SWC75
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This season I will once again be charting Syracuse’s games in terms of “winning plays”. I look at the results of each play and decide which team got the minimum they wanted out of the play. Rather than making instinctive judgements, I use a formula:
- On first down, the offensive team wants to get at least a third of the way to a new first down: they will have two more games before they might have to surrender the ball and if they gain that same amount of yards on each of those two plays, they’ll get the first down. If they don’t make it a third of the way to a new first down, the defense won the play.
- On second down, the offense wants to get halfway to a new first down by the same logic.
- On third and fourth down, they want to get the new first down.
- Penalties, if added onto a play by the referees, are added on to the results above. If the offense gains 5 yards on first down but there was holding and they lost yardage instead, the defense won the play. If a running back made a 20 yard run on first and ten and the holding was 15 yards downfield, turning it into a 5 yard gain, that’s still a win for the offense. If the defense is penalized and it’s tacked on, again the net result is what is evaluated.
- If a penalty was not tacked onto a play, it’s a lost play for the team being penalized. I'll count them separate from the other plays from scrimmage because I don't know if the intended play before the penalty would have been a run or a pass - so i wouldn't know where to put it in the chart below.
- A turnover is, obviously, a win for the team that wound up with the ball.
- On a kick-off a touchback brings the ball out to the 25 yard line. Teams still seem to be trying to kick the ball into the end zone and avoid a runback if they can, so any kick-off that results in the receiving team starting between their goal line and their 25 is a win for the kicking team.
- On a punt, a touchback takes the ball out of the 20. So any punt that results in the other team taking over from their goal line to their 20 is a win for the punting team. If the next change in field positon is at least 40 yards, the punting tam has also won the play.
- A successful place kick is, obviously a win for the kicking team.
- Any play that results in a touchdown is, obviously, a win for that team that scores it.
- A “victory play” where a team accepts a loss just to let the clock run out, is a win for the offensive team.
I will indicate in parenthesis how many yards there were to go to get a new first down, (if other than 10), unless it was for no gain or negative yardage. If it was a touchdown, (“TD)” a sack (“S”) a victory play (“V”) or involved a penalty (P). 1R means first down running plays. 1P means first down passing plays, etc.
THE COLGATE GAME
When SYRACUSE had the ball:
KO: C25, C26, C25, C16, C23, C26, C23, C28
Total: Syracuse 5 Colgate 3
P: net 42 to C22, net 42 to C18, net 38 to C20
Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 0
FG: Good from 32, Good from 41, Good from 32, Good from 33
Total: Syracuse 4 Colgate 0
XP: Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 15 Colgate 3
1r: 1, 0, 49TD, 3, 5, 0, 3, -1, 4, 9, -1, 1, 2(9), 4, 3
Total: Syracuse 5 Colgate 10
1p: 9, 6, 43TD, 11, 2, 11, 5, -5, 6, I, 7, 28, 40, 4, 3, 13, 3, 1, 35,-6S
Total: Syracuse 12 Colgate 7
First Down Total: Syracuse 17 Colgate 17
2r: 1(4), 2(8), -2, -2, 1, 4(6), 11(9), 3(7), 4(7), Fumble, 2(9)
Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 8
2p: 12(1), 8(9), 6(15), 8(4), 6(7), 37(5), 4(3)0, -2, 4(6), I, I, 5(7), 13P, I, 6(16)
Total: Syracuse 8 Colgate 7
Second Down Total: Syracuse 11 Colgate 15
3r: 5(6), 12(9), 7(1), -1, -1, 1(2)
Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 3
3p: 8(3), 8(1), I, 7(12), 4(9), 8(9), 5(12), 20(11), 4TD, I, 27(3), 10(7)
Total: Syracuse 6 Colgate 6
Third Down Total: Syracuse 9 Colgate 9
4r: 4(1)
Total: Syracuse 1 Colgate 0
4p: 14(1), 3(1)
Total: Syracuse 2 Colgate 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 12 Colgate 21
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 28 Colgate 20
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 40 Colgate 41
Penalties not attached to plays: -5, -5, -15, -10
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 4 ((Colgate won those three plays)
Game total when SYRACUSE had the ball: Syracuse 55 Colgate 52
Comment: Aside from Moe Neal’s one burst, we struggled mightily to run the ball against a (good) FCS team. How are we going to run it against Louisville? We ran up the middle on virtually every run. Two of the penalties were a hold and a false start from the middle of the line and when Dungey got sacked or pressured, it was up the middle. The blocking from the center and guards is my biggest concern for the team right now.
We had far more success passing and most of it was on first down , where we had 7 plays of at least 10 yard, four for 28 or more. Our kicking game was strong, although there were three kickoffs that were returned beyond the 25, (none of them got past the 28). There were some significant penalties and one turnovers with the reserve in but for a first game under a new system, it was a pretty efficient performance. I never had the feeling so many past SU teams have given me: that we are just waiting for the next mistake to happen.
