sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Today is dedicated to beer, and to everyone who loves to drink it! Beer making can be traced to about 6,000 years ago in ancient Sumeria. At that time, beer was cloudy because of lack of filtering, and it was drunk through a straw. By 2000 BCE, the Babylonians were brewing 20 types of beer. The Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans made beer, although wine became much more popular with the Romans—they considered beer to be the drink of the Barbarians and it was only popular on the edges of the Empire. Germanic groups were brewing beer by 800 BCE.
Because of contamination, beer was a much safer drink than water during the Middle Ages; it was drunk by people of all ages from all classes. The Catholic Church even got involved with brewing beer, and abbeys were testing grounds for improvements in brewing. Beginning in the ninth century, in Germany, hops began being introduced, standards were set up for beer, and beer began being mass-brewed. The 1516 Beer Purity Law—Reinheitsgebot—said a certain level of quality must be met for German beer. All beer could only be made with water, hops, malted barley, malted wheat, and yeast.
SU News
Oronde Gadsden I and Oronde Gadsden II pose with a football during Gadsden II's high school years. Photo courtesy of the Gadsden family
Gadsden is the latest among childhood peers to make name for self (PS; $; Leiker)
Oronde Gadsden II left most days of football practice as a 14-year-old at American Heritage High School feeling frustrated.
He struggled to make catches against his older teammates.
That’s not unusual, but these teammates were Pat Surtain II and Tyson Campbell, both of whom went on to be top picks in the 2021 NFL Draft and are starting cornerbacks in the league now.
Gadsden said the pair offered him a “little bit of both worlds” as a young receiver: Surtain was more technical, limiting his chances to get open, and Campbell was more physical, jamming him at the line and shutting him down quick.
“I would talk to Pat’s dad, ’cause he was coach at the time, and my dad about how I could beat them, but I don’t think at that point I didn’t think that I would be able to play any corner better than what I was playing at that time,” Gadsden said.
Said Surtain II: “We just made him better. … Eventually, he sort of got the hang of us.”
Gadsden and Surtain II, specifically, are two of the children of former Miami Dolphins players who grew up together in southern Florida and are now making names for themselves in college and beyond.
Gadsden, son of former Dolphins receiver Oronde Gadsden I, had a breakout 2022 campaign where he led Syracuse football in receiving with nearly 1,000 yards on 61 catches.
All eyes remain on the junior tight end this season. He’s a 2023 All-ACC preseason selection, an AP All-American and on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award and Biletnikoff Trophy with expectations he’ll again be the favorite target of SU quarterback Garrett Shrader.
Already in Week 1, Gadsden had six catches on a team-high eight targets for 57 yards and a touchdown.
He turned down name, image and likeness money to stay at Syracuse for what could be his final collegiate season, sticking with the team that took him as a three-star high school product back in 2020 and helped him blossom into a star.
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Opponent Preview: Everything to know about Western Michigan (DO; Alandt)
After taking down Football Championship Series opponent Colgate 65-0 in its largest win since 1959, Syracuse welcomes Western Michigan to the JMA Wireless Dome. In 2018 and 2019, SU eclipsed the 50-point mark against the Broncos. A win on Saturday would give the Orange their seventh-straight win over a nonconference opponent in the regular season.
Led by first-year head coach Lance Taylor, Western Michigan is looking for its first win against Syracuse in program history, opening as 21-point underdogs. The game completes the final leg of a home-and-home series with the Broncos announced in 2019.
Here’s everything you need to know about the SU and WMU game on Saturday:
All time series
Syracuse leads 2-0.Last time they played
In 2019, Western Michigan made its first-ever trip to the Dome and lost 52-33. Quarterback Tommy DeVito led Syracuse with four passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the win, snapping a two-game losing streak.Western Michigan, led by quarterback Jon Wassink, ended with 557 total yards, 12 more than Syracuse. Wassink finished 23-for-46 with 356 yards and two touchdowns. WMU Running back LeVante Bellamy led all rushers with 165 yards on the ground, tacking on two touchdowns and eight receiving yards.
DeVito tallied 85 yards on nine rushes, including a 60-yard rush on the second play of the game.
“Tommy could always run,” Babers said after the win. “I’ve been trying to tell you guys that he’s fast, he can run. We just ask him to be very careful when he does it.”
The Broncos report
Western Michigan opened its 2023 campaign with a 35-17 win over Saint Francis (PA) last Thursday. The Broncos are coming off of a 5-7 season that saw the end of a six-year tenure for head coach Tim Lester. Five different players scored their first collegiate touchdowns in the win. Led by quarterback Jack Salopek, who went 18-for-26 for 170 yards and a touchdown, Western Michigan flaunts a roster that Garrett Shrader said was “physical.”Salopek, a redshirt sophomore, won the starting job over redshirt freshman Treyson Bourguet out of camp. He’s working behind a veteran offensive line that features two seniors, two juniors and a graduate senior. Every player on WMU’s starting defense has at least a year of experience under their belts.
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ORANGE ZONE: SU football takes a step up in competition vs. Western Michigan (cnycentral.com; podcast; Ornage Zone)
Call a week one win what you want, but Syracuse football has a great taste in its mouth heading into the second week of the 2023 season.
Beat writers unanimously agree on comfortable Syracuse win (DO; Staff)
Syracuse set a program-record for yards in a dominant 65-0 win over Colgate. With their only Football Championship Series opponent out of the way, the Orange welcome Western Michigan to the JMA Wireless Dome for the second time ever. SU’s beaten the Broncos by putting up more than 50 points in both of the program’s previous matchups.
Western Michigan enters off a 35-17 win over Saint Francis (PA) and are looking to improve on a 5-7 season that marked the end of Tim Lester’s six-year tenure. First-year head coach Lance Taylor, who was Louisville’s offensive coordinator last season, said Syracuse is a “good team with good players” and that the Dome will be a “loud” environment.
