sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to Tick Tock Day!
December 29th is Tick Tock Day, a day to review your dreams and goals and start making them into a reality! The end of December is a popular time for looking back on the year’s accomplishments — a helpful process when it comes to shaping your resolutions for the coming year. So now is the time to make your list, check it twice (no, wait — that’s Chrsitmas), and see which boxes you haven’t been able to check off for 2015. Use the remaining days of the year to complete your goal or come up with a fool-proof plan to get it done in 2016!
SU News
Purdue Names Tim Lester QB Coach (wlfi.com)
Purdue head football coach Darrell Hazell has announced the hiring of Tim Lester as quarterbacks coach.
“I am excited to watch Tim work with our young quarterbacks,” Hazell said. “He has an incredible passion for football and knows the details of the position thoroughly. He has a wealth of experience, not only coaching quarterbacks, but also as an offensive coordinator, head coach and valuable recruiter. We can’t wait to watch the development of our quarterbacks soar under his tutelage.”
Lester comes to the Boilermakers from Syracuse, where he served as quarterbacks coach from 2013 to 2015 and as offensive coordinator the last two seasons, as well. Orange quarterbacks threw 19 touchdown passes against merely nine interceptions in 2015. Terrel Hunt, who played three seasons under Lester, ranks 10th on the Syracuse career passing yards list. The Orange won the 2013 Texas Bowl over Minnesota.
Prior to working at Syracuse, Lester was the head coach at Division II Elmhurst (Illinois) College from 2008 to 2012, posting a 33-19 record. He was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading the Blue Jays to their first conference championship since 1980 and their first-ever NCAA playoff appearance.
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What is the Impact of Ron Thompson Entering the NFL Draft? (TNIAAM; Pilatzke)
Players leaving school before exhausting their eligibility is a fact of life and as fans we must not begrudge a student-athlete taking an opportunity to fulfill their dreams of playing professional sports. Coaches must anticipate such inevitability and be prepared for the next player in line to step up.
Coach Babers, however, has inherited a Syracuse Orange defensive line with very little depth or experience, especially at defensive end. Let's take a look at the roster and the recruiting targets to see what options Defens Coordinator Brian Ward may have to work with this spring and into next season.
Attrition
Syracuse has five defensive linemen who won't be with the program next year. As noted, All-ACC selection Ron Thompson is taking his talents to the NFL. The other starting defensive end Donnie Simmons has exhausted his eligibility. Luke Arcineiga has opted not to use his last year of eligibility for health reasons. Defensive tackles John Raymonand Rony Charles have exhausted their eligibility as well.
Who's Left?
Defensive Tackle, which had long been a source of concern, has a lot of young players who have gotten playing experience early in their careers. Kayton Samuels, Steven Clark and Chris Slayton all played well this past year. Anthony Guidice gained some experience and Tyler Cross redshirted.
At defensive end there is very little experience on the roster. Qaadir Sheppard and Amir Ealey both played sparingly and were suspended for the final three games of the year. Based upon the language of the drug policy, it's possible they may be suspended for another five games.
Other than those two, no one on the roster has played a snap at defensive end. Jake Pickard, who was a highly sought after recruit, redshirted last year and may be able to contribute right away. Kenny Carter redshirted as well but he is considered a much more raw prospect. Syracuse also could slide one of their smaller DTs, like Slayton or Giudice outside to play end as well.
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ACC News
Navy's Triple Option Sinks Pitt in Military Bowl (post-gazette.com; Werner)
For all the positive notes Pitt has hit in Pat Narduzzi’s first year on the sideline, the Panthers season ended on a sour one Monday in the Military Bowl.
Pitt lost, 44-28, to Navy, as the Panthers had no answer for the Midshipmen’s unorthodox triple-option offense.
Navy rushed for 417 yards in the game, highlighted by the performance of quarterback Keenan Reynolds in his collegiate finale.
Reynolds rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries. His final touchdown — a 9-yard run with 4:19 left to seal the win for Navy (11-2) — was the 88th of his career, setting a record for total touchdowns in Football Bowl Subdivision.
“He’s a great quarterback,” Pitt defensive tackle Darryl Render said. “You can tell he’s been in the system. He knew what he was doing. He made perfect reads and he made plays.”
Narduzzi admitted the Panthers (8-5) were caught off guard by some of Navy’s play-calling. Coming into the game, he said he felt his team was better prepared than when it faced Georgia Tech’s similar offense in October, but the results were far worse.
“They probably watched that Georgia Tech game 150 times and saw some things they liked,” Narduzzi said. “You can’t prepare for stuff you don’t know is coming.”
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Other
Winter Weather Advisories in Effect for CNY Through Tuesday (PS; Montreuil)
The National Weather Service has issued a variety of Winter Weather Advisories for all of Central and Upstate New York. These advisories began Monday evening and will continue into Tuesday.
A storm system from the middle of the country is spreading precipitation towards Central New York Monday evening. So far, as of 8 p.m., little has fallen in Central NY despite a colorful looking radar. Dry air is helping to evaporate any precipitation before it reaches the ground.
As the storm tracks closer overnight, the atmosphere will become more moist and the storm mechanics will become stronger. Precipitation will become steady and moderate to heavy at time later this evening and through the night.
A large area of precipitation, some heavy, is heading towards Central New York Monday evening.National Weather Service
Primarily, the precipitation will be sleet and freezing rain tonight. A light accumulation of slushy snow and sleet will be coated over by one to two tenths of an inch of ice. Gusty winds will also accompany the precipitation tonight.
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