sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Comic Book Day!
Today is a day to celebrate the popular entertainment and collector's item, the comic book. The first American comic book is seen as being Famous Funnies, which was released in 1933, although many books and comics predated it and helped lead to its creation. For example, an 1842 hardcover book titled The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck was made up of comics. In the early 20th century periodicals that contained comics were printed in the United States. American comic books are divided into different eras. In 1938, the release of Superman launched the Golden Age of comic books. Superhero comics were introduced and very popular for most of this era. The Silver Age is seen as beginning with the introduction of Flash in 1956, which led to a rejuvenation in superhero comic books. The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man came about during this era, and the era lasted until sometime in the early 1970's, when the Bronze Age began, which lasted until the mid-1980's. From the end of the Bronze Age until the present day is known as the Modern Age. Non-mainstream comic books such as underground comix sprang up in the 1960's, followed by alternative comics in the 1980's. Comic book stores became popular in the 1970's, and comic book conventions are another way that collectors and comic book fans have connected and enjoyed their hobby.
SU News
Aidan Groeling | Contributing Photographer
The next day: Damien Alford's career day came from different spots around the field (DO; Alandt)
Head coach Dino Babers used to call Damien Alford “Bambi.” The 6-foot-6 wide receiver is one of the biggest targets Garrett Shrader has ever had, but he’d fall down instantly after contact and struggled to make plays across the middle of the field. At times, SU’s speedy outside threat would get locked up outside the hashes and — as recently as Syracuse’s win over Western Michigan — become a non-factor. Separating himself from a crowded pack of unproven receivers meant Alford needed to be a reliable threat.
Without Oronde Gadsden II, Shrader has feasted on other matchups with Donovan Brown, Umari Hatcher and Alford. It’s worked, with each receiver having their breakout performance to show they can contribute. Saturday was Alford’s turn, and it proved that for the Orange to be a successful passing team, he needs to be a major part of the offensive equation.
Shrader missed Alford on a sideline fade in Syracuse’s final possession of the first half. The throw sailed too far outside Alford’s catch radius, and though he got his hands on it, he ran out of room to toe tap. But after its first drive of the third quarter was stuffed by Army, Shrader finally put everything together. He connected with Alford on the first pass, a 31-yard connection that sent SU’s bench into a frenzy. Shrader left the throw a tad short, forcing Alford to reach out over the head of Cameron Jones and snatch the ball over the 5-foot-9 defender.
Two plays later, Shrader went back to him on a go-route down the near sideline. He calmly lofted the ball up and allowed Alford to reach out and grab it again to complete the 19-yard gain. With Army’s defense sagged off in anticipation for another throw, LeQuint Allen Jr. darted up the middle, easily breaking through two tacklers at the line before walking into the end zone untouched to tie the game at 10-10.
“(Alford’s) a big target. Whenever we had the one-on-ones, just throw it up, leave it a little outside for him. He’s easy to throw to,” Shrader said.
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Observations from SU's win over Army: Shrader's adjustments, Alford’s career day (DO; Miller)
Two of the best ground attacks in the nation squared off in Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. SU, the No. 10 rushing offense in the nation, welcomed Army, the No. 9 rushing offense, into the JMA Wireless Dome.
In Syracuse’s 35-20 win over Purdue last Saturday, it accumulated 271 rushing yards and five scores. Quarterback Garrett Shrader led the way with a career-high 195 yards and four touchdowns while LeQuint Allen Jr. added 80 yards and a score.
This week, it was a slow start for the Orange, but Shrader finished strong to lead them to a 13-point victory over the Black Knights. The ground game didn’t disappoint, as the two teams totaled over 280 combined rushing yards and three scores.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (4-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 29-16 win over Army (2-2, Independent):
Damien Alford’s statement game
Alford recorded his career-high in receptions (eight) and receiving yards (106) in less than three quarters against Army. Without Oronde Gadsden II and Isaiah Jones this week, Alford got the majority of their vacated targets and took full advantage.Alford’s largest play came during SU’s final drive of the first half. After struggling mightily up to that point, Shrader laid one up for Alford, streaking up the seam, and he came down with it for a 23-yard gain. He also secured a back-shoulder toe tap and made the most of multiple screen passes against soft zone defense.
His role didn’t change, but Alford has never shown this kind of production for Syracuse. He finished the day with nine receptions for 135 yards.
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How Syracuse football transfers fared: Courtney Jackson, Jawhar Jordan have big games (PS; Owens)
Courtney Jackson had just three receptions for Arkansas State on Saturday, but he made them count as two of his catches went for touchdowns in the Red Wolves’ 44-37 win over Southern Mississippi.
Jackson caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jaylen Raynor with 3:40 left in the first quarter to give the Wolves’ a 14-7 lead. Then, on the first play following the second half kickoff, Jackson hauled in a 60-yard pass from Rayner to make it a 27-17 game.
Jackson also had one rush for 5 yards.
In 2021, Jackson led the Syracuse Orange in receiving with 37 receptions for 389 yards and three touchdowns. Last season, those totals dipped to 15 catches for 201 yards and one touchdown. He entered the transfer portal and committed to Arkansas State in December.
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New Syracuse football facility to be ‘monumental step forward’ for program (itlh; Adler)
A new Syracuse football operations center will be critical for the program moving forward into the future, as the Orange looks to remain competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference and on a national scale, ‘Cuse leaders say.
This past Friday, Syracuse University officially broke ground on a new football operations center at the John A. Lally Athletic Complex, a facility that SU Athletics has described as a “state-of-the-art academic and athletics village” that will support the 20 Syracuse Orange sports teams.
Per a release from SU Athletics, the new football operations center, when completed, will include coaches’ offices, a new and larger cafeteria and nutrition space, a new locker room, new position meeting rooms and other amenities.
John Wildhack, SU’s athletics director, said in the statement that breaking ground on the new football operations center is “another monumental step forward in shaping the future of Syracuse University Athletics and in particular, our football program.”
He added, “Today represents a commitment to compete at a national level.”
Syracuse football, down the road, will have a new operations center.
In September of 2019, SU Athletics announced that former Syracuse football offensive guard John Lally (class of 1982) and Laura Lally had contributed a $25 million gift to help kick off a fundraising campaign to create top-notch experiences for future generations of ‘Cuse student-athletes.
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Late Kick: Syracuse is a sneaky undefeated team (cbssports; video; Pate)
In this excerpt from Late Kick Live, Josh Pate explains why Syracuse is being overlooked as a quality team in college football right now.
