sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Halloween is a holiday that is rooted in, and was influenced by, both pagan and Christian traditions. On one hand there are the influences of Celtic harvest festivals, such as the Gaelic festival Samhain, and on the other hand Halloween stems from All Hallows' Eve, which is the night before the Christian holiday of All Hallows' Day—or All Saints Day. Halloween traditions were culled from these influences, and from varied traditions that different countries celebrated. The amalgamation of these influences helped to create what we now know as Halloween in the United States.
Samhain is seen as a time when the boundaries between this world and the otherworld narrow, giving spirits the opportunity to enter this world. In Britain and Ireland, divination rituals took place during Samhain, which included practices such as apple bobbing, which is now often associated with Halloween. Since the 16th century or earlier, guising—or going door to door in costume or disguise—has been a practice during Samhain in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Wales. People impersonated the souls of the dead, originally in an effort to protect themselves from the dead spirits, or to receive offerings on their behalf. In Scotland, youths wore masks or painted their faces, and sometimes threatened mischief if they were not welcomed. The practice of wearing costumes and committing pranks spread to England by the 20th century. These traditions can be seen as influences that helped create trick-or-treating. Those participating in costume wearing and pranks also many times held carved lanterns, which helped bring about the jack-o'lantern.
SU News
Syracuse’s Josh Black didn’t want to be a football player: How family and a little vanity made him one (PS; Carlson)
Josh Black never wanted to be a football player. Unlike the majority of his Syracuse football teammates, he didn’t like sports growing up. He didn’t like the physicality. He didn’t like the commitment. He didn’t like the competition.
Yet now, here Black is, undersized and fighting on the front line of almost every single play despite being the lightest starting defensive tackle in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In a difficult season for the Orange, he has been a bright spot, helping the Syracuse defensive line hold its own despite playing without projected starter McKinley Williams.
Black’s presence at Syracuse is a unique result, a testament to the positive impact one sibling can have on another, and a dash of vanity and self-consciousness.
Black didn’t play sports as a child because he liked them. He played sports because he believed that’s what was expected of him.
His father played football at Wisconsin-Superior. His mother was a standout in local softball leagues. His brother played football. His sister played volleyball. Black stumbled into the family tradition, testing out basketball, wrestling and football.
Still, he didn’t enjoy it. Black didn’t like the process required to get better, constantly feeling like he was putting in work without seeing results.
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Football roundtable: Football beat writers discuss solutions for team's struggling season (DO; Staff)
After losing to Florida State on Saturday, 35-17, Syracuse football dropped to 3-5 on the season. Last year, the Orange were 6-2 through eight games, but in 2019, SU is riding a three-game losing streak. Its defense has fluctuated between dominance and inconsistency while its offense has struggled all season behind an offensive line that’s allowed the most sacks in the nation.
Our beat writers answered pressing questions ahead of Syracuse’s final third of its season.
- Is there a successful offensive element that SU can exploit in the final four games?
Andrew Graham: Syracuse has had a pretty successful screen game so far this season, at least relative to the rest of the offense. SU’s litany of quick hitters to any number of its playmakers on the boundary has easily been SU’s most consistent, and consistently productive play, all season. This works, generally, because it takes the onus off the offensive line and pass protection to hold up for more than a second or so. Tommy DeVito can comfortably get the ball to one of Trishton Jackson, Sean Riley, Taj Harris, Nykeim Johnson, Moe Neal or Abdul Adams, among others. That’s not going to win them any games on its own, but it can be the seed for offensive growth.
Josh Schafer: For the sake of not repeating the benefits of a screen game, Syracuse has had success with unconventional running plays. Against Pittsburgh, Clayton Welch came in for long runs in spurts. Against North Carolina State, Abdul Adams jumpstarted a drive out of the wildcat formation. Last week, Syracuse saw firsthand what happens when a team switches up how it attacks the ground game when Florida State running back Cam Akers carved up the Orange defense out of the wildcat. It’s clear at this point in the season that Syracuse has failed to establish a run game in the first half of games against Power 5 opponents. Before defenses have dropped back in coverage to defend large leads, the Orange rushing game hasn’t produced. SU is tied for 114th in rushing yards per game. So if Syracuse can trick opponents and steal yards, it could make a huge difference in the offense.
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'It's just us' (247sports.com; Johnson)
In August, the Syracuse football team was the talk of Syracuse; the talk of Central New York; the talk of the entire state. Heading into the fall of 2019, it truly was New York’s college team. There was arguably more hype than any of the professional “New York” teams.
Orange fans finally had something to look forward too. There was finally some national recognition for the program that Dino Babers had built from the ground up. It was time for good football.
Coming off of the best season in two decades, how could you not be excited? There was a different feel. It was vibrant. There was “La Familia.”
