sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Cheese Curd Day!
National Cheese Curd Day is observed annually on October 15. This is a day to enjoy the velvety goodness of cheese curds.
Cheese Curds are unique, funky, snackable little pieces of yellow or white Wisconsin cheddar cheese. Many restaurants coat and deep-fried them to a golden brown. When you bite into one, first expect a warm buttery crunch on the outside. The next delicious taste will be an ooey-gooey burst of dairyland delicacy on the inside.
What are they? Well, they’re a product of cheesemaking. Fresh ones squeak when you bite into them. Cheesemakers create different flavors to appease the growing number of people enjoying cheese curds.
SU News
Video: Narduzzi previews Syracuse
Narduzzi talks Syracuse, rivalry at press conference - The Pitt News (pittnews.com; Bobeck)
With Pitt (4-2 overall, 1-1 ACC) football’s matchups with Penn State concluded, an off-year in the Notre Dame series and the resumption of the Backyard Brawl scheduled for fall 2022, the Panthers’ upcoming matchup with Syracuse may be the best rivalry left on their schedule.
The old Big East foes will meet on Friday night at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse (3-3 overall, 0-2 ACC) for the 75th time overall and the seventh time since both joined the ACC in 2013. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi addressed the matchup in his weekly press conference with assembled media at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex Monday afternoon.
“Every Saturday, Friday night or Thursday night, whatever it may be, is fun. I look forward to every game,” Narduzzi said. “I mean, this is special because it’s Syracuse. I really like Dino Babers. Again, it’s got a little different flavor to it.”
The two programs have met every season since 1955, with the Panthers leading the overall series 39-32-3. Their last two meetings have been split, with each team winning at home — Pitt emerging victorious 44-37 in OT last season and Syracuse winning 27-24 in 2017.
Looking back at Pitt’s most recent game, a thrilling 33-30 victory over Duke in Durham, North Carolina, Narduzzi praised his defensive unit, especially the defensive line.
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Orange Watch: With 3-3 record, Syracuse football will now define its 2019 season - The Juice Online (the juice; Bierman)
Item: The program-forwarding momentum of last year’s success is not translating to this season for the Syracuse football team. The struggles now even extend to the ubiquitous mobile app NCAA Football money lines this week. Wherever we looked, Pittsburgh (4-2, 1-1) is the point spread favorite to win inside the Dome Friday night (7:00 p.m. ET / ESPN), meaning the Orange at 3-3 and 0-2 in the ACC doesn’t even hold a homefield advantage inside their own (Loud?) House, on an evening when this conference game shares the TV stage with three others in FBS college football.
When portions of the football schedule first came out late last spring there was a clear reason why ESPN plucked the Pittsburgh game, a longtime intense Northeast rivalry that’s translated well into the ACC, as Syracuse’s second-straight weeknight conference game for its main network telecast. Syracuse was the hot offseason program in a league that desperately needs someone to compete with Clemson.
Right now, a look at the standings shows no one knows who’s going to challenge the defending champion Tigers, in either division, but with the way the ‘Cuse has played in its two league games, it’s not Syracuse.
“We’re 3-3, we’re not where we want to be, we’re not happy where (we are),” Dino Babers responded Monday at his weekly media gathering when asked about the state of his team.
So, what exactly is the answer with a talented Pitt program on deck, one that always seems to drive SU coaches nuts, not to mention having beaten Scott Shafer and/or Babers in five of the six ACC matchups?
“Get better, we’ve got to get better,” Babers said summing up the compact solution to Orange Nation’s head-scratching of a season that has yielded far too little improvement, especially to what’s supposed to be a lightning-fast offensive pace, not one seemingly retreating because of bad blocking or penalties.
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Ranking every ACC starting QB at midseason (247sports.com; Crawford)
14. James Graham, Georgia Tech — You've got to feel for Tobias Oliver, a player recruited by the Yellow Jackets to run the option who has now taken a backseat to a more spread-friendly option for Geoff Collins. Graham, a redshirt freshman, threw two touchdown passes against North Carolina last weekend and might be the future under center.
13. Matthew McKay, N.C. State — Getting the start for the Wolfpack on Thursday night vs. Syracuse is actually Bailey Hockman, a transfer from Florida State. N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said this week McKay isn't doing enough in the passing game — 57.3 completion percentage, 3 TDs — to keep his job at the moment.
12. Hendon Hooker, Virginia Tech — After his four-touchdown game against Miami, Hooker may have officially "won" the job for the Hokies. Ryan Willis was the starter the first month of the season, but five interceptions and overall inconsistent play led the coaching staff to make a switch under center. If Willis was ranked here, he'd be in the same spot.