Does Dino Really Know Dabo? (orangefizz.net; Gotkin)
Syracuse football is 4-0 for the second straight season. That hasn’t been said since the Orange lifted the national title in 1959. Starting now though, the path to stay undefeated gets a lot tougher. The ACC opener is this week against the perennial power of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Clemson. Since becoming the head coach of SU in 2015, the storyline has been, “Dino knows Dabo,” and Syracuse always has a chance. Lets take a look at if that is really the case.
2022 – Clemson 27-21
This years game is a big one against Clemson, but last year meant a lot more. The Orange were ranked 14th, the Tigers were 5th. A win would have propelled SU into the top 10. Syracuse dominated the first half and led 21-10 at the break. Then, the Orange offense went quiet and didn’t score at all in the second half. The Tigers scored 17 points in the 4th quarter to come back and win with a new QB, Cade Klubnik.
2021 – Clemson 17-14
The last time these teams played in the Dome, it was a Friday night in mid-October. Through the first quarter, the Orange and Tigers were scoreless. It was the Sean Tucker show on the offensive end for SU as he ran for 163 yards. But no touchdowns for Tucker meant that the ‘Cuse couldn’t muster enough points to get the win.
2015-2020 – Clemson 5-1
So if you look back, yes Dino Babers is just 1-7 against Dabo Sweeney. The one win though for SU was at the Dome, on the last Saturday of September. Sound familiar? That’s the same situation were in this season. At the time, the Tigers were ranked #1. Now, they’re unranked with two losses.
So, historically, Dino does play Dabo well. Even though he’s won just once, he has played the Tigers close. The Orange have a chance to go 5-0 for the second straight season.
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Syracuse Football: 2 key facts point to program moving in positive direction (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse football kept its 2023 unbeaten streak alive on Saturday afternoon, when the Orange stormed back after the break to defeat Army by 13 points on the Hill.
Next up, the ‘Cuse will host Clemson, a team that is only 2-2 so far this season but has won multiple national titles and advanced to numerous College Football Playoffs in recent years.
After the Orange beat the Black Knights, 29-16, I came across two interesting and important facts that I wanted to pass along. I saw these factoids both from SU Athletics as well as other media reports.
Number one, Syracuse football went 4-0 in the non-conference during the 2023 stanza for the first time since the ‘Cuse first joined the Big East Conference back in 1991, according to SU Athletics.
Secondly, per cuse.com and other reports, Syracuse football has started out 4-0 in back-to-back campaigns for the first time going all the way back to the 1959 and 1960 seasons.
To me, Syracuse football is trending in a positive direction.
The Orange won the program’s only national championship during the 1959 season, when the late Ben Schwartzwalder, a Hall of Fame head coach inducted into the SU Athletics ring of honor this past Saturday afternoon, was at the helm of the ‘Cuse.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse/football/five-takeaways-syracuse-29-army-16 (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse football improved to 4-0 with a 29-16 win over Army on Saturday. Here are five takeaways from the triumph.
1. The First Time Since...
Syracuse is 4-0 in back to back seasons for the first time since 1959-60. In addition, the Orange has won all of its non-conference games for the first time since 1991. When you do something for the first time in that long, there are two points. First, it is a good thing for this season that you accomplished those feats. On the other hand, it is not good that it took so long to do so. Still, a positive step for this Syracuse team.
2. Turnovers
The narrative coming into this game was that Army is a disciplined football team that does not turn the ball over. In fact, Army had thrown just two interceptions on the season coming in. The Orange picked the Black Knights off twice in this game alone and forced a fumble that Army was able to recover. The defense had its struggles in the first half, but all in all played very well against a difficult scheme. The turnovers were indicative of the adjustments made at halftime and attacking nature of this defense. On the flip side, Garrett Shrader's interception at the end of the first half was a poor decision and a poor throw. He was really good otherwise, but has to be smarter with the football as competition ramps up starting next week.
3. Run Game
Both the Syracuse rushing attack and Syracuse run defense really turned it up in the second half. The Orange ran for just 18 yards in the first half while Army racked up 129. In the second half, however, things flipped. Syracuse made defensive adjustments to stop the Black Knights, holding them to -4 total rushing yards. Offensively, the offensive line started to open holes for LeQuint Allen and the Orange tallied 140 rushing yards after intermission. In total, Army averaged less than three yards per carry while Syracuse averaged 4.3. Allen ran for over 100 yards for the second time this season, while Garrett Shrader ran for 50 yards on 10 carries. The 10 attempts for Shrader is a much better number than the 25 he had against Purdue for the benefit of his longterm health. If Allen can run like that, it opens up so much for the offense.
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SU receiving votes but still on the outside of Coaches Poll, AP Top 25 (PS; $; Leiker)
Syracuse football is still on the outside of both major college football polls after earning its fourth straight win of the season Saturday.
The Orange received votes in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 but remain unranked in both after beating Army 26-19 in the JMA Wireless Dome.
SU garnered 32 points in the coaches poll, up from the 10 it had last week. It is still ninth in the “receiving votes” category, behind other ACC schools Louisville (36 points) and Clemson (35 points).
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SU football is undefeated, and in comes Clemson: ‘The Dome better be full’ (PS; $; Axe)
They say that opposites attract.
If that is truly the case, then the Syracuse University football team’s first-half and second-half performance at the JMA Wireless Dome in a 29-16 win over Army on Saturday afternoon would have a long, healthy marriage.
Luckily for the Orange, the second half was the better of the pair as SU rolled up 26 points and held Army to minus-4 rushing yards following halftime. SU had scored just three points and let Army control the ball for all but 17 plays in the first half.
Syracuse is 4-0 for the second-consecutive season and in back-to-back seasons for the first time since Ben Schwartzwalder, who was added to the Ring of Honor in the JMA Dome on Saturday, coached the Orange in the 1959 and 1960 seasons.
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Axe: Syracuse can upgrade ‘good’ status to ‘great’ starting with Clemson (PS; $; Axe)
The gap between good and great is enormous.
How many good meals, concerts or movies really stick with you?
But the great ones? Those are vivid and provide instant recall.
The Syracuse University football team has been good so far this season with a 4-0 start.
Another chance to be great starts Saturday at Noon against Clemson at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Syracuse flirted with greatness in Death Valley last year.
The Orange were this close to silencing the doubters, taking full control of the ACC’s Atlantic Division, leaping into the Top 10 and perhaps welcoming ESPN’s College GameDay to town for the first time.
