sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Four Prunes Day is a day to eat prunes, and is named as such because it is believed that someone looking for digestive regularity will get it by eating between four and nine prunes in a sitting. Prunes, which are dried plums, have gotten a bad rap over the years because of their association with constipation relief. Because of this, plum growers worked to change the stigma, and were allowed to rebrand them by labeling them as "dried plums" starting in 2001. Most prunes are grown in California—about 200,000 a year—most of which are a variety similar to a kind grown in Agen, France. These types of prunes came from France to the United States in 1856. Prunes were eaten by the Greeks and Romans, and were planted all around the Mediterranean Sea after coming from China. Prunes are a good source of fiber and a rich source of Vitamin K. They also are a good source of potassium and magnesium, and contain antioxidants. Only about three quarters of a pound of prunes are eaten each year per capita in the United States. Maybe Four Prunes Day needs to be celebrated a little more often!
SU News
A breakdown of what’s wrong with Syracuse’s offensive line (DO; Schafer)
The scene happened over-and-over again this season, 26 times to be exact. Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito drops back and searches for receivers, but he’s rushed. He often side steps one defender before they bring him down. Opposing defenders dance while a Syracuse offensive lineman reaches his hand out to help DeVito up.
In SU’s most recent game against North Carolina State, that scenario played out eight times. Only three teams in the country have allowed more sacks than Syracuse. It won’t get easier for Syracuse (3-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) this Friday when Pittsburgh (4-2, 1-1) enters the Carrier Dome with the second most sacks in the country.
“Obviously we aren’t playing at the level that we feel we need to be. That’s why we go out and practice every day,” redshirt junior lineman Airon Servais said.
Part of Syracuse’s offensive line struggles are simple. Three of the five linemen hadn’t started at game with Syracuse before the season. Right tackle Ryan Alexander is a graduate transfer from Southern Alabama while guard Dakota Davis, a redshirt sophomore, and tackle Carlos Vettorello, a redshirt freshman, are in their first season with increased roles.
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Midseason takeaways from the Pitt football team (cardiachill.com; Whaley)
Pitt’s football team is officially through the midway point in the season. Corey did a great job breaking things down in his recent podcast and I wanted to throw some thoughts together as well.
To date, of course, Pitt is 4-2 on the season. Now, this isn’t to suggest there isn’t room for improvement. After all, the offense is still questionable with a nonexistent running game at times. The kicking has been suspect. Oh, and a boneheaded coaching decision at Penn State could arguably have cost the team their best win of the year.
But if you take only the record and the Division, given the schedule, Pitt’s football team is doing fairly well.
The biggest disappointment so far was probably the Virginia game. Not only did that get the year off to a bad start but it also put the Panthers effectively two games behind the Cavaliers in the Division race. But with Virginia losing this past weekend, Pitt remains right in the thick of things. And even if Pitt can’t win the Division, there remains plenty to be happy about so far.
The overwhelming takeaway I have midway through the year is that, while I believe this is a good football team, they are abundantly fortunate to have the record they do.
While Pitt is 4-2, they could just as easily be 2-4 or even 1-5. The Panthers squeaked by UCF, winning by one after blowing a 21-7 lead. They then beat Delaware by only three after missing their starting quarterback and several other starters, needing to rally from a fourth-quarter deficit in that one, too. Following that, the team blew a 26-3 lead to Duke before scoring on a final drive to steal one. In all, Pitt won those three games by a meager seven points and trailed late in all of them.
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College football: Time is now for SU to 'get better' (mpnnow.com; AP; Kekis)
Coach Dino Babers say Orange are not happy with where they are at 3-3, but focus is on rest of season, not what’s already happened
Halfway through his fourth season at Syracuse, coach Dino Babers is happy to ignore the recent past and focus on what lies ahead.
Ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 with high expectations after a breakthrough 10-win season, the Orange (3-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) certainly haven’t looked like the team picked to finish second to Clemson in the Atlantic Division. They host longtime rival Pittsburgh (4-2, 1-1) in a pivotal game on Friday night seeking their third straight win in the Carrier Dome since a disheartening home loss to the Tigers before a packed house in mid-September.