When COLGATE had the ball:
KO: SU21, SU21
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
P: Penalty, +5 first down, net 29 to SU41, net 26 to SU 13, net 39 to SU 36, net 36 to SU 37, net 44 to SU 27, net 34 to SU 48, net 41 to SU27, net 42 SU 18, net 40 to SU 21
Total: Syracuse 4 Colgate 7
FG: none attempted
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
XP: Good
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 1
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 4 Colgate 10
1r: 6, 0, 2, 2, 9, 12, 4, 0, 0, -4, -14P, 3, 1, -2
Total: Syracuse 10 Colgate 4
1p: 8, 7, 14, 1, I, 11, -6
Total: Syracuse 4 Colgate 4
First Down Total: Syracuse 14 Colgate 8
2r: 6(2), 2(3), 3(8), 2(8), 2(1), -1, -1, 2, 5(24), 0, 0, 3(12)
Total: Syracuse 9 Colgate 3
2p: I, 4, I, I, 3, I
Total: Syracuse 6 Colgate 0
Second Down Total: Syracuse 15 Colgate 3
3r: 4(1), 7(6)
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate2
3p: I, 19TD, I, 9S, 13(11), I, I, I, 3(7), I, 2(19), 16(7), I, 11S
Total: Syracuse 11 Colgate 3
Third Down Total: Syracuse 11 Colgate 5
4r: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
4p: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 19 Colgate 9
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 21 Colgate 7
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 40 Colgate 16
Penalties not attached to plays: -15, -5
Total: Syracuse 2 Colgate 0 (Syracuse won those plays)
Game total when COLGATE had the ball: Syracuse 46 Colgate 28
Overall Game total: Syracuse 101 Colgate 80
Comment: Colgate had 8 successful offensive plays in their first possession and 8 for the rest of the game. After that first possession, the ran 43 plays and Syracuse ‘won’ 35 of them, 81%. They were successful at neither the run nor the pass. In the pre-Shafer era, “read and cover” meant let them run the play and try to head them off at the pass. In the Babers/Ward era, it means to keep them in front of you and then close on the play. Colgate ball carriers looked like Custer at the little big horn. Syracuse defenders were in good positon, stayed in their lanes and talked extremely well, making those “hawk tackles you saw on Otto’s Grove. We had more talent and athleticism than Colgate but we dominated them on defense because we had an excellently coached team. That will hold us in good stead when we face teams that have as much or more talent and athleticism.
We gave them a gift on their first punt but otherwise performed well when they kicked the ball. Brisley Estime returned two punts for 21 yards but that was enough to frighten Dan Hunt into having his punter kick the ball out of bounds in 5 of 6 second half punts. He did a good job of it as 3 of those 5 out of bounds punts gained 40+ yards of field position, thus making them winning plays.
- On first down, the offensive team wants to get at least a third of the way to a new first down: they will have two more games before they might have to surrender the ball and if they gain that same amount of yards on each of those two plays, they’ll get the first down. If they don’t make it a third of the way to a new first down, the defense won the play.
- On second down, the offense wants to get halfway to a new first down by the same logic.
- On third and fourth down, they want to get the new first down.
- Penalties, if added onto a play by the referees, are added on to the results above. If the offense gains 5 yards on first down but there was holding and they lost yardage instead, the defense won the play. If a running back made a 20 yard run on first and ten and the holding was 15 yards downfield, turning it into a 5 yard gain, that’s still a win for the offense. If the defense is penalized and it’s tacked on, again the net result is what is evaluated.
- If a penalty was not tacked onto a play, it’s a lost play for the team being penalized. I'll count them separate from the other plays from scrimmage because I don't know if the intended play before the penalty would have been a run or a pass - so i wouldn't know where to put it in the chart below.
- A turnover is, obviously, a win for the team that wound up with the ball.
- On a kick-off a touchback brings the ball out to the 25 yard line. Teams still seem to be trying to kick the ball into the end zone and avoid a runback if they can, so any kick-off that results in the receiving team starting between their goal line and their 25 is a win for the kicking team.
- On a punt, a touchback takes the ball out of the 20. So any punt that results in the other team taking over from their goal line to their 20 is a win for the punting team. If the next change in field positon is at least 40 yards, the punting tam has also won the play.
- A successful place kick is, obviously a win for the kicking team.
- Any play that results in a touchdown is, obviously, a win for that team that scores it.
- A “victory play” where a team accepts a loss just to let the clock run out, is a win for the offensive team.
I will indicate in parenthesis how many yards there were to go to get a new first down, (if other than 10), unless it was for no gain or negative yardage. If it was a touchdown, (“TD)” a sack (“S”) a victory play (“V”) or involved a penalty (P). 1R means first down running plays. 1P means first down passing plays, etc.