A cocktail of penalties (10 for 88 yards), bad breaks (4th quarter late-hit call on SU defense and no late-hit sideline call on SU QB Garrett Shrader) and questionable coaching (Sean Tucker only had five carries?) led to a 27-21 Clemson victory last year.
Syracuse would win just one game the rest of the way and its 2022 season went from the chance to be great to a slide down to “meh,” finishing at 7-6.
Hollywood writers have been on strike, so you’ll have to forgive us if some of this script sounds familiar with Clemson on the docket again.
The Orange are once again undefeated (4-0), trying to crack the rankings and are two wins away from clinching back-to-back bowl bids for the first time in a decade.
Penalties are a problem again for the Orange. Only 13 FBS schools have more penalty yards (302) than Syracuse does this season.
Takeaways are plentiful again. Syracuse ranks in the Top 10 nationally with 10 so far in 2023.
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Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Syracuse football: smart scheduling helps program build momentum (TNIAAM; Wall)
The Syracuse Orange moved to 4-0 yesterday and all of us agree that there is room to grow for the 2023 squad, but that’s not the most important thing today.
What matters most is that 4-0 record. You can point out that Syracuse hasn’t beaten anyone good (true), or that the schedule gets tougher now (agree), but that’s not really important. We talked about this last year but nationally most people look at the record first and Syracuse scheduled themselves to get to this point.
I get that there will be a lot of “Well they started fast last year too” talk. Two more wins gets bowl eligibility. A win over Clemson (even a 2-2 version of Dabo’s team) and suddenly others will take notice...but you know who is noticing? Boosters and recruits.
It isn’t just momentum on the field, but the construction of new facilities at the Lally Complex is a sign that the Orange are trying to maintain a competitive program. With the renovations to the JMA Dome and the football operations upgrade, it’s clear that Syracuse is trying to do what we’ve asked them to do the last 20 or so years, invest in the football program.
Ascendant might be a bit too far, but John Wildhack’s comments during Friday’s ground-breaking make it clear to fans, boosters and recruits that Syracuse wants to compete. Some fans might not be convinced to come out to the Dome to see Colgate, Western Michigan and Army and that’s fine. Playing those teams has given Syracuse a chance to get themselves in a solid position for bowl eligibility.
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Syracuse football opens as nine point underdogs to Clemson (TNIAAM; Haller)
The Syracuse Orange are on to 4-0 on the young season, and the Clemson Tigers are coming to town this weekend. After making some adjustments at the half, the Orange ran away with a 29-16 victory against Army to remain undefeated closing out their non-conference schedule. For better or worse, the ACC slate starts right off with a bang, as they host Clemson this week.
It seems that the oddsmakers at DraftKings see the Orange as a two score underdog, opening the line at Syracuse +9 for the week. The over/under line is set at 51.5. Syracuse is coming off the first time this season where they didn’t beat the house, narrowly missing the 13.5 point spread that was the consensus for them against Army. They’ve also missed the over both of the last two weeks, coming in five points under this week, after also hitting the under against Purdue.
Uncharacteristically, the Tigers are 2-2 on the season, with an opening week loss to Duke, and a hard fought battle this week, falling to the Florida State Seminoles in overtime, 31-24. This will be one of the few times, if not the first, that the Orange face Clemson in ACC play where the Tigers aren’t ranked, falling out of the polls earlier this year. On the year, Clemson is 1-3 against the spread and hit the over three out of four games.
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(sporcle.com; quiz)
College Football Road Trip: Syracuse
Syracuse football: They had us in the first half, not gonna lie... (youtube; podcast; FFSN)
Syracuse football: They had us in the first half, not gonna lie...
Episode 440- Syracuse football: Army Postgame/Fan Feedback! (player.fm; podcast; Cuse Militia)
What's up Cuse Nation?!?! Syracuse advances to 4-0 after a 29 16 win over the Army Black Knights! And for the first time since 1991 Syracuse sweeps their non-conference schedule. You'll hear from us and we'll hear from you in Fan Feedback!
ACC News
https://www.si.com/college/georgiatech/football/acc-power-rankings-week-five (SI; Caudell)
Week five is in the books and the ACC officially has a clear leader.
Florida State has been at No. 1 in these power rankings since the preseason, but there were some who wanted to see if they could go on the road and beat Clemson for the first time since 2014. It was a huge win for the Seminoles and just as big of a loss for Clemson. The Tigers are now 2-2 this season and 0-2 in the ACC. This is not the start the Tigers wanted, but it will be interesting to see how they respond in the weeks to come.
14. Virginia (0-4). Last week's ranking: 14
The Cavaliers came close to getting a big win against NC State, but it was not meant to be and now Tony Elliott's team is now 0-4. I will say, it is encouraging to see this team fighting despite how the season has gone and they have not given up yet. The offense has looked a bit better recently but commits too many turnovers. UVA has a chance for a win this weekend vs. Boston College.13. Virginia Tech (1-3). Last week's ranking: 13
Things are not going well in Blacksburg right now under Brent Pry. It was surprising to see them as a near-touchdown underdog to Marshall, but the Thundering Herd left little doubt about who was the better team. The offense continues to be a disaster for the Hokies and the defense is a far cry from what it used to be. This program sank under Justin Fuente, but Pry is driving it deeper into the ground. VT has a chance to get a win next week against Pitt.12. Boston College (1-3). Last week's ranking: 12
It is pretty clear who the worst teams are in the ACC and Boston College is clearly one of them. The Eagles looked lifeless on defense and quarterback Thomas Castellanos could not replicate the same amount of magic as he did against Florida State. Jeff Hafley's team is now 1-3 and it is looking like they will miss a bowl game yet again. They have a chance to get their second win of the season this weekend against Virginia.11. Pitt (1-3). Last week's ranking: 10
You could make the argument for Pitt to be lower, but those other three teams make it hard to do that. No matter who is at quarterback, the Panthers have been unable to do anything with the ball and the passing attack is among the nation's worst. Pat Narduzzi has built a strong program at Pitt, but after a 1-3 start, it is looking like the Panthers are not going to be able to make a bowl game this year.10. Wake Forest (3-1). Last week's ranking: 8
Wake Forest nearly pulled off a comeback against Georgia Tech, but could not block the Yellow Jackets front. Georgia Tech forced five turnovers from Wake and sacked quarterback Mitch Griffis eight times. The offense could not get going and that is uncharacteristic from a Dave Clawson-coached team. Wake is off this week.9. NC State (3-1). Last week's ranking: 9
NC State had a very unimpressive win over Virginia on Friday and the offense continues to look unimpressive. The passing attack has not been able to find its rhythm and that is not the place they wanted to be. The Wolfpack are still 3-1, but there are some glaring holes on this team right now. They have a big test this weekend against Louisville.8. Georgia Tech (2-2). Last week's ranking: 11
Georgia Tech has not been a great defense this season, but they showed up on Saturday night against Wake Forest. The Yellow Jackets had eight sacks and forced five turnovers. There were great individual performances from Kyle Kennard (four sacks) and Jaylon King (two interceptions) and the offense did just enough to get the road win. Georgia Tech faces Bowling Green next week.7. Clemson (2-2). Last week's ranking: 5
Clemson fought hard, but could not finish off Florida State when they had the chance. Dabo Swinney's team is now an unfamiliar 2-2 and now 0-2 in the ACC. The offense played better, but turnovers played a part in letting Florida State come back and win. Clemson's playoff hopes are officially done and it is going to be a fight to get back in contention in the ACC. They will have an interesting game on the road against Syracuse.6. Syracuse (4-0). Last week's ranking: 7
Syracuse looked like they were in trouble against Army on Saturday, but the Orange got going in the second half and pulled off a win. After four relatively easy non-conference games, Syracuse will now begin their ACC schedule and get a chance to prove they are for real in the conference. The Orange outscored Army 26-6 in the second half.5. Louisville (4-0). Last week's ranking: 5
Louisville had their best game of the season in a blowout win over Boston College. Quarterback Jack Plummer had a great day throwing for 388 yards and five touchdowns and the Cardinals put up 56 points. Louisville continues to win and they have a big game this week against NC State...
