sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Crayola Day!
Crayola crayons were invented by cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith, who had formed Binney & Smith in 1885 (interestingly, National Crayon Day, which took place last month, is held on the anniversary of the founding of their company). The cousins made shoe polish and printing ink, and in 1900 began making slate pencils. They mixed pigments and paraffin wax to create a crayon that was used to mark crates and barrels. These crayons were too toxic for children, and they began researching what materials they could use that would be safe.
SU News
Liberty Flames — 2019 Syracuse Football preview - The Juice Online (the juice; Cheng)
As we countdown to kickoff in August, we’re going to be doing a team-by-team preview each week over the summer. SU will open the 2019 season when it heads down to Lynchburg, Va. to play Liberty on Aug. 31.
COACH FREEZE RETURNS
It has been an interesting path for Hugh Freeze back to the Division I coaching ranks.
Freeze made a name for himself in the early 2010s for restoring a once floundering Ole Miss program. During his tenure there, he had the Rebels ranked as high as No. 3 in the country, with appearances in the 2014 Peach Bowl (a loss) and the 2016 Sugar Bowl (a win).
That win in the Sugar Bowl catapulted the Rebels to a finish of ninth in the country, its first finish inside the AP Top 10 since 1969.
That was the beginning of the end for Freeze at Ole Miss.
The NCAA began investigating Ole Miss, and eventually charged the school with 21 counts of academic, booster and recruiting misconduct. The Rebels were penalized with a two-year postseason ban, three years of probation, scholarship reductions and 33 vacated wins.
Though Freeze went 39-25 during his five-year stint, the record books only show 12-25.
Freeze ultimately resigned in July, 2017 after an internal investigation revealed that he had used a university-issued phone to call a female escort service.
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These Syracuse Players May Not Get Drafted, But Could Make Some Noise in the NFL – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Aki)
After the final whistle of Syracuse’s Camping World Bowl victory over West Virginia, celebration ensued. But after that, a handful of seniors began the steep, uphill climb to the next level. This week’s NFL Draft has more potential Orange prospects than we have seen in recent years. But there are also a handful of players that may not hear their name called and can still have productive NFL careers.
Eric Dungey
The obvious choice for this list is the guy who put the Orange on the map this past season. Dungey has worked relentlessly to get himself ready for the NFL Draft. He has been training at the Russell Wilson Passing Academy to fix some throwing mechanics to appeal to teams. While quarterback is his end goal, his path to getting there may not start at that position. With teams opting to only carry two and sometimes three quarterbacks on their 53 man roster, it may be tough for a team to find space at that spot for Dungey. But we’ve seen creative offensive minds overtake the league and find places for gadget players, like New Orleans’ Taysom Hill. Dungey is the most competitive athlete regardless of sport that Syracuse has seen in recent memory. You don’t need all 32 NFL coaches to like you. You just need one. Some coach is going to see that competitive spirit and fall in love with it and give him a chance. It’ll be up to Dungey to do the rest.
Dontae Strickland
While Strickland didn’t torch the competition on the ground at Syracuse, there’s no position that is a revolving door quite like running back. We see backs get cycled in and out every week in the NFL. Strickland excelled at pass blocking as well as catching the ball. There’s a spot for that in the league, especially with the ever-expanding aerial attack.
Ravian Pierce
Pierce stands at 6-foot-3 and 244 pounds, which are NFL measurables. He’s gifted offensively, which makes him attractive at the next level. The things he’ll have to improve on are his after the whistle antics and his blocking abilities. But if he can improve, or at least become serviceable, his play in the trenches, there will be a spot for him in the NFL. Offense reigns supreme and tight end is an ever-growing position. Pierce’s strengths may be enough to exploit that.
Ryan Guthrie
There have been questions about Guthrie at every juncture and he hasn’t just passed every test, he’s excelled at them. As a former JUCO transfer, Guthrie has molded out a nice path for himself that even he may not have expected to be on three years ago. He was the Orange’s top tackler and frequently made noise in the backfield as well. All of this was good enough to earn him All-ACC second team honors as a part of much improved Orange defense. There were questions about the SU linebackers heading into 2018, but Guthrie quickly shut those down. He’s a surefire tackler, but he’ll have to prove in camps that he can do it at the next level.
