sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
- 25,205
- Like
- 108,618
Welcome to National Peanut Butter Fudge Day!
It’s National Peanut Butter Fudge Day! Peanut butter has been a staple in American kitchens for more than a century. It can be served in a sandwich, mixed with ice cream, combined with chocolate, or whipped into fudge! Peanut butter fudge is the perfect treat for anyone with a sweet tooth and a love for rich, decadent desserts.
According to legend, the origin of fudge can be traced back to the 1800s when people used the word "fudge" to mean "cheat" or "mess up." One day, a chef accidentally "fudged" a batch of caramel he was trying to make, inventing the delicious confection we know and love it today.
Fudge is now made in many heavenly flavors, including the rich peanut butter variety. Try your hand at making a homemade batch in honor of National Peanut Butter Fudge Day!
SU News
Inside Dino Babers' 3 rules for Syracuse football (DO; Graham)
Josh Black was standing in line for a sandwich in the Iocolano-Petty Football Wing cafeteria last season when he heard Dino Babers scream his last name. Black forgot to put socks on and wandered in wearing just Nike slides on his feet.
“I was like, ‘Oh what did I do now?’” Black said, recalling the incident. “I turn around, he just kind of stares at me and looks down. And I was like, ‘I’m sorry coach.’”
“Yeah you are,” Black remembers Babers replying.
Black served his punishment — the usual push-ups — on the spot while Babers hovered over him. When Black went to put socks on, someone threw his sandwich away.
“I probably did at least 35 before he told me I could get up,” Black said. “Usually it’s 10. Usually it’s just some slap on the wrist. But he was feeling some certain way that day … I don’t even wear sandals in the cafeteria anymore.”
Black had broken one of the rules that have governed Syracuse’s program since Babers’ arrival in December 2015. They’re of his own creation, he said, and govern far more than football. And though there is no one method to creating a strong locker room — a group that stayed close knit amid SU’s (4-6, 1-5 Atlantic Coast) four-game losing skid — Babers’ three main rules are a good start.
They are, in order — and the order is important to Babers:
- Don’t lie.
- Don’t steal.
- And use common sense.
...
6 reasons why Syracuse football’s offense put up 42 points at Duke (what we learned) (PS; Bailey)
Two weeks after firing its defensive coordinator, Syracuse football rebounded with a dominant 49-6 win at Duke on Saturday.
Postgame coverage has focused mostly on that unit, including the changes interim DC Steve Stanard made that allowed his personnel to play more freely and the long-term outlook of the group. If you haven’t yet, you can listen to Julian Whigham and I break down all of that in greater detail on the latest episode of the Syracuse Football Podcast.
So, how about we take a look at an Orange offense that put up 42 pounds in Durham? That scoring total is the team’s second-highest this season, behind only a 52-point performance versus Western Michigan. This week’s re-watch notebook focused primarily on that side of the ball.
Here are six reasons why SU’s offense broke out:
No. 1. The defense
I know, I know. We’re supposed to be focused on the offense.
But Syracuse’s defense set the offense up for repeated scoring opportunities, and helped break the will of the Blue Devils in the second half.
After Andre Cisco’s pick-six gave the Orange a 21-6 lead, Chris Fredrick’s interception and a fumble forced by Andrew Armstrong and recovered by Evan Foster gave SU two more short fields in the third quarter. Credit to Tommy DeVito and Co. for cashing those in. but SU’s offense started four of its seven second-half drives past its own 47-yard line, and two more past its own 31.
The streak of three straight turnovers forced was followed up by an Alton Robinson sack that caused a turnover on downs near midfield.
...
Syracuse Football: Sterling Hofrichter on verge of football immortality (itlh; Esden Jr)
Syracuse football punter Sterling Hofrichter is on the verge of college football immortality. Here’s why that’s the case and how he can do it.
A Syracuse football player has never won the Ray Guy Award, but that could change in 2019.
On Monday Sterling Hofrichter was named a semi-finalist for the annual award that is handed out to the nation’s best collegiate punter.
He was 1 of 10 semifinalists that were announced from a field of 78 nominated candidates. The selection process considered contributions to the team, overall statistics (net punting average, punts inside an opponent’s 20-yard line, etc).