TigerIllustrated - Swinney on Florida State, injuries, catastrophic turnovers, Syracuse (r1vals.com)
Sunday evening Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney addressed members of the media as part of his weekly teleconference, this time to take a closer look at his team's 31-24 overtime loss to No. 4 Florida State upon further film review from his coaching staff earlier in the day.
Swinney spoke on numerous topics, as usual, while also providing an update on injuries and of course looking ahead to a week of practice leading up to next Saturday's road matchup with Syracuse.
The following is an abbreviated transcript of Sunday evening's teleconference.
OPENING STATEMENTS: "Nothing has changed since last night. Brutally painful to watch it all over again. So many opportunities to win the game. Our players and coaches absolutely laid it on the line. We did a lot of things again that indicate winning. We out-gained them, we were physical, more first downs, never trailed in regulation ... so many good things. We just literally needed one more play to win the game ... offense, defense, kicking game. Our guys played their tails off. That's as good a second half of defense as I've seen in a long time. We held them to one yard rushing in the second half. They were 5-of-15 on third down. We did a lot of things. We just had a few critical errors.
"I am super proud of our players and how they played. Offensively, same as defense. So many good things.
Cade Klubnik had his best game. Our receivers, backs and tight ends made plays. We had three starters out. Our offensive line did not give up a sack. You feel like you're about to go up by two scores and we give up the sack and TD. That has been the story of our two losses. It's not just a turnover. It's points off turnovers. I have never been a part of anything like that. It's painful. I do know that worm will turn. It's really that simple. That's why we're 2-2. We can't let the scoreboard make us lose sight of the good things that we are doing.
"We really laid it on the line. Tough, tough game to bounce back from. Our guys will do that. We are made of the right things. We will bounce back. I know our record isn't what we want it to be, but if we continue to play like we're playing, we'll have a good year.
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No. 17 UNC football opens up ACC play with 41-24 road win at Pittsburgh (dailytarheel.com; Wei)
The No. 17 North Carolina football team (4-0, 1-0 ACC) defeated Pittsburgh (1-3, 0-1 ACC), 41-24, to open up conference play at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday evening. UNC is now 4-0 for the first time since 1997.
In the first 12 minutes, the Panthers and Tar Heels traded rushing touchdowns from running backs Rodney Hammond Jr. and Omarion Hampton, respectively. North Carolina’s defense gave up back-to-back big plays to Pitt, with Hammond breaking free for a 23-yard run and quarterback Phil Jurkovec airing a pass to tight end Gavin Bartholomew for 30 yards. Running back Daniel Carter put the Panthers up, 14-7, with a 1-yard rushing touchdown.
“[Pitt] had a lot of energy,” UNC head coach Mack Brown said. “They were excited. We couldn’t let them get excited, and we did.”
Pitt and UNC traded three-and-outs, and then UNC sophomore quarterback Drake Maye found junior tight end John Copenhaver on a flea flicker for 40 yards. On a fourth-and-goal, Maye ran in a keeper to tie the game at 14-14.
The Tar Heels forced another three-and-out, including a 21-yard sack from senior linebacker Kaimon Rucker. Then, junior defensive back Alijah Huzzie scored a 52-yard punt return touchdown.
Jurkovec found wide receiver Konata Mumpfield and Bartholomew for 50 combined yards on the next drive, and kicker Ben Sauls nailed a 44-yard field goal to trim UNC’s lead to 21-17.
Maye connected with junior wideout Nate McCollum for a 29-yard completion. Then, under pressure, Maye tossed a left-handed 7-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open sophomore receiver Kobe Paysour. The quarterback attributed his ability to make such a throw to his athletic versatility growing up.
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3 questions we still have after Clemson football's loss to Florida State (greenvilleonline.com; Long)
Clemson football's 31-24 overtime loss to Florida State wasn't all bad, but there are still some big questions looming for the Tigers.
Clemson (2-2, 0-2 ACC) is facing injuries, kicking questions and more as it tries to put the loss behind it for a road game at Syracuse (4-0, 0-0) on Saturday (ABC, noon).
Here's what's top-of-mind as the Tigers try to bounce back.
How will Clemson's receivers fare if Antonio Williams misses more time?
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney did not provide an update on starting slot receiver Antonio Williams' injury status. Williams missed the Florida State game with an unspecified injury and was in a walking boot on the sideline.
Clemson's receivers actually played pretty well against the Seminoles. The position has been a source of angst for the Tiger faithful, and Williams' absence didn't help. But freshman Tyler Brown had a good game in his first start in Williams' stead, leading the Tigers with 84 yards on five receptions. One thing to note: Brown appeared to injure his shoulder in the game but did return. His ability to step into Williams' role and lead the team in receiving, as Williams often does, bodes well if the sophomore has to miss more time.