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NC State Ranks No. 3 in ACC in NFL Draft Picks Over Last 3 Years (247sports.com; Smith)
Over the last three years, NC State has gone from a program that made it to a bowl game as a 6-6 team to stringing together consecutive nine-win campaigns. That's thanks, in large part, to the development of talent within the program leading to results on the field.
And that talent has slowly gone from where the expectation of having one to three players drafted in the NFL to more than five in each of the last two seasons. In fact, only two programs in the ACC have produced more NFL Draft picks over the last three years than the Wolfpack.
Thanks to a record-setting seven picks in last year's draft that started with Bradley Chubb at No. 5 overall, NC State jumped to 13 overall draft picks in the last three years. According to the 247Sports breakdown of NFL Draft picks, only Clemson (18) and Miami (17) have had more players selected over that span.
Of those players drafted, NC State has seen six go inside the first three rounds, ranking tied for second behind only Clemson (eight) over the last three years. Florida State is the only other school in the ACC with six or more players taken within the first three rounds during that span.
So what is the biggest reason for so many NC State players being drafted during the Dave Doeren era? Part of it is the development and the talent of the players themselves. But another huge factor is the trust NFL teams have in the program Doeren and his staff have built at NC State -- as Will Brinson of CBS Sports recently pointed out on the Pack Pride Podcast.
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Swinney defends ACC when Columbia reporter calls schedule soft (theclemsoninsider.com; Vandervort)
for gbo
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney chuckled when a reporter from Columbia, S.C, asked him to defend the Tigers’ 2019 football schedule due to “maybe the lack of competition in the ACC.”
“Boy that is a loaded question, isn’t,” said Swinney, who was at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta Wednesday for the MacArthur Trophy Presentation as the 2018 College Football National Champion.
Here is the question Swinney was asked.
“Coach, I was talking to Will Muschamp last night, who is starting his Spurs Up Tour and we talked about the schedule. I know there has been a lot comparison between South Carolina’s and Clemson’s schedule, and people say you have a very easy schedule and South Carolina one of the hardest. He felt like, ‘Hey, we have a difficult schedule every year.’ Do you feel the same, as far as Clemson, despite, you know maybe the lack of competition in the ACC?”
“Man, I couldn’t disagree more by the way you’d phrased the question,” Swinney said. “There is no lack of competition in our league. There is a reason why we have won two out of the last three national championships, and it is not because we don’t play anybody. We have played everybody.
“We have played Alabama three times in the national championship. We played Ohio State. We played Oklahoma. We play Texas A&M. We play South Carolina every year. Our league, I think we had eleven bowl teams this year, ten the year before and eleven the year before that. Our league is incredibly competitive and deep.”
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The ACC is one of the top conferences in college football and has produced a lot of great NFL players. With the 2019 NFL Draft on the horizon, look back at all the players who have been drafted in 1st Round of the NFL Draft in the last 5 years.
https://floridastate./news/acc-spotlight-breaking-down-qb-situations-across-the-league (rivals; Cassidy & Friedman)
Spring football is nearly finished around the ACC and most programs have their quarterback depth chart pretty well figured out. Let’s take a look at the quarterback situations for each program in the ACC heading into the summer.
Boston College
Starter: Anthony Brown
Backups: EJ Perry and Matt MacDonald
Brown put together an impressive season last year, completing 55 percent of his passes with 20 TDs and 9 INTs during a 7-5 season and this season he is expected to build on last year’s success. Health will remain something to keep an eye on with Brown. Perry and MacDonald are preparing to play at any moment, and their battle this spring is something that will carry over to the fall.