It was almost as if the unexpected excellence of the 2018 season after years and years of mediocrity and disappointment sent all of the surrounding Syracuse areas into a frenzy. It was like there was too much fun and excitement in the weeks leading up to week one.
But then after each quarter passed by of the Liberty game, there was this weird feeling. It was a feeling that you almost couldn’t quite understand. Yes, they won the game, but it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t even on the same planet as some of the wins felt in the 2018 season. Those wins were convincing. Satisfying. Sometimes dominant.
This time, it was almost as if they just survived and did the minimum to put up 24 points. As a fan, you may have felt nervous moving forward. Rightfully so, that led to two straight losses of 35 points or more. It was heart wrenching for Orange fans.
Now Syracuse enters game nine and the Orange are without a conference win. In a year where fans were looking for 10 more wins, they are suddenly staring at a possible season with no bowl game.
And with disappointment and frustration, that brings a loss of faith. A lack of support that was at an all-time high just two months prior. So what’s next? Senior Moe Neal is determined to not let his guys give up and do whatever they can to keep the Cuse army in strong arms.
“We’re not going to give up. We’re not going to quit,” said Neal. “There’s no quit in us and I can see it in the guys’ eyes. We believe in each other.”
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What they're saying: Syracuse stars on NCAA rules on name/image/likeness (cnycentral.com; Tamurian)
On Tuesday the NCAA announced groundbreaking legislation that states no later than 2021 it will allow student-athletes to be compensated for their name, image and/or likeness.
In other words, Tyus Battle could've done a commercial for Wegman's, Eric Dungey could've been paid to sign autographs all without losing any eligibility.
So we asked Syracuse athletes past and present along with Coach Jim Boeheim their take on the new ruling:
Jim Boeheim, 44th season as Syracuse Basketball Head Coach
How they figure this out is a Chinese puzzle, a really difficult puzzle. To make it legal and so that one guy doesn’t get this and what about these guys? And the quarterback and running back get this and the linemen don’t get anything. How does it all work? It’s a good theory and good political ploy cause everyone's for it. I’m for it. Who’s not for players getting some (money)? I’m for that, but it comes back to money and how the other sports, you know, they’re not getting anything.
Moe Neal
It’s awesome, man, especially for the younger guys coming up. Obviously I’m a little upset cause it’s my last year but it’s very exciting. I knew it was going to be time for a change soon
Damien Rhodes
It’s good that the NCAA is realizing, okay, maybe we have been robbing them a little bit, and people say the argument of free education. You’re right and that’s great. Don’t think any players take that for granted. But there’s also people that go to school and don’t play sports that can get a free education, but they can go get a slice of pizza whenever they want. Someone can give it to them for free and they don’t have to lose their scholarship for it whereas an athlete can lose their scholarship for it. So there’s arguments on both sides, and one of the things Coach Boeheim mentioned is they need to figure out how do we now orchestrate it. How do we put it in to place. It can be a very slippery slope and it can do a lot of damage to some sports. Some sports that don’t get the TV credit and notoriety. I think when this whole thing started it was someone’s jersey was getting sold in the store. Well how come the university , the NCAA and Nike is making all the money, but the player can’t go get a free one for himself to give to his family. There’s simple things that could’ve been done to make it all easier, but now it’s just a slippery slope
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Five Takeaways From Steve Addazio's Press Conference (SI; Black)
On Monday, Boston College head coach Steve Addazio talked with the media about Saturday's 59-7 loss to Clemson and their upcoming matchup with Syracuse. Here are the five takeways from his comments.
Isaiah McDuffie's Status Is Still Up In The Air But He Dressed Against Clemson
Like most weeks this year Addazio could not give a firm update on linebacker Isaiah McDuffie's return from injury. However, he did mention that he was dressed for the first time on Saturday.
"I don't know that he's officially been cleared to play yet, but I think he's certainly right there." Addazio told reporters. "I think, if you ask me that question at the end of the week, I might have a more accurate answer for you. Obviously, he's right there. He's right there now."
Addazio Is Carefully Managing Getting Freshman Playing Time Without Burning Redshirts.
Addazio was asked about getting players into games, which he did against Clemson (Matt Valecce, Patrick Garwo etc.), Remember each player can still play up to four games and retain their redshirt year. He talked about how they games remaining for each player charted out in their offices.
"Some guys we've determined they're just going to play. I'd say there's about three guys probably that we're still managing that. If the right injuries occur, boom, you trigger it. If they don't, you're trying to manage it. And in a perfect world, you maintain a redshirt year and be able to maximize portions thereof -- four games, four games...plus you have a bowl game.
So in a perfect world, you're trying to manage that, you know what I mean? So we meet on that. I have a participation count board, and really, try to really pay attention to where guys are."