Troy Stellato was also a pleasant surprise. The redshirt sophomore had four catches, three of them for first downs, with 41 yards. Beaux Collins four receptions for 29 yards, and Adam Randall had two for 12.
The passing game as a whole looked better than I expected against Florida State, but we'll see if that's sustainable.
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Clemson RB Will Shipley Highlights vs. Florida State (youtube; video; ACC DN)
Running back Will Shipley continues to be the do-everything player for the Clemson Tigers. in the Tigers' game against Florida State, Shipley had 151 all-purpose yards with both a receiving and a rushing touchdown.
Welter Walkoff: Duke is the real story in college football not Deion :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com; video; Walkoff)
While the nation has been captivated by what Deion Sanders and Colorado has been doing this season, there's been a pretty incredible turnaround happening in Durham too. Pat Welter explains why Duke is the real story people should be paying attention to in college football.
Friedlander: What we learned about every ACC football team in Week 4 - Saturday Road (saturdayroad.com; Friedlander)
Florida State and Clemson stole the show Saturday.
And why not?
Their highly-anticipated clash of ACC titans at Death Valley more than lived up to the hype by going into overtime before the Seminoles came away with a 31-24 victory that solidified them as a serious national championship contender.
But don’t look now.
While FSU is certainly deserving of all the national attention it’s been getting, it has plenty of ACC company among the ranks of the unbeaten.
Thanks to wins by No. 17 North Carolina, No. 18 Duke and No. 20 Miami, along with unranked Syracuse and Louisville, the ACC boasts more 4-0 teams than any conference in the country.
Only the Pac-12 with 5 teams comes close. The SEC, meanwhile, has only 2.
The ACC couldn’t have drawn up a better start to the 2023 season. But the news wasn’t good for everyone.
So before moving ahead to Week 5, let’s take 1 last look back at an eventful Week 4 and what we learned about every ACC team.
Boston College
At this point, all that’s really left to be learned about the Eagles is how much longer Jeff Hafley lasts as their coach. And then who his replacement will be.After scaring the daylights out of Florida State last week, only to self-destruct by committing a school-record 18 penalties, BC had little left in its tank against Louisville.
The Eagles fell behind 28-0 after only a quarter-and-a-half, gave up 582 total yards and were burned for 5 scoring plays of 30 yards or more on the way to a 56-28 loss that drops them to 1-3, with their only win against Holy Cross.
Clemson
This might sound crazy since the Tigers lost its epic showdown with Florida State and fell to 0-2 in the ACC for the first time since 2010. But even in their first home defeat to an ACC opponent in 6 years, Dabo Swinney’s team showed that it can still play on an elite level.Clemson’s defense rose to the occasion by limiting the Seminoles to only 22 yards on the ground and 4-of-13 on 3rd down. Offensively, young quarterback Cade Klubnik continued his growth process by completing 25-of-38 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown while freshman receiver Tyler Brown caught 5 more balls for an average of 16.5 yards per reception.
But because of the same problems that have bothered the Tigers all season – turnovers and the kicking game – their best effort wasn’t good enough to be rewarded with a win or stay in contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Duke
A road game against a winless opponent with a high-profile date with Notre Dame coming up next week, this could have been a classic trap game. But we learned that Mike Elko’s 18th-ranked Blue Devils are too experienced and too focused to let that happen.They dominated UConn from start to finish, holding the Huskies to only 32 yards in the 1st half and coming within 12 seconds of pitching a shutout. Quarterback Riley Leonard had another productive performance, throwing for 248 yards and a touchdown while also running for a score.
The highlight of the game, however, came early in the 3rd quarter when 305-pound defensive tackle DeWayne Carter scooped up a fumble and returned it 27 yards for his 1st career touchdown.
Florida State
A pair of 4s isn’t usually a winning hand at the poker table. On the football field, however, we learned that it was good enough to beat a full house for the Seminoles on Saturday.The full house was the sellout crowd at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium that was quieted by game-breaking plays by FSU’s pair of 4s – linebacker Kalen DeLoach and receiver Keon Coleman, both of whom wear the same single-digit jersey number.
DeLoach’s 56-yard strip sack and fumble return to the end zone helped the Seminoles rally from behind to send the game into overtime, where Coleman leaped high above the Tigers’ Jeadyn Lukus to catch a touchdown pass from Jordan Travis for the winning score in a monumental 34-27 victory.
Mike Norvell’s team already showed us how talented it is with its opening night demolition of LSU. On this occasion, it showed us that it also has the toughness of a champion in ending a 7-game losing streak to the Tigers and becoming the first ACC team in 6 seasons to win at Death Valley.
Georgia Tech
Virtually every coach in the country subscribes to the theory that you play in the games like you do at practice. But as Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets taught us Saturday, that doesn’t always hold true.Only days after getting called out by Key after a lackluster practice earlier in the week, Tech’s defense responded with by far its best performance of the season in leading the way to a 30-16 win at Wake Forest.
After recording only 1 sack through their first 3 games, the Yellow Jackets recorded 8 against the Deacons, including 4 and a forced fumble by edge rusher Kyle Kennard. They also forced 4 turnovers, the last of which was an interception by Kenan Johnson that halted Wake as it drove for the tying score with just over 2 minutes remaining.
Louisville
How good is Louisville? We’ll have to wait until next week when it travels to NC State to learn that.But if you haven’t been paying attention to the Cardinals or dismissed them because of their soft schedule, you might want to reconsider. Jeff Brohm’s team is doing everything in its power to get people around the league to start taking notice.
Saturday against BC, they put up 56 points. And they did it all in just 3 quarters. In the process, we learned that there’s an abundance of playmakers in Brohm’s Air Raid offense.
Quarterback Jack Plummer continues to put up video game numbers by throwing for 388 yards and 5 touchdowns against the Eagles while also running for a score. Jawhar Jordan, the ACC’s leading rusher, is a big-play machine, with 3 touchdowns plays of at least 72 yards already this season. And transfer wide receiver Jamari Thrash had 2 more touchdown catches on Saturday to give him at least 1 in every game.
Miami
The Hurricanes have a history of losing games like the one they played at Temple on Saturday.Exhibit A: Middle Tennessee State last year.
Exhibit B: Florida International in 2019.
But as we learned, this Miami team might actually be different. Ignoring the distractions of the season’s first road trip, miserable weather in Philadelphia and an uninspiring opponent, Mario Cristobal’s team rolled to a 41-7 victory that completed its first unbeaten nonconference record since 2017.