Clemson
Starter: Trevor Lawrence
Backups: Chase Brice, Taisun Phommachanh
Situations don’t come much more stable than the Tigers’. Lawrence looks like one of the best college quarterbacks in recent memory and is among the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. He led Clemson to a national title as a true freshman and is likely in line for another big year as a sophomore. Behind him sits Brice, a sophomore who saw action in 12 games a year ago. Phommachanh, a true freshman, will add depth as well as provide an interesting future option for Dabo Swinney’s program.
Duke
Starter: Quentin Harris
Back-ups: Chris Katrenick and Gunnar Holmberg
Harris is a familiar face for Duke fans and the entire program is watching, hoping he can replicate the success NFL-bound Daniel Jones had last season. Harris has played in more than 20 games but he hasn’t put up big stats just yet. Katrenick and Holmberg will provide head coach David Cutcliffe with depth at the position, but both are expected to learn more than play this year.
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NFL Draft 2019: Scouting Big Four, in-state prospects (greensboro.com; Wilkerson-New)
The NFL’s marathon draft begins tonight in TV’s prime time, and unlike recent years, no local players are set to make a splash near the top of the first round.
Instead, it’ll likely be N.C. State center Garrett Bradbury first off the board, followed by quarterbacks Daniel Jones of Duke or Ryan Finley of the Wolfpack.
Beyond that trio, there are plenty of players from the state’s ACC schools and otherwise who should have their names called.
First round
Garrett Bradbury | C | N.C. State
6-2, 305 pounds
Outlook: The state’s best prospect in the draft, Bradbury will be plug-and-play starter and whichever team selects him should feel comfortable at center for the next decade. A former tight end, Bradbury has maintained his speed and agility despite packing on more than 60 pounds since he arrived in Raleigh as a freshman. Having played in a zone-blocking scheme at State, look for team with a similar approach to target him. In addition to his on-field abilities, Bradbury will be a positive addition to any locker room and a leader for years to come.
Daniel Jones | QB | Duke
6-5, 220 pounds
Outlook: Jones is one of the more polarizing prospects in the draft, with scouts salivating over his measurables and the flashes of brilliance he showed at Duke under quarterback guru David Cutcliffe, while others are left wanting more in regard to arm strength and decision-making. It’s tough to get a read on exactly how good Jones could have been due to the Blue Devils’ offensive line struggles over the past two seasons, but ultimately, he leaves Durham with a career completion rate of 59.9 percent, 52 touchdowns and 29 interceptions. In addition to his accuracy in the passing game, Jones proved himself a capable runner with 17 rushing touchdowns and six games with more than 75 rushing yards. Look for an established team to take him late in the first round or perhaps early in the second round with the goal of developing him long-term.
Second round, Friday
Ryan Finley | QB | N.C. State
6-4, 215 pounds
Outlook: Though he could be chosen behind Jones, the 24-year old Finley is more prepared to play in the NFL next season after three straight 3,000-yard seasons at State, completing 64.5 percent of his attempts. Already known for his accuracy when he arrived in Raleigh, Finley improved his completion percentage every season and developed a reputation as one of the best in the nation at reading and understanding defenses. Though he rarely rushed for major yardage, Finley has exceptional mobility within the pocket, allowing receivers to get open as they continue working and he’s certainly not afraid — usually for better, occasionally worse — to trust his receivers and attempt a risky pass. Finley is likely a second-rounder, a successful team could snag him late in the first round.
North Carolina State's Germaine Pratt (3) was a quick learner after transitioning to linebacker following his sophomore season.
Germaine Pratt | LB | N.C. State
6-2, 240 pounds
Outlook: After beginning his career at State as a 190-pound safety, Pratt made a switch to
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ACC Football Rx: Why Gator Bowl attendance is down (RX; HM)
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Date played Winning team Losing team Attnd.
Sat, 01/01/2011 #21 Mississippi State Michigan 68,325
Mon, 01/02/2012 Florida Ohio State 61,312
Tue, 01/01/2013 #21 Northwestern Mississippi State 60,712
Wed, 01/01/2014 Nebraska #22 Georgia 60,712
Fri, 01/02/2015 Tennessee Iowa 56,310
Sat, 01/02/2016 Georgia Penn State 58,212
Date played Winning team Losing team Attnd.
