sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National App Day!
Chances are high that you have a smartphone, tablet, or smartwatch, and that means you likely use apps on a daily basis as well. An "app" is short for "software application," which is a type of computer program. Today an app usually refers to those used on mobile devices, but it initially referred to those on desktop computers as well. Apps became common on cell phones after phones were equipped with internet capability, touchscreens, and processing chips. They gained prominence with the release of Apple's iPhone in 2007. The Apple OS 2.0, released in 2008, had about 500 apps. The American Dialect Society made "app" their word of the year in 2010, and the popularity of apps continued to increase during the following years. Today there are about 2 million apps on the Android and Apple platforms, and thousands of new apps come out every day. Apps have changed how we live, transforming work and leisure. New jobs and companies have stemmed from them, and they have shifted culture and promoted creativity and innovation. They are celebrated today because of their importance in this regard.
SU News
Defensive playmakers key to Syracuse football's offense - The Juice Online (the juice; Stechschulte)
Sports are overrun with clichés and football often seems like the one with the most, whether about toughness, running the ball, or whatever was etched in stone by the first football coach before we even knew how to describe a football’s shape as “oblong.”
These phrases and sentences get their status because they have been proven to be true for at least some stretch of time. There are clichés about teamwork, but they tend to settle on things like “all 11 players have to do their job” and “we need to play well in all three phases.” Seldom do they hit on how those phases are intertwined. I’m going to focus on the two that spend the majority of the time on the field, offense and defense.
Sorry, special teams. I still love you.
In Babers’ four years as the head coach of the Orange, this seems like what his plan for how the offense and defense should work together looks like:
- Offense plays uptempo, looking to score quickly. Defense tries to keep everything in front of them and not give up big plays, forcing opponents to run more plays, increasing the sheer number of chances to make a mistake (penalty, sack, turnover, etc.).
- Offense gets the lead, ideally by multiple scores, forcing the opponent to play catch-up, subsequently discarding the run game and relying on the pass.
- Defense then looks to get pressure up front, generating the possibility of sacks and turnovers, whether fumbles caused by pressure or interceptions from ball-hawking, playmaking defensive backs.
- Offense turns up the heat by continuing to score, feeding back into the defensive pressure.
- 2016 (Brian Ward) – 16 sacks, 9 fumbles, 10 interceptions in 12 games, 4-8 record
- 2017 (Brian Ward) – 16 sacks, 8 fumbles, 4 interceptions in 12 games, 4-8 record
- 2018 (Brian Ward) – 43 sacks, 13 fumbles, 18 interceptions in 13 games, 10-3 record
- 2019 (Brian Ward) – 25 sacks, 9 fumbles, 7 interceptions in 9 games, 3-6 record
- 2019 (Steve Stanard) – 5 sacks, 3 fumbles, 6 interceptions in 3 games, 2-1 record
Damien Alford says family feel led to Syracuse pledge (247sports.com; McAllister)
Syracuse football's most recent commitment was one of its biggest to date in the 2020 class. Three star 6-foot-5 wide receiver Damien Alford picked the Orange over offers from Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Miami, Oklahoma, Penn State, Virginia and many others. Alford gave his verbal pledge during his official visit this past weekend.
"The players made me feel like I was at home," Alford said. "The ambiance of the campus. I went and visited the major I want to do. Everything just felt right in the moment. I definitely came to the conclusion that I wanted to make my decision right there and then."
That major that Alford got more information on while on the visit was business. He was impressed with the Whitman School and all of the opportunities a Syracuse business degree can present.
"The opportunities you have outside of football," Alford said. "Because football doesn't last forever. So the jobs you can get after you get your degree in that. Places you can go, they're real good places that set you up well into the future."
Originally, Alford was part of the 2021 recruiting class. However, being a Canadian native who moved to Florida to play high school football, Alford was ahead of the academic game. That gave him the opportunity to reclassify to 2020.
"What allowed me to go to 2020 was that I had enough credits coming in (from Canada) to Florida," Alford said. "When we calculated my grades and stuff, I had enough to move to 2020. So that's basically it."
