Defense

[Rocco]

The 2nd half adjustments made by Bullough and Shafer were spot on. Bring more pressure, bring the corners up a few more yards and voila, that Wake QB looked lost. Huge improvement over that garbage 1st half pass defense. That 10 yard cushion the corners give is recipe for disaster and gets blown up all the time. I understand they want to keep the play in front of them, but just bring more heat and don't give the QB time to let his receivers break into their routes. Tale of two halves for the defense.

As for some stats...

Tackles for Loss (TFL)

Cordy 3.5
Luke 3
Zaire 2.5
Bennett 1
Thomas 1
Taylor 1
Thompson 1
Samuels 1
Simmons 1
Guidice 1
Raymon 1
Clark 0.5
Hodge 0.5

Sacks

Luke 2
Zaire 1
Cordy 1
Thompson 1

Tackles

Zaire 12
Whigham 8
Bennett 8
Cordy 7
Hodge 6

Pickles

Winfield 2 (TD)
Simmons 1 (TD)
Bennett


Team is averaging 9 TFL/game, 2.5 sacks/game and 2 picks/game.


Keep bringing the pressure, especially this weekend against a pass happy CMU. You can tell Thompson isn't 100%, but man he shows flashes. Also really impressed with how well are DL has owned the LOS, notably Clark, Samuels and Slayton. These dudes are beasts.

 

[GoSU96]

The 2nd half adjustments made by Bullough and Shafer were spot on. Bring more pressure, bring the corners up a few more yards and voila, that Wake QB looked lost. Huge improvement over that garbage 1st half pass defense. That 10 yard cushion the corners give is recipe for disaster and gets blown up all the time. I understand they want to keep the play in front of them, but just bring more heat and don't give the QB time to let his receivers break into their routes. Tale of two halves for the defense.

As for some stats...

Tackles for Loss (TFL)

Cordy 3.5
Luke 3
Zaire 2.5
Bennett 1
Thomas 1
Taylor 1
Thompson 1
Samuels 1
Simmons 1
Guidice 1
Raymon 1
Clark 0.5
Hodge 0.5

Sacks

Luke 2
Zaire 1
Cordy 1
Thompson 1

Tackles

Zaire 12
Whigham 8
Bennett 8
Cordy 7
Hodge 6

Pickles

Winfield 2 (TD)
Simmons 1 (TD)
Bennett


Team is averaging 9 TFL/game, 2.5 sacks/game and 2 picks/game.


Keep bringing the pressure, especially this weekend against a pass happy CMU. You can tell Thompson isn't 100%, but man he shows flashes. Also really impressed with how well are DL has owned the LOS, notably Clark, Samuels and Slayton. These dudes are beasts.

Like the way the defense has rotated the two + deep into the games so far. A bunch of guys of fairly equal ability making up for a lack of superstars.

Really helps in fourth quarter games when a guy like Thompson has had limited snaps to that point.

 

[texascpa]

I thought we only intercepted Wolford 3 times?

 

[Upstate]

Syracuse has really protected the ball well, too. The TO+/- is fantastic right now. That's lightyears from where the team was the last few years.

 

[ImperialOrange]

I thought we only intercepted Wolford 3 times?

Think thats first 2 games combined. See Winfield TD mentioned. We picked Wake 3 times vs RI 1 but stripped RI 2 times on fumbles.

 

[texascpa]

Think thats first 2 games combined. See Winfield TD mentioned. We picked Wake 3 times vs RI 1 but stripped RI 2 times on fumbles.

Okay, makes more sense.

 

[K Otto XLIV]

The D played great after the Brisly TD but I wouldn't say the halftime adjustments did it.

1st 3rd Q drive IMO was not a successful drive for the D. Wake started at their own 25 yard line and ended up with a FG attempt. That isn't a win. It was a long FG attempt (50 yards) that was aided by a delay of game penalty (thanks crowd). For the drive Wake had 47 yards and took 5:41 off the clock. Wolford was 3-3 on the drive for 32 yards, including a 23 yarder.

2nd 3rd Q drive IMO was also unsuccessful. Wake took over at their 21. Before the personal foul they had 40 yards of O on the drive. They went from a 2nd & 2 from the SU 39 to a 2nd & 17 at the Wake 46. For the dive Wake had 48 yards and took 5:10 off the clock. Wolford was 4-5 for 28 yards.