Here’s how our beat writers predict Syracuse (1-0, Atlantic Coast Conference) to fair against Western Michigan (1-0, Mid-American Conference) on Saturday:
Anthony Alandt (1-0)
Buck the Broncos
Syracuse 40, Western Michigan 20
Syracuse rolled Colgate in a game that was impressive even against an FCS opponent that hasn’t beaten it in over 70 years. Garrett Shrader looked poised, and a large crop of wide receivers showed their prowess and made me feel much more reassured heading into the difficult stretch of the season later on. Rocky Long’s defense showed out, led by Alijah Clark, and graded out as an impressive sixth-best defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Western Michigan has a talented group of upperclassmen who are bound to move the ball more against Syracuse on Saturday. The firepower just isn’t there for me to think the Broncos are going to shock the ACC this weekend. I do think, however, that a three-headed rushing attack will give Syracuse some fits. It will be a great test for a team that struggled mightily down the stretch against opposing running backs.
As long as Shrader can maneuver through blitzes and his receivers get open, the Orange should put this one away around the third quarter while watching their defense prey on another inexperienced quarterback. Syracuse still needs to play a more complete, penalty-free game to impress me before heading off to Purdue, but a win and a 2-0 start will certainly feel good for Dino Babers and the Orange.
Wyatt Miller (1-0)
A dominant start
Syracuse 45, Western Michigan 17
After the Orange beat Colgate 65-0 last week, their largest victory since 1959, expect them to keep dominating against another opponent outside the Power Five. Coming off a 5-7 season, Western Michigan secured an 18-point victory over Saint Francis to start off 2023. The Broncos are a run-first team with a dual-threat quarterback, but SU’s defensive front is well-equipped to win the battle up front.
Four Broncos had at least seven carries last week, including quarterback Jack Salopek. Running backs Jalen Buckley and Zahir Abdus-Salaam combined for 267 yards and two scores on 50 carries in the victory. That will be the priority for this Syracuse defense. The secondary is more than capable of executing 1-on-1 matchups on pass attempts, which could be rare on early downs, so expect another dose of heavy pressure this week. SU’s speed and size on the defensive line should be enough to beat the Broncos.
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Before coaching at Western Michigan, Eric Evans transformed UAlbany football (DO; Alandt)
Eric Evans’ college playing career lasted two weeks.
As a freshman wide receiver from St. Charles, Illinois, Evans joined DePauw University’s football team in 2000. But, in the middle of training camp, Evans was knocked out in practice.
He doesn’t remember anything from that day. He remembered going to bed the night before and waking up in a hospital bed surrounded by family and head coach Nick Mourouzis.
It was his fifth concussion, one that placed him into a conscious coma for eight hours. The events of that day were relayed to Evans by Mourouzis, who told him his playing career was over.
But Mourouzis knew that Evans wanted to be a coach and with a limited staff, the head coach felt something could be pried out of disaster. Mourouzis told Evans that he could coach until he graduated college. He went on to be a student assistant with the team, earning the Kenneth Brooks Holland Memorial Award in 2003.
“What probably was the worst day of my life became the best day of my life because it turned me into being a coach,” Evans said.
After graduating from DePauw, Evans accepted a part-time job as the tight ends coach with Dayton University. In 2008, Evans took a job with UAlbany as a wide receivers coach — the beginning of a successful five-year stint. Now, as the tight ends coach for Western Michigan, Evans returns to the area that molded him on Saturday.
Evans saw an opening in the Great Danes’ coaching staff on Football Scoop, a website about football coaching across all levels. He took a flight into Albany in February 2008 and then-head coach Bob Ford picked him up at the airport. Two coaching connections assisted him in getting his first full-time coaching job. Each member of Northwestern’s coaching staff called Ford, praising Evans’ work.
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Smith: The ACC made the right move by expanding. And that’s a good thing for SU (DO; Smith)
The simple truth is that conference realignment scares people.
Why else would Oregon and Washington bail on over 100 years of tradition in West Coast athletics to join a conference based in Illinois? Why would Stanford and Cal, stalwarts of the Pacific Coast, join the Atlantic Coast Conference?
Why would every ACC school sign a 20-year grant of rights deal that handed over their media rights to the league until 2036? And why else would Florida State’s Board of Trustees have panicked this summer because they can’t escape that agreement and are now stuck looking for more revenue to compete nationally when they haven’t even won their own conference since 2014?
Because these schools were scared. Because money — or the lack of it — from FOX, ESPN and others can entirely change the direction of athletic departments. Rivalries, loyalty, fans and common sense can all be damned.
Realignment has, at times, made well-educated leaders make unwise decisions out of fear. But in adding Stanford, Cal and SMU last week, the ACC did the right thing. This wasn’t done hastily or without thought. It’s a move that protects the league’s future — at least to the extent it reasonably can right now — and brought added revenue to membership that desperately needed it. The ACC has now solidified itself as a power conference for at least the next decade, with all of its core members still present.
And that helps Syracuse greatly. Fans almost never benefit from realignment moves, but Syracuse supporters should be applauding this one, even if staying up past midnight on a Tuesday in February 2025 to watch the Orange battle the Golden Bears on the hardwood isn’t enviable. Something that is, though, is a healthy ACC.
“As we dove deeper into it more and more, it became clear that this was good for Syracuse and it would strengthen the ACC,” Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack recently told The D.O. “A stronger ACC is good for Syracuse.”
The ACC is the best place for SU, no doubt. There’s a mix of private and public universities, academics are a priority, geographic sensibility is mostly there and the competition level is appropriate. And by the way, the Big Ten and SEC aren’t calling anytime soon. The Big 12’s western-heavy footprint just doesn’t fit.
