sutomcat
2024 Iggy Award (ACC Tournament Record)
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to National Taco Day!
Americans LOVE their tacos, and to celebrate, Thursday is National Taco Day. Celebrated on Oct. 4, there are several deals from companies across the nation for the day.
According to nationaltacoday.com, Americans ate over 4.5 billion tacos last year (wow!). That's equal to more than 490,000 miles of tacos, which could take you to the moon and back. It's also equal to 775 million pounds, which is the weight of two Empire State Buildings.
Taco Bell
Obviously, Taco Bell has to be in on the National Taco Day celebrations. They're offering four tacos for $5.
Moe's Southwest Grill
Though there aren't many locations in metro Detroit, Moe's Southwest Grill is offering buy two, get one free tacos if you download the Moe's Rewards app.
SU News
Syracuse QB Eric Dungey presents major challenge for Pitt (triblive.com; DiPaola)
Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey used to spend his summers jumping off a 75-foot high ledge into the Willamette River in his hometown of Lake Oswego, Ore. And that was after using a rope to climb a tree and swing onto the ledge.
You think Pitt’s defense poses a bigger challenge?
Probably not.
“There’s been close calls,” Dungey told Syracuse.com this summer before the start of his senior season. “But that’s what makes it even more fun. I never got hurt doing anything like that. We were pretty smart about it. Smart and stupid at the same time.”
Said his mom, Cindy: “These are the things that made me old before my time.”
Playing football can’t be any more difficult, right?
Actually, Dungey makes the game look easy. In four years as Syracuse’s starting quarterback, he’s approaching 10,000 total yards passing and running (9,089), and he even has caught three passes, made four tackles, forced a fumble, punted twice and played Florida State on a broken foot.
The latter achievement occurred last season in a 27-24 loss, when he suffered the injury early, missed a few series but returned to finish the game and account for 387 total yards.
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How Syracuse football built the nation's best special teams unit (PS; Bailey)
Through the first five games of the 2018 season, there's no questioning which unit of the Syracuse football team has been most successful. It hasn't been vaunted tempo offense run by Dino Babers and Mike Lynch. And it hasn't been the improved defense instructed by Brian Ward.
The Orange's special teams have been outstanding, producing a consistent field-position edge and, seemingly, at least one game-shifting play per contest.
Coordinator Justin Lustig's group leads the nation in special teams S&P+, an advanced statistics metric that is an "initial attempt to measure play-for-play special teams efficiency, weighted for overall importance," according to FootballOutsiders.com,
"We feel like we do have good special teams," Babers said on Wednesday. "Whether it's one of the top special teams in the country, I don't know if that's true or false. But we feel we have a really good team that helps us win football games."
Let's take a closer look at what's worked for Syracuse thus far and just how well the team's personnel stacks up nationally:
Punter Sterling Hofrichter makes it rain
This conversation must start with redshirt junior punter Sterling Hofrichter.
A first-team preseason All-ACC selection by Athlon Sports and Phil Steele, Hofrichter is a three-year starter at punter who can do it all.
"Sterling is an NFL punter," Babers said.
Hofrichter's average of 46 yards per kick ranks ninth in the nation, but more importantly he has limited return opportunities perhaps better than anyone. Of his 23 punts, 11 have been fair caught, 13 have been downed inside the opposing 20-yard line and only three have gone for touchbacks.
Opponents have returned three punts total (counting two muffs) for a grand total of (-1) yard.
Hofrichter turned in the best punting performance of his career at Clemson, forcing both of those muffs and drawing praise from Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney.
"That dadgum punter, man," Swinney said after the game. "Holy cow. He was bringing rain out there."
Hofrichter credited his monster hangtimes to finally connecting perfectly on his drop and leg swing.
"Those were definitely the best punts I've had in a game," Hofrichter said. "I think a lot of it was getting my drop right, everything working together and being able to hit good balls."
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Dino Babers flipped Taj Harris by winning his mother over (itlh.com; Esden Jr)
Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers flipped freshman wide receiver Taj Harris to the Orange because he won over Harris’ mother.