So after their 1st two drives Wake had taken up 10:51, producing 95 yards but somehow yielded no points (thanks to penalties which were not forced by the D like a holding is). IMO we got a little lucky. Wolford was 7-8 passing for 75 yards.

 

[orange_in_VA]

Syracuse has really protected the ball well, too. The TO+/- is fantastic right now. That's lightyears from where the team was the last few years.

I think we're number 1 in the country in TO margin right now.

 

[retro44]

Okay, makes more sense.

CPA? AND YOU MISSED THE NUMBER SPREAD SHEET...

 

[anomander]

Syracuse has really protected the ball well, too. The TO+/- is fantastic right now. That's lightyears from where the team was the last few years.

I'm sure there is some skill involved in this, but every year you see a team come out of no where, and a great deal of it has to do with a crazy positive TO margin. We have always seemed to struggle in this category. Maybe this will be the years the stars align, and the ball bounces into our defenders hands? It's not like we aren't due or anything.

 

[Finwad32]

I'm sure there is some skill involved in this, but every year you see a team come out of no where, and a great deal of it has to do with a crazy positive TO margin. We have always seemed to struggle in this category. Maybe this will be the years the stars align, and the ball bounces into our defenders hands? It's not like we aren't due or anything.

The thing I saw that showed me we're being taught to look for turnovers and be aggressive in terms of creating them, Ron Thompson's attempt at the strip on his sack. Great technique bringing the outside arm down to try and tomahawk the ball out. That's not something that's easy to do so quickly on such an aggressive rush, it needs to become muscle memory and harped/taught relentlessly.

I've seen them make a concerted effort towards strips and such that I don't know I saw as much in the past. I know it's been taught before, but, seems to be taking hold.

And of course, there's always a certain amount of luck involved.

If Whigham grabs the ball that hits him in the face we have 4 picks last Saturday, that's not all luck. He made a great break on the ball and put himself in perfect position, easy pick. But, that's why he plays defense!

 

[texascpa]

CPA? AND YOU MISSED THE NUMBER SPREAD SHEET...

Too many spreadsheets going on the last week. This is budget season. Have some sympathy

 

[kcsu]

The 2nd half adjustments made by Bullough and Shafer were spot on. Bring more pressure, bring the corners up a few more yards and voila, that Wake QB looked lost. Huge improvement over that garbage 1st half pass defense. That 10 yard cushion the corners give is recipe for disaster and gets blown up all the time. I understand they want to keep the play in front of them, but just bring more heat and don't give the QB time to let his receivers break into their routes. Tale of two halves for the defense.

As for some stats...

Tackles for Loss (TFL)

Cordy 3.5
Luke 3
Zaire 2.5
Bennett 1
Thomas 1
Taylor 1
Thompson 1
Samuels 1
Simmons 1
Guidice 1
Raymon 1
Clark 0.5
Hodge 0.5

Sacks

Luke 2
Zaire 1
Cordy 1
Thompson 1

Tackles

Zaire 12
Whigham 8
Bennett 8
Cordy 7
Hodge 6

Pickles

Winfield 2 (TD)
Simmons 1 (TD)
Bennett


Team is averaging 9 TFL/game, 2.5 sacks/game and 2 picks/game.


Keep bringing the pressure, especially this weekend against a pass happy CMU. You can tell Thompson isn't 100%, but man he shows flashes. Also really impressed with how well are DL has owned the LOS, notably Clark, Samuels and Slayton. These dudes are beasts.

I posted this a few days ago but my take is that the WF game was the best half time adjustment that this staff has had in a very long time. Good to see and hope it bodes well for the future

 

[anomander]

The thing I saw that showed me we're being taught to look for turnovers and be aggressive in terms of creating them, Ron Thompson's attempt at the strip on his sack. Great technique bringing the outside arm down to try and tomahawk the ball out. That's not something that's easy to do so quickly on such an aggressive rush, it needs to become muscle memory and harped/taught relentlessly.

I've seen them make a concerted effort towards strips and such that I don't know I saw as much in the past. I know it's been taught before, but, seems to be taking hold.

And of course, there's always a certain amount of luck involved.

If Whigham grabs the ball that hits him in the face we have 4 picks last Saturday, that's not all luck. He made a great break on the ball and put himself in perfect position, easy pick. But, that's why he plays defense!