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The Juice Online - 3 things to watch for in Syracuse's game against Western Michigan (r1vals; Stepansky)
Syracuse football will play its second game of the season Saturday when it hosts Western Michigan. The team is looking to start the season 2-0 for the second consecutive year.
In the 2023 opener, the Orange dominated Colgate. They won the game 65-0 which was the biggest margin of victory since 1959. SU also totaled 677 yards of offense, the most in program history.
The Broncos also come in to game two 1-0. Western Michigan defeated St. Francis 35-17 in week 1.
Here's everything to know about SU's week two matchup:
1. How does Rocky Long's defense look in Game 2?
Against Colgate, Long's 3-3-5 defense pitched a shutout in an overall impressive performance. SU held the Raiders to 106 yards and forced three turnovers including a pivotal pick-six by Jeremiah Wilson.Because of the defensive alignment, players were flying all over the field allowing Colgate quarterback Michael Brescia to do very little in the air and on the ground.
Saturday's game against Western Michigan will be a tougher task for the Orange defense. Western Michigan's offense is full of experience as the starting offensive line is all upper class men and quarterback Jack Salopek was a starter for the majority of the season in 2022.
Against a better offense in week two, SU will once again rely on its defensive line to create pressure in the backfield. Three sacks against Colgate including a big third down sack by Marlowe Wax put the Raider offense in a deficit they could never recover from.
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Keeping Up With The 315 9-6-23 (ESPN; radio; The 315)
Brian opened the show discussing the reported passing of former SU wide receiver Mike Williams and some of Brian’s favorite plays/stories from the former player. Next he previewed Syracuse’s net match up. Brian finished the show with new reports that Mike Williams had not passed but is in critical condition.
The Transfer Portal Can Make Or Break You - How Has Syracuse Football Fared? (youtube.com; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
In today's day of college football, the transfer portal is paramount to a team's success. You can use it effectively and skyrocket to national relevance. You can avoid it and see your program drown. How has Syracuse fared in the few years since the portal became increasingly prevalent. It's your Locked On Syracuse Wednesday Episode.
Syracuse football set to host Western Michigan (cbssports.com; video; Finneral)
247Sports' James Finneral discusses the week two matchup between Syracuse and Western Michigan.
Two things to look out for in Syracuse vs Western Michigan (247sports.com; Finneral)
Syracuse football looks to rattle off another early-season win as Western Michigan comes to the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. Here are a few things to look out for when the Orange and Broncos kick off.
Performance of the Syracuse offensive line
The Syracuse offensive line is understandably a position group that will be vital to the team’s success as the season progresses. Chris Bleich is the lone returning starter from last season, who is set to start against Western Michigan, as Kalan Ellis' status is still up in the air.
Jakob Bradford is slated as the starting right guard for this week. Transfer Joe More was listed in that spot the previous week, but ended up not dressing for the game. Dino Babers did not have an update on More’s injury, but hopes he will be back ‘soon.’
The group did not face a difficult challenge against Colgate and the Orange offense did whatever it wanted. However, one could argue that Garrett Shrader faced a little more pressure than he should have based on the opponent.
Syracuse rotated a plethora of players in, especially as the game went out of reach. Although Syracuse is a heavy favorite, Western Michigan should pose a much greater challenge than Colgate.
J'Onre Reed and David Wohlabaugh are two starters that are newcomers to the Orange. Babers was particularly impressed with Wohlabaugh last week.
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Syracuse Football: Western Michigan vs. Syracuse prediction, odds, spread and over/under for college football week 2 (itlh; Adler)
Save for committing too many penalties, something that seems to occur a lot for the Syracuse football program, the Orange was dominant in its 2023 season opener last Saturday on the Hill, both from offensive and defensive standpoints.
In destroying fellow Central New York foe Colgate, 65-0, the ‘Cuse scored the most points in head coach Dino Babers’ tenure with the team. Syracuse football set a squad record with 677 yards of total offense versus the FCS Raiders, and the Orange scored the most points dating back to 1998.
We all know that Colgate isn’t a particularly good team, and I mean no disrespect to the Raiders. So making any sort of grand proclamations at this juncture in the young 2023 term is silly.
That being said, I don’t care who the opponent was. Dropping 65 points and tallying 677 yards are impressive statistics. On defense, the ‘Cuse Mob didn’t allow Colgate to cross midfield until the Raiders’ final drive of regulation, and Syracuse football limited its foe to just 106 yards of total offense.
Up next, the Orange will stay in Central New York as it prepares to host Western Michigan out of the Mid-American Conference (“MAC”) this coming Saturday afternoon.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...ham-surprised-by-syracuse-game-day-atmosphere (SI; McAllister)
Class of 2024 Middletown (DE) High defensive end Tristen Graham took an unofficial visit to his future home last weekend as he attended Syracuse football's season opening 65-0 win over Colgate.
"The atmosphere was not how I expected," Graham said. "I loved it. I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to play there."
Not what Graham expected was not a bad thing. In fact, just the opposite. The noise level caught him off guard.
"I didn't expect it to get that loud with a not even packed stadium," Graham said. "I can't imagine how the Clemson game is going to be when I attend."
Graham had two teammates with him on the visit in defensive back Akendre Matthews and linebacker Aviyon Matthews, both class of 2024 prospects.
"I'm not a hundred percent sure (if Syracuse is recruiting them) but they have been in contact with Mike Johnson," Graham said. "I know for sure after the season they are going to be highly recruited."
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Are The Expectations for Syracuse Too High? (orangefizz.net; Gotkin)
This past Saturday’s 65-0 win over Colgate was impressive, there is no denying that. However, it was a win over an FCS team who won just three games last year. In the Raiders matchup against an FBS team last year, they lost by more than 30 to Stanford, who won just three games.
