Orangeyes Daily Articles for Tuesday - for Football | Syracusefan.com

Orangeyes Daily Articles for Tuesday for Football

sutomcat

No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
Joined
Aug 15, 2011
Messages
25,010
Like
107,430
1592912737598.jpeg

Welcome to United Nations Public Service Day!


The United Nations (UN) holds a Public Service Awards ceremony each year. It rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions worldwide. This event promotes the role, professionalism and visibility of public service. At the same time, Africa Public Service Day is celebrated in Africa to coincide with the United Nations Public Service Day.

Many public service organizations and departments around the world celebrate this day by holding various events to recognize the valuable role that public servants play in making improvements in society. Activities include: information days featuring stalls and booths about the public service; organized lunches with guest speakers; internal awards ceremonies within public service agencies or departments; and special announcements to honor public servants.

SU News

San Jose State QB target Justin Lamson closing in on decision (247sports.com; Biggins)


El Dorado Hills (Calif.) Oak Ridge quarterback Justin Lamson could be closing in on his decision.

Lamson is one of the nation’s top un-committed quarterbacks but that could be changing soon. He has four schools on his short list- Louisville, San Jose State, Syracuse and Wyoming.

He visited Louisville, Syracuse and Wyoming last week and it sounds like he could be close to pulling the trigger.

“Ideally, I would like to use this week to think everything over and then have a school picked out by the end of the week or the weekend,” Lamson said. “Then I would probably take the weekend to sleep on it and then announce next week if I feel good.

“Right now, I still have a lot of thinking to do. I have four good schools and really enjoyed the visits last week. I don’t have a leader yet among that group so I’ll use this week to talk it over with my family and then we’ll go from there.”

Lamson broke down what stands out about each of his finalists:

Louisville- “I had a great visit there and really liked the campus. That’s a big stage there and it would be fun to play in that kind of atmosphere. Obviously it’s a dead period so I wasn’t able to talk with the coaches or go inside the facilities but I looked from right outside and everything I saw was really nice. They take sports very seriously there at Louisville and football is a big deal.

“I really liked walking the campus and the city was really nice as well. I like the coaching staff and the fit in the offense. Coach Ponce (QB coach) is my lead recruiter and I like him a lot. One thing that he said is they want to build the offense around the strengths of the quarterback. They believe in playing to their players strength so if QB has a different skill set then another, they can always adjust. They do plan to throw the ball a lot so that’s good and I think I fit in well there. They offered me back in mid-May, that was my first Power 5 offer and that was really special for me. They believed in me early so that means a lot.”

San Jose State- “I have a really good relationship with coach Gundy (Gunderson, QB coach). “I like him a lot and the rest of the staff too.They are all very genuine and real and I feel really comfortable with what they’re doing there. I haven’t visited in a while. The last time I was there was last summer. I was hoping to get up there at some point in the spring but obviously with what has been going on, it has been tough to take visits. I might try and still visit this week if I can but we start fall camp tomorrow so we’ll see if I can do that.”

“They were also my first offer and you always remember that first one that comes in. They were the first one to believe in me, the first FBS school to offer and I like I said, I really like the coaching staff, coach Gundy and coach Brennan too. I think the depth chart is good for me to be able to compete for playing time early there as well. They have a fun offense and a lot of good athletes there. Hopefully I can get up there this week but even if I can’t, I still feel like I have a good idea of what the school is all about.”

Syracuse- “I really enjoyed that visit a lot. Everyone in the area bleeds Syracuse orange and love the school. Everyone was so supportive and there’s a lot of tradition back there. Even thought they just offered, I’ve been talking with them for awhile now and I think the delay in offering was they just wanted to make sure I was sincerely interested in the program and I get that.

“Once they see me make the visit back East, they offered right away. I have a good relationship with the coaches, especially coach Gilbert and coach Babers is a great guy too. I know they’re going to throw the ball a lot. Coach Gilbert said the offense is going to be No Huddle, No Mercy with the goal of getting as many plays in as possible to wear down the other team. I had a 20 min face time call with coach Babers on my drive out there and he’s a funny guy and someone I think would be fun to play for.”
...


Patriot League Restrictions Imperil Non-Con Football Games (SI; Forde)

The COVID-19-related cancellation of college football games at the highest subdivision of the sport is about to begin.

With the FCS Patriot League announcing protocols Monday for the return of fall sports, it became clear that the conference’s seven members are unlikely to play at least some of their non-conference football games—and perhaps all of them. That includes several games against FBS opponents.