THE COLGATE GAME
When SYRACUSE had the ball:
KO: C25, C26, C25, C16, C23, C26, C23, C28
Total: Syracuse 5 Colgate 3
P: net 42 to C22, net 42 to C18, net 38 to C20
Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 0
FG: Good from 32, Good from 41, Good from 32, Good from 33
Total: Syracuse 4 Colgate 0
XP: Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 15 Colgate 3
1r: 1, 0, 49TD, 3, 5, 0, 3, -1, 4, 9, -1, 1, 2(9), 4, 3
Total: Syracuse 5 Colgate 10
1p: 9, 6, 43TD, 11, 2, 11, 5, -5, 6, I, 7, 28, 40, 4, 3, 13, 3, 1, 35,-6S
Total: Syracuse 12 Colgate 7
First Down Total: Syracuse 17 Colgate 17
2r: 1(4), 2(8), -2, -2, 1, 4(6), 11(9), 3(7), 4(7), Fumble, 2(9)
Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 8
2p: 12(1), 8(9), 6(15), 8(4), 6(7), 37(5), 4(3)0, -2, 4(6), I, I, 5(7), 13P, I, 6(16)
Total: Syracuse 8 Colgate 7
Second Down Total: Syracuse 11 Colgate 15
3r: 5(6), 12(9), 7(1), -1, -1, 1(2)
Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 3
3p: 8(3), 8(1), I, 7(12), 4(9), 8(9), 5(12), 20(11), 4TD, I, 27(3), 10(7)
Total: Syracuse 6 Colgate 6
Third Down Total: Syracuse 9 Colgate 9
4r: 4(1)
Total: Syracuse 1 Colgate 0
4p: 14(1), 3(1)
Total: Syracuse 2 Colgate 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 3 Colgate 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 12 Colgate 21
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 28 Colgate 20
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 40 Colgate 41
Penalties not attached to plays: -5, -5, -15, -10
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 4 ((Colgate won those three plays)
Game total when SYRACUSE had the ball: Syracuse 55 Colgate 52
Comment: Aside from Moe Neal’s one burst, we struggled mightily to run the ball against a (good) FCS team. How are we going to run it against Louisville? We ran up the middle on virtually every run. Two of the penalties were a hold and a false start from the middle of the line and when Dungey got sacked or pressured, it was up the middle. The blocking from the center and guards is my biggest concern for the team right now.
We had far more success passing and most of it was on first down , where we had 7 plays of at least 10 yard, four for 28 or more. Our kicking game was strong, although there were three kickoffs that were returned beyond the 25, (none of them got past the 28). There were some significant penalties and one turnovers with the reserve in but for a first game under a new system, it was a pretty efficient performance. I never had the feeling so many past SU teams have given me: that we are just waiting for the next mistake to happen.
When COLGATE had the ball:
KO: SU21, SU21
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
P: Penalty, +5 first down, net 29 to SU41, net 26 to SU 13, net 39 to SU 36, net 36 to SU 37, net 44 to SU 27, net 34 to SU 48, net 41 to SU27, net 42 SU 18, net 40 to SU 21
Total: Syracuse 4 Colgate 7
FG: none attempted
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
XP: Good
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 1
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 4 Colgate 10
1r: 6, 0, 2, 2, 9, 12, 4, 0, 0, -4, -14P, 3, 1, -2
Total: Syracuse 10 Colgate 4
1p: 8, 7, 14, 1, I, 11, -6
Total: Syracuse 4 Colgate 4
First Down Total: Syracuse 14 Colgate 8
2r: 6(2), 2(3), 3(8), 2(8), 2(1), -1, -1, 2, 5(24), 0, 0, 3(12)
Total: Syracuse 9 Colgate 3
2p: I, 4, I, I, 3, I
Total: Syracuse 6 Colgate 0
Second Down Total: Syracuse 15 Colgate 3
3r: 4(1), 7(6)
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate2
3p: I, 19TD, I, 9S, 13(11), I, I, I, 3(7), I, 2(19), 16(7), I, 11S
Total: Syracuse 11 Colgate 3
Third Down Total: Syracuse 11 Colgate 5
4r: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
4p: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 0 Colgate 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 19 Colgate 9
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 21 Colgate 7
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 40 Colgate 16
Penalties not attached to plays: -15, -5
Total: Syracuse 2 Colgate 0 (Syracuse won those plays)
Game total when COLGATE had the ball: Syracuse 46 Colgate 28
Overall Game total: Syracuse 101 Colgate 80
Comment: Colgate had 8 successful offensive plays in their first possession and 8 for the rest of the game. After that first possession, the ran 43 plays and Syracuse ‘won’ 35 of them, 81%. They were successful at neither the run nor the pass. In the pre-Shafer era, “read and cover” meant let them run the play and try to head them off at the pass. In the Babers/Ward era, it means to keep them in front of you and then close on the play. Colgate ball carriers looked like Custer at the little big horn. Syracuse defenders were in good positon, stayed in their lanes and talked extremely well, making those “hawk tackles you saw on Otto’s Grove. We had more talent and athleticism than Colgate but we dominated them on defense because we had an excellently coached team. That will hold us in good stead when we face teams that have as much or more talent and athleticism.
We gave them a gift on their first punt but otherwise performed well when they kicked the ball. Brisley Estime returned two punts for 21 yards but that was enough to frighten Dan Hunt into having his punter kick the ball out of bounds in 5 of 6 second half punts. He did a good job of it as 3 of those 5 out of bounds punts gained 40+ yards of field position, thus making them winning plays.
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