“We’re not where we want to be,” Babers said Monday. “We are not happy where we are at, now what? And that is what is going to define this season. That is what is going to define this team. That is what is going to define this bunch of seniors, and I am excited about it.
“I’m not happy with how things have gone, but now that all of that stuff is behind us and there is no rose-colored glasses, this is what we are. Now, get better.”
Syracuse is coming off a 16-10 loss at North Carolina State on Thursday night, a game the Orange failed to score until the final seconds of the third quarter (a 32-yard field goal by Andre Szmyt) and tallied their lone touchdown with 3 minutes left.
Not the sort of offense Babers is accustomed to.
“We’ve got to find a way to regroup. I don’t think that we’re down and out,” Babers said. “My confidence is good. I know that there might be some confidence lacking in other places, but my confidence is good. I am glad all the frost and all the fluff is gone.”
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John McGonigal's Pitt football chat transcript: 10.16.19 (post-gazette.com; McGonigal)
John McGonigal: Good afternoon folks, and welcome to the weekly Pitt football chat. Fire away with your questions.
SaltyRon: With Paris Ford out for the first half of the Syracuse game, who is slated to fill the void at safety? Do you think it will have any impact on the defensive calls until Paris returns? He is obviously the best member of the secondary.
John McGonigal: Jazzee Stocker and Bricen Garner will fill in for Paris Ford in the first half. I’m not sure how much the defensive calls may change. Paris has done well closer to the line of scrimmage and coming up to make stops, but Syracuse throws the ball quite a bit and can’t run the ball. Pitt is likely going to be in nickel (five DBs) with or without Ford.
Andrew: Hi John - it seems that there is an overall lack of respect for Pitt from national analysts. If Pitt can win at Syracuse then follow that up with a win at home against Miami, do you think that will be enough for them to be ranked?
John McGonigal: Remember, the first set of CFP rankings come out on Nov. 5, and that’s ultimately what matters. But I understand wanting to see Pitt show up in any poll. Beat Syracuse convincingly and take down Miami (#30 overall in S&P rankings), and Pitt would be 6-2, riding a five-game winning streak. Depending on what happens around them, that ought to be enough to squeeze into the AP top 25.
GSMP: Why does Pitt seem reluctant to use Todd Sibley? He seems to me to have done a decent job when he's had the chance. Does he not practice well?
John McGonigal: I’d say it’s his lacking ability in the passing game. He’s a better north-south runner than V’Lique Carter, but Carter provides Pitt a slick passing option out of the backfield, especially in shotgun sets, which Pitt primarily operates out of. Sibley has done fine in short-yardage, under-center situations. If A.J. Davis is back, though, I’d expect him and Carter to get the bulk of the work.
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Panther-lair - Narduzzi on Syracuse, Beatty, redshirts and more (rivals; Peak)
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi held his final pre-Syracuse press briefing on Wednesday, and here's the rundown of everything he said.
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You obviously have talked about your depth at different positions; at that position with Stocker, how comfortable do you feel with him filling in for Ford?
Narduzzi: I feel good. Jay Stocker’s doing a nice job and I think Jay will do a great job. He’s back healthy, too; that’s an important thing.
You talked on Monday about how Syracuse likes to throw short routes; do you guys want to limit those and make them throw deep balls more?
Narduzzi: They won’t listen to me. If I tell them to stop throwing the short ball, they’ll throw the deep ball, and if I tell them to - you know, I mean, it doesn’t matter. They’re going to throw a little bit of both. They throw the deep ball. They will take their shots Saturday, I promise you. They’re going to watch UCF and they’re going to chuck it deep, so we practiced those, we practiced all the quick screens that they’ve got in their arsenal. It will be quick. They’re not going to do one thing. They’re not going to just throw three-yard passes all day. We’ll get a variety and DeVito’s got the arm count to do it.
My understanding is that Paris has to be in the locker room the first half; how difficult is that going to be to keep him under wraps?
Narduzzi: He’ll be fine. We’ll have a coach in there with him. I didn’t even know that was a rule. Just another weird rule. So I’m sure the cameras will be on him when he comes out at halftime. Just another way to put the cameras on the kids.
