5th ANNUAL CALI AWARDS 2022**

[Trueblue25]

For Context:

***5TH ANNUAL CALI AWARDS 2022/2023 PREDICTIONS THREAD

First and foremost, we have this thread each year to honor our fallen friend and board contributor Calicuse, who passed away on October 7, 2016. Rest in peace Cali. ————————————————— Like Mikel Jones, the Cali Awards are back baby. 2021/2022 was another brutal year. Lost to Rutgers by 10...

syracusefan.com

This season, by far, invoked the use of the tie breaker (Notre Dame attended by 49,861) the most as board contributors dialed in accurate expectations as to overall team record (12 correct predictions), and other hotly contested categories.

Which leads me to point out the prevailing optimism that usually shows itself in the Cali Predictions. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, and glaring limitations… board fanatics always find a bright side to talk themselves into before the season (except for you of course Stevenson ).

So was it really a failed season?

Did Dino truly underachieve?

Or was 7-6 us thinking glass half full and hoping Dino would achieve enough where its truly justified to keep what he has going…going?

I will present the awards in posts following this but wanted to take this moment to say a lot of us move the goal posts on our expectations after the Virginia and NCSU wins…and maybe itll help going back through the award prediction thread linked above to remember that.

If we can curb injuries we’ll be cookin, we’ll never get rid of them fully. Its football and we’ll always be at a slight size/athleticism disadvantage to FSU, Clemson, Miami, etc. but theres still hope here.

 

[Trueblue25]

Team Stats:

Overall Record - (7-6)

How quick did we all go from thinking we’d take 7 wins in a heartbeat to finishing 7-5 with a bowl birth would be an utter collapse? Alright, no one saw 6-0 coming. It was a near pipe dream best case scenario. But some lucky dominoes fell and we got there. The first 6 games had your s exy storylines:

- Humiliated Louisville
- Comeback win and arrival party for Oronde vs Purdue
- Close win vs UVA
- sell out ass stomping of the pack.

We all know what ensued vs Clemson and after. Alls I’ll say is Dino got the best out of this team until the inevitable happened and the going got real tough. Injuries. This team probably still hasnt mentally or physically recovered after Death Valley and that garbage display of officiating.

Over 10 contributors guessed 7-6. So we went to the tie breaker here and Cali vet A Clockwork Orange brought in the hardware having guessed within a couple thousand of the correct tie breaker answer. I’ll ask A Clockwork Orange , before the season started would you have been content with 7-6?

Total Points Scored (360)

Offensively we were a top 100 team that should have been top 40. Predictable fatigure/injury set in for Shrader and Tucker and our Wideouts hardly flashed positives aside from Gadsden’s ascendance to go-to. I will say Alford and Cooper had strong ends to the season, and Adams looks promising as well. The team amassed 360 points over 13 games for an average of 27.7 a game. Not bad but I have a feeling we’ll beat that in 2023.

Guessing 360 on the dot was GeauxSU . It amazes me each year how close the predictions are, and this is another Cali Award vet who’s show competency in predictions through the years. Congratulations on the award good sir, and hope you come out predicting 385+ in 2023.

Points Allowed (300):

Mobbb

Check out the mob podcast on youtube already if you havent. This defense was likeable, proud, hard nosed and above all else played hard together from the first snap vs UL. It all started with a picture in Malik Cunningham’s locker and ended with 2022 featuring a top 25 defense from Cuse that easily could have been top 10 imo had injuries not hit. We did all that without Stef Thompson, wow.

The D gave up 300 points this year for an average of 23.1. Guessing 300 on the nose was cusefan88 and IthacaMatt . Cusefan88 edged him out in the tie breaker though so to he goes the spoils. Curious to hear his favorite player on d, and why?

Awards to be continued.

