sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Swallows Depart From San Juan Capistrano Day!
Swallows Depart from San Juan Capistrano Day is observed annually on October 23.
The famous cliff swallows of San Juan Capistrano leave town every year in a swirling mass near the Day of San Juan (October 23) headed for their winter vacation spot 6,000 miles south in Goya, Corrientes, Argentina.
Cliff swallows are cousins of barn swallows and purple martins.
Swallows have long, narrow wings, forked tails, and weak, tiny feet. Incredibly graceful in flight, they feed on the wing, catching insects in their wide mouths; they can effortlessly make abrupt changes in direction or speed as they feed.
The cliff swallow has a rusty rump, and when seen from below, it appears to have a squared-off tail and a dark patch on the throat.
SU News
https://www.northjersey.com/story/s...to-comes-up-big-syracuse-football/1732335002/ (northjersey.com; Rowe)
Tommy DeVito is the college football equivalent of a baseball relief pitcher.
He kept warming up, waiting for his coach to signal him into a game.
That wave came Saturday as Syracuse was struggling to overcome North Carolina. DeVito’s responded by leading the Orange to a 40-37 double-overtime victory over the Tar Heels.
Entering the game late in the fourth quarter, the former Don Bosco star threw a 50-yard completion to Jamal Custis on his first play. He later threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Nykeim Johnson to force the first overtime, a TD pass to Custis to tie the game in overtime, and a scoring toss to tight end Ravian Pierce in the second overtime for the game-winning points. The redshirt freshman was 11-of-19 for 181 yards, three TDs, and one interception.
Syracuse coach Dino Babers said of lifting Eric Dungey, who owns many of the school’s passing and running records, for DeVito: “I just felt like we needed to do something different. Sometimes you just change one character and it throws off the defense.”
As for what he expected of DeVito, a redshirt freshman who had seen significant playing time against Florida State earlier in the season, Babers told Syracuse.com: “I didn’t know if he was going to be good. I didn’t know if he was going to be bad, but I did know that the moment was not going to be too big for him.”
DeVito had prepared himself for the moment.
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UNC Football: Larry Fedora takes blame for Syracuse loss (keepingitheel.com; Pearson)
This hasn’t been the season the North Carolina Tar Heels football team had hoped it would be, dropping to 1-5 overall with a 40-37 loss at Syracuse on Saturday.
It marked the second-straight game in which the Tar Heels had a lead in the fourth quarter but could not put it away on the offensive side of the football.
The offense had a few chances late to seal the game against Virginia Tech but fumbled at the goal line and then watched the Hokies march down for the game-winning score. Against Syracuse, UNC dropped a wide-open pass on third down that would have ended the game and then couldn’t muster a yard in the final seconds despite being in ‘Cuse territory to set up a field goal attempt.
For a team that’s coming off a 3-9 campaign in 2017, there’s essentially been no progress made in 2018.
UNC would need to win out to be bowl eligible but have tough games remaining on their schedule against Virginia, N.C. State and Duke. Making a bowl likely isn’t going to happen as this team has lacked consistency all season long.
Saturday’s game was just the latest example of what could have been with this team and following it, head coach Larry Fedora took the blame.
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Film Review: Examining Syracuse's game-winning play (DO; Graham)
Ravian Pierce’s feet grazed the Carrier Dome turf and the orange-clad crowd erupted.
The tight end secured Syracuse’s game-winning touchdown in double overtime against North Carolina on Saturday, which came on a play that has become a familiar ploy from SU.
The Orange (5-2, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) set up Pierce for the touchdown with a wide open look from a pop pass. Generally, the play involves a tight end slipping behind the linebackers while they and the rest of the defense follow a run fake.
Syracuse used this play for a touchdown against Florida State, a wiped-out fourth-down conversion at Clemson and most recently for Saturday’s walk-off win.
Here’s a breakdown of the game-winning touchdown (all screenshots via ESPN).
