Orangeyes Daily Articles for Friday - for Football | Syracusefan.com

Orangeyes Daily Articles for Friday for Football

sutomcat

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Welcome to the First Day of Winter!

Winter is coming. You may have noticed that the cold season has been here for a while, but astronomically speaking it only begins with the arrival of the solstice. That happens this Friday when the northern hemisphere has its shortest day, and longest night, of the year. This year it occurs very close not only to a full moon but to a full supermoon. So it will be possible to watch an almost-full supermoon rise in the east, and a sunset in the west, very close to winter solstice. It will also be the longest full moon of 2018.

Winter solstice in the northern hemisphere (and summer solstice in the southern hemisphere) occurs on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 at 5:23 p.m. EST/2:23 pm. PST. At that exact time, the sun is above the Tropic of Capricorn.

SU News

End of Season Awards - Defensive Line (247sports.com; Williams)

One of the biggest surprises for the Syracuse football team is how well its defense has performed, especially the defensive line. Syracuse finished second in the ACC with 38 sacks, only trailing Clemson who had 46. Out of the teams 38 sacks this season, 32.5 have come from the defensive line.

Defensive tackle Chris Slayton received a lot of attention prior to the season and rightfully so. After 61 total tackles, including five sacks in the last two seasons, Slayton was double teamed most of this season.

With all of the attention garnered by Slayton, other players on the defensive line had a chance to make plays. This leads us to our MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Biggest Surprise on the defensive line.

MVP - Alton Robinson

The junior pass rusher is having a career year with the bowl game still remaining on the schedule. Robinson led the team with 10 sacks, which is five more than he had last season. Even when he couldn't get the opposing team's quarterback on the ground he was able to be disruptive, as he led the team with 11 quarterback hits. He is the only player on the team to reach double-digits in quarterback hits.
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Syracuse football: 2019 Early Signing Period recap - The Juice Online (the juice; Cheng)

A quick take on Syracuse football’s first day of the 2018 Early Signing Period:

WHAT HAPPENED: The Orange added 17 new players to its roster, including four defensive backs, four defensive linemen, three linebackers, three offensive lineman, one tight end, one running back and one wide receiver.

ANALYSIS:
  1. The crown jewels of the early signing class are linebackers Mikel Jones (Miami, Fla.) and Lee Kpogba (Winston-Salem, N.C.). Each was considered a four-star prospect, with Kpogba appearing as the No. 124 recruit on ’s Top 250 list and Jones ranked as No. 296 on the ESPN 300. Jones is the second ESPN 300 signing for head coach Dino Babers, with the other being Tommy DeVito in 2017.
  2. The coaching staff went the extra mile to get Jawhar Jordan (Long Island, N.Y.) and Cornelius Nunn (Miami, Fla.) on this roster. Jordan originally committed for the class of 2018, but needed to get academically cleared by the NCAA in order to enroll. He’ll join the team in January. As for Nunn, he had an unusual recruitment, pledging Syracuse over the summer before switching his commitment to Miami following SU’s loss to Pitt in October. But Nunn, in a rare move, switched his commitment back to the Orange in November. Nunn is also one of the top recruits in SU’s class.
  3. Aside from Cooper Dawson’s (Hanahan, S.C.) heartwarming commitment to Syracuse (more on that below), the staff did an outstanding job of retaining him. The Orange had to hold off a late push from Clemson for Dawson, who can play both tight end and defensive line.
  4. The two prospects that are the most intriguing are OL Matthew Bergeron (Quebec City, Quebec) and LB Geoff Cantin (Quebec City, Quebec). According to ESPN, they are the No. 2 and No. 3 Canadian prospects, which has been a mostly untapped resource. Both have three-star ratings from 247 Sports, and could be the beginning of a huge pipeline for the Orange given the proximity and now familiarity.
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College football odds, picks, lines for 2018 Bowl Games: Proven computer model backing Syracuse, Penn State (cbssports.com; Staff)

...
Another one of the top college football predictions from the model: No. 20 Syracuse (+1) covers against No. 16 West Virginia in the 2018 Camping World Bowl on Dec. 28 at 5:15 p.m. ET.


The line has seen a ton of movement since West Virginia quarterback Will Grier announced his intentions to sit this game out to prepare for the NFL Draft. The Mountaineers opened at -6.5 and the spread has already moved over five points in Syracuse's favor. West Virginia will also be without offensive lineman Yodny Cajuste, who will join Grier in sitting out.

The model projects that those losses will be too much for West Virginia to overcome in the Camping World Bowl 2018. According to the model, the Orange, powered by over 400 projected yards of total offense from quarterback Eric Dungey, cover in almost 60 percent of simulations. With Grier out, the model also says there's value on the Under (67) even though that total has dropped over a touchdown after opening at 74.
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New Signee: WVU Has Their Offensive Coordinator (247sports.com; Anderson)

West Virginia picked up some good news today, as Highland Springs (VA) wide receiver Ali Jennings made official what was already assumed likely - that the 247Sports three-star prospect would be a Mountaineer. Jennings chose the Mountaineers over offers from Michigan State, Illinois, North Carolina, and more. During his signing ceremony, though, he may have broken the biggest news.

