SWC75
Bored Historian
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 32,676
- Like
- 62,966
- I’ve had an increasingly bad feeling about this game as the week progressed. It was a game we penciled in as a win – one we had to get to have any chance at a bowl or even to improve on last year’s record. It was a team Scott Shafer never lost to. But it was obvious that they were a much improved team and that the weather would be a very negative factor for a finesse team like Syracuse. It just seemed like we were heading for a disappointing game and I was right. I hate being right.
- The weather and Wake Forest were both factors but the quality of Syracuse’s play and the decision-making of the coaching staff and quarterback we at least as important. That was a really lousy performance, especially on offense and it can’t be explained away: teams are supposed to get better as the season progresses. We seem to be on the wrong escalator.
- I don’t understand our offensive play-calling. The little draw play that goes nowhere. The quarterback keepers that seem to come at the wrong times. The dink and dunk passes even after the rain topped and the winds calmed. It’s supposed to make sense, isn’t it?
- We all love Eric Dungey but he seems to have very little sense about what’s going on around him. He gives up on plays too early, runs right into defenders when trying to scramble. I think a lot of our unsuccessful passing plays may have something to do with his inability to spot open receivers and thus throwing to the wrong guy. He may be losing confidence as the season seems to be slipping away as well.
- Amba Etta Tawo: 4 catches for 36 yards. Really?
- I thought we had some fast guys on this team. Strickland and Neal looked like they were headed for the end zone but both got caught from behind.
- Meanwhile, the Salt Badger was silent. Brisley Estime not only never returned a punt but made two questionable fair catches in front of our goal line, giving us terrible field position.
- It was a rainy slippery day. Wake Forest knew just what to do: give the ball to 5-11 215 tank Cade Carney. He kept his feet moving forward and ran over people or twisted out of tackles for 104 yards on 29 rough and tough carries, one of which in the fourth quarter basically clinched the Orange defeat. Wake always seemed to wedge out an lane for him to get running forward and it took half the defense to get him down. Meanwhile, our strongest back, Jordan Fredericks, was on the sidelines until the game was basically decided. Jordan is 5-10 209. He had one carry – for 12 yards. Yes, he had the ‘fumble’ (that looked like an incomplete pass to me). But he’s out there to run the ball, not catch it.
- We’re still down only 9-14 and we get the ball on our own 39 with 8:09 to go. This is our big chance. What do we do? We jump off sides. Dungey finds Etta Tawo for 11 yards. Then we jump offsides again. Moe Neal loses 3 yards. On third and 12 Dungey throws a tunnel screen that gets blown up. We seemed to have to receivers gong at the ball form different directions. The receiver would have had to run 10 yards on his to get the first down. We punt the ball back to Wake, who drives 72 yards for the clinching touchdown. To have so little focus on the task at hand when the game is on the line is not just disappointing. It’s alarming.
- We gave away 5 points in the first half when two SU guys failed to fall on the ball in the end zone. For most of the game it looked like we were going to lose by that margin. Then, at the end of the half we got the big run by Strickland. We should at least have had a field goal but Dungey threw a fade that turned out to be a line drive there that never got there. we are not a team that can afford to give away points.
- It seemed like the type of game where whoever had the wind in their favor would dominate. But the wind seemed to make no difference at all. Out quarter-by-quarter line score is now 60-51-20-20.
- The other teams are now waiting for Sterling Hofrichter to roll out for that Aussie-style kick. Wake came close to getting there before he got it off. One exception: On our last punt, Hofrichter looked like he could have gotten the first down if he just kept running but he just booted it anyway.
- We might be able to beat Boston College but anything else would be a significant upset. Dino Babers may have seen it coming a couple of weeks ago when he said “We’ll probably be underdogs in all our remaining games.” We think of ourselves as amid-level ACC team. We aren’t. Todays’ game was between two teams who are in rebuilding mode. Dave Clawson went 3-9 and then 3-9 and now he’s 5-1. Dino Babers may be looking at 3-9. This is going to take a while. The good old days seem more distant than ever.
- The weather and Wake Forest were both factors but the quality of Syracuse’s play and the decision-making of the coaching staff and quarterback we at least as important. That was a really lousy performance, especially on offense and it can’t be explained away: teams are supposed to get better as the season progresses. We seem to be on the wrong escalator.
- I don’t understand our offensive play-calling. The little draw play that goes nowhere. The quarterback keepers that seem to come at the wrong times. The dink and dunk passes even after the rain topped and the winds calmed. It’s supposed to make sense, isn’t it?
- We all love Eric Dungey but he seems to have very little sense about what’s going on around him. He gives up on plays too early, runs right into defenders when trying to scramble. I think a lot of our unsuccessful passing plays may have something to do with his inability to spot open receivers and thus throwing to the wrong guy. He may be losing confidence as the season seems to be slipping away as well.
- Amba Etta Tawo: 4 catches for 36 yards. Really?
- I thought we had some fast guys on this team. Strickland and Neal looked like they were headed for the end zone but both got caught from behind.
- Meanwhile, the Salt Badger was silent. Brisley Estime not only never returned a punt but made two questionable fair catches in front of our goal line, giving us terrible field position.
- It was a rainy slippery day. Wake Forest knew just what to do: give the ball to 5-11 215 tank Cade Carney. He kept his feet moving forward and ran over people or twisted out of tackles for 104 yards on 29 rough and tough carries, one of which in the fourth quarter basically clinched the Orange defeat. Wake always seemed to wedge out an lane for him to get running forward and it took half the defense to get him down. Meanwhile, our strongest back, Jordan Fredericks, was on the sidelines until the game was basically decided. Jordan is 5-10 209. He had one carry – for 12 yards. Yes, he had the ‘fumble’ (that looked like an incomplete pass to me). But he’s out there to run the ball, not catch it.
- We’re still down only 9-14 and we get the ball on our own 39 with 8:09 to go. This is our big chance. What do we do? We jump off sides. Dungey finds Etta Tawo for 11 yards. Then we jump offsides again. Moe Neal loses 3 yards. On third and 12 Dungey throws a tunnel screen that gets blown up. We seemed to have to receivers gong at the ball form different directions. The receiver would have had to run 10 yards on his to get the first down. We punt the ball back to Wake, who drives 72 yards for the clinching touchdown. To have so little focus on the task at hand when the game is on the line is not just disappointing. It’s alarming.
- We gave away 5 points in the first half when two SU guys failed to fall on the ball in the end zone. For most of the game it looked like we were going to lose by that margin. Then, at the end of the half we got the big run by Strickland. We should at least have had a field goal but Dungey threw a fade that turned out to be a line drive there that never got there. we are not a team that can afford to give away points.
- It seemed like the type of game where whoever had the wind in their favor would dominate. But the wind seemed to make no difference at all. Out quarter-by-quarter line score is now 60-51-20-20.
- The other teams are now waiting for Sterling Hofrichter to roll out for that Aussie-style kick. Wake came close to getting there before he got it off. One exception: On our last punt, Hofrichter looked like he could have gotten the first down if he just kept running but he just booted it anyway.
- We might be able to beat Boston College but anything else would be a significant upset. Dino Babers may have seen it coming a couple of weeks ago when he said “We’ll probably be underdogs in all our remaining games.” We think of ourselves as amid-level ACC team. We aren’t. Todays’ game was between two teams who are in rebuilding mode. Dave Clawson went 3-9 and then 3-9 and now he’s 5-1. Dino Babers may be looking at 3-9. This is going to take a while. The good old days seem more distant than ever.