Resurgent quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw for 3 touchdowns, but he had plenty of help. The Hurricanes churned out 543 total yards, including 323 on the ground, and held the Owls to 11 rushing yards while forcing 3 turnovers – including 2 interceptions by Te’Cory Couch.
North Carolina
Thanks to Alijah Huzzie, we learned that playmakers are playmakers, no matter what level they’re at. The transfer cornerback was among the FCS leaders with 6 interceptions while playing for East Tennessee State last season.And he’s been just as good for the Tar Heels this year. He showed just how many ways he can affect a game by intercepting 2 passes and returning 2 punts for 81 yards, including a 52-yarder for a touchdown to propel UNC to a 41-24 win at Pittsburgh.
The win improved Mack Brown’s team to 4-0 for the first time since the final year of his first tenure in Chapel Hill in 1997.
Drake Maye had another strong performance. But then, we already knew how good he is. His 296-yard performance was punctuated by an improvised left-handed 8-yard heave to Kobe Paysour.
NC State
The Wolfpack won 24-21 at Virginia to improve to 3-1. But as we learned from coach Dave Doeren’s ominous-sounding postgame comments, that’s about the only thing positive that can be said about his team’s performance against the Cavaliers.
And the problems run much deeper than just the inconsistency of transfer quarterback Brennan Armstrong and the play-calling of new offensive coordinator Robert Anae.
“I’m more concerned with other things, to be honest with you,” Doeren said.
Those “other things” involve a laundry list of issues that start with injuries, particularly on defense. State has lost 3 strong safeties in the past 2 weeks – including Devan Boykin and Cecil Powell against UVA. The running game, which was already suspect before senior Jordan Houston left the team earlier in the week, was again ineffective. And the defense continues to be burned for big plays.
Suffice it to say, Doeren and his team were lucky to get out of Charlottesville with the W and have a lot of work ahead of them before next Friday’s home game against Louisville.
Pittsburgh
The Panthers remembered how to find their way into the end zone after being held to just a pair of field goals in last week’s ugly loss to rival West Virginia. They even led UNC 7-0 after Daniel Carter’s 1-yard run 8 minutes into the 1st quarter.But that turned out to be their only offensive touchdown of the game. By the time Kenny Johnson returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score late in the 3rd period, the Tar Heels had already taken control of the game by scoring 38 unanswered points.
The loss was Pitt’s 3rd straight.
To make matters worse, Pat Narduzzi’s team lost starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec to an injury just before halftime. He was on his way to a much better effort than his previous 2, going 11-of-15 for 109 yards. His replacement, Penn State transfer Christian Veilleux was an ineffective 7-of-18 for 85 yards and 2 interceptions.
Syracuse
Thanks to Army, we learned that the best way to slow down Garrett Shrader and the Orange’s offense is to keep them off the field. The Cadets’ run-oriented attack played keepaway during the 1st half by holding onto the ball for 23:24 of the opening 30 minutes, running 41 plays to only 17 for Syracuse.But after being held to only 3 points and outgained 149-77, Dino Babers’ team flipped the script after halftime.
Syracuse scored 26 unanswered points after the break while limiting Army to 5 1st downs and minus yards on the ground to pull away for a 29-16 victory. Shrader was again a dominant force by throwing for 245 yards and running for 45 more in leading his team to a 4-0 start for the 2nd straight season.
...
UConn football coach Jim Mora furious with ACC handling of Jackson Mitchell’s disqualification: ‘It’s not okay’ (courant.com; Arruda)
Jackson Mitchell, a senior linebacker and the captain of UConn’s defense, was especially pumped up for Saturday’s game against Duke. But the Ridgefield native nicknamed ‘Mr. Connecticut’ was disqualified seven minutes into the eventual 41-7 loss, and was forced to watch his team get routed from the sideline.
“This was an important game to him,” head coach Jim Mora said in his postgame press conference. “This is a team that tried to get him to transfer to them last year. He wanted to show them that he stayed here for a reason and it was important to him to come out and play well.”
Mitchell played just one full drive, Duke’s first of the game, and helped force a three-and-out. He had two total tackles in four defensive snaps.
On the play that led to the disqualification, Mitchell was closing in on a sack of Duke quarterback Riley Leonard. Leonard threw the ball away just before Mitchell made contact, the top of his helmet into Leonard’s facemask.
“He actually kind of held off the hit,” Mora said, referring to the way Mitchell lightened up his pursuit once Leonard let go of the ball. “I’m 100% for player safety. I think at this level it is so important that we protect the head, the neck and the spine, but there has to be some reality to it.”
The referees, supplied by the ACC because of UConn’s status as an independent, immediately threw a flag and announced the penalty for roughing the passer, and that it would be reviewed for targeting. Seconds later, the ref announced that there was no targeting on the play.
But then the game was paused, with no one in the building really sure what was going on for several minutes.
“Then, before the ball was snapped, Charlottesville or Charlotte, wherever they are, the ACC, they decide ‘Oh, wait, we got another view. So we’re gonna kick your best player off the field against an ACC team.’ That’s how I see it,” Mora said.
After a rare second review, the ref announced that the ACC office (which is in Charlotte, North Carolina) decided Mitchell’s hit was, in fact, targeting, and that he would be out for the rest of the game. Because the penalty happened in the first half of the game, Mitchell will be able to start next week against Utah State.
“Listen, I’ve coached a lot of football in my life. A lot of football games. Lots. And if you’re gonna kick a man out of a game for that, then I must be the stupidest freaking football coach and the most ignorant human being that ever lived,” Mora said. “This is what we’re dealing with as an independent. That’s just the way it is… It didn’t have any bearing on the game, but that’s exactly what happened. So I’m hoping that they (the ACC) have enough integrity to give us an explanation at some point.
“You can’t have the ACC office in Charlotte calling twice and determining whether or not a guy plays. I’ve never heard of that, I never have. And thank god we’re an independent because they can’t fine me. And I don’t think I said anything negative, I just spoke the truth – there is a truth, and if they can’t handle the truth, that’s their problem.”
Mora reiterated that losing Mitchell, the team’s top tackler for the last two years, wasn’t the reason UConn was blown out . “But there is a frustration level, that early in the game and your guys are battling and it’s so important – I mean these are college football players, they get 12 games and some guy in a freakin’ room (in Charlotte) decides on a whim: ‘Screw Connecticut.’ It’s not okay. ‘Screw Jackson Mitchell.’ It’s not okay.”