Sterling’s contributions to the team can’t be understated, he’s been a huge factor for the Orange over the last two years.
Hofrichter has booted 61 times this season for an average of 44.1 yards per put, which translates to a net average of 43.2 yards per punt.
Sterling leads the conference with 25 punts that have been downed inside the 20-yard line and that includes two touchbacks. On top of accuracy, Sterling brings a powerful leg to boot.
...
Running game, defense up in this week’s stock watch (DO; Black)
Syracuse (4-6, 1-5 Atlantic Coast) snapped its four-game losing streak and won its first ACC game on Saturday, taking down Duke, 49-6. The Orange defense dominated, forcing turnovers on three drives in a row in the second half and holding the Blue Devils without a touchdown in their first game under interim defensive coordinator Steve Stanard.
SU scored a touchdown on its first possession of the game and doubled its lead later in the first quarter, but failed to score in the second. It was after halftime that the Syracuse defense picked off a pair of Quentin Harris passes and forced a fumble, leading to a trio of Orange scores that put the game away.
Here’s whose stock is up and down after Syracuse’s largest win over an FBS team since 2000.
For the first time all season Syracuse finally put together a stable 60 minutes up front in both the passing and running games, thanks in part to moving Carlos Vettorello to center and Airon Servais to left tackle. Tommy DeVito was sacked just once, tying a season-low, and SU featured a pair of running backs with 115 yards rushing in Moe Neal and Jarveon Howard. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the best game of the season by the offensive line also coincided with the Orange’s best game as a whole, and whether or not they can continue their success will be something to look at moving forward.
...
ACC Power Rankings - After Week 12 (backingthepack.com; PirateWolf)
1. Clemson (last week: 52-3 W vs Wake Forest); season record: 11-0 (8-0)
Previous Rankings: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1
Dude... whatever, man. We get it, okay?
2. Virginia Tech (last week: 45-0 W @ Georgia Tech); season record: 7-3 (4-2)
Previous Rankings: 7, 11, 11, 12, 13, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2
Georgia Tech had put together three really good performances in a row before Virginia Tech rolled into town and squashed those happy vibes. The Hokies defense held the Yellow Jackets to just 134 yards of total offense. VT hosts Pittsburgh this week and then hits the road to take on rival Virginia to finish off the regular season. Pretty impressive the turnaround this season for this team. I’ve been touting Scott Satterfield as the run-away ACC Coach-of-the-Year this season, but Justin Fuente is deserving in his own right.
3. Miami (last week: BYE); season record: 6-4 (4-3)
Previous Rankings: 9, 10, 6, 13, 6, 13, 12, 14, 7, 5, 3
The Hurricanes have Florida International and Duke remaining in the regular season, so things are shaping up for Manny Diaz to have a possible 9-win season in Year 1 of his tenure in Miami. Not bad considering the garbage luck they had early in the year in losing games they should have won. Seriously, this team is four plays away from being undefeated (but they’re not actually anywhere near that good).
4. Louisville (last week: 34-20 W @ NC State); season record: 6-4 (4-3)
Previous Rankings: 11, 7, 10, 11, 11, 6, 2, 6, 4, 3, 6
The Cardinals didn’t look great throughout the first half, and were actually trailing at halftime to a beat-up and pretty unimpressive NC State squad. But they hung around enough and then made the most of their opportunities in the second half en route to the win.
5. Wake Forest (last week: 3-52 L @ Clemson); season record: 7-3 (3-3)
Previous Rankings: 5, 3, 3, 2, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2, 4
Don’t feel so great, does it, Wake? You know, for as great of a season as it felt the Deacs were having, they’re just 3-3 in ACC play right now. Granted, they finish up with Duke and Syracuse, so they should end up at 5-3, but still. Just seems like they should have a better conference record than that.
6. Pittsburgh (last week: 34-27 W vs North Carolina); season record: 7-3 (4-2)
Previous Rankings: 12, 9, 7, 3, 10, 7, 8, 3, 8, 8, 5
On behalf of all decent and good people everywhere, just let me say “Thank you” to Pitt for not gagging that game away. The Panthers get to play the Transitive Property game to try and win the Coastal Division title. They need to beat VT this week and then the following week have VT beat...