Syracuse football freshman wide receiver Taj Harris made a statement this past week vs the Clemson Tigers in Death Valley.
He was the second leading wide receiver on the team with three receptions for 66 yards, highlighted by his 51 yard catch and run which set up a Syracuse touchdown in the second quarter.
Sadly it wasn’t enough as the Orange lost their first game of the season to the Tigers 27 to 23. But nonetheless it was a statement that Harris had arrived and he would be a key cog in year No. 1 with the Orange.
But he wasn’t always guaranteed to come to Syracuse, for much of his recruiting circuit it seemed certain he would be joining Rutgers. But then something happened, Taj Harris spoke with Paul A. Esden Jr. in a recent interview on ‘Drive Time Sports’ and explained what changed:
“I feel like Dino Babers just won me over. I love the offense here, had to see what the system was like. The main thing is he won my mother over and she loves Syracuse man. So when my mother fell in love with it, so I had no choice but to come here.”
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Syracuse opponent preview: What to know about Pittsburgh (DO; Graham)
Syracuse (4-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) travels to Pittsburgh (2-3, 1-1) to play the Panthers on Saturday at 12:20 p.m. at Heinz Field. The Orange is coming off its first loss of the season, a 27-23 heartbreaker at No. 3 Clemson. Pitt most recently took a 45-14 beatdown on the road at the hands of No. 13 Central Florida.
The game will air on ACC Network Extra. Here’s what to know about the Panthers.
All-time series: Pitt leads, 38-32-3.
Last time they played: Syracuse slipped past Pitt, 27-24, in the Carrier Dome last season. In a game in which Steve Ishmael and Ervin Philips were quiet, Eric Dungey and Ravian Pierce teamed up to the tune of nine catches for 99 for the latter, while the former totaled 365 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers punched it in on the ground twice, but the Orange ran for 135 yards and a score of its own.
The Pittsburgh report: The Panthers keep the ball on the ground, favoring handoffs to running backs Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall over Kenny Pickett passes. Pickett, the Pitt signal caller, beat out USC transfer Ricky Town for the starting job but has yet to eclipse 200 yards passing and has thrown an interception in all but one game. Entering the weekend, Pitt, as a team, is 114th in the country in passing attempts with 24.6 a game — Syracuse averages 33.4.
In lieu of an aerial attack, the Panthers rely on the experienced duo of Ollison and Hall. Ollison, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound bruiser, takes the bulk of the handoffs, receiving 68 to Hall’s 31. Ollison averages 5.9 yards a carry. Hall is a little more explosive, taking his carries for 6.7 yards. The two have combined for six touchdowns.
And therein lies Pitt’s biggest issue: scoring. The Panthers already struggled to move the ball — 113th in yards per game — and then struggle to find the endzone even when they do. The Panthers have nine total touchdowns in five games.
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Syracuse vs. Pitt Fearless Prediction, Game Preview (cfn; Fiutak)
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What’s Going To Happen
Just how beaten up is Syracuse?
The Orange are better, but that was a physical, brutal game against Clemson for a team that was this close to pulling off the shocker, staying unbeaten, and being deep in the hunt for the ACC championship.
Pitt desperately needs this game to kickstart its season, but it’s going to continue to sputter and cough. The Orange defense won’t be a brick wall, and the Panther offense will have a wee bit more pop than normal at home, but by late in the second half, the game will start to get away from Pitt.
Fearless Prediction & Line
Syracuse 27, Pitt 20
Line: Syracuse -3.5, o/u: 58.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Syracuse Orange vs. Pittsburgh Panthers Prediction and Preview (athlonsports.com; Kinne)
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Final Analysis
On paper, this is a really easy game to call. Syracuse has been a big surprise at 4-1 and played Clemson tooth and nail. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has tripped over themselves time and time again, losing a tough one to North Carolina and getting hammered by two Top 25 teams. But things have been wacky so far in the ACC and Pittsburgh has some things going for them this week. First off, the Panthers are home, where despite a porous second half against Penn State, they have had better success this year. Secondly, they get a Syracuse squad that has heard accolades all week despite losing that tough game in Clemson. Because of these factors, Pitt will keep this one tight throughout. In the end, Syracuse's special teams will make a play or a kick, and the Orange will be the ones escaping with a narrow victory this time around.
