sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Lighthouse Day!
It was on this day in 1789, that Congress approved an Act for the establishment and support of lighthouse, beacons, buoys and public piers. In Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the signing of the Act and the commissioning of the first Federal lighthouse, Congress passed a resolution which designated August 7, 1989 as National Lighthouse Day.
SU News
Three-Star Running Back Hassan Hall Commits to Syracuse (armchairallamericans.com; Weisleder)
Dino Babers and Syracuse’ coaching staff continue to collect top-tier talent for the 2018 season, Hassan Hall being their 12th recruit so far.
Yesterday, three-star rusher Hassan Hall announced his commitment to play for the Syracuse Orange during an interview with Stephen Bailey of Syracuse.com.
Following the interview, Hall took to twitter to announce his commitment:
I will be attending the University of Syracuse for the next 3-4 years #believe respect my decision pic.twitter.com/0x4IL9SpRz
— Hassan Hall (@_sayblackboy) August 5, 2017
Syracuse beat out multiple other Division I squads for Hall’s signature. Two competitors were fellow ACC squads in Georgia Tech and Louisville.
Vinson Reynolds, Syracuse’s defensive tackle coach, was Syracuse’ main recruiter when Hall, Williem Fruomy, Tyrone Sampson and Anthony Queely all visited in June. Less than two months later, all of them have committed to Syracuse.
Babers’ no-huddle offense gives opposing defenses nightmares, especially now that Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey has multiple options at his disposal.
In the situation that Dungey is still Syracuse’ quarterback for the 2018 season, he is already guaranteed to have plenty of options in a high-octane offense.
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Syracuse Football: Will Dino Babers Top His Post Game Speech In 2017? (itlh.com; Edsen Jr)
We go Inside The Twitterbag to see what the fans are talking about and what our panel of columnists think about it. This week we talk Syracuse football
Last season didn’t live up to expectations. Plain and simple. 4-8 isn’t going to get it done.
They haven’t had a .500+ season since 2013. But was discovered last season may not have been a bowl berth, but a revolution. An inside peak into what the future holds for Orange Is The New Fast.
It all went down Week 7 of last season. The Orange entered the game on a two game losing streak and a dismal 2-4 record. Things weren’t looking good.
That’s especially true when you consider the Orange’s next opponent was an AP top 20-ranked program that was hotter than any team in the country.
Despite the overwhelming odds that said the Cuse would fall to 2-5, they didn’t. SU dominated the game with wildcat plays and with tenacity.
Syracuse won every major category in the contest including: first downs, total yards, passing yards, rushing yards, heck even penalty yards. It all resulted in a 31-17 victory and was the shining moment in an otherwise uneventful rookie campaign for Dino Babers.
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Syracuse football practice (Aug. 6, 2017) (PS)
The Orange quarterbacks and receivers go through routes vs. air, linebackers work on run fits and special teams unit practices field goal
ESNY Video: Heart, Not Size, Powers Shifty Syracuse WR Ervin Phillips (elitesportsny.com; Randall)
Ervin Phillips is poised to make his last season at Syracuse one to remember and ESNY Video is here to showcase that exact notion
We can’t finish covering the first week of Syracuse Football’s camp without talking about senior wide receiver Ervin Phillips.
Ervin produced a stat line of 90 receptions, 822 receiving yards with six touchdowns in his junior season. Standing only 5-foot-11 and weighing just 181 pounds, he truly plays a big game with a big heart.
The fast, quick, shifty playmaker can take it the distance at any moment. That explosiveness makes him someone that other teams have to watch out for when the Orange have the ball.
“IT’S FEELING REAL SMOOTH, DEFINITELY SMOOTHER THAN LAST YEAR,” PHILLIPS SAID AFTER PRACTICE. “YEAR TWO, I FEEL LIKE WE ARE TRANSITIONING WELL. WE ARE TRYING TO GET BETTER AND A LOT OF YOUNG GUYS ARE STEPPING UP, BUT I FEEL GOOD RIGHT NOW. PHILLIPS LATER ADDED, “I WANT TO BE A VERSATILE AND CONSISTENT PLAYER, THAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, EVERY WEEK.”