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Syracuse Football: Orange are 1 win away from bowl eligibility (itlh.com; Esden Jr)
The Syracuse football squad is just one win away from bowl eligibility for the first time since 2013. Will Dino Babers finally get this team to bowl?
With one more win, Dino Babers can accomplish something he hasn’t yet on the hill with the Syracuse football squad: a bowl berth. The last time the Orange were in a bowl was way back in 2013, while technically it’s only five years, it feels like a century ago.
Following the soul crushing fifth straight loss to end the 2017 season, (42-14 Boston College beats Syracuse), Babers was a bit emotional. But he seemed to have a statement ready to sell to the media and that was this, ‘next season is going to be a year we will talk about for a long time.’
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Backup quarterback DeVito comes to the rescue for SU football team (romesentinel./com; AP)
Syracuse’s season hung in the balance. After two straight defeats in heartbreaking style, the Orange was perched on the precipice of another crushing loss after coughing up a 20-7 lead.
But then redshirt freshman quarterback Tommy DeVito came to the rescue, leading the Orange (5-2, 2-2 ACC) to a thrilling 40-37 double-overtime victory over North Carolina (1-5, 1-3) on Saturday at the Carrier Dome.
Instead of being down in the dumps, the Orange sits on the cusp of bowl eligibility, just one win away of making its first postseason appearance since 2013.
“It meant a lot. It could have been devastating,” Syracuse running back Moe Neal said. “Another overtime game, not going our way. It was a great win.”
DeVito entered the game late in the fourth quarter, in relief of a struggling Eric Dungey, and threw a career-high three touchdown passes for a career-best 181 yards.
He hit tight end Ravian Pierce on a 4-yard scoring play in the second overtime to propel Syracuse to the win. On his first play, he connected with Jamal Custis on a 50-yard pass play.
“I just thought it might be a spark,” Syracuse coach Dino Babers said.
“I just felt we needed to do something different. I just felt like they had a little bit of a beat on us. Sometimes when you change one character it throws off the defense. I don’t know if it worked or not. I’m just happy with the result.”
It worked.
DeVito sent the game into overtime with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Nykeim Johnson with 1:39 to go.
His 25-yard touchdown pass to Custis gave the Orange a brief lead in the first overtime until Nathan Elliott’s 9-yard pass to Beau Corrales tied the game.
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UNC 37, Syracuse 40: Winners and Losers (tarheelblog.com; Lawrence)
Well. That wasn’t fun. At all. Al Hood asked last week if a loss can be painful when all hope is lost, and for a second week in a row, UNC football confirmed that despite the absence of hope, a loss can indeed be painful. One might even argue that Saturday’s game encapsulated UNC football for the past two seasons. Hell, probably even UNC’s entire football history.
However, the show must go on. Let’s put away the pettiness and misery – those will reappear next week - and take a look at our winners and losers.
Winners:
Nathan Elliott: No need to repeat what has been said every week. Elliott has limitations, but he does deserve credit for taking care of the ball, moving the chains, and somehow leading UNC to 37 points. He executed the “game plan”, even if it meant throwing behind the line of scrimmage approximately 30 times.* At this point, it’s clear that Elliott is what he is – and for two weeks, that was good enough to give UNC the lead in the waning minutes.
*Not a real stat, but you probably nodded in agreement without even questioning it
Dazz Newsome: File this one under “Observations by Captain Obvious”. We already hit this one with our Player of the Game yesterday, so no need to rehash the obvious. Newsome is blossoming into a bona fide star right before our eyes. We should still maybe expect inconsistent showings due to other shortcomings on the roster, but he’s made the case for a minimum of 10 touches a game – no matter how they are manufactured.
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Dave Doeren talks bouncing back from Clemson, looks ahead to Syracuse :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsports.com; video)
NC State head coach Dave Doeren meets with the media to talk about the opportunities still out there for the No. 22 Wolfpack after the blowout loss at Clemson.
DEPTH CHART: NC State vs. Syracuse (insidepacksports.com; Staff)
NC State has released the depth chart for Saturday's game against Syracuse.