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Next man up: Syracuse punter commit James Williams (247sports.com; Guarin-Camargo)
Syracuse has a good streak going when it came to recruiting top punters over the past decade. Current New York Giants kicker Riley Dixon averaged 42.8 yards per punt from his sophomore year in 2013 to his senior year in 2015. In the NFL, he’s surpassed that average with 45.7 yards per kick and is a favorite to make the Pro Bowl.
Syracuse’s current punter, senior Sterling Hofrichter, has kept Dixon’s model of consistence alive during his five-year tender with the Orange. He’s surpassed Dixon by averaging 43.2 yards per punt, has been a three-time candidate for the Ray Guy Award, and is projected as a top kicking prospect for this year’s draft. Before both of them, Rob Long had a stellar collegiate career as a Syracuse punter.
It’s a punting legacy that Syracuse’s 2020 class kicking commit James Williams has kept his eye on during his football career, and one he hopes to live up to during his time with the Orange. With Hofrichter graduating, he is the next in line.
Stay up to date with the Orange and their recruiting efforts by taking five seconds to sign up for our FREE newsletter now!
“Oh yeah, that [legacy] was a big part of my decision,” Williams told CuseNation. “Because I know I’m coming to a place where special teams is a big deal. And they care a lot about not just getting the best specialist, but also transforming them into great kickers.”
The 6-foot-1 punter prospect out of Athens Academy, Georgia, went on his official visit to the Syracuse campus last weekend. Williams said he had a fun time visiting and touring the Campus. His favorite part is actually outside of the realm of football.
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Syracuse Football: Top 5 Orange players due for a bounce back in 2020 (itlh; Esden Jr)
Syracuse football is hoping for a better year in 2020, to do that, the Orange will need some help. Here are the top 5 players due for bounce-back seasons.
2019 was a gut punch for the Syracuse football team, its’ fan base, and the coaching staff. After a remarkable 10-3 year, the Orange provided a lackluster 5-7 encore season in 2019. It’s like asking Santa Claus for a PS4 and getting a pet rock instead, just a total letdown.
If the Orange wants to get back to their winning ways they’re going to need some big-time help from some big-time players. In 2019 Syracuse dealt with injuries, chemistry issues, and obviously falling short of expectations.
There are several players on the roster that the Orange expected to play huge roles in 2019, but for whatever reason fell short. We’ve identified the top five players that are due for bounce-back seasons in 2020.
If these select players can live up to their God-given potential then maybe just maybe Syracuse can return to the top of the ACC standings. Although if these players fall short of expectations for the second straight season, it could be another long year on the hill for the Orange.
MIKEL JONES LB Syracuse
Bounce back is probably the wrong term to describe the upcoming sophomore campaign for linebacker Mikel Jones. It’s more so the coming-out party.
Jones played in eight games as a freshman:
- 38 total tackles.
- 19 solo.
- 19 assisted.
- Two tackles for loss, half a sack, and a pass deflection.
Historically speaking Dino Babers has always leaned on veteran linebackers in his systems. Look at his time with the Syracuse football team:
- 2017: Zaire Franklin, Parris Bennett.
- 2018: Ryan Guthrie, Kielan Whitner.
- 2019: Lakiem Williams, Andrew Armstrong.
Mikel has a chance to break the wheel, Game of Thrones style, with the revolving door at linebacker if he can step up to the plate.
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CBS Ranks for 2019 ACC Bowls (RX; HM)
CBS Ranks for 2019 ACC Bowls
From CBS Sports: Ranking all 2019 college football bowl games, 39-1
CBS ranked all of the bowl games... here are the ACC-related bowls:
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2019 Awards Ceremony Thursday Night (RX; HM)
2019 Awards Ceremony Thursday Night
From ESPN: All-Star Line-up of Presenters for 2019 The Home Depot College Football Awards
29th Annual Awards Show Live from Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. ET, on ESPN... this year they've added special features that explore the history of the Chuck Bednarik, Biletnikoff, Davey O’Brien and Doak Walker Awards. The show is preceded by The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Special at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
Here are the Award Finalists:
Chuck Bednarik Award, College Defensive Player of the Year
PRESENTER: Presentation Feature
FINALISTS:
Derrick Brown, Auburn (Sr.)
