Bill Connolly's Preview is out!

[bnoro]

This is far and away my favorite preview writer to read for the upcoming season, and he has some good things to say.

Time for a second-year leap at Syracuse?

 

[jr4750]

Great review. Very knowledgeable and positive overall. Gives great insight into the nature/history of northern football and how scheme was dependent on local talent as well. Very tough to stomach the fact that our brutal schedule this year is ill timed, given that one or two more manageable games would make us all feel very confident in a bowl game. Truly Dungeys health is paramount to that success. Bill lays out a scenario as others on the board have that the Pitt game is essential to have. Keeping Eric in playing shape for those last few games where we have Wake and BC at home is critical. Those are must wins too.

Hope it all comes together. I'm super excited for football again. It feels like its been forever.

 

[721Comstock]

This was awesome, as always. Bill C knows his stuff.

We all expect the O to continue to improve, and ideally Dungey stays healthy for all 13 games.

But the D almost can't help to get a lot better, just by not being so awful at giving up HUGE plays.

Syracuse allowed 75 gains of 20-plus yards (116th in the country) and 12 passes of 50-plus yards (126th). The season was up and down until the end, when it was just down.

• Syracuse pass defense, first 4 games: 53% completion rate, 13.9 yards per completion, 122.1 passer rating
• Syracuse pass defense, next 4 games: 57% completion rate, 15.6 yards per completion, 140.0 passer rating
• Syracuse pass defense, last 4 games: 63% completion rate, 16.7 yards per completion, 173.9 passer rating

UGH. :bang:

Simply by not giving up as many of those massive gains, usually for easy TD's to the opponents (o hai Llvll ), means that some of those drives don't end in TD's, or we eventually force a FG instead, or a punt, or a turnover.

And with all the returning experience, plus the grad and JUCO x-fers, plus some solid potential Frosh contributors, the D almost can't help but be better this year.

 

[Millhouse]

this year kinda stinks. there could be huge improvement and it might not matter. there are bunch of games we'd have won with last years team and a bunch of games that we won't win with an incredible improvement. the whole season is a couple of games

 

[care taker]

Pretty in depth review , read a lot between the lines from Babers to . 18 days till practice with pads can't wait

 

[Cuseregular]

This is far and away my favorite preview writer to read for the upcoming season, and he has some good things to say.

Time for a second-year leap at Syracuse?

Game on! Almost...

 

[cusefan88]

Hopefully Butler and Martin can be solid at CB. But yeah even an uptick in secondary and pass rush doesn't really move the needle more than 1-2 wins.

 

[Alsacs]

We have 3 very winnable nonconference games. Beat BC and Wake at home and steal one more game.

That is doable.

 

[007]

Hopefully Butler and Martin can be solid at CB. But yeah even an uptick in secondary and pass rush doesn't really move the needle more than 1-2 wins.

2 additional wins would be a 50% improvement. How heavy is that needle?

 

[Scooch]

This is one of the most experienced teams in the country, and it’s still going to be reliant on juniors. If a breakthrough doesn’t happen in 2017, there will be another shot in 2018.

The best analysis I ever did on this board suggested that year 3 is the make/break line for coaches who ultimately get their programs into the top 25. So this line in the preview resonates. I think we'll have a sense at the end of 2017 where this program is headed, and we'll know for sure at the end of 2018.

 

[cusefan88]

2 additional wins would be a 50% improvement. How heavy is that needle?

I just mean with how hard the schedule is, improvements may be small addition to win total. With a weaker sked SU could have went to 7-8 wins. That's all.

 

[djorange1989]

We have 3 very winnable nonconference games. Beat BC and Wake at home and steal one more game.

That is doable.

Pitt. gotta beat those bums, we have been close but just haven't been able to take them out, this is the year to do it, and that could be the difference between 5-7 and 6-6.

 

[Chris02M]

with dino at the helm i wouldn't be surprised if we upset 1 upper team that most have pegged as loss before camp opens(fsu,clemson,louisville,lsu,miami,nc state). Got 1 upset last year

 

[TheCusian]

with dino at the helm i wouldn't be surprised if we upset 1 upper team that most have pegged as loss before camp opens(fsu,clemson,louisville,lsu,miami,nc state). Got 1 upset last year

Agreed. And I'm 100% confident that none of them will be taking us lightly. Our offense will ensure it.

 

[TheCusian]

This one is fun... Alt-title Meathead Unaware Offense Exists: Boston College is desperately seeking points

 

[Ish88888]

We have 3 very winnable nonconference games. Beat BC and Wake at home and steal one more game.

That is doable.