Since Saturday, the national expectations for the Orange have skyrocketed. ESPN’s Football Power Index ranks the Orange as the 27th-best team in the country. The FPI ranks SU as the fifth-best team in the ACC, ahead of Duke, Pitt, and NC State. Just a few weeks ago, the Fizz Staff polled where the Orange would finish this season and the highest answer was 8th in the conference.
Maybe the craziest thing of all though is that ESPN analytics project Syracuse to win all but three games this season. Those three losses are Clemson, North Carolina, and Florida State. The analytics are about as close as it gets to predicting Syracuse to win all but two games. Right now, ESPN gives Syracuse a 48.9% chance to knock off Clemson at home in the last game of September. If the Orange upset the Tigers and win every other game they are favored in, SU would win 10 regular season games. The last time that happened was in 1987, before more of the current player’s parents were even in college.
The schedule for Syracuse has absolutely opened up. Duke’s dominating win over Clemson gives a reason that Dino Babers could beat Dabo Swinney again. But didn’t we just do this last season? Syracuse was close to beating Clemson but it didn’t happen. Then SU fell apart in November, once again. Dino Babers is a shocking 6-20 in the month of November since taking over as head coach.
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Week 1 Results Make No Bowl Game Inexcusable For Syracuse (orangefizz.net; Griffin)
Week 1 in college football is always interesting in that it can say a lot, but never quite tells the full story. We learned a lot about what the end result of Syracuse’s 2023 campaign might look like based on the dominating victory over Colgate as well as some out of town results. After the dust settled on Monday night, it was clear that the Orange have no business not being in a bowl game, based on how they and some of their future opponents played.
It doesn’t matter that it was done against an FCS opponent, if your offense breaks the program record for yards in a single game, you expect that unit, barring injuries, to pose a threat to defenses for an entire 12-game slate. Garrett Shrader’s mobility and elbow looked excellent. LeQuint Allen and Ike Daniels both displayed poise carrying and catching the football out of the backfield. Oronde Gadsden balled out as usual, Damien Alford had the first touchdown of his career from less than 45 yards out, and the rest of the receiving corps showed flashes of brilliance. The offensive line will at minimum make us sweat as the schedule gets tougher, but Jason Beck’s unit looked awesome in his first game as offensive coordinator.
On the defensive side of the ball, the 3-3-5 looked both stable and formidable. For all the talk about this offseason about replacing lost secondary members, Jeremiah Wilson and Greg Delaine introduced themselves to the Syracuse faithful with highlight-reel interceptions- one was a pick-six, another was diving. Additionally, the defensive line backed up its talk about the depth of the unit on Saturday, bottling up the run and forcing Colgate QB Michael Brescia into an uneasy day. The defense’s play as a whole was never a gigantic concern, especially when you factor what the unit did throughout last season, but putting up a goose egg is never easy, regardless of opponent.
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Bronco Football Heads to Syracuse - Western Michigan University Athletics (wmubroncos.com)
GAME 2:
WESTERN MICHIGAN (1-0) vs. SYRACUSE (1-0)
Date: Sept. 9, 2023
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. EDT
Location: Syracuse. N.Y.
Stadium: JMA Wireless Dome (49,075
TV: ESPN+/ACC Network Extra
Radio: Bronco Media Network
Live Stats:
StatBroadcast® Systems - Events for Western Michigan
THIS WEEK
Western Michigan begins a three-game road stint, starting off at Syracuse on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game can be watched live on ESPN+ and ACC Network Extra with Richard Cross and Byron Chamberlain on the call. The Bronco Media Network will have radio coverage provided by The Voice of the Broncos, Robin Hook, and John Creek.
LAST WEEK
The Broncos opened the 2023 season with a 35-17 victory over Saint Francis (PA), the first career win for WMU head coach Lance Taylor. Five different Broncos scored touchdowns on the night, with four coming on the ground and one through the air from redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Salopek to graduate tight end Austin Hence. Redshirt freshman running back Jalen Buckley had a career-high 194 yards on 30 carries and a touchdown, en route to being named MAC West Co-Offensive Player of the Week.
WMU's defense held the Red Flash under 300 yards of offense, with graduate transfer Tate Hallock leading the way with seven tackles from the safety position.
THE MATCH UP
- Saturday will be the third game between the two programs and Western Michigan's second trip to the JMA Wireless Dome.
- Syracuse leads the all-time series at 2-0 with a win both at home and in Kalamazoo.
- Both previous games have been very high scoring. In the first match up, the Orange won 55-42 in Kalamazoo. The second meeting saw Syracuse win 52-33.
- This is the first of three road games against Power 5 schools this season. WMU takes on Iowa next Saturday and then heads to Mississippi State on Oct. 7. The Broncos have not played three Power 5 teams in a regular season since the 2013 campaign, when they played Michigan State, Northwestern and the Hawkeyes.
MAKING AN IMPACT
The Broncos brought in 13 transfers from FCS and FBS schools prior to the start of the season. Several of those made a big impact in the season-opening win.
On offense, Michael Shanahan (Texas Tech) and Tedi Kushi (Long Island) started along the offensive line, while wide receivers Leroy Thomas (VMI) and Kenneth Womack (Sacred Heart) saw significant playing time. Womack was tied for the team-high with four receptions and led the squad with 54 yards receiving. Thomas had one reception for four yards and had one tackle on special teams. Running back Keshawn King rushed for 27 yards on seven carries and one touchdown, to go along with one reception for 14 yards before leaving early due to an injury.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...e-wide-receiver-mike-williams-on-life-support (SI; McAllister)
Several reports came out Tuesday evening indicating former Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams had passed away at age 36. However, now there is reporting citing his family and agent that says Williams had not passed but is on life support as a result of a construction site accident. The Tampa Bay Times quoted the mother of Williams’ eight year old daughter, Tierney Lyle.