7. Virginia (last week: BYE); season record: 7-3 (5-2)
Previous Rankings: 3, 2, 2, 5, 5, 3, 13, 4, 5, 6, 7
A week off to rest up before facing in-state non-conference opponent Liberty. After that is the big season-ending, Coastal Division championship game against arch-rival Virginia Tech.
8. Florida State (last week: 49-12 W vs Alabama State); season record: 6-5 (4-4)
Previous Rankings: 10, 12, 9, 7, 9, 5, 4, 5, 3, 9, 8
After a one-year hiatus, the Seminoles are back to bowl eligibility. FSU will be off this week before finishing up against rival Florida as they put interim coach Odell Haggins unblemished career record on the line.
9. Boston College (last week: BYE); season record: 5-5 (3-4)
Previous Rankings: 4, 5, 13, 10, 8, 11, 7, 7, 11, 7, 9
Their last two games are against Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, so chances are slim, but you have to appreciate that Steve Adazzio is right on target for another 7-win season. I mean, it’s almost like he’s messing with us all at this point.
10. North Carolina (last week: 27-34 L @ Pittsburgh); season record: 4-6 (3-4)
Previous Rankings: 8, 6, 4, 9, 4, 4, 9, 10, 9, 10, 10
The kings of one-possession games lost another close one after another 4th quarter comeback fell short. After a layup of a Senior Day (they play Mercer of the FCS), bowl eligibility will come down to a match-up with NC State to end the regular season.
11. Syracuse (last week: 49-6 W @ Duke); season record: 4-6 (1-5)
Previous Ranking: 6, 14, 12, 6, 7, 9, 6, 12, 14, 14, 14
Surprising what can happen when you don’t turn the ball over and capitalize on opportunities. It will probably surprise you to hear that Syracuse didn’t even total 400 yards on the day, and QB Tommy DeVito only threw for 105 yards. Probably says less about Syracuse, though, and more about...
...
Holliday: As season wanes, so do Triangle football bowl chances :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com; Holliday)
Triangle teams remain winless in November. The last victory in these parts came last month and it belongs to North Carolina. But of course that came against another Triangle team, Duke. Not since October 16 has one of the Triangle Three defeated an out of state opponent. That was when NC State nipped Syracuse, the same Syracuse team that visited the area a second time Saturday, still winless in the ACC. But the Orange is winless no more following a 49-6 pummeling of Duke. Meanwhile, NC State dropped its fourth straight, squandering a halftime lead against Louisville. UNC forced overtime in Pittsburgh, but ultimately dropped another nail biter, the sixth close loss of the season.
It is now mathematically impossible for all three local ACC teams to get bowl bids, but very much possible that all three could miss the post-season, something we have not seen since the dark autumns of 2006 and 2007.
UNC has the best chance to get to six wins, because the Tar Heels are pretty much guaranteed to get to five wins with FCS foe Mercer coming to Kenan Stadium this weekend. However, the Tar Heels would then finish at NC State which has won 9 of the last 12 meetings between the schools. State first must play a quick turnaround game at Georgia Tech Thursday night. Should the Wolfpack win in Atlanta, it would have a chance at a bowl bid with another victory against Carolina. Duke plays ACC foes Wake Forest and Miami. The Blue Devils will be underdogs in both games.
OT is no friend to UNC
North Carolina continues to defy the odds. Nine of the Tar Heels’ ten games have been decided on the game’s final possession. Three of the cliffhangers went Carolina’s way. But six of those nine got away. True to form, the Tar Heels rallied in the final minute at Pitt, only to lose anyway in OT. What a pattern.
It wasn’t the fault of the offense. Sam Howell and the potent passing game accounted for 322 yards and three touchdowns against the ACC’s second stingiest defense. The Panthers normally allow just 86 yards rushing in ACC play. UNC’s Antonio Williams got 107 all by himself. Pitt put tremendous pressure on Howell, sacking him five times and hurrying his throws four other times. The freshman still completed 27 of 43; and somewhat improbably, brought his team back from deficits of 24-10 and 27-24.