3. Not a lot to evaluate from Dennis Grosel in the Clemson game
As we all saw, Grosel was not much of a factor against Clemson. According to Addazio he didn't get enough to really evaluate Grosel's game.
"Threw a couple of nice balls. Probably threw a couple of risky balls, but in the course of the first half of football, we didn't touch it a ton. They didn't punt in the first half. So I want say it was too high, and I certainly wouldn't say it was too low. I think it was somewhere in the middle. So I'm anxious to see how he plays this week."
2. Addazio Loves Rivalry with Syracuse
Boston College has a long storied rivalry with Syracuse, in which the Orange have a 31-20 edge. Steve Addazio has been on both sides of the rivalry and he believes the games are very important.
"I think it's huge. I think Pittsburgh should be on our side. I don't understand all that. Honestly, I don't get it, but I'm big on the geographical deals. Even when we play out of conference, those games to be geographically based. Probably part of it is I got brought up, when I was at Syracuse and the Big East, and I'm used to that kind of thing. It's good fan interest. It's good player interest. It's good recruiting interest. I love it. So the more of that, the better, to me."
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The Ostrom Avenue Podcast Ep 8- Bigger than Fournette, as Fast as Kamara (waer.org; podcast; Ostrum Avenue)
Syracuse got run all over by Cam Akers last week, to the tune of 145 yards and 4 touchdowns. This week against Boston College, things don't get any easier against AJ Dillon. Dillon is the only 1,000 yard rusher in the ACC. Hosts Brendan Mortensen and Owen Valentine are joined by JD Raucci to discuss SU's defensive struggles last week, and if the Orange can turn things around against the Eagles.
Brendan Mortensen and Owen Valentine are joined by JD Raucci to discuss the continued defensive struggles from the SU football team.
A new episode of the Ostrom Avenue Podcast can be found weekly during the school year during Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
https://winnersandwhiners.com/games/ncaaf/11-2-2019/boston-college-vs-syracuse-prediction-1860/ (winnersandwhiners.com; Akinpelu)
Boston College Eagles vs. Syracuse Orange
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
When: Saturday, November 2, 12:00 PM. ET.
The Syracuse Orange will be trying to snap their three-game losing streak when they take on the Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
Eagles Going For Second Win In Three Games
The Eagles are coming off a blowout loss to Clemson in their last game and will be trying to bounce back from the loss with a win over the Orange on Saturday, which will give them their second win in their last three games.
Boston College has been tough to beat this season, with only two of their losses coming by more than three points. The team’s defense has been their biggest problem this season, giving up 32 points per game. They played a little better prior to their loss to Clemson, but couldn’t slow down Clemson’s offense in their last game and gave up 59 points.
They will try to bounce back from the poor performance with a better defensive effort against the offensively challenged Orange.
Despite their defensive struggles, the Eagles have played well offensively, averaging 31.1 points per game, which is 52nd in the country. They have done particularly well on the ground and are averaging 255.6 rushing yards per game.
The Tigers were able to slow down Boston College’s ground game, holding them to 97 rushing yards. A.J. Dillon, who leads the team with 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns, was held to 76 yards and one touchdown against the Tigers.
With the Orange giving up 160 rushing yards per game, expect the Eagles to keep the ball on the ground and Dillon to have a big game on Saturday.
Orange Going For Second Consecutive win Over Eagles
The Orange have lost their last three games and will try to get back on track with a win over the Eagles, which will give them their fourth win of the season and second win in a row over the Eagles.
Syracuse has struggled on the offensive end this season, averaging 23.8 points per game. They have been held to 22 points in their last four games and will need to play better if they want to get past the Eagles.
The Orange have done a good job throwing the ball and are averaging 247.4 passing yards per game. With the Eagles giving up over 300 passing yards in their last game, expect the Orange to throw the ball a lot in this game.
In their last game, the Orange struggled to move the ball through the air against Florida State’s secondary with Tommy DeVito completing 20 of 33 passes for 151 yards. However, they were able to run the ball for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Orange are giving up 27.3 points per game and will have their hands full with the Eagles, who are averaging 31.1 points per game. If they can keep the Eagles from running effectively, they will have a chance to pick up the win.
The Eagles have the advantage in this game because the Orange have lost their last three games and failed to cover the spread in those games, while the Eagles have played well against the spread in four of their last five games. Boston College also has the 10th best ground game in the country, averaging 255.6 rushing yards per game and will be able to run the ball against the Orange, who are giving up 160 rushing yards per game and have given up 17 rushing touchdowns through their first eight games. In addition to the Orange struggling defensively, they also haven’t played well on offense and are averaging 23.8 points per game, which is 100th in the country. With the Eagles averaging 31.1 points per game, the Orange will have a hard time keeping up, which is why the Eagles +3 makes the most sense here.