NOTE: *- Indicates a player has redshirted a season.
VIDEO + QUOTES: Dave Doeren Pre-Syracuse Press Conference (247sports.com; video; Smith)
NC State head coach Dave Doeren spoke to the media leading up to NC State's Week 9 matchup with Syracuse on Saturday at the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m. Full video from the press conference is at the top of the article.
Opening Comments:
I'm excited to get back into game week. Obviously disappointed in last week. To win a game at Clemson against a great football team we needed to play our best and we didn't do that. We just never really got in a rhythm in the football game. We needed to play an error-free game and create a bunch of turnovers. I thought we did a good job of limiting their run game but didn't do a good enough job in coverage.
We had back-to-back turnover drives where we gave up 10 points and not us really, which is probably the most disappointing part of the game to me. Win or lose, we all expected to go in there playing the way we've been doing. We're 5-1 and getting ready for another game. We have a great game coming up against another really good football team -- a team that's undefeated at home and also a five-win team like us.
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NC State Opens as a 1-Point Underdog Against Syracuse (packinsider.com; Bradham)
Even prior to NC State’s loss to Clemson, the Wolfpack’s upcoming matchup against Syracuse this Saturday at 7pm on ESPN2 was projected to be a tossup. With the 41-7 loss in the back of Vegas’ mind, the Wolfpack opens as a 1-point underdogagainst the Orangemen.
- North Carolina State is 7-1 Straight Up in its last 8 games
- North Carolina State is 2-3-1 Against The Spread in its last 6 games on the road
- North Carolina State is 8-3 Straight Up in its last 11 games on the road
- North Carolina State is 6-1 Straight Up in its last 7 games when playing Syracuse (OddShark)
NC State vs. Syracuse Recent History Against The Spread
2017: NC State – 14-point favorite – 33-25
2016: NC State – 7-point favorite – 35-20
2015: NC State – 19.5-point favorite – 42-29
2014: NC State – 2.5 point underdog – 24-17
According to ESPN’s FPI projections, NC State is expected to win the rest of their games after Syracuse.
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The Daniel Baldwin Show | WTLA-AM (espnsyracuse.com; radio; D Baldwin)
On today’s show Daniel and the guys recap Syracuse’s overtime win against North Carolina and talk about events that happened behind the scenes. Also, Daniel’s brother Alec calls in to make a very special announcement. Plus, the guys make their picks for tonight’s Giants vs Falcons Monday Night game and so much more!
Power 5 conference power rankings after Week 8 (espn; Staff)
Here's how the conference looks after Week 8:
1. Clemson Tigers (7-0)
Since trailing Syracuse at the half three weeks ago, Clemson has outscored its opposition 124-17. The Tigers are clicking on all cylinders.
2. NC State Wolfpack (5-1)
The blowout at the hands of Clemson is going to be tough to swallow, but this still has a chance to be a turning-point season for the Wolfpack if they don't let the loss linger.
3. Virginia Cavaliers (5-2)
This is far from a perfect team, but Bryce Perkins has opened up the offensive game plan and the secondary is as good as there is in the ACC. That's potentially a recipe for a Coastal Division title.
4. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-2)
It's tough to know quite what to make of a team that lost to Old Dominion and nearly fell to North Carolina, but the Hokies are 3-0 in league play and in control of their destiny.
5. Boston College Eagles (5-2)
Suddenly the loss to Purdue doesn't look so bad, and BC gets AJ Dillon back for this week's showdown against Miami. The Eagles might be the ACC's last hope of dethroning Clemson.
6. Miami Hurricanes (5-2)
The defense is elite. The offense is a giant question mark, and finding an answer has to start with picking a quarterback and an identity and sticking with it.
7. Syracuse Orange (5-2)
Going to overtime against Pitt (a loss) and UNC (a win) doesn't necessarily inspire confidence, but this team has plenty of weapons and is now just one win away from going bowling for the first time since 2013.