Defense was another story. Pitt averages just 332 yards per game, only the 11th best offense in the ACC. But the Panthers, even missing star wide out Maurice Ffrench, moved up and down the field at will. Pitt piled up 498 yards. The Panthers converted 8-15 third downs, leading to a four minute advantage in time of possession. Pitt punted only twice.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett put together a superb night, passing 74 yards to Shocky Jacques-Louis for one score. He overcame a second and fifteen with a 28 yard pass to Griffin Stewart that set up another touchdown. The Panthers survived a third and long at the UNC 30, when they picked up a blitz to allow Pickett to complete a 16 yard pass to Malik Carter which set up the go ahead field goal. Most famously, the Panthers got past a third and fourteen in overtime as Pickett found Taysir Mack for a first down. Notice all the different receivers here? And so what should have been a field goal attempt, and a long one at that, became the game winning touchdown.
Jay Bateman’s defense made winning plays in the Tar Heels’ close triumphs against South Carolina, Miami, and Duke. Those now seem like a long time ago, as Carolina searches for ways to pressure opposing quarterbacks in an effort to protect its young, inexperienced secondary.
UNC should win comfortably against small Mercer, which is just 4-7. Also, the Tar Heels at this point have a more explosive offense than NC State. But unless then can find some answers defensively, December football, and more importantly those coveted December practices appear less than certain.
Opportunity lost for State
For the first time in a month NC State looked to be the equal of an ACC opponent. After getting steamrolled by Boston College, Wake Forest, and Clemson, the Wolfpack outplayed Louisville in the first half at Carter-Finley Stadium, taking a 10-7 lead to the locker room. The Pack shut down the explosive Louisville run game and harassed quarterback Micale Cunningham on pass plays, with pressure from the defensive front as well as a series of blitzes. The Cardinals’ only first half score came on a short drive after they intercepted an ill advised Devin Leary shovel pass at midfield. It should have been a 10-0 game at the break.
Louisville, though, made adjustments in its blitz protection during intermission. The Cardinals offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, who spent three years on Dave Doeren’s staff at State, knew just what to do.
And so, early in the third quarter when U of L faced third and nine at its own 26, moving into a brutal wind, NC State brought the house. And the Cardinals were ready. They picked up the blitz, giving Cunningham time to throw downfield to the fleet TuTu Atwell, who just happened to be wide open. 74 yards. The Cards would never trail again.
...
Vanderbilt schedules new series with ACC team (saturdaydownsouth.com; Farner)
Vanderbilt has joined the recent trend of SEC teams scheduling future games with other Power 5 teams with a new series with an ACC team.
The Commodores will play Virginia Tech on Aug. 31, 2024, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, and Aug. 30, 2025, in Blacksburg, Virginia. This news was first reported by FBSchedules.com. The programs have played nine times, but not since 1989 when Frank Beamer’s team knocked off Watson Brown’s team 18-0 in Blacksburg. Tech has won the last five games in the series dating back to 1983. The first meeting between the two squads took place in Nashville in 1930, a 40-0 win by the Commodores.
“Playing Vanderbilt in Nashville, in the relative near term, provides a drivable destination for our fans in a major market with a strong Tech alumni base,” Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock said in an announcement from the school. “Vanderbilt should also be a nice draw and addition to our ticket packages in Blacksburg.”
This Vanderbilt series is the latest in a trend of SEC opponents for the Hokies. That addition brings the total of future games against SEC foes up to six contests for the Hokies. Earlier this fall, Babcock confirmed that Alabama and Ole Miss had both agreed to home-and-home games with the Hokies.
Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech to play in 2024, 2025 season openers.
Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky added as future opponents.
...
FB Dominance in 2019 (RX; HM)
FB Dominance in 2019
Clemson is 8-3 versus the point spread in 2019. That means that 8 times out of 11, the Tigers won by more than they were expected to win by (and 3 times they did not).
The Tigers’ average margin of victory is 35.2, a full field goal more than what they’ve been favored by (on average).
Which three games did the Tigers fail to "cover"?
- One was the 21-20 win at UNC, for which the CFP committee left them out of the initial top 4.
- Another was in a 45-point win against Wofford (they were 48.5-point favorites).
- The other came in game #2, when Texas A&M scored a garbage touchdown in the final seconds of Week 2 to lose by 14 instead of 21 and get thus flip the 16.5-point line.
Meanwhile, the 44-point spread for this weekend's Arkansas-LSU game is "the largest in SEC history" according to college football spread records provided by www.SportsBetting.ag, which date back to 1985. The largest prior SEC spread for LSU as a favorite was -34 against Mississippi State in 2006.