Prediction: Boston College Eagles +3
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Florida State Football: Grading FSU's performance in win over Syracuse (tallahassee.com; McGahee III)
Florida State turned in arguably the best performance of the Willie Taggart era against Syracuse.
The Seminoles (4-4, 3-3 ACC) defeated the Orange (3-5, 0-4 ACC) 35-17 at Doak Campbell Stadium Saturday.
Syracuse didn't come within 18 points of FSU in the second half in a game that the Seminoles dominated from the beginning.
FSU beat writer Wayne McGahee III broke down each position group's play from the game and graded their performance against the Orange before giving his overall grade for the game.
Quarterback
Grade: C+
FSU went with graduate transfer Alex Hornibrook over redshirt sophomore James Blackman against Syracuse.
Hornibrook didn't do anything special, but he didn't hurt the Seminoles. And with the way the run game was rolling along, he didn't need to do anything special.
He underthrew a few passes, including a couple that could have resulted in touchdowns, but that's always going to be a concern when he's in the game. He just doesn't have the arm strength necessary to push the ball down the field.
The FSU quarterback talked when he knew he was starting, how good Cam Akers is after the win over the Orange. Curt Weiler, Tallahassee Democrat
He finished 15 of 26 for 196 yards. He didn't have a touchdown or an interception. More than 25% of his yards came on FSU's triple pass that Tamorrion Terry leaped to catch. It could also have been intended for D.J. Matthews, who was streaking behind Terry.
If Terry didn't catch it the throw was likely an interception going the other way with a defender streaking in front of Matthews on the play.
His best throw of the game was dropped by sophomore Tre'Shaun Harrison.
Running back
Grade: A+
Junior running back Cam Akers had an incredible game. Redshirt sophomore running back Khalan Laborn was a standout performer as well.
Akers carried the ball 20 times for 144 yards and four touchdowns, which tied the program record for rushing touchdowns in a single game. He also threw two passes -- both to Laborn -- and caught two passes.
Laborn carried the ball 17 times for 68 yards and a touchdown and added two catches for 26 yards.
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Syracuse Football: Top 3 keys to the game vs Boston College in Week 10 (itlh; Esden Sr)
Our Paul A. Esden Sr shares the top three keys to the game vs Boston College in Week 10. Here are all the details and looking ahead to the matchup.
This is normally when I would talk about some insight from last week’s game. We could talk about Syracuse football’s run of holding elite running backs in check ended with Cam Akers trouncing the Orange with 20 carries for 144 yards and 4 touchdowns, but you already knew that.
We could talk about how Tommy DeVito has been sacked more times than any other quarterback in the FBS this year, but you already knew that. We could talk about the abysmal coaching that ultimately led to another loss, but yeah you get the point.
Nothing hard-hitting or late-breaking, the beatdown the Orange put on the Florida State Seminoles was returned to us … with a little loan shark interest added on.
The only startling news is that Syracuse as of the writing of this article is … favored to win?!? What ????Now it’s only 2.5 points but favored is favored. Not only that the ESPN Matchup predictor has Syracuse with a 61.1 percent chance to win. So in the words of Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber so you are saying there is a chance? Let’s hope so Orange faithful.
Here are the 3 keys to the game:
One of the reasons that Syracuse is a slight favorite in this game despite themselves is that Boston College will be without their Junior quarterback Anthony Brown.
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Predicting the remainder of Louisville football’s 2019 season (BRL; Reddington)
Four games remain and Louisville football is still in contention for the Orange Bowl. How will they close out the rest of 2019?
As Louisville football enters the final third of their season, they’ve already exceeded the expectations of most. During a season that was supposed to be a rebuilding year, Scott Satterfield and the Cardinals sit at 5-3 with a chance to make a run at the Orange Bowl.
They’ve now defeated three teams that made bowl appearances last season while two of their three losses have come against teams that appeared in the most recent College Football Playoff.
Everyone should feel really good about where Louisville football is and where it’s going. This year has already been a huge success and people have noticed.
But as coach Satterfield has consistently said, we’re now worried about the next game. The final bye week of the Louisville season comes this upcoming Saturday, November 2nd. After that, it’s nothing but winnable and lose-able games remain for this Cardinal football team. They’ll travel to Miami on November 9th.
They will then go to NC State, followed by their final home game against Syracuse the next week. Then of course, they’ll close the season in Lexington against the Kentucky Wildcats.
Here’s what you should expect from each matchup going forward.
Miami (FL)
ESPN FPI prediction: 32.9 percent chance
Miami is a team that has been disappointing this year on all counts. Clemson was a heavy favorite to win this conference. But when the season first started, Miami had the second-best odds to reign supreme in the ACC.