The key to those short passes is tackling really well; as you guys have gone week to week and looked back at each game, how has your defense done and graded out as far as tackles go?
Narduzzi: We don’t grade out tackles. I would say every week there’s going to be missed tackles. But I think our kids have overall tackled pretty well. I can see certain plays, you know, we missed a few at Penn State, one on a run on third down, but to me, that was more of the call, bringing a corner blitz and Dane’s got too far to go to get there and it just didn’t - it’s half-coach, half-player. You’d like to still make the tackle. We missed a couple on the edge with our corners on some quick routes outside that we have to make and we expect them to make those. But we’ve made a heck of a lot more than we’ve missed.
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Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse Football Prediction and Preview (athlonsports.com; Josephs)
A big one on Friday night in the ACC as both teams try to stay in the race
Friday night lights in New York, as Syracuse hosts Pittsburgh in the Carrier Dome. These two played a wild game at Heinz Field last year with the Panthers winning 44-37 in overtime. Both squads made a field goal in the last six minutes to send the game to the extra frame. The home team ran for 265 yards with two players going for over 100, while Eric Dungey accounted for nearly 270 all-purpose yards for the Orange.
The 2019 Syracuse team is 3-3 and has not won a game yet in ACC play, falling to Clemson and NC State. Last week, the offense was anemic in a 16-10 loss in Raleigh. Tommy DeVito clearly didn't look right in the first half but then turned it on late. Their wins have come over Liberty, Western Michigan and Holy Cross with the losses being to Maryland and the aforementioned conference opponents. This is their fourth home tilt over their last five overall, so with three of their next four on the road, this is rather important to pick up.
Pittsburgh will have had 13 days to relish in their victory at Duke back on Oct. 5. The Panthers outscored the Blue Devils, 33-30, as quarterback Kenny Pickett returned under center. This team has won three straight and is 4-2 overall with a 1-1 record in the ACC. Pitt's wins have come over Ohio, UCF, Delaware, and Duke with the losses being to UVA and Penn State on the road. It's hard to believe how well these guys have played since they had to deal with their coach attempting a field goal from the 1 in the loss to the rival Nittany Lions when they'd still have needed a touchdown to win.
Pittsburgh at Syracuse
Kickoff: Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Spread: Pittsburgh -3
When Syracuse Has the Ball
Tommy DeVito's numbers looked good last week with 300 passing yards and a touchdown, but it was the plays that weren't made in the crucial moments that will hurt. The signal-caller was constantly on the run, as the Wolfpack were able to harass him into eight sacks. He's been sacked 26 times already as injuries up front have handicapped this offense greatly. Before the season began, the team was hoping the duo of Moe Neal and Abdul Adams would be a factor, but instead, the ground game nets 3.1 yards per carry with seven touchdowns. Trishton Jackson has been fantastic at wide receiver, but the rest of the group is really inconsistent.
Pittsburgh's defense held PSU to 17 points way back in Week 3 on the road. They've also proven vulnerable at times, giving up 30 or more three times. Eleven different Panthers have registered sacks with Jaylen Twyman, Kylan Johnson and Patrick Jones II accounting for 14 themselves. This team is fourth against the pass and the run in the ACC this season.
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Pittsburgh Preview (Syracuse Football Podcast Ep. 12) Syracuse.com Sports Podcasts podcast (player.fm; podcast; Bailey & Whigham)
Julian Whigham and Stephen Bailey break down Syracuse's Week 8 matchup with Pittsburgh. Sitting at 3-3 with a trip to Florida State around the corner, the Orange is in desperate need of a victory. Can SU's offensive line find a way to protect banged-up quarterback Tommy DeVito against one of the ACC's best front sevens? If so, opportunities should exist for Syracuse's wideouts against Pat Narduzzi's aggressive defense. On the other side of the ball, the Panthers have turned to a spread passing attack under first-year offensive coordinator Mark Whipple.
Jerry DiPaola, a reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, jumps in to provide a perspective from the other side of the press room. Stick around for fan questions and predictions.