The Patriot’s slate of games against FBS opponents: Colgate at Western Michigan and Bucknell at Army on Sept. 4; Lafayette at Navy and Fordham at Hawaii on Sept. 12; Colgate at Syracuse Sept. 19.

Among the league’s protocols announced Monday, which could have ripple effects felt in more prominent programs:

  • Athletes would not return to campus before the general student body. Although not every Patriot League school has set its fall academic calendar, that decision makes it highly unlikely that a football team could complete the six-week preparation period in time for the start of the scheduled season opener, as set forth by the NCAA Division I Council, before playing any games. It likely would wipe out all pre-conference scheduling in the league.
  • No Patriot League teams will fly to competitions and, with rare exceptions, regular-season competition will exclude overnight travel. That would certainly preclude Fordham from playing at Hawaii, and seemingly Colgate at Western Michigan (nearly a 600-mile drive, one-way).
Colgate put out a statement Monday that said in part, “Colgate University has not yet announced its decision for course instruction in the fall of 2020. Any decisions and/or comments concerning Colgate’s fall athletics program will follow that larger campus announcement.”

A Bucknell spokeswoman echoed that statement, saying that the school has not yet completed its academic schedule. Spokesmen at Fordham and Lafayette said their athletic departments are still gathering feedback from the Council of Presidents decision and will make announcements soon about what it means for their fall sports.
...


Syracuse Football: Some discouraging signs for the 2020 season (itlh; Adler)

As Syracuse football looks ahead to the 2020 campaign, a handful of big-time programs have reported high numbers of positive COVID-19 tests.

Several big-time college football teams, including fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Clemson, have announced large numbers of positive COVID-19 cases, and that’s not good news as Syracuse football and its peers around the country hope for an on-time 2020 term, if one occurs at all.

To date, Orange officials have provided no public update that I’m aware of as it relates to positive tests within the ‘Cuse program, and it appears that the squad is not expected to disclose its testing results, according to various media reports.

Matthew Gutierrez, a staff writer for The Athletic, tweeted a few days ago, citing an unnamed source, that Syracuse football has had “only one or two” positive COVID-19 tests since players returned to the Hill on June 8.

Clemson’s athletics department announced on June 19 that, “Thus far in the month of June, Clemson Athletics student-athletes and staff have completed 315 tests for COVID-19 with a total of 28 positive results.”

Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports and other journalists have reported that of those 28 positive cases, 23 are from members of Clemson’s football team.

Other schools, such as Texas and Kansas State, have disclosed a relatively high number of positive COVID-19 cases. The Kansas State athletics department said in a press release on June 20 that it has “paused all voluntary workouts for football student-athletes for 14 days following the most recent COVID-19 test results.”

According to Thamel, the University of Houston has also paused voluntary training, while he noted in his article that Sports Illustrated reported this past Saturday “that at least 30 LSU players have been in quarantine.”
...


Syracuse Football looks to launch forward in 2020 (cnycentral.com; Tamurian)

The question that comes up first with literally any athletic team at any level in 2020 is whether or not that squad will even be able to play with the coronavirus pandemic still incredibly dangerous.

Should, however, the 2020 college football season happen as scheduled it should provide a nice bit of rejuvenation for Central New York.

The Syracuse Orange remember had lofty outside expectations after a 10-3 campaign and Camping World Bowl win in 2018. The season ended up with a final record of 5-7 and coaching staff shakeups despite some solid moments in November against Duke and Wake Forest.

Now Syracuse enters the new year with a new offensive and defensive coordinator (Sterlin Gilbert and Tony White, respectively) and new position coaches such as Chip West.

On the field, the offensive line appears older, wiser and probably improved along with all of the same adjectives to describe now redshirt-junior quarterback Tommy DeVito.

The season is scheduled to get rolling September 4th at ACC rival Boston College with a road date at Rutgers on September 12 and the home opener against Colgate on September 19 to follow that.

Back to the big picture, it was two seasons of growth under Dino Babers before the breakout year in 2018. You could argue that, the growth would have been expedited if star quarterback Eric Dungey was healthy the entire 2016 and 2017 seasons.

So where does the Orange stand after the setback of a five-win 2019 season?

"I think we're right in the middle" said Babers on a recent media call.
...


Syracuse Football: “Surprise breakthroughs” needed to get back on track (itlh; Adler)

ESPN didn’t have many inspiring things to say about Syracuse football in its preview of the ACC’s Atlantic division.

Syracuse football enters the 2020 campaign with a relatively easy schedule, the possibility of a bowl berth after a disappointing 5-7 mark a year ago, and a whole host of question marks.

