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AmeriCU Dino Babers Show Returns Thursday - Syracuse University Athletics
The AmeriCU Dino Babers Show at Heritage Hill returns tonight!
Coach Babers’s show this year show will be Thursday nights at 7PM except when the game is not on a Saturday. This year it will be 60 minutes, with the first 50 minutes being with Dino and the last 10 minutes being with a ‘special guest’, who in the past just got a couple minutes at the end of the show.
The show originates from Heritage Hill Brewery in Jamesville:
Heritage Hill Brewhouse
Heritage Hill Brewhouse in Pompey. Handcrafted Beer, Homemade Food & Amazing Views set upon our active crop and animal farm. A family friendly destination that's an escape but close enough to call home.
You can also listen to the show live each week on the Syracuse IMG Sports Network and Cuse.com. Wednesday's show will be on 99.1 FM and 97.7 FM, as well. The show will regularly air on 99.5FM (Syracuse) 99.1 FM (Utica) and 1200 AM.”
You can also get it on: https://tunein.com/radio/home/
There hasn’t been any change in the phone numbers, which last year were 315-424-8599 (local) or 1-888-746-2873. You can call to ask questions or submit them via Twitter at: https://twitter.com/CuseIMG (Update: this account seems to have closed.)
#AskDino or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website):
Submit a Question! - Syracuse University Athletics
You can (or could last year, anyway), listen to a podcast of the show, probably the next day, at: Search results for babers | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn
My Question(s) or Comments (or theories)
Coach, two years ago Garret Shrader and Sean Tucker had a great two-man game going: Garrett could hand off to Sean who would run in one direction or pull the ball away from him and run it in the other direction. We were running for 250 yards a game doing that. Last year, that play seemed to disappear from our offense. In fan discussions, I was told that that was because you wanted to prevent Garrett from being injured.
Unfortunately, you’ve had plenty of experience with injured quarterbacks. Is a quarterback more likely to be injured on a planned running play, a pass from the pocket or a scramble?
The Show
(I sometimes re-arrange the comments so that statements made on the same subject are reported together, even if they came at different points of the show.)
It’s our first road game. Dino: “You always know the season’s really underway when you see those trucks pull up to be loaded with our equipment. I made the players stop to look at it. We got done with the gear early. Matt Park pointed out that limits the physicality of the last home practice before a road game. [Dino’s teams are 11-25 on the road.]
Purdue is 1-1 with an impressive road win at Virginia Tech, which was delayed for a long time by lightning. Dino got to watch the end of it after our game. He said that he’d been involved with delays twice in his career, one at Baylor and one when his Bowling Green team went to Maryland, [they won both times]. He remembers watching another game with a college roommate during the delay at Maryland. Matt said that delays are hard on the road team and Coach Babers agreed.
After the first commercial break, they went to my question. Coach: “That’s a great question. I wish the analytics people would take a look at that. A quarterback can be hurt anywhere. We don’t want him to wear down. A lot has to do with the decisions the defense made. Clemson forced us to run that play with Garrett more than we wanted to so they could hit him every play. When you got a player as talented and dynamic as Garrett you don’t want them to be able to do that.” Matt noted the Aaron Rodgers injury and the (over?) reaction to it that we should get rid of all artificial surfaces. He also said that Eric Dungey had said that if a player is going “1/2 speed” he’s more vulnerable to injury. Dino: “These guys play full speed all the time. They are more likely to get hurt doing something that is unnatural for them. You want their collisions to be a big suburban vs. a pinto, not a suburban vs. (some larger vehicle – I didn’t get it down)
[Maybe our posters could help with this: Dino has had three starting quarterbacks: Eric Dungey, Tommy DeVito and Garrett Shrader. Before that there was Terrell Hunt. The last SU QB not to sustain any serious injury during the season was Ryan Nassib. Can you recall what type of plays Hunt, Dungey, DeVito and Shrader got injured in?]
Mat decided it was a good time to go over the injury report. He asked about Gadsden but Dino wasn’t going to give the bad guys any intelligence. He did say that “Coach have no say in the matter. It’s the trainer and the doctors. We’ll have to wait and see.” He did confirm that David Wohlabaugh Jr.’s injury is
“season ending. We have to get him ready to go for next year. We can’t predict the future, but we’ve seen what it can look like. That’s football.”
They got a call from “Halfcourt Shot Mark”, a guy whose great moment was making a halfcourt shot at a basketball game and Coach remembers it. “I’ve never seen a coach have to challenge a down before.” Dino: “It’s rare for a coach to win a challenge and I won two of them. The first one I spotted and the second was picked up from the box. When I questioned the first one, they gave me the hand. Nobody’s given me the hand since the 80’s. To win two challenges isn’t rare, it’s OMG rare.” Matt said that that crew “had some mechanical issues”.