 

[Trueblue25]

Individual Stats:

Offense -

Passing Yards (Shrader 2,645)

Garrett showed noticeable improvement during the first 7 games of the year. Dropping dimes downfield to open receivers and many began praising Anae as a savior for the program and true ace in the hole vs naturally more athletic programs. We made Louisville and NCSU look like incompetent losers. Man Cunningham sucks, but thats neither her nor there.

10 yards off on his guess of 2,645 was another vet Frozen . Would be interested to hear whether or not Frozen thinks this was a promising year for Shrader. Was he impressed? Disappointed? Utterly non-shocked and plagued by his own genius? Maybe another classic cuse fan thinking the grass is greener with the young gun and praying for CDRW or Lamson to usurp him. All i know is clearly Frozen is wiser than me. Congrats on the award.

Passing TD’s (Shrader 17):

NineOneSeven , Chris02M Both contributed correct predictions but were defeated in the tiebreak by GeauxSU as he adds another Cali to his mantle. Good try guys. Congrats on another Cali.

Rushing:

Rushing Yards (Tucker 1060):

Many contributors actually predicted a downturn un Sean’s production. After a breakout 2021 it was easy to feel that Sean was about to start a dark horse Heisman campaign on his way to delivering us from evil and rewriting the Hill’s history books. Injuries hampered Sean all season. He seemed a half step slower and slightly more sideline to sideline rather than downhill one move and burst.

The Cali Prediction thread’s pessimist, or shall I say realist, Stevenson guessed the closest with 999 yards. Though Sean still had a great season, its clearer now that it was unreasonable to expect him to beat out his 2021 campaign with the gauntlet we faced in the 2nd half of the year (Clemson, FSU, Pitt and ND). Fatigue wore him down and I’m honestly shocked he played as many snaps as he did. He got his 1000 yard year and chose to forego the bowl game and pursue his draft dreams immediately. We all wish him the best.

Rushing TD’s (Tucker 11):

LeMoyneCuse correctly guessed but was edged out in the tie breaker by CiscoCuse . Honestly I nearly automatically gave Cisco the award anyways because of his sweet avatar. congrats on the win!

Receptions (Gadsden 61)

Oronde burst onto the scene vs Purdue in a heroic performance that locked up the W. He has the size and talent, along with a “you can’t tackle me” swag that caused some highlight reel after catch moves this season. He’s well on his way to becoming an orange great if he keeps it up. Pretty cool that his father caught Marino’s last TD as well. It runs in the fam.

Guessing 62 was OrangeFair44 who won this category outright. Here is your award sir and hope to have you back next season. Any favorite plays of Oronde’s you want to share in this thread with us?

Receiving Tuddies (Gadsden 6)

Begrudgingly handing this Cali to cusefan88 as he edged yours truly out with the tie breaker. Thought I was so smart predicting NCSU as the most attended game but the CNY casuals joined the diehards this year and again proved that if you give as an entertaining product on the field, we’ll put butts in the seats. Congrats on the Cali man, I’ll get you next year.

To be continued…

 

[Trueblue25]

Individual Defense:

Total Tackles (Wax 91):

Most of the guesses were way high in this category and I attribute that less to injuries than I do in that this defense truly operated as a unit. Mikel remained the heart and soul of this team but imo Marlowe emerged as a nearly equally important quietly spoken actions speak louder player. He disrupts the line, tracked down rb’s and causes chaos in the backfield. The future’s bright for this kid and he’s stayed orange through and through. Hard not to cheer on Mr. Wax.

Guessing 89 tackles by Wax was karhre2003 . Congrats on the impressively close call here, you were one of on a handful that were even in the ball park.

PEEP THE MOB PODCAST IF YOU’VE NOT ALREADY (a multi-episode podcast produced by Wax, Okechukwu and Carter)


Total TFL’s (Marlowe Wax 10.5):

Wax on Wax off baby. This guy was all over the field blowing up plays, injured or not. This award goes to cuse62 who predicted 10 and won the tie breaker against a handful of other contributors. Congrats!