"The relationships I built with the wide receivers coach, Tyron Carrier, and Coach Holgorsen, he's gonna be the head coach and the new OC (offensive coordinator) and I trust them," Jennings said of why he chose the Mountaineers.

The fact that he trusts the coaching staff and built a nice relationship with them is not news. What is, however, is Jennings saying that Holgorsen is going to assume the role of offensive coordinator after the departure of Jake Spavital, who took over the head coaching role at Texas State.

Of course, this is something we here at EerSports touched on a couple of weeks ago, with Mike Casazza going in-depth on the odds West Virginia would sign a young quarterbacks coach to groom into the offensive coordinator role down the road. No official word has come from Holgorsen or the school, although Hologrsen is scheduled to speak with the media this evening.
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What Would A Camping Bowl Bowl Win Mean For Syracuse Football's Future? (1045theteam.com; radio; Goslowski)

For the first time in five years, the Syracuse Orange football team will play in a bowl game. The Orange will take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Kickoff is set for Friday December 28th at 5:15pm.

Earlier this month on 1045 The Team, Big Board Sports were joined by Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack. What are the future goals for the program? Click below to find out.

Plus also this month, Big Board Sports were joined by Syracuse head football coach Dino Babers. A few weeks ago, West Virginia quarterback Will Grier announced he would skip the team's bowl game to focus on the NFL draft process. How is Babers' preparing his team to take on the Mountaineers' new quarterback?

A win in the Camping World Bowl would give the Orange their first double digit win season since 2001. What would a bowl game victory mean for Syracuse football's future? Let us know below.
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NEW T-SHIRT ALERT: "We had zero F’s" is more than just a quote, it’s a mantra (smokingmusket.com; Miller)

We’ve partnered up with BreakingT one more time to bring you another t-shirt. This one is inspired by West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen’s assessment of the Fall semester grades.

need a zero fs given shirt Allan Taylor on Twitter

— The Smoking Musket (@smokingmusket) December 19, 2018

Click here to buy this shirt.

Shirts are printed on a premium, lightweight blended (60% cotton/40% polyester), super-comfortable heather navy tee, with yellow and white print. Unisex sizing with a snug fit. Men should size up; women should size down.

ACC Football Rx: Paying for an 8-team Playoff, and more (RX; HM)

Paying for an 8-team Playoff, and more

I'm told that Paul Finebaum said the ACC and SEC are not likely on board with expanding the playoffs to 8 teams - and that the SEC will be the toughest obstacle. This sets up the scenario that I posted earlier this week - that the ACC may end up in a position of leverage (it's practically impossible to pass a rule change without at least two of the Big Ten, ACC or the SEC... right now only the Big Ten wants the field expanded (although I don't think the ACC is set against it, just less motivated than the B1G).

Thinking about how to fund playoff expansion: What is an 8 team playoff worth? Can ESPN afford it? Here's what I came up with...

1. If the P5 get auto-bids, they can be assured of placing a team into the quarterfinals. Now the semifinals pay $6M per team; let's say the quarterfinals only pay $3M - but that's guaranteed money to the P5s.

2. The P5 conferences also get $55M each guaranteed from the CFP playoff contract; let's say that roughly doubles, to $100M each.

3. Meanwhile, the value of the contract bowls probably goes down slightly, from $40M per conference* to, let's say, about $30M. (* Yes I know the ACC only gets $27.5M under the current arrangement, but I'm guessing that gets renegotiated too; for the sake of argument, let's say all 5 P5 conferences get $30M to play in a non-playoff bowl).

The old total was $55M + $40M + either $6M (playoff) or $4M (non-playoff) = $99M to $101M per P5 conference for a total of 6 NY6 bowls + 1 championship game (7 games). $100M/7 games = $14.3M/game.
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German offensive lineman Al Soufi signs with Virginia (godandriver.com; Counts)

The Virginia football team added its 21st signed recruit to its class of 2019 on Thursday.

Kariem Al Soufi — a 6-foot-4, 350-pound offensive lineman from Germany — signed his National Letter of Intent on Thursday afternoon from his home in Paderborn, Germany.


Al Soufi is one of two remaining European players in the Cavaliers’ class. His teammate, quarterback Luke Wentz, has also verbally committed to Virginia but has yet to sign. Emil Bo Anderson, a defensive tackle from Denmark, was unable to sign on Wednesday because of admissions issues.

