A lot of work to do

[Cuse181]

Personally, I think our OLine has been exposed as ACC average. Experience is one thing, talent is another. Our best lineman almost got Shrader racked up on pass D. Vett our center keeps committing false starts. Yikes,

We will make a bowl but I don’t know what else.

That was the goal to start the year, so that’d be a preseason success

 

[Scooch]

We’re 4-0, soon to be 5-0 and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.

But we better figure out how to run the ball and how to stop the penalties. That was a lousy effort by a veteran OL tonight.

After Wagner, we play the best 4 defenses we will see this year in consecutive weeks. We can’t take too much air out of this balloon.

But hey, how many times have we seen 5-0. So let’s enjoy the next 3 weeks.

All of this.

We’re winning games that we’ve lost for 20 freakin’ years.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[Bayside44]

All of this.

We’re winning games that we’ve lost for 20 freakin’ years.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Yeah I'd rather win games like this then insert game here where we played our balls off and lost in some awful fashion.

BTW, Varsity was closed post-game! Banners don't flip themselves!

 

[Sherman20]

We did not deserve this one at all. Up 16-0 at half, firmly in control, this should’ve been a beatdown. Our sloppiness and mistakes single handedly let them back in the game. We can be a good team, but we have a lot to clean up.

It’s frustrating that we settled for field goals 3 times in the red zone in the first half instead of having at least 2 more TDs. could’ve been ahead like 24-0. Then the 4 turnovers in the second half absolutely KILLED us, including basically gifting them a TD on the Peña fumble. That Jackson fumble was also a killer after Shrader saved a near sack with that shovel pass and we would have had a first down at mid field. And what is Shrader’s problem with not throwing the damn ball away and allowing himself to be sacked repeatedly? That last Cuse drive also should have been a TD. Thankfully we pulled out a gutsy win and the defense has been incredible, but the offense has gone back into the quicksand.

 

[anomander]

First thing we need to do is clean up the penalties . Not even forced penalties, but the false starts and offsides. That can’t happen . Next is the turnovers. Peña can’t fumble that and either can Jackson.

I feel bad for Tucker but he can be a serious weapon out of the backfield. Kind of like a Kareem Hunt of Deandre Swift. We just have to throw to him running routes a RB would run, not splitting him out wide and throwing it down the sideline

 

[SouthernCuse]

It’s frustrating that we settled for field goals 3 times in the red zone in the first half instead of having at least 2 more TDs. could’ve been ahead like 24-0. Then the 4 turnovers in the second half absolutely KILLED us, including basically gifting them a TD on the Peña fumble. That Jackson fumble was also a killer after Shrader saved a near sack with that shovel pass and we would have had a first down at mid field. And what is Shrader’s problem with not throwing the damn ball away and allowing himself to be sacked repeatedly? That last Cuse drive also should have been a TD. Thankfully we pulled out a gutsy win and the defense has been incredible, but the offense has gone back into the quicksand.

I think he always believes he can run out of it and pick something up, and in support of that idea he has done that more than a few times. but at that point in the game and position on the field, yeah, he should have thrown it away.

 

[anomander]

The defense is legit great. The offense, ??????????

I’m starting to worried how banged up the defense is getting. Losing Lockett for an extended period of time will hurt. Carter has been playing very well too. We had Sparrow and Coley in that last drive. Both made huge plays, but neither were seeing the field earlier this year.

Offensively we have so much we can clean up it gives me hope. I haven’t seen Shrader contained on the ground like he was today. May be due to UVA being familiar with the offense?

 

[goofnoff]

I’m starting to worried how banged up the defense is getting. Losing Lockett for an extended period of time will hurt. Carter has been playing very well too. We had Sparrow and Coley in that last drive. Both made huge plays, but neither were seeing the field earlier this year.

Offensively we have so much we can clean up it gives me hope. I haven’t seen Shrader contained on the ground like he was today. May be due to UVA being familiar with the offense?

VA was overplaying Tucker and Schrader from the jump. You need to counter that with way more first down passing and play action. I thought our play calling was weak.