“He was asleep when we went in there and he woke up when he heard our voices and his daughter’s voice,” Lyle said. “And he looked around, and he blinked and he was crying but he can’t move.”
Jon Scott of Spectrum News in Buffalo’s report was picked up by nearly every major media outlet Tuesday night.
The Tampa Bay Times report Wednesday that Williams is still alive was also confirmed by Michael Schwartz of WKBW in Buffalo, citing Williams’ agent.
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Axe: Are we sure the ACC knows what it is doing with expansion? (podcast) (PS; podcast; Axe)
September 7, 2023 was supposed to be a day of days.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the JMA Wireless Dome and Episode 9 of “Syracuse Sports” released.
What a day.
Well, “The Boss” had to cancel.
So you’re stuck with just the podcast.
On Episode 9, I chat with Joe Giglio of the “Ovies and Giglio” podcast on the ACC expanding with the additions of California, Stanford and SMU.
Are we sure the ACC knows what it is doing here? Why those schools? Could this move make it easier for Florida State, Clemson and North Carolina to leave the ACC? What is Syracuse’s role in all this and its place in the ACC 10 years after joining the league?
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What’s college football saying about Syracuse after Week One (TNIAAM; Wall)
Each week, we’ll take a look at what other college football media sites are saying about the Syracuse Orange.
Award Winners
Running back Ike Daniels was named ACC Rookie of the Week
Syracuse.com
The local writers move the Orange up one spot to 8th in their ACC Power Rankings. Syracuse slides in between NC State and Louisville this week.
ESPN
In this week’s SP+ rankings Syracuse move up 15 spots to 40th with the offense 50th while the defense ranks 32nd. The Orange are ranked between Minnesota and Florida. SP+ has Western Michigan 105th this week (108th on offense and 101st on defense).
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TNIAAM Reacts: Share your thoughts on Syracuse after week one (TNIAAM; Wall)
The Syracuse Orange had an easy time dispatching Colgate in the opening game. Do you think that the Orange will cover the spread this week when Western Michigan comes to town?
Several young Orange delivered big performances last week. Which of them stood out the most for you? Was it Umari Hatcher (4 catches for 105 yards and a TD) or Ike Daniels (11 carries for 63 yards) on offense? Maybe Jeremiah Wilson (interception return for a TD) or Alijah Clark (7 tackles) on defense?
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ACC News
https://www.si.com/college/miami/football/acc-football-miami-fsu-duke-unc-pitt (SI; Smith)
Before we get too far into the week, it was a good idea to take a few moments and bring up some points about Miami, Florida State, Duke, North Carolina and Pittsburgh. All five teams looked good during their first games.
Fools gold or the real deal?
For one, all five of these teams possess experienced signal callers in Tyler Van Dyke (Miami), Jordan Travis (FSU), Riley Leonard (Duke), Drake Maye (UNC), and Phil Jurkovec (Pittsburgh). That has probably helped each squad ease into their 2023 seasons.
All three of these teams also have something else that’s pivotal to success as well. Maybe even more important, and that’s the primary topic for this article.
Defensive lines that get after the opposing signal caller. Miami has continued to be a top-notch pass rushing team with 3 sacks last week versus Miami of Ohio, in addition to forcing several hurried throws. The Canes produced 37 sacks last season. With talented players like Jahfari Harvey and Rueben Bain, Jr. coming off the bench to spell Nyjalik Kelly and Akheem Mesidor, Miami has a chance to be even more lethal this season.
Florida State harassed LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels for much of that game, including holding the Tigers to zero points during the second half until garbage time. The Noles registered 4 sacks of Daniels. Last season, FSU created 40 sacks for the year. The Noles have shown a deep rotation across the front line, with future first round pick Jared Verse leading the charge.
With Duke's 28-7 upset of Clemson, senior defensive lineman R.J. Oben was in the backfield and causing issues for the Tigers. He sacked Cade Klubnik once, and was disruptive overall. Oben continued his trend from last season in which he had 4.5 sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.
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In ACC offensive coordinator shuffle, new coaches debuted to mixed results (lancasteronline.com; Golen)
Clemson fired offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter after just one full season as the offensive play-caller and hired Garrett Riley away from Texas Christian, where he helped the Horned Frogs reach the national championship game.
Coach Dabo Swinney didn’t get the improvement he hoped for in a 28-7 loss to Duke that dropped the Tigers from No. 9 to No. 25 in The Associated Press Top 25.
“He never lost hope or anything like that. I like how he responded to the guys,” Swinney said. “He knows we’ve got a chance to be a good group. Not the start we wanted.”
An overhaul on Atlantic Coast Conference coaching staffs this offseason has forced teams to adapt to new systems. There are eight new offensive coordinators in the ACC this season — more than half of the league.
Although Riley's offense produced more than 400 yards in the Labor Day loss to Duke, the Tigers' streak of scoring at least 10 points in 72 straight ACC games was snapped. It was the second game in a row that they failed to score more than 14 points, including last year’s Orange Bowl loss to Tennessee under Streeter.
Clemson had three second-half drives inside the 10 – two reaching the 1. They came away with two fumbles, a blocked field goal and zero points.
“We got plenty of yards and stats and all that stuff, but we got our butts beat,” Swinney said. “And the name of the game is finishing when we have opportunities.”
Some ACC teams made changes to shore up offenses that were slipping; others had to replace coaches who left for better jobs.