Sat, 12/31/2016 Georgia Tech Kentucky 43,102
Sat, 12/30/2017 #24 Mississippi State Louisville 41,310
Mon, 12/31/2018 #21 Texas A&M NC State 38,206
The ACC sent a team to the Gator Bowl every year from 1991 through 2010. From 1996 to 2006 it had an ACC-vs.-Big East format, then it switched to ACC-vs.-Big XII half of the time until 2010. During those ACC years, the average attendance was 66,186.
The Gator Bowl switched to an SEC vs. Big Ten format from 2011 through 2016 - and the average attendance fell to 60,931.
Since 2016 the Gator has featured ACC vs. SEC. However, it's lower in the pecking order, and the date has also changed - now it's played a day or two before New Year's. Attendance has fallen, too - dramatically! - to an average of 40,873.
Rx: want more people at the Gator Bowl? Try these things:
1) get higher picks - this will probably require paying more
2) don't play the SEC every year - rotate a little (Maybe ACC vs. SEC/Big XII?).
ACC Football Rx: Links, news and rumors - 4/24/19 (RX; HM)
The 7 most difficult starts for new FBS head coaches in 2019
The author (Amy Daughters) starts with a bang by telling us that
Coming into 2019, 26 FBS programs have new head coaches... a whopping 22% of the field...
Some of those new coaches will be challenged in the very first game. Some of them coach in the ACC; others must face an ACC opponent in the first three games. Here are the ACC-related coaching newbies who will need to hit the ground running:
7. Neal Brown – West Virginia
First three games: James Madison, at Missouri, NC State
6. Manny Diaz – U of Miami
First three games: vs. Florida (at Orlando, Fla.), BYE, at North Carolina, Bethune-Cookman
Manny Diaz won’t make his home debut as Miami’s new head man until Sept. 14, technically Week 4 for the Hurricanes due to their early start vs. the Gators (Aug. 24; Week Zero).
Diaz has made numerous stops as a defensive coordinator during his 20-year journey as a college coach. Included are stints at Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, and Texas. Most recently, he’s served in the same capacity for the Hurricanes since 2016. This is the Florida State grad’s first head coaching job.
5. Hugh Freeze – Liberty
First three games: Syracuse, at Louisiana, Buffalo
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Other
Education Day at NBT Bank Stadium
Syracuse Jazz Fest return?; Woodstock ticket prices; more (Good Morning CNY for April 25) (PS; Staff)
A DAY AT THE BALLPARK: It was "Education Day" Wednesday at NBT Bank Stadium, with students from around Central New York coming out to see the Syracuse Mets face the Buffalo Bisons. The Bisons won, 5-4. (Michael Greenlar photo)
What’s Trending
Jazz Fest’s future unknown: Will Syracuse Jazz Fest return this year? The festival’s founder and executive director, Frank Malfitano, is still trying to find an answer to that question.
Moving out: The Oneida Nation plans to redevelop the Mariner’s Landing Mobile Home Park and marina near the southeast shore of Oneida Lake; park residents have been told to vacate the land by Oct. 1.
SAT stars: Which school district’s students had the top SAT scores last year?Here’s the top 50 in Upstate New York; here’s where you can find the average for your school district.
Fatal crash: A 24-year-old Syracuse woman was killed early Wednesday morning when she was struck by a tractor-trailer on the Thruway in Madison County.
Feeling generous: A Western New York couple won a car in a contest run by Tops Markets. They decided they didn’t need it, so they gave it away.
Looking Ahead
Plan your weekend: Dine like a viking, talk to a robot, catch some new music, and celebrate springtime this weekend in Central New York.
The price of “Peace, Love and Music”: Tickets to Woodstock 50 in Watkins Glen will cost $450 for three-day passes.
Life savers: Four officers will be honored this morning for their life-saving actions in 2018 at the Syracuse Police Life Savers Awards.
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