Liam Connor's field goal with a 1-yard rushing score to secure the win for the Huskies. Earlier in the game, Thomas Castellanos was brought into the game and immediately provided a spark. Castellanos moved the ball with his arm and his legs, finishing with 205 total yards in the game with 2 passing touchdowns to go along with a rushing score as well.
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/clemson-7-duke-28.html (RX; HM)
Clemson 7, Duke 28
Two Clemson fumbles, an interception, and two failed 4th down attempts for the Tigers spelled a really, really bad night in Durham if you were wearing orange.
The Tigers have serious problems in their receiver room - not to mention a running back with fumbleitis!
On the other hand, if you were in blue & white, it was the first time Duke has defeated a top 10 opponent since they beat Clemson in Durham back in 1989. By the way, they honored that team - coached by Steve Spurrier, the Tiger beater - this same night.
We told you Duke could beat Clemson [see https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/06/links-news-and-rumors-2023-june-2nd.html]
People have been sleeping on Duke football, but remember: last year they won nine games, including a bowl victory over American Athletic Conference runner-up UCF [see https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/07/links-news-and-rumors-2023-july-28.html]
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/ad-budgets-acc-vs-xii.html (RX; HM)
AD Budgets: ACC vs XII
From the X account of Tony Altimore...
What do you get if you throw all of the new ACC and Big XII schools into one pile and then sort them by Athletic Department budget? You get this (courtesy Tony Altimore):
...2/ ACC vs. XII:
Why there's such a difference
My DMs + comments are hit with lots of nasty nonsense from one conf's fans who are offended by math
Expanding to include private schools (which makes the data even starker in favor of the #ACC), here's how budgets would compare:… pic.twitter.com/kH38hPzwPJ
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/on-2nd-thought-acc-expansion-2023.html (RX; HM)
On 2nd Thought: ACC expansion 2023
What they are writing about this ACC expansion...
From Brett McMurphy:
So...
- SMU goes without TV money for
7years (presumably still gets bowl, NCAA shares). - Cal and Stanford get 30% of a share each - not even one whole share for the 3 of them.
- NC State is the one who voted "Yes"; FSU, Clemson, and UNC remained "No" votes.
From Nicole Auerbach:
Make that 9 years for SMU. NC State is confirmed as the 12th "Yes".
...
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/did-acc-get-scraps-in-realignment.html (RX; HM)
Did the ACC get scraps in realignment?
You hear fans of ACC teams and fans from other conferences say it: "the ACC settled for whatever teams were left in realignment." I suppose there's some truth to that, but - were the ACC additions really worse than what the Big XII got? Could the ACC have gotten better teams by expanding earlier?
What Actually Happened?
Let's start out by looking at which teams were actually realigned. Here are the teams added by the four remaining power conferences for the 2023 and 2024 football seasons, listed (roughly) in the order they were added by their new conferences...| Conf | Teams Lost | Teams Added | Comment |
| SEC | none | Texas | Top 2 teams |
| Oklahoma | from Big XII | ||
| XII | Texas | BYU | 4 G5 teams |
| Oklahoma | Cincinnati | ||
| Houston | |||
| UCF | |||
| B1G | none | USC | Top 4 teams |
| UCLA | from Pac-12 | ||
| XII | no more | Colorado | 2 worst Pac |
| B1G | none | Washington | |
| Oregon | |||
| XII | no more | Arizona | teams |
| Arizona St | 2 of best | ||
| Utah | Pac-12 teams | ||
| ACC | none | Cal | 2nd+4th best |
| Stanford | CA teams | ||
| SMU | Next up G5 |
After the whole ACC/B1G/Pac-12 "Alliance" fiasco had the gentleman's "handshake agreement" not to raid the Big XII, that league rebuilt with the four best G5 teams, mostly from the American Athletic Conference. This was a missed opportunity for the ACC.
...
https://www.si.com/college/cal/news/cal-travel-in-the-acc (SI; Faraudo)
Cal will make three or four trips east for football each year beginning next fall after joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, commissioner Jim Phillips said on Friday.
He also suggested the Golden Bears will get periodic games against Notre Dame, which is an ACC member for every other sport while remaining independent in football.
But the Irish have an arrangement with the ACC where they play an average of five games each year against opponents from the conference. This season, for instance, Notre Dame will take on six ACC teams, while last season that number was four.
For Cal, it means the likelihood that at some point the Irish could visit Memorial Stadium for the first time since 1965. The Bears are 0-5 all-time vs. Notre Dame, most recently losing 24-17 last season in South Bend, Ind.