Al Soufi and Wentz play for the Paderborn Dolphins, and they’ve led the team in back-to-back national championship appearances.
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Updated map of Virginia Tech’s recruiting footprint under coach Justin Fuente (martinsvillebulletin.com; Niziolek)

The geographical footprint of Virginia Tech’s 2019 class doesn’t stray much from what the team has done under coach Justin Fuente in recent years.

The above map shows where the 92 recruits Fuente has signed at Virginia Tech are from.

Virginia Tech added 19 signees on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. The Hokies signed six players from Virginia, three from Florida, two from North Carolina and two from South Carolina.

Thirty percent of the teams signees under Fuente (28 of 92) are instate recruits. The number was almost identical for the 2019 class (31 percent).

Florida and North Carolina continue to be the most fertile ground outside Virginia. Virginia Tech added another 4-star recruit from North Carolina as well giving them 14 players with a 4-star ranking in the state since Fuente took over in 2016.

The Hokies signed two instate players with a 4-star ranking in this cycle giving them 15 instate recruits with a 4-star ranking under Fuente.
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1068904162.jpg.0.jpg


What is Louisville football’s ceiling with Scott Satterfield? (cardchronicle.com; Williams)

Honest confession: when Jeff Brohm left Louisville at the altar, I was devastated. Like Odysseus after the Trojan War, or when Stephen Hillenburg returned to SpongeBob, our hero seemed prime for a triumphant homecoming. His candidacy was unimpeachable – the recruiting prowess, play calling wizardry, light speed CPR of Purdue football … all coming with the narrative flair and emotional impact of being a hometown legend.

But, like the Odyssey, things just didn’t go as planned. Brohm opted against the treacherous voyage across the Ohio. Which brings us to the new man for the job: Scott Satterfield of Appalachian State.

Satterfield has handled the honeymoon faze of this partnership with aplomb, displaying an “aw shucks” charm and infectious positive energy. He’s said all the things fans have been starving to hear: Local recruiting will be of upmost importance. There will be a family atmosphere in the program, sustained by players who are both good athletes and good men. The team will love learning under coaches that are not only teachers of a game, but role models for life.

We are already seeing tangible evidence of a new culture and new approach. The unfinished staff went scorched earth on the underwhelming recruiting class Louisville was set to bring in, insisting that they are seeking “the right guys” and won’t just fill numbers. Two top young assistants, Dwayne Ledford and Bryan Brown, are taking their talent to Louisville and have spoken glowingly of the culture that Satterfield inspires in a football program.
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Clemson Football: 4-star OL signee Will Putnam can play right away (rubbingtherock.com; Spencer)

4-star offensive lineman Will Putnam announced Thursday that he’d be signing with Clemson football over ACC Atlantic-foe Florida State.

Clemson football received a huge commitment Thursday afternoon when 4-star offensive lineman Will Putnam announced his decision.

Putnam was deciding between Clemson, Florida State and Auburn and has seemingly been a Seminole lean for quite some time.

As we got closer and closer to his decision, though, talks began to change. What had seemingly been a no-brainer for Florida State turned into doubt and then all of a sudden sources were coming out of everywhere predicting that he would, in fact, choose Clemson.

That’s just what happened.

Analysis:

There was only one offensive line target in this 2019 class that I think could’ve come in and started right away and that was 5-star Clay Webb, a center that chose Georgia.
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Cavaliers: Gamecocks Play ACC-Style of Football (nbc29.com; Shiers)

The Belk Bowl between Virginia and South Carolina will be a battle of ACC vs. SEC.

Senior safety Juan Thornhill says, "ACC is more like a speed conference, and SEC is powerhouse, big guys, who like to run the football. South Carolina, they belong in the ACC, kinda, because they play like everybody else in the ACC. they love to throw the ball."

And they'll throw it to everybody.

"They actually will spread out their tight ends and use them in 11 Personnel package," says Thornhill. "There's two right ends out there, and they use them as receivers, so that's a little bit different for us."

Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley threw for five touchdowns and 510 passing yards against Clemson, but don't sleep on the ground attack.

Senior linebacker Chris Peace says, "The run game is real capable. They capped off a few long runs on the year. They're strong at the point of attack. If you're not careful, they can run it down your throat just as easy."

South Carolina also has an ACC flavor on the defensive side of the ball.
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ACC Football Rx: CFB Coaching Hires, 2012-18 (RX; HM)

I tried to put together a history of recent P5 coaching hires - hopefully I didn't forget anyone or otherwise get something wrong; there's been a lot of hiring and firing in college football!

New Hires.png

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oldest-fbs-head-coaches-1545327058.png


ACC, Mountain West Have Oldest Football Coaches (herosports.com; Doughty)

The two oldest active FBS head coaches, Ohio's Frank Solich (74) and Coastal Carolina's Joe Moglia (69) coach in the MAC and Sun Belt, respectively, but those two conferences have the youngest, on average, head coaches in the FBS*.