After studying some of Phillips film highlights, I can see why he put up gaudy numbers last year. Phillips has the toughness and hands to catch the ball in the middle of the defense. He has the speed to go over the top and catch bombs from quarterback Eric Dungey.
He’s also a student of the game and plays with pure desire and passion. With his current mindset, there’s no reason to not expect Phillips to have another great season, leading the program to new heights under Coach Babers.
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Why did South Pointe's Zeek Rodney take a year off from football, and what did he learn? (heraldonline.com; McCormick)
Hoisting crates of Pepsi out of a van last February, Zeek Rodney had a stark realization.
He wasn’t where he needed to be.
Rodney played in nine college football games as a true freshman at Wake Forest, then started all 12 games at defensive tackle as a sophomore in 2015. Many were surprised when the school announced he would take a leave of absence from the program in July 2016. A vague press release said Rodney “had some personal issues that he is currently addressing.”
There wasn’t one singular event, “I just wasn’t feeling like myself,” Rodney said. “I was taking everything for granted. I didn’t know if this was what I wanted to do anymore.”
He didn’t play at the level he expected during spring football and said he began to doubt himself. It was an incredible mental rut for a football player that tormented quarterbacks in high school, blasting through blockers like they were piles of dead leaves and setting new quarterback sack records at the Rock Hill school – South Pointe High – that produced Jadeveon Clowney.
“I just wasn’t feeling like myself,” Rodney reiterated Wednesday during a phone interview.
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ACC's rise, NASCAR's fall give hope to downtrodden (myajc.com; Whitley)
If you like UCF or women's sports or cricket any endeavor struggling for respect, you can stop praying to Jude.
The patron saint of lost causes has been replaced by something far more earthly. Namely, the Atlantic Coast Conference and Major League Soccer.
MLS is starting to elbow NASCAR out of a seat at the head table of America's sports. And if soccer kicking racing's butt wasn't startling enough, look who now rules the South's national pastime.
The ACC.
"I think we've established ourselves as the premiere conference in college football," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said at ACC Media Days.
That statement sparked the requisite cries of blasphemy from those who worship at the SEC altar. But facts are facts, and the mere fact there is room for an argument should give hope to sports like cricket and conferences like the American Athletic.
They are yearning to be considered Big Time, just like ACC football was when FSU showed up 25 years ago. The Seminoles promptly went 70-2 in league play and won nine straight league titles.
That doesn't happen in a Big-Time conference. The ACC tried to spin that it was a real football league, but even conference insiders could not fathom if the league would ever rival the SEC.
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Doeren building depth at NCSU :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsports.com)
Dave Doeren is entering his fifth season as the head coach of the North Carolina State football team, and he's had a pretty consistent theme throughout. He has always said that teams like Florida State and Clemson just have more depth and talent making it hard to compete.
Doeren has worked pretty hard over the last few years to bring in enough players to give his team some depth.
The Pack has a second year starting quarterback in Ryan Finley and a very good defensive line. Doeren thinks those advantages bring his roster more in line with the big boys of the ACC.
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Other
Goo Goo Dolls - Slide [Official Music Video]
Luke Bryan, Goo Goo Dolls, Highly Suspect: 5 shows to see this week (Aug. 6 to 12) (PS; photo gallery; Tulloch)
We've got one more month of full-fledged summer and we're not going to waste a minute of it.
Music fans can start their week hearing excellent fiddle tunes at Westcott Theater or rocking out to local bands at the Middle Ages 22nd anniversary party in Syracuse.
Finish out your week at the Lakeview Amphitheater with back-to-back shows from the Goo Goo Dolls and Luke Bryan.
1. The O'Connor Band at Beak & Skiff
The O'Connor Band will perform at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchard on Sunday.
Fiddler Mark O'Connor is a Grammy-winning national champion on the fiddle, guitar and mandolin. He has collaborated with Johnny Cash, Wynton Marsalis, Dolly Parton and Yo-Yo Ma.
Now, he joins forces with his son Forrest, daughter-in-law Kate and wife Maggie, all musically talented in their own right. All ages will be admitted.
Where: The Westcott Theater at 524 Westcott St., Syracuse.
When: Sunday, Aug. 6.
How much: Tickets are $25 in advance on CCTix.com, at the Sound Garden in Armory Square and at the Distillery. Admission is $30 on the day of the show.
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