Things haven’t exactly gone that way. Miami is now 4-4, after coming off a huge win at Pittsburgh, the Canes now find themselves back in the bowl eligibility hunt.
Things could’ve been different for the Canes if they would’ve stolen that opening night victory against the Florida Gators. But they came up short and that’s been a consistent theme for them in games they’ve lost. They’ve experienced two back-breaking losses to a couple of the worst teams in the ACC and did so both at home. Virginia Tech and the abysmal Georgia Tech were both able to go into south beach and leave with a win.
Louisville will try to do the same, but it won’t be easy. Miami is a 3.5 underdog this weekend as they go to Florida State. So Louisville, coming off a bye, will absolutely be the more rested/healthy team. But after Miami plays FSU and UofL, they’ll host Florida International and then finish the season at Duke.
Miami has to win at least two of these games to salvage a bowl berth and that has to be the focus point for this team. They’ll be hungry on November 9th, but I trust Scott Satterfield here. While Miami has a top 15 defense nationally, what makes them vulnerable is the lack of an explosive offense. We saw Louisville already beat a Virginia team with a top 10 defense with explosive plays and I can’t see Miami’s offense behind quarterback Jarren Williams or N’Kosi Perry being able to outscore Louisville.
Coaching has been the biggest difference between last year’s Louisville team to this years. I think Satterfield having an extra week to prepare for Miami’s very simple offense will play to Louisville’s advantage. These two schools haven’t squared off since 2014, a game Louisville won 31-13. I think this one is much closer and low scoring, but the Cards reach bowl eligibility in week 11.
Louisville 24, Miami 20
@ North Carolina State
ESPN FPI Prediction: 52.3 percent chance
Louisville’s next game is in Raleigh, North Carolina against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. When you look at NC State this year, the one thing the standouts is their schedule. They played just two games in the month of October and will play five games in 28 days in November. This is the biggest stretch of the season for them and at 4-3, they still find themselves looking for six wins.
NC State’s results are exactly what you’d expect, they’ve beaten teams they’re supposed to beat and lost to teams they’re supposed to lose to, for the most part. The one outlier was the 17 point loss at West Virginia, who’s had a very down season. NC State has shown the repercussions of losing Ryan Finley, and a variety of weapons on both sides of the ball as well as members of their staff like Dwayne Ledford and Eli Drinkowitz.
But they’ve beaten Syracuse and that’s it in the ACC. Boston College just won at their place 45-24 and Florida State defeated them 31-13 earlier this year.
We’ve seen the differences from last year to this year with this Louisville team, this is perhaps the greatest opportunity to exemplify that. Louisville will have a firm understanding of the NC State game plan thanks to Ledford, and I expect the offense to be able to work magic against the nation’s 41st best defense. While the defense should be able to contain quarterback Matthew McKay and the limited NC State offense.
NC State might have beaten Louisville 52-10 last year in a demoralizing home loss, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s that things are much much different now. I think Louisville gets it done here to move to 7-3.
Louisville 35, NC State 28
Syracuse
Louisville will host Syracuse in their final homestand of the season. The crowd should be electric as a 7-3 football team will be looking for an incredible eighth win of the season and doing so on senior day. The way we’ve seen this group of players come back from a lost season to help set the foundation for Scott Satterfield in year one I can guarentee the team will be showered with love.
Syracuse has had a very down year following a successful one last season, sitting at3-5 with zero wins in the ACC. Their only wins have come against Liberty, Western Carolina and Western Michigan.
They have three games left and it’s honestly hard to see them winning any of them. They host Boston College this weekend, then they have road matchups at Duke and UofL. They finish the season with Wake Forest at the Carrier Dome.
With just three wins and four games to go, this Syracuse team may be just about done when they come to town. They’ve lost three in a row within the ACC, but have been competitive putting up close fights. As long as Louisville is healthy I don’t see Syracuse presenting much of a problem.
Louisville 38, Syracuse 21
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ACC teams looking for postseason berths down the stretch (ESPN; AP)
Fourth-ranked Clemson and No. 23 Wake Forest could lead another long line of ACC schools playing after the regular season ends.
Ten of the other 12 Atlantic Coast Conference schools enter the regular season's final month with a shot at becoming bowl eligible. Pittsburgh, Virginia and Virginia Tech could reach the six-win threshold this weekend.
Even struggling programs such as Syracuse (3-5) and last-place Georgia Tech (2-5) have a chance to play in December. It might be a stretch for the ACC to surpass last season's record-tying total of 11 bowl participants, but it could be an intriguing November for the league with so many postseason berths within reach for so many teams.
Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said in some ways ACC teams can thank Clemson for what's happening.