219. John Wildhack, Syracuse University Athletic Director | Underdog Sports (theunderdogsports.com; Everett)
On The Block On Demand 10-16 (espnur.com; radio; Axe)
Former ESPN executive John Wildhack left that network in 2016 to become the Athletic Director at Syracuse University. This episode focuses on his journey from the early days of ESPN to the juggernaut that it became, while also covering some of the issues facing ESPN in recent years.
Then, the show transitions into a deep dive into the state of Syracuse Sports. More specifically, the football and basketball programs. Plus, they discuss the Carrier Dome, the move to the ACC, and all the ramifications of those decisions, with a focus on the future.
Brent looks at the Syracuse football team at the midway point of the season and how they are performing against expectations. Later, some “H0T Takes” on Ryan Fitzpatrick and some crazy Saban contract bonus.
Interesting facts you may not know about Syracuse Pitt rivalry (247sports.com; McAllister)
Syracuse and Pittsburgh are set to square off for the 75th time inside the Carrier Dome Friday night. The two began playing each other in 1916, and have played every season since 1955. The rivalry has featured some of the best to ever play college football. Some of those players include Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, Joe Morris, Rob Moore, Tim Green, Chris Gedney, Dwight Freeney, Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett, Larry Fitzgerald, LeSean McCoy and Aaron Donald among many others.
The games between the two northeastern schools have traditionally been close, with each having the upper hand in the series at different times. Currently, Pittsburgh leads the series 39-32-3. Syracuse head coach Dino Babers took over the Orange prior to the 2016 season. His introduction to the rivalry featured a record setting game, but we will have more on that a bit later. Babers is currently 1-2 against Pitt, having lost both road games but won the only home contest. That was a win in 2017 when Syracuse prevailed 27-24 while racking up 500 yards of total offense.
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The Ostrom Avenue Podcast Ep 6- Panic! On the Hill? (waer.org; podcast; Kloss)
With a .500 record, the Syracuse football season has not gone the way that most expected. Is it panic time for the 'Cuse? Hosts Brendan Mortensen and Owen Valentine are joined by Connor Federico to find out. Were expectations too high? Is the team more on track than we think? Plus, a look ahead to Friday's matchup with Pitt, and a key to the game.
Watch: Pat Narduzzi's Final Press Briefing before Syracuse (pittsburghsportsnow.com; video; Bell)
Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi speaks with the media, including Nate Bell of Pittsburgh Sports Now, after practice on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, at Pitt’s practice facility as the Panthers prepare to visit Syracuse.
Narduzzi talked about Pitt’s new passing game, and his thoughts on the Paris Ford targeting call.
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Former Syracuse football players Jordan Martin, Jamal Custis selected in XFL Draft (PS; Burrows)
Two former Syracuse football players were selected in the XFL Draft on Wednesday.
Former Orange wide receiver Jamal Custis was taken by the DC Defenders in the Open Phase of the XFL Draft.
Custis helped the Orange to a 10-3 record in 2018, catching 51 passes for 906 yards and six touchdowns.
The second-team All-ACC receiver signed a guaranteed $100,000 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, but was waived as part of the team’s final roster cuts in August.
Former Orange defensive back Jordan Martin was taken with the sixth pick in the seventh round of the defensive backfield phase of the draft by the Seattle Dragons.
Here’s the analysis from the XFL Draft tracker:
Jordan Martin is a former college cornerback and safety. He had a tryout with the Jets before earning a starting role in the AAF. He has a good height/weight/speed combination. He has extensive experience playing single high coverage and can brings solid hit power as a downhill run defender.
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Here are three keys to victory for the Syracuse football team against Pittsburgh (D&C; Johnson)
The Syracuse Orange find themselves on prime time once again with a Friday night battle at the Dome against rival Pittsburgh (7 p.m., ESPN).
Last week the Orange faltered in the prime time slot on Thursday by surrendering eight sacks in a 16-10 loss at North Carolina State.
Syracuse is still seeking its first win against Power 5 competition and this week would be the perfect opportunity. Now officially past the halfway point of the season, if the Orange aren't careful the season could easily slip away from them.
After Pitt, Syracuse will travel to Florida State and host Boston College. Syracuse could win every single one of these games, but at the same time the Orange could lose all of them.
That's how frustrating this season has been for a team that entered the year ranked No. 22.