Solich and Moglia are the only coaches over the age of 60 in their respective conferences. Meanwhile, three other conferences have at least three coaches over 60, including the Mountain West: Craig Bohl (60), Bob Davis (64) and Rocky Long (68).

Those three push the conference's average head coach age to 52, just 0.3 years behind the ACC (52.3). The Mountain West does edge the ACC in oldest median age, 53 to 51.5.
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UCF Lands Recruits Over 36 Power 5 Programs (blackandgoldbanneret.com; Sarris)

What is the Power 6?

Power 6 Offers to UCF Signees by School

School # of Offers Conference
South Florida 8 AAC
Cincinnati 4 AAC
East Carolina 4 AAC
Tulane 4 AAC
Boston College 4 ACC
Pittsburgh 4 ACC
Baylor 4 Big 12
Temple 3 AAC
Georgia Tech 3 ACC
North Carolina 3 ACC
Syracuse 3 ACC
Nebraska 3 Big 10
...


Ed Hardin: A bittersweet 16 on the horizon for college football (greensboro.com; Hardin)

So here we go again.

College football can’t help itself. Enough is never enough, and the money controls common sense.

We’re going to go from a four-team playoff to eight in the next year or two. You know it’s going to happen. The drum beat has started and it’s not going to cease.

These things never go in reverse.

And it won’t be too long after that when the drum beat will begin again.

College football has never been fully comfortable with its postseason. Bowl games were once reserved to the few programs with national appeal that could travel in the dead of winter and boost tourism in far-flung places.

They had no bearing on national titles.

Over time, we’ve seen the slow and inevitable push to appease these same programs into bigger and more lucrative events. Thus the bowl alliances and BCS and the four-team College Football Playoff.
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Skipping_Bowls-Bonuses_Football_17438.jpg


Players skipping bowls could cost their coach bonus money )macon.com; AP; Russo)

Dana Holgorsen can earn a $50,000 bonus if West Virginia beats Syracuse next week in the Camping World Bowl, a game the Mountaineers will play without star quarterback Will Grier and left tackle Yodny Cajuste.

Dave Doeren's contract with North Carolina State calls for him to receive a $50,000 bonus if the Wolfpack beat Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl. N.C. State's best players on either side of the ball (receiver Kelvin Harmon and linebacker Germaine Pratt) will not play.

Grier and Cajuste, Harmon and Pratt are part of a growing trend in college football. At least 20 players are planning to skip their teams' bowl games and focus instead on getting ready for the NFL. The importance of non-playoff postseason games depends on who you ask and changes from player to player and team to team. But for many coaches, winning a bowl game has a set value.

Six coaches who have players sitting out bowl games this year have nearly $400,000 in total bonuses at stake in those games. Arizona State's Herm Edwards would have earned the largest bonus in the group, $166,667 for winning the Las Vegas Bowl against Fresno State last week. The Sun Devils lost 31-20, playing without star receiver N'Keal Harry. The junior is a possible first-round draft pick who led the team with 73 catches for 1,088 yards and nine touchdowns.Dana Holgorsen can earn a $50,000 bonus if West Virginia beats Syracuse next week in the Camping World Bowl, a game the Mountaineers will play without star quarterback Will Grier and left tackle Yodny Cajuste.

Dave Doeren's contract with North Carolina State calls for him to receive a $50,000 bonus if the Wolfpack beat Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl. N.C. State's best players on either side of the ball (receiver Kelvin Harmon and linebacker Germaine Pratt) will not play.
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Other


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Dining Out: Top 10 dishes our restaurant reviewers ate in 2018 (PS; Paventi & Woodman)

Our reviewers visit 52 restaurants a year -- so selecting the best things they ate along the way is a deliciously challenging task.

This year, the list includes some surprising won tons, a bar favorite and lots of pork.

Enjoy the samplings, and make sure to look for our best dessert list for 2018.
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Reef riggies
The Reef
Old Route 31, Memphis, NY
Reviewer: Jane Marmaduke Woodman

The Reef in Memphis opened this year in a building that housed a popular restaurant for years. We found several good offerings there, including some excellent simple crab cakes. However, the dish that made our Best of 2018 list was the Reef Riggies. In fact, these were the best riggies we had had anywhere.

Our Reef Riggies, ordered with the scallops and shrimp but without the clams, were remarkable for their seafood and sauce. Two tender, just-cooked scallops and five equally perfect jumbo shrimp crowned a plate of rigatoni covered in the best riggies sauce we've tasted. Hot peppers blended into the tomato cream to be a nearly invisible but richly felt presence. This was a pasta dish for others to live up to.

...
 
So the ACC has the oldest average age of head football coaches... thanks a lot, Mack Brown! Now it's the old man's conference (ugh!).

...at least Babers ACTS young.
 

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