11. Jarren Williams, Miami — Behind a faulty offensive front, the Hurricanes imploded early in games vs. Florida and North Carolina before bouncing back vs. inferior competition. Williams had seven touchdown passes without a pick over the first four games before Saturday's disaster vs. Virginia Tech — 3 picks in the first half. N'Kosi Perry will start Friday's tilt vs. Virginia.
10. Kenny Pickett, Pitt — A paltry 6.1 yards per attempt thus far for Pickett means this Pitt offense relies on passes at or near the line of scrimmage, but ironically, rank second in the ACC in long scrimmage plays through the air (10 plus yards).
9. Malik Cunningham, Louisville — With Jawon Pass on the mend, Cunningham has made the most of his opportunity over three straight starts. He leads the ACC in yards per attempt (12.0) and has been a spark for the Cardinals, especially during last week's win over Boston College.
8. TOMMY DEVITO, SYRACUSE
Stat line: 106-of-167, 1,234 yards, 11 TDs, 5 INTs
The word: The jury is still out on DeVito despite the ACC's third-most touchdown passes this season. Eight of those have come over the past two games, wins over Holy Cross and Western Michigan. The Orange have been anemic offensively against the two games they've played against Power 5 competition, hence the skepticism here. We'll know more about DeVito after Thursday's game at N.C. State. Historically, Carter-Finley Stadium is not an easy place to play on a Thursday night and the Wolfpack is starting a new quarterback. This one's a must-win for Syracuse and DeVito.
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Pitt travels to face Syracuse in Friday night game (cardiachill.com; Whaley)
After a bye week, Pitt football returns this weekend with a Friday night game against Syracuse.
It’s hard to tell if the bye will help or hurt the Panthers. Pitt (4-2) has had some guys banged up so, from a health standpoint, I’m sure the off week was welcomed. But the team had also been on a roll, winning its last three games, and you hate to see their momentum slowed with a week off.
Syracuse (3-3) entered the season with a lot of hype and a shiny Top 25 preseason ranking. But while they won their opener, their season has mostly gone downhill since then. They were throttled, 63-20, by Maryland (who, by the way, has looked pretty bad, going 1-3 after that) and then beaten badly by Clemson, 41-6. After gimmes against Western Michigan and Holy Cross, Syracuse lost again this weekend at North Carolina State.
The season for the Orange, however, is not entirely lost. The hopes for being a darkhorse contender in the Atlantic Division sure are, but Syracuse still enters this one 3-3 and you can bet they want to, at the very least, get to a bowl.
The problem for Syracuse is that even that will not be an easy feat. The Orange still have what should be tough tests against Wake Forest, Louisville, and Florida State. They’ve still got Duke, who is a solid team. And even Boston College is no sure thing. That puts an emphasis on getting this one against Pitt. I can see the Orange winning three more games but they probably will need to defeat the Panthers to do it. For as much as Pitt needs this game, Syracuse arguably needs it more.
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D.O. Sportscast: Breaking down Syracuse football after loss to North Carolina State by D.O. Sportscast • A podcast on Anchor )anchor.fm; podcast; DO)
The D.O Sportscast brings new information to listeners about various different Syracuse sports via roundtable discussions with beat reporters and host Josh Schafer.
The Ostrom Avenue Podcast Ep 5- Looking Back, Looking Ahead (waer.org; podcast; Kloss)
Six weeks down, seven weeks to go. Hosts Brendan Mortensen and Owen Valentine are joined by Frankie Vernouski and Jonah Karp to give their midseason reviews and predictions for the rest of the Syracuse football campaign.
Doeren looks back at Syracuse, ahead to Boston College (SI; Friedlander)
NC State coach Dave Doeren addressed recapped Thursday's win and gave a preview of this week's opponent at his weekly meeting with the media on Monday
Here are some highlights from Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren's weekly press conference on Monday, starting with a look back on the positives and negatives from Thursday's 16-10 win against Syracuse:
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N.C. State Football Takeaways: Pack Squeezes Past Orange (oldnorthbanter.com; Wilson)
The Wolfpack staves off Syracuse’s second-half rally, managing to pick up its first conference win of the season.
With its back against the wall, N.C. State (4-2, 1-1 ACC) held off a last-minute push from Syracuse (3-3, 0-2 ACC) to win under the lights at Carter-Finley Stadium Thursday evening, 16-10.