Isaiah Simmons, Clemson (Jr.)
Chase Young, Ohio State (Jr.)
Biletnikoff Award
Outstanding Receiver
PRESENTER: Presentation Feature
FINALISTS:
Ja’Marr Chase, LSU (So.)
CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma (Jr.)
Michael Pittman Jr., USC (Sr.)
Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, Nation’s Outstanding Placekicker
PRESENTER: Nate Kaeding 2002 Winner, Iowa
FINALISTS:
Rodrigo Blankenship, Georgia (Sr.)
Keith Duncan, Iowa (Jr.)
Blake Mazza, Washington State (So.)
Ray Guy Award, College Punter of the Year
PRESENTER: Ryan Guy, Son of Ray Guy
FINALISTS:
Dane Roy, Houston (Sr.)
Max Duffy, Kentucky (Jr.)
Sterling Hofrichter, Syracuse (Sr.)
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2019 OOC Losses - Analysis (RX; HM)
2019 OOC Losses - Analysis
Are all losses really created equal?
Here's a list of all ACC non-conference losses during the 2019 regular season:
FCS losses:
1. Georgia Tech 24, Citadel 27
Unranked G5 losses:
1. Georgia Tech 2, Temple 24
2. Miami (FL) 24, Florida Intl 30
Unranked P5 losses:
1. Syracuse 20, Maryland 63, UR
2. Boston Coll 24, Kansas 48
3. NC State 27, West Virginia 44
4. Louisville 13, Kentucky 45
Losses to ranked teams:
1. Miami 20, Florida 24
2. Duke 3, Alabama 42
3. Florida St 31, Boise St 36
4. Louisville 17, Notre Dame 35
5. Pittsburgh 10, Penn St 17, 10
6. N Carolina 31, Appalachian St 34
7. Virginia 20, Notre Dame 35
8. Virginia Tech 20, Notre Dame 21
9. Duke 7, Notre Dame 38
10. Boston Coll 7, Notre Dame 40
11. Florida St 17, Florida 40
12. Georgia Tech 7, Georgia 52
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Clemson-Ohio State Fiesta Bowl will showcase the two best players in college football (greenvilleonline.com; Robinson)
for gbo
The Fiesta Bowl between Clemson and Ohio State will feature two prolific passers and two electric backs. It will be billed as a quarterback duel between Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields. It will be promoted as a showcase for running backs Travis Etienne and J.K. Dobbins.
But the best players in this game will not be in either backfield. At least not before the snap.
Fans will be forced to take their eye off the ball to follow two dazzling defenders—Clemson senior Swiss Army knife Isaiah Simmons and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young
Clemson safety Isaiah Simmons (11) pushes past Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins (3) after intercepting the ball during the ACC Championship game at the Bank of America Stadium Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019. (Photo: JOSH MORGAN/Staff)
Simmons won the Butkus Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top linebacker. However, that position label does not sufficiently denote his full job description.
He is the most powerful hybrid engine ever assembled. Simmons is strong and explosive enough to tussle with tackles and rush the passer off the edge. He can plug holes in the box to stuff the run. He can also turn and sprint with receivers in downfield coverage.
His versatility has allowed defensive coordinator Brent Venables to reconfigure his scheme. Clemson has operated more out of a three-man front this season. That helped counter the loss of its entire starting line from last season.
Venables has been able to mix in myriad blitz packages to mystify offenses. He can walk a safety to the line of scrimmage and swap Simmons into the secondary.
Simmons leads Clemson with 93 total tackles, including 14 for loss. He has notched seven sacks and seven pass deflections. He has logged 645 snaps this season, an average of 49.6 per game.
With Simmons at its heart, Clemson leads the Division I bowl subdivision (FBS) with averages of 244.7 yards and 10.6 points allowed per game.