"It's wide open with four weeks to go, which I think is great for college football," Mendenhall said. "At some point the number of teams that play Clemson in our league, the learnings that come from that, will improve the programs."
The ACC has 13 bowls available including the Orange, where the league champion or highest-ranked team will play if that team is not in the four-team College Football Playoff. The first CFP rankings will be released next week.
Fourth-ranked Clemson (8-0, 6-0) is no playoff lock despite dominating the ACC again. If anything, the Tigers have tried to maintain their standing since their lone hiccup, a 21-20 escape of North Carolina (4-4) in September -- which has led to a steady drop from No. 1.
Clemson's recent romp since that narrow win has bolstered a perception of the ACC as a two-tiered league consisting of the Tigers and everybody else . High-scoring Wake Forest (6-1, 2-1) looks to prove otherwise in a Nov. 16 showdown that will likely decide the ACC's Atlantic Division.
Should the Demon Deacons come up short, the eventual winner of the wild Coastal Division awaits its chance at Clemson in the ACC championship on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Anything is possible if the Tigers have another bad day, but the ACC's current jostling of teams suggests balance that will pay off with significant representation in bowl games.
"By the middle of next month, you'll have a good idea of what teams are going to be capable of getting to six wins," ACC Network host Wes Durham said. "It may be that you have nine or 10 teams that go to bowls, but how many of those nine or 10 teams have the minimum number of (FBS) wins?
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How do Notre Dame offensive players stack up in the ACC? (slapthesign.com; Scott)
Sometimes not being in a conference makes it tough to pinpoint exactly where Notre Dame is statistically.
It might sound weird, but sometimes you lose something in the way of statistical measurement by not being in a conference. The Notre Dame team and players really only get to measure themselves on a national scale due to the football program’s independence.
As a result, the standard against which Notre Dame is measured is sometimes skewed.
Coming off the seventh game of the season, I decided to see how some of the Irish offensive player stack up in the ACC — the conference that they have an agreement with.
Notre Dame will play their third ACC opponent this weekend when they face Virginia Tech. They’ll face five ACC teams overall.
Here’s how Notre Dame’s offensive leaders stack up in the ACC so far in 2019.
Ian Book
From a yardage standpoint, it’s not great. Book’s 1,492 yards would put him No. 8 in the ACC. His touchdown pass total of 15, however, would put him at No. 4.
Tony Jones Jr.
Notre Dame’s leader rusher in 2019 has toted the rock for a total of 571 yards. That total would place him No. 7 amongst ACC rushers.
Chase Claypool
Notre Dame’s leading receiver has caught 29 balls this season. That total would put him at No. 18 in the ACC. His 436 yards would come in at No. 15.
Cole Kmet
Not surprisingly, Kmet’s numbers are solid — especially for missing the first two games of the season. His 23 receptions puts him at No. 3 amongst ACC tight ends. His 290 receiving yards also puts him at No. 3 in his position group. His red zone ability — however — is where he shines. Kmet’s four touchdown grabs would have him tied for the lead amongst all tight ends in the ACC.
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ACC’s Coastal chaos is crazier than ever, but U.Va. and Virginia Tech control their destinies (dailypress.com; Teel)
Stomach queasy? Mind bent? Savings account drained? If so, you must follow and/or gamble on the ACC’s Coastal Division, college football’s annual testament to parity, parody and/or mediocrity.
“I feel like it’s just the way the division is,” fourth-year Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente said Monday. “It seems like anything can happen, and in some cases anything has happened. In my short time, it seems to be a fairly regular occurrence.”
But Coastal chaos has attained new levels of amusement, madness and entertainment in 2019. To wit:
- Among major college football’s 18 divisions, only the Coastal finds every team with at least two league setbacks.
- This marks just the second time since 2005’s advent of ACC divisions that every Coastal team enters November with two or more conference losses. The other was 2012, when North Carolina, Miami and Georgia Tech eventually deadlocked at 5-3 and, since the Hurricanes and Tar Heels were ineligible for postseason, the Yellow Jackets advanced to the ACC championship game at 6-6 overall.
- Virginia (5-3, 3-2 ACC) fell into a first-place tie by losing 28-21 Saturday at Louisville. The Cavaliers entered the game limiting opponents to a meager 2.7 yards per rush. They allowed 5.0 against the Cardinals.
- Division co-leader North Carolina (4-4, 3-2) has actually lost to three ACC rivals, but its 23-20 setback at Wake Forest does not count in the league standings. Since the ACC rotation pairs the Tar Heels and Deacons so infrequently, the schools scheduled non-conference games for 2019 and ’21.
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NCAA Stats (Offense) - 10/30/19 (RX; HM)
NCAA Stats (Offense) - 10/30/19
Despite all the negative talk, the ACC has actually been putting up some pretty good offensive stats this season...