Quick Notes
- The Wolfpack tallied eight sacks against the Orange. Combined with the eight sacks against Florida State in the previous game, State set the school record for sacks in back-to-back games. The previous record was set in 1982 where the Pack compiled 14 total sacks against Virginia and North Carolina.
- Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Thayer Thomas threw his second touchdown pass of the season with a 32-yard strike to redshirt freshman running back Trent Pennix. With that score, Thomas became the first wide receiver in school history to throw for more than one touchdown pass in a season since Bryan Peterson threw two in 2000.
- After seeing action in four of the first five games of the season, redshirt sophomore quarterback Bailey Hockman got the call to start Thursday night’s game against Syracuse. Hockman became the first left-handed quarterback to start for the Wolfpack since Cam Young’s start against Virginia on Nov. 8, 1986.
- The Pack finished perfect in the red zone, scoring field goals in both opportunities inside the Orange 20-yard line. N.C. State is now 24-for-25 on the year in the red zone with 14 touchdowns, 10 rushing and four passing, and 10 field goals. The only scoreless red-zone opportunity for the Wolfpack came against Florida State when the drive ended in a fumble.
- State’s rushing defense, ranked the sixth-best in the NCAA, managed to hold Syracuse’s runners to just 41 yards on the ground. The Pack has now held its last three opponents, and five of its last six, to under 100 yards.
A Tale of Two Conference Games - 10/14/19 (RX; HM)
A Tale of Two Conference Games - 10/14/19
Two ranked teams were upset at home on Saturday. One fell out of the top 25, the other is still considered to be in contention for the CFP playoffs.
| Louisville | 62 | South Carolina | 20 |
| Wake Forest | 59 | Georgia | 17 |
| combined (4Q) | 121 | combined (2OT) | 37 |
Is that because the ACC game lacked great defense while the SEC game "just meant more"? Well, before you jump to that conclusion, take a look at what BannerSociety had to say about the South Carolina/Georgia game...
1. South Carolina-Georgia dumb stuff, by Spencer and Ryan and Floyd
There’s simply too much dumb stuff in this game to put it under one spot in the Top Whatever. To account for all this stupid, we need the power of a RANKING WITHIN A RANKING.
- Leaving your injured freshman quarterback in on one leg, then watching as that leg gets buckled. Ryan Hilinski gave his mom the okay sign, and he was a big reason South Carolina won, but we’ll see how long his knee keeps him out.
- Will Muschamp called for a FIFTY-SEVEN-YARD FIELD GOAL on fourth and three from the Georgia 40 with the game tied and 40 seconds left. It missed.
- Georgia hoped to attempt a game-winning field goal of their own, getting to the South Carolina 38 with 13 seconds to go. They ran two plays that got no yards, lost five yards on an illegal shift, and didn’t let Rodrigo Blankenship kick on the last play of regulation.
- In the game, Georgia got five first downs thanks to South Carolina penalties. Three happened on third down, one on fourth down.
- The Bulldogs had 30 first downs to South Carolina’s 16, outgained the Gamecocks by 171 yards, and played most of the second half against sophomore Dakereon Joyner and his grand total of 14 career pass attempts. Neither team thought he was going to win this game with his arm...
- ...And he didn’t. The Gamecocks ran the ball on their last 13 offensive plays.
- UGA quarterback Jake Fromm had never thrown more than 40 passes in a game. He threw 51 attempts in this game, averaging an anemic 5.7 yards.
Biggest Upset Losers of 2019 (as of 10/15/19) (RX; HM)
Biggest Upset Losers of 2019 (as of 10/15/19)
Who are the biggest losers this year (from a point-spread point-of-view)? Here are the dozen biggest upsets involving at least one power five team, with ACC teams highlighted in light blue, SEC teams in pink:
Top 12 Biggest P5 upsets of 2019 (so far):
| Week | Spread | upset winner | upset loser | score |
| 3 | 26 | The Citadel | Georgia Tech | 27-24 |
| 1 | 24 | Georgia State | Tennessee | 38-30 |
| 7 | 21 | South Carolina | Georgia | 20-17 |
| 3 | 19.5 | Kansas | Boston College | 48-24 |
| 4 | 18.5 | San Jose State | Arkansas | 31-24 |
| 4 | 18 | U.C.L.A. | Washington St | 67-63 |
| 1 | 15.5 | Wyoming | Missouri | 37-31 |
| 3 | 14.5 | Arizona St | Michigan State | 10-7 |
| 6 | 14 | Virginia Tech | Miami, FL | 42-25 |
| 2 | 12.5 | California | Washington | 20-19 |
| 6 | 12 | Stanford | Washington | 23-12 |
| 4 | 11.5 | Pitt | U.C.. | 35-34 |
Sportscaster U: Who are the top sports broadcasters from Syracuse University? (PS; Burrows)
Syracuse University is known for lots of things — the color orange, the No. 44, and producing some of the best journalists in the world. Especially sports broadcasters.