In its release announcing Simmons has its recipient, the Butkus Award selection committee described Simmons as "one of the most versatile athletes to play the linebacker position. He's an exceptional athlete with unique length and makes plays at all three levels, with terrific rush ability, blitz timing, cover skill and tackling range."
Young leads the FBS with 16.5 total sacks and 21 total tackles for loss. He compiled those figures despite missing two games while serving a suspension. He also compiled those figures while battling double and triple teams.
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U.Va., Hokies can help ACC restore some of its sagging football reputation (dailypress.com; Teel)
Clemson defeated Texas A&M; Pittsburgh upset Central Florida and extended Penn State deep into the fourth quarter; Virginia Tech was a fourth-and-10 stop away from winning at Notre Dame.
There you have it, ACC football’s non-conference highlight reel from the 2019 regular season. Suffice to say, it’s a short film, and the inclusion of as many setbacks as victories is telling.
Virginia, Virginia Tech and Clemson are among the teams that can salvage some of the ACC’s reputation during postseason.
Each of the league’s 10 eligible teams received bowl bids Sunday, but postseason victories over the likes of Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Mississippi State, 6-6 outfits all, won’t budge the needle. No, the ACC needs to beat some quality folks, which it rarely managed during the regular season.
To wit, for the second consecutive year, the league went 4-14 against its Power Five peers, and three of those wins came over 4-8 South Carolina (Clemson and North Carolina) and 2-10 Rutgers (Boston College).
Here’s the most damaging indictment: Versus opponents that are among this week’s Associated Press Top 25, the ACC went 0-12. Virginia Tech, Virginia, Duke, Boston College and Louisville lost to Notre Dame; Miami and Florida State fell to Florida; Pitt lost to Penn State, North Carolina to Appalachian State, Georgia Tech to Georgia, Florida State to Boise State, and Duke to Alabama.
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Ranking the ACC Bowl Matchups (shakinthesouthland.com; Goldin)
Given there was just one ACC football game over the weekend, doing the traditional power rankings seemed like an even more fruitless endeavor than usual. Instead, we’re ranking the bowl matchups. Let’s be honest, you’ll probably still watch them all. But let’s see which games are appointment TV, and which are good background noise as you drift into a nap fueled by eggnog and Christmas wine. I also have an early Christmas gift for you loyal readers: these rankings are Notre Dame free!
#1 Playstation Fiesta Bowl: #2 Ohio State vs #3 Clemson. 12/28. 8:00 PM. ESPN
Clearly this one is the best of the bunch anyway you slice it. In case you forgot, Clemson is 3-0 all time against Ohio State in football (and 2-0 in basketball, btw), with all three producing memorable results. It began in the 1978 Gator Bowl when Clemson DT Charlie Bauman intercepted an Ohio State pass to clinch a 17-15 Tiger win, and after being tackled near the sideline, legendary Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes reared back and punched Bauman in the neck. Hayes was fired the next day and a tradition of Ohio State being mad at Clemson was born. The next meeting would be in January 2014 as the 10-2 Tigers met the Buckeyes in the Orange Bowl. Clemson emerged with a 40-35 win in a game that saw then ESPN announcer Jon Gruden drooling over the Clemson stable of recievers, including Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant. The postgame celebration was also notable as Dabo proudly declared Clemson was the first team from South Carolina to win a BCS bowl, a fact and a dig at Steve Spurrier, as this was in the height of the Dabo-Spurrier feud.
The last matchup may have been most memorable, as the 2016 Clemson Tigers blanked Ohio State 31-0 to win the first Fiesta Bowl title in Clemson history and send Clemson to the national championship in Tampa where they would defeat Alabama. It also gave us this pure moment of Dabo being Dabo.