Team Stats, Top 5
Total Offense (Team)
1. Oklahoma
2. UCF
3. LSU
4. Clemson
5. Wake Forest
Individual Stats, Top 5's
Rushing Yards per Game
1. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma St
2. J. K. Dobbins, Ohio State
3. Malcolm Perry, Navy
4. AJ Dillon, Boston College
5. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
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NCAA Stats (Defense) - 10/30/19 (RX; HM)
NCAA Stats (Defense) - 10/30/19
Is the ACC (along with the Big Ten) one of the two best defensive conferences in college football today? It's a legitimate question to ask. Look at the numbers for the top defensive statistics:
Top 15 Total Team Defense (Yard per Game)
| Rank | Team (Conference) | YPG |
| 1 | Wisconsin (Big Ten) | 223.5 |
| 2 | Ohio St. (Big Ten) | 224.3 |
| 3 | Utah (Pac-12) | 231 |
| 4 | Clemson (ACC) | 246.1 |
| 5 | UAB (C-USA) | 248.6 |
| 6 | Iowa (Big Ten) | 265.9 |
| 7 | Georgia (SEC) | 266.7 |
| 8 | Michigan (Big Ten) | 270.4 |
| 9 | Penn St. (Big Ten) | 280 |
| 10 | Missouri (SEC) | 281.4 |
| 11 | Virginia (ACC) | 281.5 |
| 12 | San Diego St. (Mtn West) | 283.5 |
| 13 | Minnesota (Big Ten) | 283.8 |
| 14 | Pitt (ACC) | 291 |
| 15 | Miami (FL) (ACC) | 301 |
Links, news and rumors - 10/30/19 (RX; HM)
Links, news and rumors - 10/30/19
From CBS Sports' "THE BOTTOM 25", in which Syracuse completes the rare feat of showing up in the Top 25 and the Bottom 25 all in the same season!
| Team | W-L | Notes (ACC only, paraphrased for brevity) |
| 25. North Texas | 3-5 | |
| 24. Syracuse | 3-5 | Cuse's 3 wins this season: Liberty, W. Michigan and Holy Cross. This week's home game with BC might be the best shot at an ACC win. |
| 23. Kent State | 3-5 | |
| 22. ULM | 3-4 | |
| 21. Charlotte | 3-5 | |
| 20. Tulsa | 2-6 | |
| 19. UTSA | 3-4 | |
| 18. East Carolina | 3-5 | |
| 17. UNLV | 2-6 | |
| 16. Georgia Tech | 2-5 | The Bees just hung out in the hive last week; they look to pick up another win this week vs. Pitt. |
| 15. Vanderbilt | 2-5 | |
| 14. Arkansas | 2-6 | |
| 13. Texas State | 2-5 | |
| 12. UConn | 2-6 | |
| 11. New Mexico | 2-6 | |
| 10. Rutgers | 2-6 | |
| 9. Northwestern | 1-6 | |
| 8. Bowling Green | 2-6 | |
| 7. South Alabama | 1-7 | |
| 6. Old Dominion | 1-7 | |
| 5. UTEP | 1-6 | |
| 4. Rice | 0-8 | |
| 3. New Mexico St. | 0-8 | |
| 2. UMass | 1-7 | |
| 1. Akron | 0-8 |
Factoids - 10/31/19 (RX; HM)
Factoids - 10/31/19
From the ACC weekly media release:
Coastal Chaos!
In other words, three of this week's ACC games are huge from a Coastal Division point-of-view: Miami/FSU, Pitt/GT and UVa/UNC. Duke has a bye and VT is out of conference at Notre Dame.
Quality Wins.
A Dozen Bowlers?
I'd rather have 5 in the top 16 - you know, like the men's basketball tournament? - but it's a start.
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ACC FB: Close Games (RX; HM)
ACC FB: Close Games
Back in March of 2012 - can you believe that was seven and a half years ago? - shortly after this blog was founded, we told you that one of the strengths of the ACC in football was its style of play. Namely, the close, back-and-forth game that often featured a 4th quarter comeback.
Fast forward to 2019 and not much has changed. The ACC is "the most competitive conference in the country with 17 of 32 conference games (53.1 percent) decided by one possession." That is the highest percentage of any Power 5 conference. Nine ACC games have been decided by three points or fewer, the most of any Power 5 league.
ACC Competitiveness - Conference Games Only
Games Games Decided by 8 pts or fewer Pct.