"We're 3-3. We're not where we want to be. We're not happy where we're at. Now what? Again, that's what's going to define this season. Define this team. Define this bunch of seniors. I'm excited about that," Dino Babers said at his weekly press conference Monday.
Babers also added: "I'm not happy about how things have gone. But now that all that stuff is behind us, and there's no more rose colored glasses here, this is what we are, it's game six. Now, get better."
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Dottie Grover, famed Syracuse baton girl, dies at age 90 (PS; Waters)
Dorothy “Dottie’’ Grover, one of the Syracuse University marching band’s famed baton girls, died last Thursday at the age of 90, according to her family.
Grover, a native of Freeport, Long Island, holds a special place in Syracuse University history. She was one of the earliest baton girls, who performed along with the SU marching band at football games.
The baton girl tradition began in 1947 with featured twirler Jessie Ann Harp. In 1949, SU’s director of bands Harwood Simmons recruited Grover to be the next baton girl.
Grover had been twirling for 11 years prior to coming to Syracuse. She was also a champion water-skier. She had been modeling and taking classes at New York University when she accepted Simmons’ offer.
“I have a half-dozen scrapbooks of my mom,’’ Bill Gabor Jr. said. “She was in the paper every football game.’’
Grover placed second in the Miss New York State beauty pageant and in 1950 won the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi pageant, which was considered the second-biggest beauty contest in the United States at the time.
After graduating from Syracuse, Grover toured Europe with the Harlem Globetrotters. She put on her baton twirling show during halftime of the Globetrotters’ games.
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ACC at midseason is top-heavy to a fault (dailypress.com; Teel)
More ACC teams have lost their starting quarterback for the year to injury than are ranked in this week’s Associated Press poll. That’s not where a Power Five conference aspires to be anytime, let alone at midseason.
Clemson’s status as the league’s only top-25 squad shouldn’t shock anyone. After all, the national champion Tigers and Syracuse were the lone ACC teams in 2018’s final poll and 2019’s preseason rankings, and the Orange lost quarterback Eric Dungey to graduation.
Still, it’s jarring.
Each of the other Power Five conferences has at least three top-25 teams, led by the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten with six apiece. A league outside the Power Five, the American Athletic, has two.
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ACC Football News and Notes: First in the Coastal on the line in Virginia (ngscports.com; Doucette)
This weekend all teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference will be in action. Some big games are scheduled in both divisions as the season moves past the halfway mark. Here is a look at what is going on in the ACC.
In the Coastal Division, two games are on tap with a share of first place on the line. Duke is at Virginia and North Carolina heads to Virginia Tech. The winner of the Blue Devils game will at least have a share of the division lead by the end of the weekend. The Tar Heels can make the same claim if they can get a road win in Blacksburg which is always a tough place for a visiting team to play well in.
For the second straight week, Georgia Tech set a season-high with 379 yards of total offense in their 41-23 loss at Duke. The Yellow Jackets 23 points were the most scored this season against an FBS opponent as Duke heads to Virginia on Friday night for a showdown game. Their defense will need to be better at getting off the field if the Blue Devils are to come out on top.
A wild one took place last Saturday at Wake Forest. Louisville went on the road and put up 62 points against Wake’s defense. The 62-59 victory by the Cardinals was their first road win in the conference since beating Florida State back on October 21, 2017. The 62 points scored were the most ever by a Cardinals team on the road vs a ranked team and matches the most on the road in league play as they dropped 62 on Syracuse on September 9, 2016.
Demons Deacons wide receiver Sage Surratt had a touchdown catch in that game vs Louisville. It marks the eighth straight game that Surratt has had a TD catch. He has broken the school record set by Desmond Clark of six in a row set back in 1998.
Syracuse LB Andrew Armstrong intercepted a pass vs the Wolfpack last Saturday to extend the Orange streak of consecutive games with a takeaway to 20. It’s the second-longest behind Mississippi State’s 22. The pick was Syracuse’s 25th in their last 19 games.
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Clemson's dominance provides lift for struggling ACC (ESPN; AP)
for gbo
Clemson is once again sitting atop the Atlantic Coast Conference -- and the third-ranked Tigers are putting the struggling league on their back and bringing the ACC along for the championship ride.