Turnovers are huge. I still get mad when I think of Reddish dropping that easy pick 6 vs Cincinatti. He makes that easy play and we are in a BCS bowl. Win the turnover battle and you're going to put yourself in great position to win.

 

[MSOrange]

Turnovers are huge. I still get mad when I think of Reddish dropping that easy pick 6 vs Cincinatti. He makes that easy play and we are in a BCS bowl. Win the turnover battle and you're going to put yourself in great position to win.

I fell out of my wheelchair when Reddish dropped that. I was physically okay - I'm still recovering mentally I think.

 

[K Otto XLIV]

I'm sure there is some skill involved in this, but every year you see a team come out of no where, and a great deal of it has to do with a crazy positive TO margin. We have always seemed to struggle in this category. Maybe this will be the years the stars align, and the ball bounces into our defenders hands? It's not like we aren't due or anything.

I didn't realize, until looking it up, how good we have been at forcing fumbles. It seems like most of the fumbles we force are from disruptions and big hits vs active stripping of the ball. Maybe that is why I haven't noticed.

In conference games:

2014 2nd in the ACC, 1st in the Atlantic
2013 13th in ACC, last in Atlantic
2012 1st in the Big East
2011 4 way tie for 2nd in Big East
2010 5th in Big East
2009 1st in the Big East

I do think our scheme hurts though for forcing INTs. IMO we do not do a good job of disguising our coverages. It seems like QBs always know where to go with the ball. Also he allow a high completion % all the time, even against bad QBs. We play a lot of Zone, which means our DBs aren't right on top of the WRs. It seems like we get more INTs from QB hits than anything else.

In conference games, INTs:

2014 4 way tie for 5th in ACC, tied for 3rd in Atlantic
2013 tied for 5th in ACC, 3rd in the Atlantic
2012 5th in the Big East
2011 3 way tie for 3rd in Big East
2010 tied for 4th in Big East
2009 7th in Big East

Completion %:

2014 last in ACC
2013 7th in ACC, 3rd in Atlantic
2012 7th in Big East
2011 last in Big East
2010 2nd in Big East
2009 6th in Big East

Pass breakups:

2014 tied for 12th in ACC, 6th in Atlantic
2013 last in ACC
2012 last in Big East
2011 last in Big East
2010 6th in Big East
2009 tied for 6th in Big East

We are off to a great start this year with INTs. But based on our history and style of play, I would be surprised if we end up near the top of the ACC. Which means we certainly cannot rely on getting INTs.

 

[Rocco]

The D played great after the Brisly TD but I wouldn't say the halftime adjustments did it.

1st 3rd Q drive IMO was not a successful drive for the D. Wake started at their own 25 yard line and ended up with a FG attempt. That isn't a win. It was a long FG attempt (50 yards) that was aided by a delay of game penalty (thanks crowd). For the drive Wake had 47 yards and took 5:41 off the clock. Wolford was 3-3 on the drive for 32 yards, including a 23 yarder.

2nd 3rd Q drive IMO was also unsuccessful. Wake took over at their 21. Before the personal foul they had 40 yards of O on the drive. They went from a 2nd & 2 from the SU 39 to a 2nd & 17 at the Wake 46. For the dive Wake had 48 yards and took 5:10 off the clock. Wolford was 4-5 for 28 yards.

So after their 1st two drives Wake had taken up 10:51, producing 95 yards but somehow yielded no points (thanks to penalties which were not forced by the D like a holding is). IMO we got a little lucky. Wolford was 7-8 passing for 75 yards.

I mean ok. Teams can get as many yards as they want between the 30 yard lines. They did not score a point in the 2nd half because they were rattled IMO. Our D brought the aggression in the 2nd half.

In the past few years, our offense has been good at moving the ball in the middle of the field, but that doesn't mean jack if you can't score points.

 

[K Otto XLIV]

I mean ok. Teams can get as many yards as they want between the 30 yard lines. They did not score a point in the 2nd half because they were rattled IMO. Our D brought the aggression in the 2nd half.

In the past few years, our offense has been good at moving the ball in the middle of the field, but that doesn't mean jack if you can't score points.

After the Brisly TD they were rattled. And we did dial up the pressure. Before that though we were not going after the QB and Wake was in total control. Both of those drives we got a little lucky and somehow survived (mainly thanks to 2 unforced penalties). There was no difference between the way we played on D in the 1st half and 3rd Q. Give the coaches all the credit in the world for adjusting and shutting down Wake after the TD, but that adjustment came near the end of the 3rd Q not halftime.