 

[anomander]

VA was overplaying Tucker and Schrader from the jump. You need to counter that with way more first down passing and play action. I thought our play calling was weak.

That was a little Gilbertess with the running up the middle on 1st every play.

Also, think some of it may have to do with UVA being familiar with and seeing this offense in practice for years. They seemed to have everything bottled up

 

[Yeti]

I think the idea that they have to pound Tucker until it works needs to end.

I'm not suggesting not running. I am suggesting that 21 carries for 60 yards for one RB is the pits.

Just a run to the outside would be nice. How many drives have to start with running into the line for a 1 yard gain?

 

[dollarbill44]

My pulse still hasn't returned to normal and that is not a lie.

We were terribly sloppy, but we still won because of the "D" and our kicking game. So, if you play bad and still win that's a good thing, I think.

I don't understand running Tucker off tackle all night. Have we got any plays where he runs to the boundaries?

The option play had a chance, but Shrader kept it and ran into the line.

 

[OrangePA]

Two weeks in a row with wt’’’’f wins

That was as physical and as athletic a defensive unit as I have seen in the Dome in a long time.

The UVA DL dominated our OL and the UVA speed closed down our misdirection efforts.

We got beat up tonight.

But, we hung tough and won the ballgame.

Let’s Go Orange!

 

[rrlbees]

Honestly, think Tucker is at like 60-70%. He’s dealing with something.

He’s dealing with a horrible run blocking OL.

 

[tep624]

VA was overplaying Tucker and Schrader from the jump. You need to counter that with way more first down passing and play action. I thought our play calling was weak.

Our playcalling was fine when they threw over the middle to Gadsden - that’s what was available. We should have exploited that until it wasn’t, then something else would have opened up.

Agree though this was Anae’s weakest game calling plays. But in reality it really shouldn’t have mattered if we didn’t turn the ball over 4 times.

 

[JeremyCuse]

I'm concerned our lack of skill talent is catching up to us.

Desperately need a WR besides Gadsden to step up.

Shrader needs to get healthy/better/confident/whatever ASAP.

Tucker can't run the ball every play

The lack of talent at Wr is brighter then the sun at this point. Cooper and Jackson were bad to awful and Alford was again a nonfactor. The fact Hatcher Long and the MSU transfer can't crack this rotation is beyond concerning. TE is a wasteland in the passing game. Where the hell is Mahar?

 

[STEVEHOLT]

The line is extremely weak. Vet is a huge problem in the middle.

Elite RB don’t need blocking. Not at this level . Next level, yeah. You need some degree of blocking. But at this level? Against UVA? A transcendental RB gets his yards regardless of blocking , if they’re healthy

 

[goofnoff]

Elite RB don’t need blocking. Not at this level . Next level, yeah. You need some degree of blocking. But at this level? Against UVA? A transcendental RB gets his yards regardless of blocking , if they’re healthy

Sorry, I can't agree with that.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Sorry, I can't agree with that.

It sure makes it easier. And I’m only referring to the top 1% here. Yes, the vast majority of backs are dependent on adequate blocking to make gains.

 

[JackBauer44]

These are the type of Threads that make me take a break from the board. The teams projected over/under in vegas was 4 wins. They have that in week 4. You have an undefeated team with a warrior for qb and now he’s no good Bc they won by 2?! Now there’s a lot to work on when you’re 4-0? Everyone here woulda been thrilled to be 2-2 when this started 4 weeks ago. Good lord everyone, this is such a Syracuse attitude to be miserable when they win.

I agree with you 100 percent,

When you start to develop expectations as fans, the tone changes very quickly. I appreciate the tone I’m reading, because (at least) I think that people may be excited about what we could be, and winning despite a poor outing by certain players, means there’s a lot of room for growth.

1. Shrader isn’t killing us. Our OL is. I’d Dakota Davis can’t pass block, we need to find someone who can. Vet in the middle is killing us as well. We need to get this straight and fast.

2. Play calling is not helping Tucker. Running him up the middle for a majority of us runs and hoping he makes someone miss Isn’t the recipe. We’re not even running zone blocking for a majority of those inside runs, which I think would help his one cut and go style.