Personally, I feel that some encouraging potential is on the horizon for the Orange heading into the fall, whether it’s quarterback Tommy DeVito, star safety Andre Cisco, kicker Andre Szmyt, a 3-3-5 scheme under new defensive coordinator Tony White and, hopefully, an improved offensive line.

ESPN staff writer Bill Connelly recently went in-depth in his 2020 preview of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic division, where he noted that Clemson will continue to dominate, while the ‘Cuse could certainly struggle.

In his article, Connelly says that Syracuse’s SP+ rating was No. 77 in 2019, and the Orange is projected in 2020 to go 5-7 (2-6 in the ACC), with an SP+ ranking that is 16 spots worse, at No. 93. Ugh.

More from Connelly’s piece. “The Orange don’t have to overachieve a ton to return to bowl contention, at least. SP+ projects them a ghastly 93rd, but seven games are projected within a touchdown. If they rank merely in the 60s, that could get them back to .500 or better. But [head coach Dino] Babers is now in charge of the least proven roster in the Atlantic Division. A lot of surprise breakthroughs will be required for this program to get back on track.”

Ouch. But let’s keep this prognostication in perspective. The ‘Cuse possesses one of the softest schedules in all of college football, and it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Syracuse could win some close contests, get to six or seven total conquests, and earn a bowl invite.
...


Orange Watch: Coronavirus may upend the 2020 Syracuse football season - The Juice Online (the juice; Bierman)

Item: Since earlier in the month when athletes began returning to campuses around the country to begin voluntary workouts, nearly two dozen schools have reported positive COVID-19 cases among their ranks, requiring those infected to self-quarantine for a 14-day period. Many of the positive tests came from players who left campus to socialize, as college students are wont to do, and the reality is that fabric of their college lifestyle is not going to change.

College athletes cannot be placed in a bubble atmosphere such as the NBA has planned for its resumption of the season in Orlando beginning next month.

These are amateur athletes who are a small part of each college’s student body. They go to classes, study at the library, meet with like-minded students on academic projects, and socialize with their teammates and friends just like everyone else.

The college student lifestyle is simply not conducive to practicing social distancing when socializing, especially those that are minus facemasks.

There’s also so much economic disparity between the Power Five conference members and the other schools in the ranks of 130 FBS teams, it’s impossible to expect programs to have the same depth of resources available to conduct the minimum obligations of safety protocols and instruction, and any necessary medical treatment of its student-athletes should they test positive.

No matter how well Syracuse succeeds in limiting its positive cases of the virus’ transmission, and since players returned June 9 there’s been no reports on any positive tests from Manley Field House, it takes two to tango.

Week one opponent Boston College (Sept. 4) just had its players return to campus Monday, and they immediately began up to a 14-day self-quarantine period to comply with the current state of Massachusetts recommendations. Each player will be tested about eight days into the isolation period. It’s simply too early with regards to BC if its affected by any positive COVID-19 cases.

However, if this were game week against the season’s second foe, Rutgers (Sept. 12), then the Scarlet Knights would be minus some players on the roster. Head coach Greg Schiano announced Monday that four members of his team are in quarantine following testing conducted this month. One player tested positive, and three others had contact with him, although the contacts were to be re-tested this week.

Not all ACC members have made public test results due to privacy laws, but of what’s been reported Clemson has perhaps been hit hardest with 23 players testing positive during voluntary workouts.
...


Schiano: Two Rutgers football players have coronavirus (fltimes.com; Canavan; AP)

A week after the football team returned to campus, Rutgers is reporting cases of coronavirus with some players.

Coach Greg Schiano disclosed Monday during a conference call with the media two players has tested positive for the virus. It was his first availability since the team was allowed to return for voluntary workouts.

Schiano said players and coaches were tested before the team returned on June 15, either with mail-in tests or after being tested locally. One of the positive tests came from those samples and the player was not allowed to return to campus and is being isolated at home.

The second positive test came from a sample taken when the players reported. That player was isolated and three players who had contact with him were put in quarantine.

“I think it’s very real to say you cannot reduce risk to zero,” Schiano said. “That we all understand.”

Schiano said players and coaches have been instructed in the importance of social distancing, wearing a mask, washing their hands.

One of the reasons he was a little late to his conference call Monday was because he was reinforcing those guidelines for some players.

“We have to hold each other accountable,” said Schiano, who admitted he and the program are in uncharted territory.

Schiano said the university has a protocol for allowing players who test positive to return. It includes a non-positive test and an evaluation of the positive test, including whether the players showed symptoms such as a fever.

Schiano said players and coaches underwent a third screening on Monday.
...