Also you cannot expect to win many games when your D is on the field for 5 minute drives at a time. College football is a game of momentum. You cannot have momentum when the D is on the field that long. Also having drives like that effects the O. It kills field position, takes the O out of rhythm since they are stuck on the sideline, and helps your opponent's D to recover and be fresh. In addition it gases your own D. Do you want a tired D come 4th Q? If you are down and need a stop it will be more difficult. If you are up and need to prevent a team from scoring it will be more difficult. If you are in a tight game, it makes things harder. There is absolutely nothing good for 5 minute 50 yard drives whether you give up points or not.

The D started the game well (minus the one deep play). The D ended the game awesome. The 2nd & 3rd Qs were not good.

 

[Rocco]

After the Brisly TD they were rattled. And we did dial up the pressure. Before that though we were not going after the QB and Wake was in total control. Both of those drives we got a little lucky and somehow survived (mainly thanks to 2 unforced penalties). There was no difference between the way we played on D in the 1st half and 3rd Q. Give the coaches all the credit in the world for adjusting and shutting down Wake after the TD, but that adjustment came near the end of the 3rd Q not halftime.

Also you cannot expect to win many games when your D is on the field for 5 minute drives at a time. College football is a game of momentum. You cannot have momentum when the D is on the field that long. Also having drives like that effects the O. It kills field position, takes the O out of rhythm since they are stuck on the sideline, and helps your opponent's D to recover and be fresh. In addition it gases your own D. Do you want a tired D come 4th Q? If you are down and need a stop it will be more difficult. If you are up and need to prevent a team from scoring it will be more difficult. If you are in a tight game, it makes things harder. There is absolutely nothing good for 5 minute 50 yard drives whether you give up points or not.

The D started the game well (minus the one deep play). The D ended the game awesome. The 2nd & 3rd Qs were not good.

I agree with you for the most part. The biggest difference with our D is that we rotate so many players in and out to keep fresh legs on the field. To me, our D looked different to start the 2nd half. I mean, just listen to what Bullough said the other day... at halftime, he told his players that Wake is not beating them, they are beating themselves with bad technique. Clean up your mistakes and we will be fine. Maybe it took them to the end of the 3rd qtr to see statistical differences, but I am just telling you that I saw a different D in the 2nd half. (Could have been the 67 bud lights I drank though... )

 

[Crusty]

I am concerned about DB tackling. Playing soft means you can't afford to miss tackles. Corey missed a couple bad ones - he was out of position of one and just whiffed on the other.

 

[orange_in_VA]

I am concerned about DB tackling. Playing soft means you can't afford to miss tackles. Corey missed a couple bad ones - he was out of position of one and just whiffed on the other.

I found this troublesome as well. Hope they get it cleaned up. Arm tackles aint gonna work, and will get us killed against FSU, Clemson, etc.

 

[MartyCuse]

I have sat in my seat for years in the dome and watched a defense play hard and an offenses go three and out... Yes there have been some good times but I always think back to a Robinson game when the dome stood up, cheered and clapped for a 1st down... It is great to see how hard the defense plays and how fired up they get and play harder when the offense does their job. I lost my voice last week for the first time in years... And I wasn't yelling at the zebras... I was cheering for our boys and celebrating their hard work.

 

[Rocco]

I have sat in my seat for years in the dome and watched a defense play hard and an offenses go three and out... Yes there have been some good times but I always think back to a Robinson game when the dome stood up, cheered and clapped for a 1st down... It is great to see how hard the defense plays and how fired up they get and play harder when the offense does their job. I lost my voice last week for the first time in years... And I wasn't yelling at the zebras... I was cheering for our boys and celebrating their hard work.

Amen brother.

 

[K Otto XLIV]

I found this troublesome as well. Hope they get it cleaned up. Arm tackles aint gonna work, and will get us killed against FSU, Clemson, etc.

The small size of our safeties has been a concern of mine. Hopefully that won't be the case once we face stronger competition.

 

[weedsportwarriors]

I think we will see the defense get better throughout the year and next year. As the offense gets better and stays on the field a little longer that will give the defense more time to rest. I also think that we have a much better 2nd team which allows the coaching staff to rotate the second string without losing too much. We are a young defense but they are athletic and even though the competition will get better the rest of the way out, the defense will as well.