They continued the practice, started last week, of introducing the assistant coach in the middle of the show so that they had time to talk with him. This week it as Bob Ligashesky. [How do you get Liga-chef- ski out of that?] Matt lauded the special teams play but added “You are only as good as your next play. Bob: “We are always looking to improve. We need to eliminate penalties. We’ve had a couple of clocks in the back and a couple of alignment penalties.” [The last two when the other team was going to punt on 4th and 9 – ouch!] Matt said “We are leading the country in coverage – not an inch. But now we have to do it outdoors and maybe in the wind and rain.” Bob said that his kickers have been practicing outdoors – with the wind and against it. Matt said that there has been “significant improvement in the punting game”. Bob wanted to make sure that the “new staffers” that have bene brought in got some credit, too. No names were given but I assume he’s referring to Justin Flood and perhaps one of the graduate assistants: 2023 Football Coaches - Syracuse University Athletics .
They talked about Justin Barron. Matt noted that it used to be the practice to make the back up quarterback the placekick holder but these days, it’s normally the punter. That’s been asked about before and I think it has to do with the available practice time for those players. But we are using Barron because he’s got “hands and range that are hard to match”. Dino said hat Andre Szymt was dubious but became a convert and had a better year last year and the previous two, largely because of Justin. Practice time is an issue but Justin makes up for it by “hanging out with these guys on and off the field”. Still, we botched an extra point vs. Colgate. DB: “His reaction was true. It was the other guys who didn’t react properly”.
Bob: D'Marcus Adams has “the vision and ability to create on returns”. [He also has he ability to create fumbles.] “The number 1 goal on special teams in field position.” Dino reminisced that he was special teams captain at UH and his first coaching job was as a special teams coordinator. One of his players was Matthew Slater, who played for UCLA and the New England Patriots. “He never had a position – he just played special teams. It’s a way for an athletic young man to make it in the NFL. You may not sell a jersey with your name on it but you’ll play a lot of football and make a lot of money to go with your degree. Bob said that special teams is “the fast way to explore your talent and will.
Matthew Slater Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College | Pro-Football-Reference.com
Checkout the latest stats for Matthew Slater. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com.
www.pro-football-reference.com
Matt noted that Bob had coaches for a Super Bowl winning team. [Hey – so did Greg Robinson!] What was that experience like? Bob: “What makes it so cool is that it was played in my hometown and both my family and my wife’s family got to pose with the trophy.” Looking at his resume, that would have bene SB 43, when the Steelers beat the Cardinals, [somewhere James Harrison is still running]. Bob was born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania and SB 43 took place in Tampa, so he meant the team was from where he grew up.
Bob was asked about Purdue’s special teams. He noted that Tyrone Tracy had a 98 yard TD on a kickoff return vs. Fresno State and TJ Sheffield had a 39 yard punt return vs. the Hokies. Kick it high and far, guys.
Bob left and they took questions from the patrons at the restaurant. Luke wanted a breakdown of Purdue. Dino: “We’ll be playing a similar team. They’ve brought in a transfer quarterback from Texas and a receiver from Iowa who are very good. They have a better tailback. [It’s the same guy, coach: Devin Mockobee.] It’s the same defense but they are teaching them different skills. [Or a different system?]
Dale wanted to know ho the Purdue secondary matches up with us. Dino: “We need to find out if we can get by with bringing 3 or 4 or 5 guys and will it be more. So will they. Both teams need to find out what coverage the other guys will be in.” [Who is on ‘Fantasy Island?”]
They discussed Hudson Card, the new QB briefly and Graham Harrell the new OC, a bit more, noting that his background is in the “Mike Leach type of air-raid offense”. But “If you want to win on the road, you’d better take your defense with you”. Matt: “Both teams have the ability to exploit the other team’s weaknesses.”
They talked about transfers: “Young men are looking for a place where they can play. They look at the system and the coordinator and then the head coach. Is he an offensive guy or a defensive guy?”
Dino coached at Purdue, (wideouts, 1991-93). “I bought my first house there. It was in ‘Blackbird Farms’ and I later sold it at good profit. I’m still excited about that.”
He also coached at UCLA from 2004-2007. Did he ever meet John Wooden, who played his collegiate ball at Purdue? Twice. Both times he addressed the football team in the locker room. “He had to sit down due to his age. But each time he talked for an hour about coaching and handling special athletes.” Matt: “He had a few“.
What is Coach’s favorite meal? “Chili beans.” Just the beans? “No I’m a carnivore. I have to have meat. But pinot beans, not kidneys.” [I thought it was ramen noodles.]
Aaron Judge hit a grand slam home run on the TV. Dino: He’s as big as a football player. [I recall him standing next to Pete Alonso and I couldn’t believe it. Pete is listed as 6-3, 245.]
What will it take to win this game? “We will have to have a running game and not let Purdue run at all. Card can beat you by himself. I’m a little nervous. It’s time to find out where we’re at."