VERY doable! Plus, i think we beat pitt and with ED healthy, we will have a punchers chance at beating ncst and Clemson

 

[007]

I just mean with how hard the schedule is, improvements may be small addition to win total. With a weaker sked SU could have went to 7-8 wins. That's all.

Gotcha. 6 wins this year with this schedule will be a very good sign that the needle is moving.

 

[upperdeck]

which team lost more on D , Pitt or SU? it was a shootout last year and we had a ton of chances to win that game.. why is it not winnable this year? as good as Tawa was last year most of the plays he made in that game where not ones that i dont think we cant duplicate this year.. and the film showed we made plays while making the wrong throws many times in that game.. i think if we get to 70 we win this time.

 

[djorange1989]

which team lost more on D , Pitt or SU? it was a shootout last year and we had a ton of chances to win that game.. why is it not winnable this year? as good as Tawa was last year most of the plays he made in that game where not ones that i dont think we cant duplicate this year.. and the film showed we made plays while making the wrong throws many times in that game.. i think if we get to 70 we win this time.

It is definitely winnable, especially being at the Dome but it is a toss up and they have our number. No question we can beat them, and I think we have to beat them to get to 6 wins. I hope we win if we get to 70, yes!

 

[TheCusian]

which team lost more on D , Pitt or SU? it was a shootout last year and we had a ton of chances to win that game.. why is it not winnable this year? as good as Tawa was last year most of the plays he made in that game where not ones that i dont think we cant duplicate this year.. and the film showed we made plays while making the wrong throws many times in that game.. i think if we get to 70 we win this time.

They lose a lot on O, including starting QB, RB and OC.

I hope Narduzi tries the same scheme on D. They wanted to get destroyed by WR screens.

 

[SoBristol]

The best analysis I ever did on this board suggested that year 3 is the make/break line for coaches who ultimately get their programs into the top 25. So this line in the preview resonates. I think we'll have a sense at the end of 2017 where this program is headed, and we'll know for sure at the end of 2018.

Maybe in general it is year 3, but Dino has an unusual situation in year 2 -- more returning starters than all but a few teams, supplemented by a bunch of jucos and grad transfers. He has a proven QB, a very good trio of receivers in Phillips, Ishmael, and the new TE, Pierce. In Dino's year 2 at BGSU, it was defensive improvement under Brian Ward that made a big impact. We should know by mid-October if Dino & Ward can build a competitive defense, led by senior LBs, 4th year players in Slayton & Cordy, and grad transfer help at CB.

When you look at year 3, Dino will have to replace 4 LBs, our 2 best WRs, 2 multiple year starters in the OL, and those grad transfers at CB. The schedule does not get easier in year 3. So, maybe this is the year.

 

[RMH44]

Y

They lose a lot on O, including starting QB, RB and OC.

I hope Narduzi tries the same scheme on D. They wanted to get destroyed by WR screens.

Yep...and they lost their best players from an already horrendous defense. We win by double digits.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Yep...and they lost their best players from an already horrendous defense. We win by double digits.

May be to their benefit to lose those guys.

 

[TheCusian]

May be to their benefit to lose those guys.

True. Their CB's were horrible. Still not sure how Clemson lost to them.

But Narduzzi has the same genes as Shafer vs these offenses. And it's not a great look. Think Cuse v ND at MetLife with Hunt. Screened to death. I think they purposefully decide to die by screen. Makes no sense.

 

[StopCoolio]

The schedule is probably harder this season, but last season we played some really talented QB’s that we won’t see this season, which makes me think the defense will improve statistically even if they aren’t even that much better.

Last year:
UL-Lamar Jackson(with fresh legs in game 2)
USF-Flowers
ND-Deshone Kizer
VT-Jerod Evans
Clemson-Deshawn Watson
Pitt-Peterman

So that’s a Heisman winner, and 3 of the top 5 QB’s taken in the NFL draft this year, plus Evans who was pretty good, going up against a defense that was super young and learning a new system which they largely weren’t recruited for.

This year:
Mid Tennessee: Stockstill is back, still a game we should win
LSU: Danny Etling
NC State: Ryan Finley
Pitt: new starter…Max Browne?
Clemson: someone not named Deshaun Watson
Miami: new starter
FSU: Francois
Wake: Wolford
UL: Lamar Jackson but in week 9, not week 2 like last season and he seemed to wear down late
BC: some dude(former recruit Anthony Brown?) who will hand off to a fullback 48 times

So on the surface it seems like opposing teams won’t have as much luck destroying us through the air again. Then you add in the grad transfers, all the starters back, another year in the scheme, seems like we’re trending up.