The ACC hasn't had much to hang its hat on this football season with Clemson the only team in the Top 25.
But the league does have the Tigers, who are the most dominant football program in the ACC by far. The Tigers have won the past four conference crowns and two of the last three national titles.
Their dominance raises a question: Is it good for the league, or possibly bad for Clemson?
There's no denying the Tigers have helped bring national recognition to the ACC brand, been a major cog in record financial distribution for all 14 member schools and had a positive impact on recruiting.
"They're not a good football team. They're a great football team," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. "It's rare you have one in a league."
It's seems way past time for ACC to take full advantage of the Tigers championship run.
League Commissioner John Swofford said Clemson is setting the standard "and it's up to everybody else to challenge that standard and rise to that standard."
Or be swept by Clemson's high tide.
"It used to be Notre Dame overall, but in the ACC, Clemson certainly has that role," said Joe Favorito, a brand specialist and marketing expert who has worked with NBA teams, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
He believes Clemson has brought coast-to-coast recognition to the ACC's brand and that the Tigers' dominance has set up a classic "heroes vs. villains" scenario the casual sports fan easily relate to when looking for games to watch on Saturdays.
Even if football fans don't watch every play, they imprint the "David-vs.-Goliath" story line, Favorito said. Fans also can become more familiar with the ACC's name, an invaluable asset with a league that recently launched the ACC Network and seeking more eyes for its sports.
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An early guide to how the ACC is assigned bowls (tarheelblog.com; Hood)
Carolina has not been to a bowl game since the 2016 Sun Bowl in El Paso. Yes, since the Tar Heels last played in a bowl game, the basketball team has won a national title, anyone entering school that year would be a senior this year, and the coaching staff looks a hair different.
The last two seasons have essentially seen bowl eligibility become an afterthought for UNC fans pretty quickly, even when six wins are the base requirement. This year, though, with the team going 3-3 through (in)arguably the most difficult part of their schedule, Carolina fans can actually contemplate what the bowl scenarios are for their Tar Heels.
We’re going to wait a few more weeks before we really start going over bowl predictions as a lot can happen with six games to go, but consider this your early guide into the bowls the ACC will participate in and their order of selection. That way, when people start referring to “Tier 1” bowls and whatnot, you know what they mean. All of this info is from theacc.com but to save you the trouble of navigating that site, it’s broken down below. Also, as I’m not paid by any of the sponsors, I’ll avoid using the sponsor names unless it’s specifically the name of the bowl.
College Football Playoffs
- Peach Bowl, Atlanta Georgia, 12/28
- Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Arizona, 12/28
New Year’s Six
- Orange Bowl, Miami, FL, 12/30, 8 PM
The Cotton Bowl is technically reachable as well for the ACC, but that’s not happening this year so for the purpose of simplicity, we’ll just focus on the Orange.
Orlando Bowls
- Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL, 1/1, 1 PM
- Camping World Bowl, Orlando, FL, 12/28, Noon
Should the Orange Bowl select a Big 10 team, then the Citrus Bowl gets first pick of the remaining ACC bowl teams. The Camping World Bowl goes next, or goes first if the ACC is playing the SEC or Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.
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Virginia Tech football: North Carolina kids playing major roles for the Hokies (gobblercountry.com; Manning)
for Hokie Mark
Halfway through the 2019 season, the Virginia Tech Hokies sit at 4-2, including a disappointing 1-2 mark in the ACC. However, the Hokies have won two consecutive games since the debut of redshirt sophomore Hendon Hooker as the starting quarterback. In two starts, Hooker has completed 26 of 47 passes for 465 yards, six touchdowns and, most importantly, no interceptions. Hooker has also rushed for 119 yards and another score in those two games.
Hooker, of course, is from Greensboro, North Carolina, one of many current Hokies from the Tar Heel State. Remember, the hashtag ‘#NC2VT’ that was extremely popular around the program in the last couple of years? Hooker was one of those who got that trend started. Redshirt junior Divine Deablo of Winston-Salem, was one of the first higher-rated players in North Carolina to choose to depart his home state for Blacksburg among those on the roster now. And, if not for injuries, Deablo would easily be an All-ACC player.