Prediction: Syracuse 24, Pittsburgh 23
Syracuse-Pittsburgh Driving Sharp vs. Public Disagreement (actionnetwork.com; Donahue)
Wolfpack trending up in ACC football power rankings (technicianonline.com; Tucker)
The ACC is one of the toughest conferences in football, and this season is continuing to demonstrate that. Only four teams have losing records, and almost all are competitive week after week. This week, NC State and Syracuse are teams to keep an eye on while Virginia Tech, Duke and Boston College will battle for their own places in the conference.
1) Clemson (5-0)
This is the most dominant team in the ACC and one of the most dominant in all of college football. Clemson almost lost to Syracuse in a 27-23 nailbiter, but that was after losing freshman quarterback phenom Trevor Lawrence, and is more of a testament to how good Syracuse is, as opposed to the alternative. Clemson will continue its stranglehold of the conference, and most likely make the College Football Playoff, unless a miracle upset occurs.
2) Miami (4-1)
Miami is an up-and-down team this season, but quarterback N’Kosi Perry seems to have filled the void at quarterback for now. Miami somehow dropped a spot in the AP rankings, going from No. 16 to No. 17, even after battering UNC-Chapel Hill 47-10. Miami does have a relatively easy schedule, so they will just need to continue to blowout the bad teams in order to maintain themselves as the next best team in the conference.
3) NC State (4-0)
The Wolfpack moves up to the No. 3 position this week due to its undefeated record and overall talent on the roster. The receiving corps looks like one of the best in the nation and graduate quarterback Ryan Finley looks as NFL-ready as ever. If this team can continue to win against in-conference opponents, and hold its own against Clemson, the Pack could potentially rise even further.
4) Syracuse; Record (4-1)
Syracuse lost last week, but is trending upwards in these rankings. Why? Because the Orange had an extremely close game with top dog Clemson, and look like they are continuously improving. Quarterback Eric Dungey looks impressive with nine touchdowns thus far with only two interceptions, and the Orange’s defense looks like it can carry this team as far as it needs to go.
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Redshirt Report: Who Does Syracuse Have To Decide On Soon? – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz,net; Aki)
College football’s new redshirt rule has everyone in a frenzy. High-profile players are on the move, others are speaking out and coaches have a lot of decisions to make. With conference play in full swing, Dino Babers is not alone in having to pick his spots with some of his freshmen.
To get everyone up to speed, the new redshirt rule allows players to play in up to four games, but maintain eligibility to redshirt. This gives coaches a lot more flexibility for their special teams units as well as early season tune-up games or blowouts.
Now that the season is almost halfway over, Babers and his staff have to pick and choose which guys are going to play and how much in order to preserve the longevity of this rebuild. Of course, circumstances can supersede anything. But there are a couple of key players who Syracuse has to make a decision on in the next couple of games.
Taj Harris – WR, 4 games played
Amongst the four cases, this is the biggest no brainer. Harris is one of the few players that a decision will be made on this week. Harris is too valuable in the offense and has impressed the coaching staff as well as Eric Dungey. The freshman made a huge catch down the sideline against Clemson that showcased his athleticism, balance and concentration. With some inconsistency at the wide receiver position, Harris is far too valuable of an asset to keep on you bench for the remainder of the season.
Decision: Play him
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Sciria: Babers not calling TOs cost Syracuse football chance of upset at Clemson (auburnpub.com; Sciria)
You have to give Dino Babers and the Syracuse football team a lot of praise for their effort last weekend at Clemson. The Orange, a 17-point underdog, almost pulled off a huge upset of the Tigers for a second straight season. Syracuse led for the most of the game and lost 27-23 as Clemson had to mount a furious rally in the final minute.
Babers has changed the culture at Syracuse and it's showing that it can compete with the best teams in the nation. The Orange are 4-1, 1-1 in the ACC and unless something crazy happens, they should be going to a bowl game which would be a great reward for their hard work.