North Carolina State brought in Robert Anae after he spent one year with Syracuse; the Orange replaced him internally, with quarterbacks coach Jason Beck. Miami fired Josh Gattis after one season and hired Shannon Dawson. Boston College replaced John McNulty after one year with co-offensive coordinators: Former Cleveland Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski is sharing duties with Steve Shimko, who was the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach last season.
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Holding Court: Fear of Shrinking Contributed to ACC’s Latest Expansion Decision - Chapelboro.com (chapelboro.com; Glenn)
When the Atlantic Coast Conference expanded from eight members to nine by adding Florida State in 1992, the league’s main motivation was clear.
The ACC was trying to get better, and its pursuit of that goal required it to get bigger.
Brilliant in basketball and other sports, the ACC had not been consistently strong in football, and the Seminoles — in the midst of a dynasty under legendary coach Bobby Bowden — were one of the best gridiron programs in the country, while playing as an independent in that sport.
FSU’s arrival in the ACC quickly served as a harsh reminder of how far behind the rest of the league’s teams were compared to those on college football’s top tier. During their first nine seasons (1992-2000), the Seminoles posted an astounding 70-2 record in conference play, which to this day is the most dominant stretch by any ACC football team in the history of the 71-year-old league.
During that same period, of course, FSU was beating almost everybody else, too. In their first nine years as an ACC member, the Seminoles won two national championships (1993 and 1999) and posted nine straight top-five finishes in the national polls, which had never been done before by an ACC team and hasn’t been done since, either.
Sure enough, as the ACC became more relevant in football, bigger TV dollars started to flow its way. In the late 1990s, the ACC received about $16 million per year from its contracts with ABC, ESPN and Jefferson-Pilot. After the Seminoles’ amazing run, and with college football’s popularity as a TV product growing quickly, the ACC received an impressive increase of almost 50 percent (to $23.4 million per year) in its TV deals, even before its next round of expansion.
While football television money was not yet the absolute monster it has become today — the ACC actually made more money from basketball than from football in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s — its importance had been growing gradually, ever since a 1984 Supreme Court case (NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma) that ended the NCAA’s practice of monopolizing and selling the TV rights to college football games.
Once the schools themselves (rather than the NCAA itself) could sell their football TV rights, most decided that affiliating with a conference, and letting the league office handle those negotiations on behalf of all the conference members, was the smartest way to go.
Although Notre Dame famously has remained a football independent and has had its own (increasingly lucrative) TV deal with NBC since 1991, most other long-time independent football teams found a conference home in the early 1990s.
In 1991, the Big East Conference sponsored football for the first time, scooping up long-time gridiron independents Boston College, Miami, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. South Carolina joined the Southeastern Conference in 1991. FSU joined the ACC in 1992. Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993.
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ACC football getting disrespected despite strong Week 1; Nick Bosa's contract & Brian Burns - The Drive with Tim Donnelly (cdnstrewam1.com;podcast; Tim Donnelly)
After Week 1 of the college football season, ACC football seems wide open with Florida State football dominating LSU football, UNC football looking strong vs South Carolina football, and Clemson football losing to Duke football. Also, the national narrative about the ACC still looks down on the conference despite going 2-1 in games vs SEC football.
Plus, San Francisco 49ers DE Nick Bosa signed a contract extension making him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. Tim Donnelly breaks down how Bosa's contract will set the market and range for Brian Burns' contract.
CFB analyst discloses potential reasons behind SMU's desperate attempts to join ACC in the latest conference realignment wave (sportskeeda.com; Pensabene)
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has been in the news lately by adding the California Golden Bears, Stanford Cardinal, and SMU Mustangs beginning in the 2024 college football season.
There has been a lot of discourse surrounding the ability of these teams to be in a Power Five conference in the future.
ESPN staff writer Dave Wilson wrote a piece about how SMU believes this is the first step into becoming a major power once again.
The program will receive a 30% share of ACC payouts for a handful of years before eventually becoming a full member down the road. However, there is the ability to still make money with the distribution of NCAA tournament and College Football Playoff revenue if the team makes it.
While interviewing SMU's chairman of the board of trustees, David Miller, he did not go through the minute details but discussed how this is a massive positive for the university.
He continued discussing how they have been good at recruiting and how being a Power Five team in the ACC will make them even more dominant in the future.
The ACC could have a lot of shifting throughout the conference in the future, but for right now, this will be incredible for the SMU Mustangs return to glory since the death penalty.
Does adding the SMU Mustangs help the ACC thrive?
In short, yes. The ACC will be getting a team with an interesting history surrounding it. However, something arguably more important is the fact that they have a footprint in a hotbed of college football: Texas.
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Mustang rally? SMU got what it wanted, but will the ACC move mean a return to glory? (ESPN; Wilson)
Early Friday morning, SMU received a phone call decades in the making, a lifeline from the ACC offering them a return to the upper echelons of college football.
It was a proud day for the Mustangs, with an afternoon celebration in the school's indoor practice facility. Confetti fell from the sky. The pep band played "Great Balls of Fire" as boosters mingled, shared hugs and high-fives nearly 40 years after becoming one of the most vilified college football programs in college football history.
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"We're finally back where we belong," said David Miller, the chairman of SMU's board of trustees, receiving a standing ovation.
The NCAA's 1987 "death penalty" for repeated recruiting violations wrecked the football program, as the strings holding together the Southwest Conference started to fray. After football returned to SMU in 1989, the Mustangs won just 13 games over the final seven years of the SWC. In 1995, when the new Big 12 merged four teams from the SWC -- Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor -- with the Big 8, SMU was left to start over again. And again (in the WAC) and again (in Conference USA) and again (in the Big East, which didn't materialize and turned into the American).
A proud program that finished in the top 10 three times between 1981 and 1984, including a No. 2 finish in 1982, hasn't finished a single season in the AP rankings since then.