...
State of Boston College FB - 11/20/19 (RX; HM)
State of Boston College FB - 11/20/19
It's Notre Dame week in Massachusetts, and I'd like nothing more than to be able to hype up "Holy War" week... but as I search my favorite BC Eagles sports blogs, I see talk of ice hockey, soccer, even basketball - but nothing about BC football, much less the big game. Notre Dame has top stories about the BC football game, but BC... nothing.
What's going on here? That same check of the BC bulletin board comments shows that many Eagles football fans have grown weary of the never-ending 6-win seasons. Always good, but no shot at greatness - that seems to be the feeling of many disgruntled fans.
Not that there aren't plenty of teams who dream of becoming bowl-eligible (there are), but that isn't seen as good enough in Beantown.
Since Addazio took over at BC, 3 of the 14 ACC football members - Clemson, Miami, Virginia Tech - have never missed being bowl-eligible. The Eagles themselves have only missed it once - along with Duke, Florida State, Louisville, NC State, and Pitt.
However, BC is also the only ACC school not to have had at least one 8-win season since 2013, and all but UVA have had 9 wins at least once. Nine ACC teams have posted double-digit wins during the Dazzler era.
...
Links, news and rumors - 11/20/19 (RX; HM)
Links, news and rumors - 11/20/19
The CFP Selection Committee did not place Virginia Tech in the top 25, as the AP did. Instead, they saw fit to include the USC Trojans. Whatever.
__________
The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Vanderbilt Commodores have scheduled a home-and-home football series for 2024 and 2025 [LINK].
In the first game of the series, Virginia Tech will travel to play Vanderbilt not on campus, but instead at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Aug. 31, 2024. The Hokies will then host the Commodores the following season at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va., on Aug. 30, 2025.
________
ACC Futbol Update - 11/19/19 (RX; HM)
ACC Futbol Update - 11/19/19
Apparently, the ACC is pretty loaded in the other kind of football...
- Ten ACC programs earned invitations to the 2019 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship (out of 48 total teams) - the most bids ever for one conference in the men’s soccer tournament.
- All 10 ACC programs also will host matches to open their tournament runs.
- ACC schools claimed four of the top 16 national seeds, including three of the top four seeds.
- ACC champion Virginia earned the #1 seed.
- conference runner-up Clemson notched the #2 seed.
- Wake Forest picked up the #4 seed.
- Virginia Tech claimed the #10 seed.
- These top 16 seeded teams earn first-round byes on Thursday and open play at home on Sunday.
- Boston College, Louisville, NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt and Syracuse round out the field of ACC soccer teams which made the tournament.
- ESPNU will provide live coverage.
...
Other
How close did a tiny bat come to killing the 1,000-job distribution center in Clay? (PS; Moriarty)
Two miles. That’s literally how close a tiny mouse-eared bat came to potentially killing a $350 million distribution center project in Clay that promises to create 1,000 jobs.
The proposed development that many believe is for online retail giant Amazon cleared its last municipal hurdle last week when the Clay Planning Board green-lighted its site plan.
But even before that, it had a bigger obstacle: the Indiana bat.
The bat was added to the federal endangered species list in 1967 because of a rapidly shrinking population caused by human disturbance of caves they use for winter hibernation and by the loss of the forested areas where they hang out (literally) in the warmer months.
Developers are required to look for Indiana bats before building any major structures. If any are found, a developer must avoid disturbing them, even if that means canceling the project.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Natural Heritage Program has documented that several summer colonies and roosts of Indiana bats exist within two miles of the project site, a 110-acre property now used by the Liverpool Public Golf and Country Club off Morgan Road.
Luckily for the developer, none has been found on the golf course. But that does not mean that the bats do not occasionally use the golf course to rest.
Both the Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consider wooded or treed areas within 2.5 miles of an Indiana bat colony to be a suitable habitat for them, even if they don’t make those areas their permanent summer home.
Both government agencies have recommended that the warehouse developer, Trammell Crow, look for any trees on the golf course that might provide a suitable habitat for the bats -- trees with a diameter greater than five inches that have exfoliating bark, cracks, crevices or hollows.
...