But, and boy I hate to say that, the Orange had a great chance to beat Clemson and come back home with more than a moral victory. I have no qualms with Babers' or any of his coaches' play calling. It's easy to nit pick that but I don't fault the loss on that, even though Syracuse could have clinched a win with a touchdown after it led 23-13 with a little under 13 minutes left in the game.
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Audio Vault (espnsyracuse.com; audio; Axe)
Brent opens the show talking SU Football and what this weekend’s game against Pitt presents. Later, he goes around the sports world in H0T Takes, including the Buck Showalter leaving the Orioles.
Julian Whigham from the Syracuse IMG Sports Network joins Brent “On The Block” to talk SU Football.
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Wake Up Call with Dan Tortora (podbean.com; audio; Tortota)
Dan Tortora with Dorian Hewett, Safety out of North Shore in Houston, Texas, VERBALLY COMMITTED to Syracuse Football for the Incoming 2019 Recruiting Class
Dan Tortora welcomes Dorian Hewett to "WakeUpCall" for the FIRST TIME, sharing Dorian's story, including his commitment to 'Cuse & why he made that commitment, followed by Dan & Dorian putting each other on the Hot Seat in the "WakeUpCall" Signature Segment, "Rapid Fire".
Moving On To Pitt + (Guest Brian Batko) TradeMark Podcast: Syracuse Football podcast (player.fm; podcast; Marona; Batko)
Today I have on Brian Batko Beat writer for Pitt Football. We discuss Todd Graham, the Pitt Football Identity, and Aaron Donald. In opening segments I talk about the three best locker room guys I have ever played with and Aaron Donald. Had a lot of fun on the show today, and I hope you enjoy as well! For more on Cuse football go to TradeMarkPod.com for blogs, news, and stories about the Orange!
Wolfpack trending up in ACC football power rankings (technicianonline.com; Tucker)
The ACC is one of the toughest conferences in football, and this season is continuing to demonstrate that. Only four teams have losing records, and almost all are competitive week after week. This week, NC State and Syracuse are teams to keep an eye on while Virginia Tech, Duke and Boston College will battle for their own places in the conference.
1) Clemson (5-0)
This is the most dominant team in the ACC and one of the most dominant in all of college football. Clemson almost lost to Syracuse in a 27-23 nailbiter, but that was after losing freshman quarterback phenom Trevor Lawrence, and is more of a testament to how good Syracuse is, as opposed to the alternative. Clemson will continue its stranglehold of the conference, and most likely make the College Football Playoff, unless a miracle upset occurs.
2) Miami (4-1)
Miami is an up-and-down team this season, but quarterback N’Kosi Perry seems to have filled the void at quarterback for now. Miami somehow dropped a spot in the AP rankings, going from No. 16 to No. 17, even after battering UNC-Chapel Hill 47-10. Miami does have a relatively easy schedule, so they will just need to continue to blowout the bad teams in order to maintain themselves as the next best team in the conference.
3) NC State (4-0)
The Wolfpack moves up to the No. 3 position this week due to its undefeated record and overall talent on the roster. The receiving corps looks like one of the best in the nation and graduate quarterback Ryan Finley looks as NFL-ready as ever. If this team can continue to win against in-conference opponents, and hold its own against Clemson, the Pack could potentially rise even further.
4) Syracuse; Record (4-1)
Syracuse lost last week, but is trending upwards in these rankings. Why? Because the Orange had an extremely close game with top dog Clemson, and look like they are continuously improving. Quarterback Eric Dungey looks impressive with nine touchdowns thus far with only two interceptions, and the Orange’s defense looks like it can carry this team as far as it needs to go.
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Louisville, Georgia Tech loser stakes claim to being the ACC's worst football team (scacchoops.com; JFann)
In the last 4 years, Georgia Tech and Louisville have combined for 1 Big 6 Bowl win, 1 Heisman Trophy winner, six Bowls, and six 8+ win seasons. There has only been 1 ACC losing record between them during that time. That’s a pretty solid football resume between the two program. Friday night the loser Louisville \ Georgia Tech game will stake claim to being the ACC’s worst football team -at least through the mid-season.