Another standout is sophomore wide receiver Tre Turner. Turner was terrific as a true freshman last season, including a breakout performance in the win over Virginia. Turner is a phenomenal talent who has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this fall due in part to the changes at quarterback and a recent injury. He has missed the last two games but is almost certainly expected to play this weekend. Another positive for the Hokies is this will be the first time all season the team will have Turner and Damon Hazelton at full strength together and it could not come at a better time. Turner is also from Greensboro.
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Links, news and rumors - 10/16/17 (RX; HM)
Links, news and rumors - 10/16/17
From SouthernPigskin: OAYP Game Predictions, Week 8:
NOTE: In the article he also ranks teams and players by OAYP.
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From SI: Virginia CB Bryce Hall to Miss Rest of Season
Virginia All-American cornerback Bryce Hall will miss the rest of the season following left ankle surgery. Hall was injured while covering a punt during the game at Miami, Friday night. Coach Mendenhall says recovery time is uncertain. Hall was probably the MVP of the Cavaliers' defense - this will definitely have an impact.
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Is the ACC Coastal Weak? (RX; HM)
Is the ACC Coastal Weak?
We've all see it (and have grown to hate it): the ACC Coastal "Wheel of Destiny"! Where you might as well spin a wheel to determine which team is going to win the Coastal because they're all the same - mediocre in the eyes of many.
Familiar, but does this view have merit? Is the ACC Coastal Division populated with a bunch of mediocre teams who beat up on each other end end up sending a champion who is a game or two above .500 in league? To answer that, we need some data...
Regular Season Records
First, let's look at the records of past Coastal champs:
| Year | Coastal Champ | W-L |
| 2005 | Virginia Tech | 10-2 |
| 2006 | Georgia Tech | 9-3 |
| 2007 | Virginia Tech | 10-2 |
| 2008 | Virginia Tech | 8-4 |
| 2009 | Georgia Tech | 10-2 |
| 2010 | Virginia Tech | 10-2 |
| 2011 | Virginia Tech | 11-1 |
| 2012 | Georgia Tech | 6-6* |
| 2013 | Duke | 10-2 |
| 2014 | Georgia Tech | 10-2 |
| 2015 | N Carolina | 11-1 |
| 2016 | Virginia Tech | 9-3 |
| 2017 | Miami | 10-1** |
| 2018 | Pitt | 7-5 |
* Both UNC and Miami were ineligible due to postseason bans.
** Game against Arkansas State was cancelled due to hurricane.
Except for 2012 - a year in which both the 1st and 2nd place teams were ineligible - the average record of the Coastal champ has been 10-2. Indeed, last year's champion (Pitt) had the second-worst record of all time. If that becomes a trend you might have a problem, but if it stays around 10 wins we're good.
2019 Week 8 Factoids (RX; HM)
2019 Week 8 Factoids
From the ACC's weekly media release:
Does that change your view of the Seminoles' season? Boise State, UVA and Clemson are all pretty good.
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Other
Hidden Gems of CNY: An unbelievable fish sandwich at an unbelievably low price (PS; Miller)
Central New York has plenty of restaurants that serve decent fried haddock. But how many places have you encountered that sell a good-sized freshly-fried fish sandwich for under $4?
That’s what I thought ... until I found myself driving behind the old Ponderosa Plaza strip mall in Liverpool.
And that’s where I happened upon the Fish Company of Liverpool. It’s tucked away at the end and around back, next door to the Gem and Mineral Society of Syracuse. It’s been here for 53 years.
“Every week we have someone say, ‘I’ve lived in Liverpool for 30 years and never knew you were here,’” owner Cosmo Giardina said. “But because of our food, we’ve developed a loyal following.”
Inside the tiny storefront is a counter where you place your order, a cooler where you grab a homemade side dish and a cash register where you pay not a hell of a lot for your meal.
In the back, behind the counter, Cosmo is pulling cut haddock fillets from a milk-based brine and dipping them into a yellow batter and then into golden breading. Then one of the two men working the counter takes the coated pieces and drops them into the peanut oil as orders come in.
The turnaround time for an order is usually just a few minutes.
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