Conf. | Conference Games | by 8 pts or less | percent of close gms |
| ACC | 32 | 17 | 0.531 |
| Pac-12 | 30 | 14 | 0.467 |
| Big 12 | 23 | 10 | 0.435 |
| SEC | 34 | 8 | 0.235 |
| Big Ten | 35 | 10 | 0.286 |
Including non-conference games, Miami and North Carolina have each played seven games decided by one possession, which ties for the most in the country. Pitt has played six games decided by eight points or fewer, Wake Forest has played five and Florida State and Virginia Tech have played four. North Carolina's four losses have come against teams that are a combined 24-3.
Most Games Decided by One Possession in 2019
| Team | Gms | Opponents |
| Miami | 7 | Florida, UNC, C Michigan, Va Tech, UVa, Ga Tech, Pitt |
| N. Carolina | 7 | S Carolina, Miami, Wake Forest, App State, Clemson, Va Tech, Duke |
| Pitt | 6 | Penn State, UCF, Delaware, Duke, Syracuse, Miami |
| E. Michigan | 6 | Coastal Carolina, Illinois, CCSU, Ball State, W. Michigan, Toledo |
According to ESPN Stats & Info, 51 games involving an ACC team have been decided by one possession, 13 more than any other conference. There have been 32 ACC games involving a Coastal Division team decided by one possession, which is more than all but one conference. In those 32 games, the Coastal teams are exactly 16-16 and have scored 778 points and allowed 778 points. Overall, all games involving at least one Coastal team have been decided by 1.7 points per game.
Why so many close games? In a word, parity - why you'll still find an occasional blow-out in the ACC, most of the games are closer to being evenly matched thanks to a very strong middle of the conference.
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Herbstreit: UNC is the team to beat in ACC Coastal (247sports.com; Hellman)
Put simply, North Carolina is the team to beat in the ACC Coastal, according to College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit.
The annual debate of which team heads into the ACC Championship against Clemson is underway with multiple competitors in the Coastal. Virginia looked like the favorite before last week’s loss against Miami. Pittsburgh won the conference last year and Miami the year prior.
Pitt, Duke, UVA and North Carolina are all 2-1 in the conference with half a season left. And Herbstreit has his money on Mack Brown.
“If you’re looking at the Coastal right now, I’m going to go with North Carolina,” Herbstreit said. “This freshman quarterback, Sam Howell, is the real deal. This is a program that was 3-9 two years ago, 2-9 last year. Mack Brown has created a new energy, a new belief. This team is feeding off it. They’ve lost three games by six, three and one point. I think Carolina, down the stretch, is the team to beat.”
North Carolina was a two-point conversion away from an upset over Clemson in Chapel Hill. Could a rematch in the ACC Championship Game also come down to the final possession?
UNC is 3-3 overall at the midway point, and travels to Blacksburg today after a 38-22 bounceback against Georgia Tech last week.
“We're sitting here at midseason 3-3 and tied for first place in the Coastal," the Hall of Fame head coach said, according to Inside Carolina. "We probably would have taken this six weeks ago. It hasn't worked out like we thought it would. It's been different, but it is what it is. I do feel like Georgia Tech was a really good response after all the energy that our guys spent at Clemson. They didn't do the same at Wake Forest and Appalachian after the first two games. We didn't play as well as we needed to at Georgia Tech, but they played with a lot of emotion and played hard. So, that's progress."
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Other
New Cuban restaurant brings a taste of Havana to Syracuse (PS; Pucci)
Esquina Havana opened its doors on Oct. 18 without a sign on the facade. Decals in the windows still list the name of the previous restaurant that operated in the space.
But there was a line out the door that Friday night, owner Alberto Ginarte said. They had come for the ropa vieja, the dish of shredded stewed beef that’s a staple in Cuba, or a glass of sugar cane juice pressed to order—one of the few places in Upstate New York where you’ll find the sweet drink.
“We have a lot of stuff that isn’t found around here,” Ginarte said.
The restaurant, which translates to “Havana Corner,” is aptly located at 324 Burnet Ave., at the corner of Burnet Avenue and Catherine Street. It’s open every day except Monday from noon to 7 p.m., though Ginarte said he eventually plans to open at 11 a.m. and stay open later on Friday and Saturday nights, when the restaurant plans to offer live music. A liquor license is pending.
Though Havana is in the name, Ginarte is from Bayamo, a city several hundred miles away from the capital in the southeastern corner of the island nation. He emigrated from Cuba and settled in Syracuse in 2002. He’s also owned Tu Bodega, a corner store on Butternut Street on the city’s North Side, since 2013.
The menu is still under construction, but expect to see dishes like pernil (slow-cooked pork shoulder), maduros (fried ripe plantains), arroz congris (black beans and rice), stewed chicken and lamb, yucca root and boniato, a kind of Cuban sweet potato. Food can be taken to go or diners can eat in the three dozen-seat dining room. The restaurant will eventually offer delivery.
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