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ESPiN 2023 Sep 6 (RX; HM)
ESPiN 2023 Sep 6
I'm sure ESPN hates it when SEC teams lose, and someone there is trying to take it out on the ACC...
That's a garbage take, of course. The ACC had a much better weekend than the SEC. Even the future ACC teams all won! Consider: The ACC went 8-2, with wins over LSU and S. Carolina (both SEC). Meanwhile, the SEC has started out 12-3. Their best win so far? Tennessee over Virginia. Balance that against losses to FSU, UNC, and by Florida to Utah. Six of the 12 SEC wins are over FCS teams (the ACC only has 3 FCS wins).
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ACC Pride 2023 Sep 7th (RX; HM)
ACC Pride 2023 Sep 7th
ACC WELCOMES CAL, SMU and STANFORD
* The ACC Board of Directors voted on Sept. 1 to formally admit the University of California, Berkeley (Cal), Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Stanford University to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the ACC as full members with full voting participation effective July 1, 2024 (SMU) and August 2, 2024 (Stanford and Cal). The decision followed the submission of letters of application from all three institutions.* The additions of Cal, SMU and Stanford enhance and strengthen the ACC academically, athletically and financially as well as create a true national conference that spans coast to coast. The incoming universities enrich the league’s competitiveness in all sports and further demonstrate the ACC’s commitment to broad-based programs for both women and men. More than 2,200 student-athletes from Cal, SMU and Stanford will join the nearly 10,000 current ACC student-athletes competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics.
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Change the Narrative 2023 Sep 6 (RX; HM)
Change the Narrative 2023 Sep 6
Current and future ACC football teams have an opportunity to make some statements and change the narrative in Week #2. Here are the big games on the schedule - most of which are at home...
Notre Dame at NC State - The Wolfpack play much tougher at home, but the Irish haven't lost a regular season game to an ACC team since November 11th, 2017 (at Miami). The ACC really needs a win over Notre Dame, and this could be the one.
Purdue at Virginia Tech - Despite losing to a G5 team in Week 1, the Boilermakers are still a road favorite this weekend. That's just downright disrespectful! It's time for the Hokies to reclaim home field advantage.
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest - The Deacons are comfortable favorites at home, they just need to take care of business.
Texas A&M at Miami - The last time the Hurricanes beat a power five team in the regular season was in 2014 when they edged Nebraska by a field goal. The last time they did it to an SEC teams was in 2013, against Florida. The Aggies won at home last year, so Miami needs this to even the series.
Cincinnati at Pitt - One of these teams is just 2 years removed from a playoff appearance, and the other is Pitt. I would argue that the Panthers have been the better team during most of that span, but this is their chance to prove it head-to-head.
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https://athlonsports.com/college-football/bowl-projections-2023 (athlonsports.com; Lassan)
The 2023-24 bowl schedule features 41 overall games, plus the CFB Playoff National Championship, and Athlon Sports is here with complete projections and predictions for all of the matchups after Week 1.
The postseason officially begins on Dec. 16 with six matchups and continues until Jan. 8 with the national championship at NRG Stadium in Houston. The semifinals for the College Football Playoff take place on Jan. 1 this year, with the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl hosting the matchups.
Projections will be updated every week throughout the regular season.
How will the postseason matchups look by December? Below are Athlon Sports' predictions for every bowl and playoff game in 2023-24 after Week 1:
College Football Bowl Projections for 2023-24
Bahamas Bowl (Dec. 16)
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. MACProjection: Louisiana Tech vs. Northern Illinois
New Orleans Bowl (Dec. 16)
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Sun BeltProjection: Liberty vs. Troy
Cure Bowl (Dec. 16)
Tie-In: AAC/C-USA/MAC/Sun BeltProjection: FAU vs. UConn
New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 16)
Tie-In: Conference USA vs. Mountain WestProjection: New Mexico State vs. Wyoming
Related: Ranking All 133 College Football Teams for 2023
LA Bowl (Dec. 16)
Tie-In: Mountain West vs. Pac-12Projection: Boise State vs. Colorado
Independence Bowl (Dec. 16)
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. Pac-12Projection: UCF vs. Washington State
Myrtle Beach Bowl (Dec. 18)
Tie-In: AAC/C-USA/MAC/Sun BeltProjection: Appalachian State vs. Middle Tennessee
Frisco Bowl (Dec. 19)
Tie-In: AAC/C-USA/MAC/Sun BeltProjection: Southern Miss vs. Air Force
Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 21)
Tie-In: AAC/C-USA/MAC/Sun BeltProjection: South Alabama vs. UTSA
Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 22)
Tie-In: SEC vs. ACC/AmericanProjection: South Carolina vs. Memphis
Birmingham Bowl (Dec. 23)
Tie-In: SEC vs. American/ACCProjection: Mississippi State vs. Marshall
Camellia Bowl (Dec. 23)
Tie-In: MAC vs. Sun BeltProjection: Toledo vs. Coastal Carolina
Armed Forces Bowl (Dec. 23)
Tie-In: American/C-USA vs. Big 12Projection: Western Kentucky vs. Kansas
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Dec. 23)
Tie-In: MAC vs. Mountain WestProjection: Miami (Ohio) vs. Fresno State
68 Ventures Bowl (Dec. 23)
Tie-In: MAC vs. Sun BeltProjection: Ohio vs. Georgia Southern
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 23)
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. Pac-12Projection: Iowa vs. Utah
Hawaii Bowl (Dec. 23)
Tie-In: American Athletic Conference vs. Mountain WestProjection: SMU vs. San Jose State
Quick Lane Bowl (Dec. 26)
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. MACProjection: Illinois vs. Eastern Michigan
First Responder Bowl (Dec. 26)
Tie-In: Big 12/AAC/C-USAProjection: BYU vs. North Texas
Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Dec. 26)
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. Big 12Projection: Maryland vs. Texas Tech
Military Bowl (Dec. 27)
Tie-In: ACC vs. AmericanProjection: Wake Forest vs. East Carolina
Duke's Mayo Bowl (Dec. 27)
Tie-In: ACC vs. SECProjection: Pitt vs. Kentucky
Texas Bowl (Dec. 27)
Tie-In: Big 12 vs. SECProjection: TCU vs. Arkansas
Holiday Bowl (Dec. 27)
Tie-In: ACC vs. Pac-12Projection: Duke vs. UCLA
Fenway Bowl (Dec. 28)
Tie-In: ACC vs. AmericanProjection: Syracuse vs. UAB
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ACC football power rankings: Where Virginia football stands after week 1 (streakingthelawn.com; Siegel)
With one game in the books for each ACC team, the question becomes how to balance first impressions with preseason expectations. Some teams displayed more than others in Week 1, but all have plenty of time to change things, of course.