Sacks (Mobbb boss Caleb Okechukwu 7):

sdhall01 adds to his Cali mantle after nailing this category. Caleb’s about as good of a representative of Cuse nation as you can ask for and he’s blossomed into another great, lovable leader during his time here on the hill. Not to mention the dude’s funny. He got his pick 6, a strip sack and a collection of other memorable plays in a breakout season that will serve as a building block for a 2023 run that could get his name in the draft.

Interceptions (Jahad Carter 3):

cusefan88 is that a hat trick? 3 awards in 1 year. Someone toss this genius a blue light or uncle charlie. I was about to make a joke about your Cali having opted for the portal but respect is due here. Congratulations on a legendary 2022 Cali campaign and may your wisdom make its way to our dear Dino. Are you also talented in clock management?

 

[cusefan88]

Wow. I guess I did good. For the record my favorite defensive player is Marlowe Wax and since I grew up playing video games I'm of course a clock management savant like every PlayStation child.

 

[sutomcat]

Congrats to all the winners.

You should have your honors attached to your profile to wear proudly for the next 12 months, when we again have Judgment Day from Trueblue25.

Thanks True, for all you do to honor Cali and keep this tradition alive!

 

[Trueblue25]

Wow. I guess I did good. For the record my favorite defensive player is Marlowe Wax and since I grew up playing video games I'm of course a clock management savant like every PlayStation child.

 

[cuse62]

I am doing the dance of joy. I would show a clip to everyone; but some things you can’t unsee.

 

[Cuseregular]

Team Stats:

Overall Record - (7-6)

How quick did we all go from thinking we’d take 7 wins in a heartbeat to finishing 7-5 with a bowl birth would be an utter collapse? Alright, no one saw 6-0 coming. It was a near pipe dream best case scenario. But some lucky dominoes fell and we got there. The first 6 games had your s exy storylines:

- Humiliated Louisville
- Comeback win and arrival party for Oronde vs Purdue
- Close win vs UVA
- sell out ass stomping of the pack.

We all know what ensued vs Clemson and after. Alls I’ll say is Dino got the best out of this team until the inevitable happened and the going got real tough. Injuries. This team probably still hasnt mentally or physically recovered after Death Valley and that garbage display of officiating.

Over 10 contributors guessed 7-6. So we went to the tie breaker here and Cali vet A Clockwork Orange brought in the hardware having guessed within a couple thousand of the correct tie breaker answer. I’ll ask A Clockwork Orange , before the season started would you have been content with 7-6?

Total Points Scored (360)

Offensively we were a top 100 team that should have been top 40. Predictable fatigure/injury set in for Shrader and Tucker and our Wideouts hardly flashed positives aside from Gadsden’s ascendance to go-to. I will say Alford and Cooper had strong ends to the season, and Adams looks promising as well. The team amassed 360 points over 13 games for an average of 27.7 a game. Not bad but I have a feeling we’ll beat that in 2023.

Guessing 360 on the dot was GeauxSU . It amazes me each year how close the predictions are, and this is another Cali Award vet who’s show competency in predictions through the years. Congratulations on the award good sir, and hope you come out predicting 385+ in 2023.

Points Allowed (300):

Mobbb

Check out the mob podcast on youtube already if you havent. This defense was likeable, proud, hard nosed and above all else played hard together from the first snap vs UL. It all started with a picture in Malik Cunningham’s locker and ended with 2022 featuring a top 25 defense from Cuse that easily could have been top 10 imo had injuries not hit. We did all that without Stef Thompson, wow.

The D gave up 300 points this year for an average of 23.1. Guessing 300 on the nose was cusefan88 and IthacaMatt . Cusefan88 edged him out in the tie breaker though so to he goes the spoils. Curious to hear his favorite player on d, and why?

Awards to be continued.

"No one saw 6-0 coming". I did and was in the thread on this. Just don't look at the rest of my predictions...