Neither school at the near mid-point of the season has a power 5 football win, and both are winless in the conference. For 2 proud football programs with fairly recent football success, the decline was sharp and quick.
These are the two worst football teams in the ACC right now? Are we sure?
Georgia Tech sits 2-3 with blowout wins over Alcorn State and Bowling Green. Wins over those schools won’t move any needles. There was a 48-38 loss to South Florida, and a predictable lopsided loss to Clemson. What’s sets Georgia Tech apart from the rest of the ACC is an ugly 24-19 defeat at the hands of a really bad Pittsburgh team.The Panthers have two 30+ point losses, and lost to a dreadful UNC team, but they beat Georgia Tech.
Louisville this past weekend couldn’t beat, at home, the worst Florida State team in over 40 years. They got routed by an improved but middling Virginia team. There was no shame in being un-competitive with Alabama, but they struggled to beat a Western Kentucky team that is currently 1-4 and lost to FCS school Maine. I watched this game and Louisville was very fortunate to win. There was win against Indiana State, but Louisville struggled to pull away until well after halftime.
It’s been a comedy of errors for both teams the entire season. Georgia Tech against South Florida blew another double digit 2nd half league. It’s become the recent identity of Georgia Tech football – blown leads. There was an inexplicable fake punt call by Paul Johnson against Pittsburgh inside Georgia Tech’s own 40 yard line. It was stopped by the Panthers. They scored when they got the ball and went on to win.
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A look at the ACC's Most Targeted Receivers, and why Greg Dortch is such a beast - ACCSports.com (accsports.com; Geisinger)
Before the 2018 ACC football season started, we went through the numbers and ranked the top five wide receivers in the league. At the top of that list: catch-maniac Greg Dortch of Wake Forest and NC State’s big-play hub Kelvin Harmon.
It should come as little surprise then that, after five weeks of action, those two rank among the most targeted receivers in the ACC.
According to Football Study Hall, no one has been targeted more than Dortch — who leads the leaguein receptions (45) and receiving yards (555). Here’s a look at the top 10 most targeted players.
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Durham: Every ACC fan should be with Virginia Tech on Saturday night :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com; podcast; Durham)
The voice of the ACC, Wes Durham, joins Adam and Joe to discuss Syracuse giving Clemson a game, how ACC football stays interesting this year, how the four game redshirt window is affecting the game and an underwhelming FSU/Miami game this weekend.
ACC Football Rx: Best Crossover Games, 2019-24 (accfootballrx.com; HM)
This week FSU visits Miami, Georgia Tech meets Louisville, and Syracuse faces Pitt in crossover ACC action... as good a time as any to talk about crossover games!
In the ACC, each football member plays 8 conference games. Seven of those are fixed - the other 6 teams in your own division, plus one "rival" from the other division. That leaves one rotating crossover game every season, to rotate through the other 6 teams in the other division.
That means that these rarely-played crossover games are special. Not that I wouldn't want to see some of them played more often - I totally would - I'm just saying that there's some pent-up demand for the best of these games. Also, these games are not evenly-distributed: some years there are lots of interesting cross-division games, while other years are a bit lean. For example, here are the best games of 2018:
Va Tech @ Florida St - week 1
Virginia @ NC State - week 5
Ga Tech @ Louisville - week 6
Miami @ BC - week 9
You might think there's only 1 or 2 of these that interest you - depending on which team(s) you pull for and how old you are.
Looking ahead, which are the best crossover games on the long-range ACC schedule?
2019
BC @ Pitt - old NE independents renew their rivalry
Clemson @ UNC - ACC founding members with historical bad blood
Florida State @ UVA - a trophy game
Louisville @ Miami -
NC State @ Ga Tech
Syracuse @ Duke
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Other
Find authentic street tacos at Mi Casita in Syracuse
On National Taco Day, we visit Mi Casita, a hidden gem on the North Side. The menu reflects the cultures of owners Julia Mendoza of Mexico and Juvenal Vizcaíno of Cuba. Video by Katrina Tulloch.
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