With that being said, here is my estimation of how the Virginia Cavaliers and the ACC as a whole stack up at this moment, from 14 to 1.
14. Boston College Eagles
After showing flashes of light early on in his tenure, Jeff Hafley has reached rock bottom in the beginning of year four. The Eagles fell to Northern Illinois in overtime, 27-24, and at this point, it is easier to attribute this to the state of the program, rather than a fluke. Boston College now has the task of taking down a local FCS power in Holy Cross. They will host the ‘Hoos in Week 5.13. Virginia Cavaliers
Tony Elliott’s squad had major concerns going into 2023. While getting blown out by Tennessee was the expectation, the process by which it happened confirmed many of these issues. UVA’s offensive line looked especially overwhelmed by the task at hand. Regardless of quarterback health, opening as a touchdown underdog to James Madison at home makes it clear what oddsmakers think of them.12. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
After leading for a majority of the game, Brent Key’s first game as a full-time head coach ended in a comeback loss. The Jackets showed encouraging signs of what is to come, especially with explosive plays on offense. While it remains a work in progress, the team Virginia sees in early November should be better than what we are accustomed to.11. Virginia Tech Hokies
Third try is the charm, I suppose. Not only did Virginia Tech finally take down Old Dominion but they did so in the way that a power conference program should. While there are still apparent issues with the quarterback position, the receiver position, led by former Monarch Ali Jennings, looks vastly improved.10. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Beating an FCS team 37-17 does not sound entirely overwhelming, but all of Elon’s points occurred when the game was late and already out of hand. Quarterback Mitch Griffis looked good, not great. As one would expect, the defense was dominating in the trenches.9. Syracuse Orange
Syracuse dominated Colgate, 65-0. Hard to have any negative takeaways there. I guess you can call it revenge for the recent basketball history between these two....
Other
A small fish hangs on the bill of an anhinga after the bird speared it, while fishing underwater in the Anhinga Trail section of Everglades National Park near Homestead, Fla. The anhinga is the one of the best fresh water diving bird. It slips beneath the water surface quietly, barely making a ripple and fishes for its food. It eats fish, frogs, eggs, and even small alligators. After spearing the fish it flipped it off its bill and swallowed it. (J Pat Carter | The Associated Press)ASSOCIATED PRESS
‘Devil Bird’ spotted in Central NY and more are expected to arrive (PS; Hernandez)
Birdwatchers, keep your eyes peeled, a rare sighting of the “Devil Bird” in Upstate New York has been reported and more could be flocking to your area.
The anhinga, a waterbird with a snakelike head and dagger sharp beak, has been appearing far north of its usual nesting areas.
Tim Wing, a bird watcher from Oneida County, took photos and logged a sighting in Rome, NY of a flock of 22 anhinga in April 2023 on eBird, an online site to document bird sightings.
These winged water creatures were also spotted in New York City this spring for the first time since 1992, according to the New York Times.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the bird’s name comes from the Tupi Indian language of Brazil and loosely translates to “devil bird” or “evil spirit of the woods.” Unlike other diving birds, its feathers are not waterproof. This allows the predator to submerge itself in the water and stalk their next meal of freshwater fish.
Despite its foreboding nickname, anhinga are not a danger to humans.
Typically this bird is found in the south, anhingas spotted in America are generally in places like Texas, Florida, and up into the Carolinas come summer. As their home habitats are changing with rising climate temperatures, some birds like the anhinga are being forced into new nesting areas outside of their typical migration ranges.
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This summer broke global record for highest heat ever measured, meteorologists say (PS; AP)
Earth has sweltered through its hottest Northern Hemisphere summer ever measured, with a record warm August capping a season of brutal and deadly temperatures, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Last month was not only the hottest August scientists ever recorded by far with modern equipment, it was also the second hottest month measured, behind only July 2023, WMO and the European climate service Copernicus announced Wednesday.
August was about 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial averages. That is the threshold that the world is trying not to pass, though scientists are more concerned about rises in temperatures over decades, not merely a blip over a month’s time.
The world’s oceans — more than 70% of the Earth’s surface — were the hottest ever recorded, nearly 21 C (69.8 F), and have set high temperature marks for three consecutive months, the WMO and Copernicus said.
“The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement. “Climate breakdown has begun.”
So far, 2023 is the second hottest year on record, behind 2016, according to Copernicus.
Scientists blame ever warming human-caused climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas with an extra push from a natural El Nino, which is a temporary warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide. Usually an El Nino, which started earlier this year, adds extra heat to global temperatures but more so in its second year.
Climatologist Andrew Weaver said the numbers announced by WMO and Copernicus come as no surprise, bemoaning how governments have not appeared to take the issue of global warming seriously enough. He expressed concern that the public will just forget the issue when temperatures fall again.
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