As you will read on this site over the next three weeks, the Buckeyes bring a challenge this year. Led by former UGA backup Quarterback/ fake punt upback Justin Fields and cyborg defensive end Chase Young, Ohio State has at times looked like possibly the best team in the nation at various points. Don’t worry about Fields former team, though. The Dawgs have done some outstanding things this year like checks notes losing to South Carolina’s third string QB and having a scoreless first half against Kentucky. Ohio State is, however, coming off an underwhelming Big Ten championship win where they rallied to defeat Wisconsin 34-21, which is part of the reason they were bumped from #1 to #2. This game should be a fun one as Fields and Trevor battle it out, along with Ohio native Jackson Carman being tasked with the job of blocking Chase Young.
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Is the ACC Deal Beneficial to Notre Dame football? (slapthesign.com; Morrison)
Well, there is also access to ACC bowl games and a full share of ACC network revenue that you forgot about...
How is the ACC deal impacting Notre Dame?
Being half in, half out of the ACC hurt Notre Dame this season. By not being in the conference, they couldn’t be the second best team, which kept them from getting an Orange Bowl bid. That bid went to a 4-loss Virginia team that the Irish beat.
Even if Notre Dame went 11-1 with a win over Michigan they wouldn’t be the 4th seed. Oklahoma would still hold the number 4 spot in the College Football Playoff. Why? Because they played a conference championship game, which Notre Dame did not. They played and won an extra game, while Notre Dame maintained its Independence.
The ACC gets 5 games a season, which become showcase games. They’ll be on NBC as the mid-afternoon game, or else they’ll be in prime time on ABC or ESPN. That’s really awesome exposure for a conference that has a frankly terrible reputation.
That reputation for being a weak conference only hurts Notre Dame. Winning on the road against Duke isn’t worth anything. You were supposed to do that. At least Miami, Pitt, and Boston College bring in some excitement as a minor rival.
For football, all Notre Dame gets are the negatives of being in the ACC with none of the perks of being in a conference. Sure, a little money ($5.8 million) comes in from the agreement, but in the grand scheme of college athletics, that’s chump change.
You’d think Notre Dame would at least have an easier path to the Orange Bowl, but they don’t. Virginia will be there. They’ll play Florida, the highest ranked, and available, team between the SEC, BIG 10, and Notre Dame.
Through their affiliation with the ACC, Notre Dame should be able to take the ACC spot when they are have a better record and are ranked higher than the ACC runner-up. Unfortunately, that’s what should be, and not what reality holds.
So, why does Notre Dame do the ACC deal?
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Other
25 Things That Make Syracuse Great: Salt Potatoes (PS; Pucci)
If Syracuse was a food, it would be a salt potato
From 1797 to 1917, the Onondaga Salt Reservation, a one-mile wide strip of land that wrapped around the southern half of Onondaga Lake from Liverpool to Geddes, with Syracuse in the middle, produced more than 11.5 million pounds of salt.
That’s enough salt to fill four Carrier Domes.
Syracuse was the salt capital of America. Salt runs through our collective vein like Salina Street runs the length of the city.
But the industry peaked around the Civil War. It ended nearly 100 years ago. The brine wells, solar sheds and wooden vats that once lined either side of Onondaga Lake are almost entirely lost. It’s a history we in Syracuse know, but unless you’ve visited the Salt Museum at Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool, probably have never seen.
The industry is gone, but the salt lives on. Case in point: the salt potato.
A staple at summer cookouts and clambakes across Central New York, the salt potato’s origin is often attributed to the workers of these salt mines, many of whom were Irish immigrants with a proclivity toward potatoes, known to throw a few spuds into the boiling brine for a quick lunch.
A Syracuse Herald-American headline from 1948 on John J. "Sport" Keefe, a bar owner credited with popularizing salt potatoes in Syracuse in the 1890s.
A 1948 Syracuse Herald-American story credited John J. “Sport” Keefe for creating—or at least popularizing—the salt potato around the 1890s. Keefe owned a saloon on Wolf Street on the North Side of the city, close to the salt yards from where he would fill buckets of brine to boil the spuds. He served the white-crusted potatoes for free at lunch alongside five-cent beers. Patrons would help themselves to the crock filled with five pounds of butter to top their potatoes.
"Syracuse salt boiled potatoes might well be called ‘Potatoes O’Keefe,’” the story read, citing an account of a local historian.
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