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ACC Power Rankings: Week 8 (shackinthesouthland.com; Goldin)
#1 Clemson (7-0, 4-0) (LW:#1):
For the second straight game, Clemson overpowered and outmatched school from North Carolina for a blowout win. And once again, this one could’ve been much uglier had there not been a few mistakes in the first half. Clemson is playing as a complete team now and is in seek and destroy mode, and if you’re a fan of another ACC team, that should be terrifying. For Tiger fans, sit back and enjoy the ride, because this one could get fun. One because the Tigers are good but also because PETTY DABO BACK:
“That was the ultimate troll, wasn’t it?" - Dabo Swinney on Clemson using a laptop play card against NC State pic.twitter.com/W7C7j74xxA
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) October 21, 2018
Petty Dabo is in full force and I love it. The Tigers will head down to Tallahassee for a date with rival FSU Saturday.#2 Notre Dame (7-0, 3-0 vs ACC) (LW:#2):
The Irish had the week off. They’ll return to action Saturday when they face Navy in San Diego.
#3 Boston College (5-2, 2-1) (LW:#5):
Boston College also had the weekend off. They host Miami on Friday.
#4 Virginia (5-2, 3-1) (LW:#9):
Welcome to 2018 where UVA is possibly good (well, as good as the Coastal is going to get) and now looks like a legit contender for the Coastal. I for one would love to watch Clemson stomp them in Charlotte. The Wahoos host UNC Saturday.
#5 NC State (5-1, 2-1) (LW:#3):
NC State talked a lot over this week (and over the past few years) and ran into a buzzsaw in Death Valley. Had the Pack gotten to play WVU I’m sure they would’ve been exposed earlier, but whatever. NC State heads to Syracuse Saturday.
#6 Miami (5-2, 2-1) (LW:#7):
Miami had a bye week this past weekend. The Canes head to BC on Friday.
#7 Syracuse (5-2,2-2) (LW:#6):
Cuse has looked like a shell of the team that took Clemson to the wire in Death Valley. The Orange needed overtime to survive against North Carolina. As Syracuse prepares for NC State on Saturday, they also have a bit of a QB controversy after Tommy Devito came in to replace Eric Dungey in the win over UNC.
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Week 8 ACC Football Roundup (streakingthelawn.com; Schwartz)
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Syracuse 40, North Carolina 37 (2OT)
For the second straight week, North Carolina coughed up a winnable game. Last week, they found a way to lose against Virginia Tech, fumbling on VT’s 2 yard line, leading to a game-winning Hokie drive. This time, UNC squandered a 13 point comeback when Syracuse scored the game-tying touchdown with 1:40 on the clock. The Tar Heels had a chance to take the lead in regulation, regaining the ball just outside of field goal range with 50 seconds to play, but fell short and lost in the second overtime.
UNC visits Charlottesville this week at 1-5 and 1-3 in ACC play; however, coming off two near-misses, they may be better than their dismal record reflects.
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ACC Football Rx: Bowl Watch - 10/23/18 (accfootballrx.com; HM)
Already bowl-eligible: 1
Clemson (7-0)
The Tigers are likely playoff-bound again.
Needing one more win: 5
NC State, Boston College, Syracuse, Virginia, Miami
These teams should all go bowling, although BC has the toughest road to that 6th win.
Needing two more wins: 2
Florida State, Virginia Tech
FSU has a tough back end to their schedule, but I think the Noles can find 2 wins. Virginia Tech should be a shoe-in, tbh.
Needing three more wins: 3
Wake Forest, Pitt, Georgia Tech
These guys would need an upset somewhere along the way.
Needing four more wins: 1
Louisville
With Clemson still on the schedule, the Cardinals basically need to be everyone else they play.
Needing five more wins: 1
North Carolina
Good news: if the Heels win 4 of the last 5, they'll be able to schedule another game to replace the canceled UCF matchup. Bad news: only one of those last 5 games favors UNC.