From Marv Albert and Bob Costas to Mike Tirico and Beth Mowins, it’s hard to argue that any single school has produced more sports broadcasting talent than Syracuse.
Here’s a look at some of the best current Orange play-by-play announcers.
Marv Albert
Network: TNT
Graduation: 1963
Andrew Allegretta
Team: Tulane
Jason Benetti
Team: Chicago White Sox
Graduation: 2005
Len Berman
Network: NBC
Graduation: 1968, G ’70
Bob Black
School: University of Richmond
Graduation: 1981
Carter Blackburn
Network: CBS
Graduation: 2001
Kevin Brown
Team/Network: Baltimore Orioles/ESPN
Graduation: 2011
Ryan Burr
Network: Golf Channel/NBC
Graduation: 1994
Tony Caridi
School: West Virginia
Graduation: 1984
Joe Castiglione
Team: Boston Red Sox
Graduation: 1969
Andrew Catalon
Network: CBS
Graduation: 2001
Matthew Chazanow
Team: Washington State
Graduation: 2006
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Brett McMurphy’s College Football Bowl Projections After Week 7 - Stadium (watchstadium.com; McMurphy)
College Football Playoff
Championship – Jan. 13 (CFP semifinal winners)
Projection: Alabama vs. Ohio State
Semifinals
Peach Bowl – Dec. 28 (CFP semifinal)
Projection: Alabama (CFP No. 1) vs. Clemson (CFP No. 4)
Fiesta Bowl – Dec. 28 (CFP semifinal)
Projection: Ohio State (CFP No. 2) vs. Oklahoma (CFP No. 3)
New Year’s 6 bowls
Rose Bowl – Jan. 1 (Big Ten vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Wisconsin vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl – Jan. 1 (Big 12 vs. SEC)
Projection: Texas vs. LSU
Orange Bowl – Jan. 1 (ACC vs. SEC/Big Ten/Notre Dame)
Projection: Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame
Cotton Bowl – Dec. 28 (at-large vs. Group of 5*)
Projection: Georgia vs. Boise State*
Other Bowls
Citrus Bowl – (Big Ten vs. SEC)
Projection: Michigan vs. Auburn
Outback Bowl – (Big Ten vs. SEC)
Projection: Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Gator Bowl – (Big Ten/ACC vs. SEC)
Projection: Nebraska vs. South Carolina
Holiday Bowl – (Big Ten vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Iowa vs. Arizona State
Liberty Bowl – (Big 12 vs. SEC)
Projection: Texas Tech vs. Cincinnati**
Redbox Bowl – (Big Ten vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Minnesota vs. Washington
Sun Bowl – (ACC vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Louisville vs. USC
Military Bowl – (ACC vs. American)
Projection: North Carolina vs. UCF
Arizona Bowl – (Mountain West vs. Sun Belt)
Projection: Wyoming vs. UL-Monroe
Belk Bowl – (ACC vs. SEC)
Projection: Duke vs. Florida
Alamo Bowl – (Big 12 vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Baylor vs. Utah
Camping World Bowl – (ACC vs. Big 12)
Projection: Virginia vs. Iowa State
Music City Bowl – (ACC/Big Ten vs. SEC)
Projection: Pitt vs. Mississippi State
Texas Bowl – (Big 12 vs. SEC)
Projection: Oklahoma State vs. Kentucky
Pinstripe Bowl – (ACC vs. Big Ten)
Projection: NC State vs. Michigan State
Independence Bowl – (ACC vs. SEC)
Projection: Miami vs. Washington State**
Cheez-It Bowl – (Big 12 vs. Pac-12)
Projection: West Virginia vs. Cal
Quick Lane Bowl – (ACC vs. Big Ten)
Projection: Florida State vs. Indiana
First Responder Bowl – (Big 12 vs. C-USA)
Projection: TCU vs. Southern Miss
Hawaii Bowl – (AAC vs. BYU)
Projection: Navy vs. BYU
Mobile Bowl – (MAC vs. Sun Belt)
Projection: Ball State vs. Arkansas State
Armed Forces Bowl – (Big Ten vs. Mountain West)
Projection: Virginia Tech** vs. Air Force
Birmingham Bowl – (American vs. SEC)
Projection: SMU vs. Syracuse**
Idaho Potato Bowl – (MAC vs. Mountain West)
Projection: Toledo vs. San Diego State
Bahamas Bowl – (C-USA vs. MAC)
Projection: North Texas vs. Central Michigan
Gasparilla Bowl – (American vs. C-USA)
Projection: Tulane vs. Louisiana Tech
Frisco Bowl – (American vs. Open)
Projection: Memphis vs. Army
Boca Raton Bowl – (American vs. MAC)
Projection: Temple vs. Ohio
New Orleans Bowl – (C-USA vs. Sun Belt)
Projection: FAU vs. Appalachian State
Camellia Bowl – (MAC vs. Sun Belt)
Projection: Western Michigan vs. Louisiana
Las Vegas Bowl – (Mountain West vs. Pac-12)
Projection: Utah State vs. Stanford
Cure Bowl – (American vs. Sun Belt)
Projection: Liberty** vs. Georgia State
New Mexico Bowl – (C-USA vs. Mountain West)
Projection: UAB vs. Hawaii
King of the Hill: ACC Football Power Rankings (Week 7) (cardiachill.com; Whaley)
Here’s how I rank the conference teams based on what we’ve seen so far. Number in parentheses is the team’s ranking last week.