The downside for Stanford, which has played Notre Dame on an annual basis in recent years, is that the Cardinal likely will be part of the rotation to face the Irish that involves all ACC teams, and will not be able to maintain its yearly arrangement.
...
Duce Corner
https://chopchat.com/2023/09/02/acc-expansion-means-three-teams-serious-football/ (chopchat.com; Hunt)
ACC expansion happened Friday when the news broke the conference would expand to add three teams. The ACC voted to add Stanford and California from the conference formerly known as the Pac-12. SMU will finally make their appearance in a major conference.
The ACC debated for weeks and negotiated as they had four teams preventing the expansion from taking place. FSU, Clemson, North Carolina, and NC State were those four schools. However, NC State caved in negotiations to flip their vote to a yes to push the expansion through.
The move was for ACC survival among the major conferences, but does nothing to close the growing revenue gap between the ACC and the B1G/SEC.
It’s why the three schools serious about competing at the highest level, FSU, Clemson, and North Carolina, continued to vote no to the expansion.
They know staying in the ACC means they will fall far behind their competitors in those two major conferences. NC State was thought to be bound to North Carolina, but NC State has never had any football success in their history. They’ve only won 10+ game once in their history and likely know they would not receive an invite to the SEC or B1G should they leave the ACC. One school that consistently voted yes to the expansion was Miami.
This action tells me Miami’s adminstration isn’t serious about playing big boy football anymore. I still expect FSU and Clemson to leave the ACC in the near future. I find it funny all of the North Carolina media guys talked so much trash about FSU wanting to leave the ACC, only to see North Carolina vote against expansion.
...
Other
N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com
https://www.syracuse.com/statefair/...y-state-fair-exceeds-post-pandemic-years.html (PS; Stevenson)
More than 900,000 people attended the New York State Fair this year, which ended its 13-day run on a hot and humid Labor Day.
Fair officials tonight reported the total attendance was 932,699. But this year’s attendance still falls short to pre-pandemic attendance levels.
In the five years preceding 2020, more than 1 million people attended annually. From 2015-2019, average annual attendance was 1,159,105.
The Fair broke total attendance records each year since 2016 until 2020, when the fair was cancelled because of Covid. In 2019, the record breaking attendance was about 1.33 million attendees.
Today’s muggy weather may have played a factor in the day’s attendance, with a total of 72,529 people crossing the state fair gates. That’s over 20,000 less people than the height of attendance over the weekend.
But the state Fair attendance is on the rise, with attendance exceeding last year’s total by over 50,000 fairgoers and surpassing 2021 attendance by 134,604 people.
...
Yung Gravy featuring bbno$ play the NYS Fair Charlie Miller
https://www.syracuse.com/statefair/...-gravy-concert-at-nys-fair-review-photos.html (PS; McCarthy)
Yung Gravy and bbno$ attracted thousands of fans to their Sunday night show at the New York State Fairgrounds with their unique blend of viral irreverence and humor-infused hip-hop.
Thousands of fans formed a crowd that stretched from the Suburban Park stage back to the rides and concessions on the border of the midway by the time bbno$ (pronounced ‘baby no money’) hit the stage at 8 p.m.
“This is absolutely ridiculous,” bbno$ said after seeing the sea of fans. (Officials estimated attendance was 30,000, one of the 25 largest crowds in NYS Fair concert history.)
The Canadian rapper treated fans to tracks like “Mathematics” and “Yoga” as he played a 25-minute set alone, priming the audience for Yung Gravy. Before performing his big hit “LaLaLa,” the Canadian rapper showed off the strange humor that’s made him and his Baby Gravy counterpart such big hits on TikTok in recent years.
“I came here for one thing. I’m exclusively here to find my future wife,” bbno$ said.
Yung Gravy came out at 8:25 p.m. with “Welcome to Chilis” and performed with bbno$ for the next 35 minutes. The pair released a new album, Baby Gravy 3, just last week, giving them plenty of material to draw from. While the duo has enjoyed success in the past few years, both rappers seemed shocked to see just how big of a crowd they had assembled.
“How far back does it go?” Yung Gravy asked, while bbno$ declared that, out of the 10 or 11 state fairs that Baby Gravy has performed at, “This is 1000% the best so far.”
The fans ate this up, and bounced around as the rappers played “shining on my ex.” The niche performers definitely share a bond with their audience, which chanted for Yung Gravy to “rate his mom” about a fan. When bbno$ gave out a cookbook to “the fan who goes the hardest,” the crowd was equally enamored, but perhaps was most ravenous when Yung Gravy yelled “Who wants an autographed Lunchables?”
...