Mathematically eliminated:
none (yet)
BOTTOM LINE: I'm thinking 8 ACC bowl teams is a safe prediction, and 9 is pretty likely.
https://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/2018/10/22/mid-season-gridiron-honors-in-the-acc/ (roanoke.com; Motley)
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MOST SURPRISING TEAM
This one was easy; it had to be Syracuse. The Orange supplanted Wake as my surprise team after coming close to almost going 2-0 against Clemson in back-to-back years. They’re also more competitive than was predicted. ‘The ‘Cuse’ currently stand 4-2, 1-2 in the ACC, and have played beyond expectations. With a little luck they might have been undefeated after following a close 27-23 loss at Clemson with an overtime loss to Pittsburgh. They’re also the last hope left to upset Notre Dame.
UNDERACHIEVERS
Where do you start!?! Louisville and Wake are still looking for their first conference wins, Florida State and Georgia Tech are at or near the bottom of their divisions, and Miami’s coming off a shocking loss at upstart Virginia. For the team honor, my vote goes to Louisville. A drop-off might have been understandable after losing former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson, but Coach Bobby Petrino’s team have turned this into more than just an off year beginning with the Alabama debacle. The Cards are 0-4 in ACC games, including a 66-31 home loss to Georgia Tech.
Individually, there are plenty of ‘raspberries’ to choose from, but for as vaunted a threat as he was predicted to be it has to be running back Cam Akers of Florida State. Akers was a preseason all-ACC pick expected to compliment Francois, but he is only averaging 60 yards a game, good for 16th in the conference. Akers also has yet to rush for more than 82 yards in a game.
https://www.foxsports.com/college-football/predictions (foxsports.com; Foxsportscomputer)
FoxSports.com utilizes its football simulation to predict the outcome for this week's games. Each game is simulated 501 times to generate an average score and winning percentage. The predictions use the most up-to-date stats, rosters and depth charts.
Poll: Will Pitt Win 3 out of its 5 Remaining Games to Become Bowl Eligible? (pittsburghsportsnow.com; Staff)
The ACC Coastal is having a down year.
Currently, there’s not a single ranked team in the coastal. Amazingly, the entire ACC only has two teams in the AP Top 25, Clemson the de facto #2 in the nation and NC State at #22, who just got destroyed by the aforementioned Clemson.
No Miami, no Virginia Tech, no Florida State.
If there was ever a year for Pitt to make a run, this would be it.
The Panthers are slated to take on Duke this Saturday at Heinz Field followed by a game at Virginia, home versus Virginia Tech, at Wake Forest and at Miami.
Duke has struggled since briefly appearing in the top 25, losing at home to Virginia this past weekend.
It’s not a must win. But it’s pretty close.
Virginia is 3-1 in the ACC with wins over Louisville, Miami and Duke and have been getting votes for the AP Top 25.
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https://athlonsports.com/college-football/ranking-all-130-college-football-teams (athlonsports.com; Lassan)
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24. NC State (5-1)
25. Stanford (5-2)
26. San Diego State
27. Syracuse
28. USC
29. Colorado
30. Appalachian State
31. Purdue
32. USF
33. Mississippi State
34. Auburn
35. Miami
36. Michigan State
37. Ole Miss
38. Utah State
39. Boise State
40. Fresno State
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41. Virginia Tech
Other
https://www.syracuse.com/news/index...licensed_snow_plowing.html#incart_river_index (PS; Baker)
The Common Council today approved an increase in fines for Syracuse plow drivers who operate without a license.
The amended law increases the fine for plowing without a license from $150 to $350. It also decreases the cost of licenses for an operator with multiple plows.
It used to cost $250 per truck for a snow plowing license. Under the new law, an operator's first truck is $250 and each additional one is $50.
The council approved the amendment 7 to 1 at a meeting Monday.
Councilor Joe Carni was the lone "no" vote. Councilor Susan Boyle, who said last week she opposes license requirements for plow drivers, was absent.
The increased fines for plow operators came into question at a committee meeting last week. Councilor Boyle said the city shouldn't require a plow operator get a license to work in the city. Doing so, she said, may raise rates and force contractors out of the city.
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