...
https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/article279701929.html (newsobserver.com; Carter)
OK, trivia time. The rules: no Googling. No retreating to your library of local college football media guides (for, surely, the majority of those reading this out there have such a repository).
The question: When was the last time Duke and North Carolina both started a football season with victories in their first four games? We know the answer for each, individually.
Before their victory Saturday night at Pittsburgh, the Tar Heels hadn’t started 4-0 since 1997. More than 25 years ago. It’s difficult to believe it’d been that long for UNC, but it’s true, and it speaks to the sort of football suffering the Tar Heels have experienced more often than not throughout the past two-plus decades.
Duke, meanwhile, hadn’t started a season 4-0 since ... 2018. So not all that long ago. Under former head coach David Cutcliffe, the Blue Devils also started 4-0 in 2017 and ‘14. (And in those seasons, like this one, it must be noted, one of Duke’s four victories to start the season came against an FCS opponent).
But back to the question. Only the most old-school or encyclopedic of local ACC and college football aficionados would know the answer. The last time Duke and UNC both began a season 4-0: 1971. Fifty-two years ago, if you’re counting. And, also, the only time, since the formation of the ACC in 1953, that it has ever happened.
In studying the history, there are two main points here: For one, it just doesn’t happen very often — hardly ever, really — that these two blue blood “basketball schools” (and we went through that topic last week in this space) ever begin a football season with this sort of sustained hope. And second, and more important to this discussion: We now know, four weeks into the season, that the Triangle has its best hope in a long, long (loooong) time of ending its ACC football championship drought.
...
https://www.backingthepack.com/nc-s...inspires-confidence-but-as-for-everybody-else (backingthepack.com; Muma)
NC State was incredibly fortunate to get out of Charlottesville with a win, much less to do so in regulation—were it not for Virginia handing the Wolfpack a lot of yardage in penalties in the last minute, this game ends up in overtime, and then, who knows.
Kevin Concepcion had an outstanding night, but the offense once again turned in a lackluster performance against an FBS team—and not a good one, mind. In three games against FBS opponents, State is averaging a rather unpleasant 4.73 yards per play. Last season, amid all the quarterback chaos, State averaged 4.67 YPP against FBS opponents.
UVA out-gained State by 65 yards and was better on a per-play basis as well, so if it weren’t time to sound the alarm bells before, it surely is now.
Looking at what remains on the schedule, it’s hard to see the Pack being favored in more than two games (Marshall, Virginia Tech), and the next five games look all the more daunting. Can NC State get through Clemson, Duke, Louisville, and Miami with a split? I’d take that for sure, but the odds on that don’t feel too good.
...
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/ap-poll-2023-sep-24.html (RX; HM)
AP Poll 2023 Sep 24
One ACC team got ripped off, while another is getting the benefit of the doubt...
Here's the latest Associated Press sports writers poll results, along with some analysis...
| RK | TEAM | REC |
| 1 | Georgia | 4-0 |
| 2 | Michigan | 4-0 |
| 3 | Texas | 4-0 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 4-0 |
| 5 | Florida State | 4-0 |
| 6 | Penn State | 4-0 |
| 7 | Washington | 4-0 |
| 8 | USC | 4-0 |
| 9 | Oregon | 4-0 |
| 10 | Utah | 4-0 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 4-1 |
| 12 | Alabama | 3-1 |
| 13 | LSU | 3-1 |
| 14 | Oklahoma | 4-0 |
| 15 | N. Carolina | 4-0 |
| 16 | Washington St | 4-0 |
| 17 | Duke | 4-0 |
| 18 | Miami | 4-0 |
| 19 | Oregon State | 3-1 |
| 20 | Ole Miss | 3-1 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 3-1 |
| 22 | Florida | 3-1 |
| 23 | Missouri | 4-0 |
| 24 | Kansas | 4-0 |
| 25 | Fresno State | 4-0 |
| Others receiving votes: | ||
| 26 | Kansas State | 3-1 |
| 27 | Kentucky | 4-0 |
| T28 | Louisville | 4-0 |
| T28 | Colorado | 3-1 |
| 30 | UCLA | 3-1 |
| 31 | Maryland | 4-0 |
| 32 | TCU | 3-1 |
| 33 | Tulane | 3-1 |
| 34 | Syracuse | 4-0 |
| T35 | Air Force | 4-0 |
| T35 | Wisconsin | 3-1 |
| T37 | Texas A&M | 3-1 |
| T37 | Clemson | 2-2 |
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/gameday-for-notre-dame-at-duke-2023.html (RX; HM)
Gameday for Notre Dame at Duke 2023
From the official ACC release of Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023...
ESPN College Gameday Headed to Duke for Week 5
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – ESPN announced on Saturday night that College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will broadcast live for the first time from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina for Week 5.
The nationally ranked and undefeated Duke Blue Devils (4-0) will host Notre Dame (4-1) on Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m. on ABC’s Saturday Night Football.
GameDay broadcasted from an ACC location twice during the 2022 season, emanating from Pittsburgh on Sept. 1, 2022, for the season opener between Pitt and West Virginia and at Clemson on Oct. 1, 2022, prior to the Clemson and NC State matchup.
The show kicked off Week 1 of the 2023 season at Romare Bearden Park in Uptown Charlotte on Sept. 2, where North Carolina defeated South Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Classic inside Bank of America Stadium.
...
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/saturday-early-results-2023-sep-23.html (RX; HM)
Saturday Early Results 2023 Sep 23
Here are the scores of the noon kickoff games of 9/23/2023:
#4 Florida State 31 @ Clemson 24 (OT)
https://youtu.be/Z5TFI3V2H1IClemson looked good, but Florida State is a legit national championship contender, IMO.
Army 16 @ Syracuse 29
https://youtu.be/sPMVSEuCbGgSyracuse is 4-0 and looking good.
...
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/saturday-evening-results-2023-sep-23.html (RX ;HM)
Saturday Evening Results 2023 Sep 23
Here are the evening/prime time results for Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023:
Georgia Tech 30 at Wake Forest 16
https://youtu.be/1BYmDisnZes...
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/still-unbeaten-2023-sep-25.html (RX; HM)
Still Unbeaten 2023 Sep 25
Look who's on top now!
Which teams still have a zero in the "L" column?
By Conference...