3. I don’t have too many concerns about our WRs. There are some drops, but we’ve been much better than last year.

4. DL has been and will continue to be our kryptonite. Love Dartons stories and how much he grinds. A majority of his tackles are coming between 3-5 yards behind the LOS. We need to figure something out on the DL. This isn’t a quick fix though.

5. End of the day, 4-0 baby. I’m thrilled to be winning again. Get a little better each week. Get to 6 wins, and then let things happen as they do.

Let’s go orange!

 

[kcsu]

Maybe Vet moves outside

 

[RF2044]

Vett was awful yesterday, and he gets no push at the point of attack. But the bigger OL issues IMO is that Ellis -- despite his size -- ALSO doesn't open holes, and Davis struggles to move his feet in pass pro. Those two playing next to each other is a problem. Would prefer to see Ellis get benched, Davis slide inside to RG where he's better suited, and see what Cruz can do at RT.

Too many turnovers.

Too many inside dives for 1.5 yards.

Too many penalties.

Lockett loss looms potentially large.

We have lots of young components at DL, but they are all inexperienced. Somebody needs to step up to give Darton some help inside, but not sure there's a natural replacement [lots of DE types].

Wonder if the "hangover" from Saturday's big win played a factor, turning around on a short week.

Worried that offense might be regressing to the mean after the amazing start.

Can't believe that we only scored ONE touchdown... 2 minutes into the game, and settled for 5 FGs after that quick start.

Cognizant of reports that Shrader / Tucker were injured, which potentially might explain why their production has dipped slightly.

 

[RMH44]

We needed a QB when Tommy was playing and we still need a QB now that GS is playing. GS is a football player I will give him that but he isn’t a good QB.

Wow, just wow.

 

[SmilinBob]

Is SU doing a different kind of run blocking scheme than last year? 2021 seemed to be more of a push and drive running the ball and this year looks more trappy to me...maybe I'm just not recognizing what's going on but the whole running game just seems off. I understand there may injuries but still, it just looks different.

Oh and I am thrilled they are 4-0. I'll take that anytime.

 

[money3189]

A lot of people win predictions on the season went sky high after one game. I dont know why. Too small of a sample size to tell. Last two games tells us what type of team they are. They will win some tight games and they will lose some tight ones. Games dont always go the way we envision. Nothing is guarantee.

 

[anomander]

Vett was awful yesterday, and he gets no push at the point of attack. But the bigger OL issues IMO is that Ellis -- despite his size -- ALSO doesn't open holes, and Davis struggles to move his feet in pass pro. Those two playing next to each other is a problem. Would prefer to see Ellis get benched, Davis slide inside to RG where he's better suited, and see what Cruz can do at RT.

Too many turnovers.

Too many inside dives for 1.5 yards.

Too many penalties.

Lockett loss looms potentially large.

We have lots of young components at DL, but they are all inexperienced. Somebody needs to step up to give Darton some help inside, but not sure there's a natural replacement [lots of DE types].

Wonder if the "hangover" from Saturday's big win played a factor, turning around on a short week.

Worried that offense might be regressing to the mean after the amazing start.

Can't believe that we only scored ONE touchdown... 2 minutes into the game, and settled for 5 FGs after that quick start.

Cognizant of reports that Shrader / Tucker were injured, which potentially might explain why their production has dipped slightly.

It does seem like Ellis has regressed and Davis is certainly better inside. The only problem is that we are razor thin. Bleich seemed better at OT before his injuries. Wonder if he’s played back into shape him and Dakota can switch?

I also think a lot of it is the run scheme designed by Anae that’s leading to Tucker struggling. He never gets the ball Lon the edge or in any kind of space. I don’t know if it’s part of Anae’s style, but maybe some of those stretch plays Tucker was so good on last year, or even RPO will leave Shrader open if they commit to Tuck. Worst case get him the ball in space from the passing game with routes running backs run. Stop splitting him out wide and trying to do back shoulders down the sidelines. He could be a constant threat catching the ball out of the backfield or at least force defenses to commit a man to him opening things up a bit. Even Shrader couldn’t get open for runs last night. That UVA defense had some big solid athletes.