- (1) Clemson (6-0) - 45-14 win over Florida State
- (2) Virginia (4-2) - Lost to Miami, 17-9
- (3) Pitt (4-2) - Bye
- (5) Florida State (3-3) - Lost to Clemson
- (6) Louisville (4-2) - Beat Wake Forest, 62-59
- (4) Wake Forest (5-1) - Lost to Louisville
- (7) North Carolina (3-3) - Bye
- (8) Duke (4-2) - Defeated Georgia Tech, 41-23
- (13) North Carolina State (4-2) - Defeated Syracuse, 16-10
- (10) Boston College (3-3) - Bye
- (11) Virginia Tech (4-2) - Defeated Rhode Island, 34-17
- (12) Miami (3-3) - Beat Virginia
- (9) Syracuse (3-3) - Lost to North Carolina State
- (14) Georgia Tech (1-5) - Lost to Duke
Can Clemson Break The ACC Football Win Streak Record? (DBR; Jacobs)
Folks at Clemson are talking up the football team’s winning streak, which encompasses the entire 2018 and 2019 seasons. The ongoing skein sounds pretty good at 21 and counting through the Tigers’ 45-14 victory over Florida State on Oct. 12.
But 21 straight compared to what? How does that stand in the ACC’s sporadically impressive football history?
Turns out a single conference team previously amassed more consecutive wins. In the case of Clemson across 2018 and 2019, the second-best streak endures despite a notably wobbly performance at Chapel Hill that cost the Tigers their top spot in the polls.
Six regular-season games remain – the road opponents are dangerous rivals Louisville, NC State and South Carolina. Then likely comes the ACC championship contest.
Win the conference title and, if still undefeated, Clemson will surely land a game or two in the college football playoff at year’s end. Run the table, and Dabo Swinney’s defending champs could wind up with an ACC-record 30 victories in a row built on consecutive 15-game winning streaks.
WHEN HAVING THE RUNS IS A GOOD THING
Most Consecutive Games Without A Loss By ACC Football Program
(Since 1953 Season, Ties Included)W in RowTeamSeason(s)
| 29 | Florida State | * 2012-2014 |
| 21 | Clemson* | 2018- |
| 17 | Clemson | 2014-2015 |
| 17 | Florida State* | 1999-2000 |
| 16 | Georgia Tech* | 1989-1990 |
Other
‘It was insane, breath-taking:’ Monster tiger muskie caught in Otisco Lake (PS; Figura)
Moments after Demetrio Ascioti landed the monster tiger muskie Saturday evening on Otisco Lake he said he was so happy he jumped around in a circle on his boat and hugged his fishing buddy.
“It was insane, breath-taking, the fish of a lifetime. It was the size of a shark,” said Ascioti of the fish that he said measured 50-inches, a potential new state record for the fish species.
But Ascioti, 33, of Fairmount, said he wasn’t of a mind to keep the fish. After quickly measuring its length and having a few quick photos taken by his buddy, Todd Woytan, he put it back in the lake.
“Look, I wasn’t going to eat it. I love these fish. I have no regrets,” he said this morning.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation determines state records by weight. The current state record is held by Brett Gofgosky. His fish, caught in 1990 on the Tioughnioga River in Broome County using a sucker as bait, weighed 35 pounds, 8 ounces. That fish was 50 inches long, according to the DEC website.
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