FBS UNBEATENS, by conference
ACC: (6) Duke, FSU, Louisville, Miami, UNC, Syracuse, WakePac-12: (5) USC, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wash. State
Big Ten: (4) Ohio State, Penn State, Maryland, Michigan
Big XII: (3) Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas
SEC: (3) Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri
MWC: (2) Air Force, Fresno St
C-USA: (1) Liberty
American: (0) None
Independents: (0) None
MAC: (0) none
BATTLE of UNBEATENS, Week 4
Kansas at Texas(believe it or not, that's the only one I could find).
https://accfootballrx.blogspot.com/2023/09/biggest-losers-2023-sep-23.html (RX; HM)
Biggest Losers 2023 Sep 23
Ranked Losers
#9 Notre Dame lost at home to #6 Ohio State on the last play, 14-17#14 Oregon State lost a close one at #21 Washington St, 35-38
#15 Ole Miss was humbled at #13 Alabama, 10-24
#19 Colorado was destroyed at #10 Oregon, 6-42
#22 UCLA lost at #11 Utah, 7-14
#24 Iowa was blanked at #7 Penn State, 0-31
There were bound to be some Top 25 losers since several of them played each other.
Other Notable Losers
In the Big XII, three of the newbies had a bad day.
- BYU lost at Kansas, 27-38- Cincinnati lost at home to Oklahoma, 6-20
- UCF lost at Kansas State 31-44
In the Big Ten
- Michigan State lost by 22 points to Maryland, 9-31In the SEC
- Auburn took their first loss at Texas A&M, 10-27...
https://www.courier-journal.com/sto...-brohm-acc-college-football-game/70888362007/ (C-J; Cubit)
With the first month of the college football season down, Louisville is still unbeaten.
After recording close wins over Georgia Tech and Indiana, the Cardinals (4-0, 2-0 ACC) dominated Boston College in a 56-28 home victory on Saturday. But the turnaround will be shorter than normal with U of L playing at N.C. State Friday night.
Last year, the Cardinals beat the Wolfpack at home 25-10. N.C. State (3-1, 1-0) returns home to face U of L after beating Virginia 24-21 for its first ACC win of the season.
Louisville and N.C. State are currently third and fourth, respectively, in the league standings.
Here are three story lines to follow ahead of Friday's 7 p.m. game:
Unconventional schedules leading up to game
Louisville only had six days to prepare for Murray State after its season opener against Georgia Tech. The Cardinals then had nine days to get ready for Indiana.
Louisville's game at N.C. State Friday night is its third non-Saturday game of the season. The Cardinals also faced Georgia Tech on a Friday night before hosting Murray State on a Thursday. Even with the unconventional schedule leading up to U of L's Week 5 game at N.C. State, Jeff Brohm's team is 4-0.
Similarly, the Wolfpack opened its season by beating UConn 24-14 on a Thursday prior to its Week 4 win on Friday at Virginia.
Louisville’s offense vs. N.C. State’s defense
Despite some inconsistencies, the Cardinals’ offense has been one of the best and most explosive in the first month of the college football season. U of L is averaging 43 points and 542 total yards per game. That includes 304.72 passing yards per outing, which ranks 36th in the country. The team's total offense is ninth-best nationally.
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Other
Maxine Brackbill | Photo Editor
https://dailyorange.com/2023/09/harveys-garden-oktoberfest-syracuse/ (DO; Raposas)
Ahead of Syracuse Oktoberfest Band’s performance, Ray Sturge readied his alpenhorn — a multiple-meter long wooden horn, divided up into three detachable parts. Donning his lederhosen and Tyrolean hat, Sturge lifted his trumpet — one of his four instruments, also including the flugelhorn and saw — to play the first note of “Stand and Sing Ein Prosit.”
The German tune reverberated through the high ceilings of Harvey’s Garden, which hosted Syracuse’s first two-week celebration of Oktoberfest. The music, the blue-and-white diamonds of the Bavarian flag and, of course, German beer marked another day of the festival in Syracuse.
“We’ve expanded the whole Oktoberfest theme to more than just the 12 days before the first Saturday in October,” Sturge said.
Harvey’s Garden, a new biergarten on Water Street, aimed to do the same thing. Since Sept. 16, the bar has hosted a great breadth of events — including musical performances, Beer Olympics, Dachshund racing, authentic German cuisine, pretzel-eating contests and more — to bring a true Oktoberfest celebration to Syracuse.
Ryan Sahm, a managing partner and general manager at Harvey’s, said the bar’s celebration is modeled after how Oktoberfest is traditionally celebrated in Munich, Germany. Most Oktoberfests in Syracuse are just a few hours at a brewery or a weekend set aside at a bar, Sahm said. No one in the city seemed to be throwing a full celebration that lasted two weeks.
“There’s a need — we have Italian Fest, we have Irish Fest for two or three days over the weekend,” Sahm said. “But we collectively couldn’t figure out where [to find] an Oktoberfest that lasted more than a weekend.”
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Rick Moriarty / rmoriarty@syracuse.com
https://www.syracuse.com/sports/202... 9-25-23&utm_term=Newsletter_good_morning_cny (PS; $; Doran)
Sport Center 481, which was the largest indoor sports training facility in Central New York, shut down over the summer with plans to downsize and reopen this fall.
Now it’s found a new home, according to Salina town officials. The sports center is moving to a building on the location of the old Syracuse China factory in Salina.
Town of Salina zoning officials are scheduled to grant final approval to the site plan in mid-October, Supervisor Nick Paro said. The site plan calls it the CNY Athletic Club.
“We are very excited about this,” he said.
The Sport Center 481 owners have said the new space would be smaller than the 75,000-square-foot complex at 6841 Collamer Road off Interstate 481.
Thousands of kids perfected their skills at the indoor sports complex through the years, practicing and playing games there. The complex was sold at the end of June, Jim Smith, founder and senior consultant with JHS Management, said at the time. The owners, JHS Management, did not respond to syracuse.com’s inquiries Friday.
The large complex offered field rentals for all sports, including baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, football and more. It also offered a Lil’ Kickers soccer program, a baseball and softball academy and soccer leagues, classes, fitness and performance training and more.
The new location will be 24,000 square feet, meaning it can no longer accommodate full indoor games of baseball, soccer, lacrosse and football, Smith said this summer. The other components will remain, but the large indoor athletic fields won’t be available.
Paro said JHS Management has told the town it also plans to repurpose the old Lyncourt Little League fields so they can be used for outdoor soccer.
The old factory site is now called Lyndale Business Park, after a combination of Lyncourt, the section of Salina where the property is located, and Mattydale, a nearby section of the town. Amparit Industries LLC operates the building currently as warehousing and manufacturing space.
...