XLVE62WYZFCPNCSLKJD2WLAA2Q.png

Chris Lewis took a prestigious Syracuse degree and a Philadelphia pedigree to Idaho seven years ago to call Boise State women's basketball. The 28-year-old play-by-play man would love for a college football program to give him a chance.

Of 130 major-college football programs, how can none have a black play-by-play announcer? (pennlive.com; Jones)

A lot of columns germinate from interesting data that begs a question. The story can be about examining the data and the question. But you’d like to eventually arrive at some sort of conclusion.

This isn’t one of those columns. But I think it’s worth throwing the question out there nonetheless.

A friend of mine who edits trade publications as part of his job texted me last week with this factoid he’d noticed during a recent compilation. Of the 130 radio play-by-play announcers who serve each of the Football Bowl Subdivision programs, not a single one is African-American. This, amid the sport of college football in which black players have long been the majority.

With the generous help of Penn State’s veteran play-by-play man Steve Jones, I sifted through the entirety of last season’s Football Writers Association of America guide to make certain I didn’t miss anyone. After more than three decades as a play-by-play man for the Nittany Lions, over half of that as its radio football voice with analyst Jack Ham, it’s safe to say Jones knows just about everyone in the business. Anyone he didn’t know, I did a web search for.

I believe I confirmed that, of all the primary local announcers who called major-college games last year, only two are of color. One is Florida International’s A.J. Ricketts, a 27-year-old half-Filipino-half-white former cross country runner at Miami. The other is Eduardo Rubio, UTEP’s play-by-play man for Spanish-speaking listeners only (the Miners have a separate announcer for their English-speaking broadcast).

Every other play-by-play announcer is a white male. Why? I couldn’t find any easy answer. But it did make for some lively conversation.

Over the past few days, I asked four broadcast folks, representing different segments of the industry. They all had an individual take, though none purported to have a simple rationale. Here are some of their thoughts:

• Dave Sims is the longtime voice of the Seattle Mariners, my favorite current baseball play-by-play man, but also an experienced college sports announcer – he called Big East football in the ’90s and has done lots of college hoops. He is a 67-year-old black Philadelphia native who splits his year between nests in New York and Seattle, blessed with endearing tone and quick wit. He’s pretty much done it all in the business.
...


NC State Football: 2020 Wolfpack Season Preview and Prediction (athlon; staff)


The Wolfpack rank No. 57 in Athlon's Top 130 for 2020

After five straight winning seasons, NC State took a step back in 2019. Eighth-year head coach Dave Doeren is hoping that with some improved injury luck and a revamped staff, he can get the Wolfpack back to their winning ways.

It’s going to be a challenge to significantly recover from a 4–8 downturn with what is still a young roster, a more difficult schedule and with spring practice mostly wiped out by the COVID-19 crisis.

Doeren hired five new coaches, will have two new primary coordinators and has only one assistant left from the 2018 staff, when the team posted its second straight nine-win season. “There were just some things I wanted to do differently and felt like we needed to do differently to move forward,” Doeren says.

Related: Athlon Sports' College Football Top 25 for 2020

Previewing NC State's Offense for 2020

Tim Beck comes from Texas to take over an offense that struggled to find stability at quarterback and score points. The Wolfpack dropped to No. 107 in the country in scoring offense and didn’t score 28 points in an ACC game. There were multiple injuries up front (including to both starting tackles) and at running back, and Doeren went through two starting quarterbacks before settling in the eighth game on Devin Leary.

The redshirt sophomore, a highly rated recruit out of New Jersey in 2018, showed some promise when he didn’t try to do too much. But he has to improve his accuracy (48.1 completion percentage) and decision-making.

Doeren went into the spring with Leary as the designated starter, but freshman Ty Evans, who redshirted last season, and true freshman Ben Finley, whose older brother Ryan was the Wolfpack’s starter for three years, will be given a chance to win the job.

Running back was NC State’s strength last year and should be again. Bam Knight is the team’s best playmaker. He led the team with 745 rushing yards and five touchdowns as a freshman.

...

Pitt Introduces “Panther Mobile Pass” for 2020 Football Season - Pitt Panthers #H2P (pittsburghpanthers.com)

New for the 2020 football season, Pitt Athletics unveiled today "Panther Mobile Pass," the most flexible season-ticket package that includes all seven home games for the value price of only $135.

This new ticketing option allows fans the opportunity to watch the game from various vantage points in Heinz Field with different seats each game. With exclusive ticket management features, Panther Mobile Pass offers fans the following:

  • Ultimate Convenience: Prior to each game, your tickets are conveniently delivered to your phone via text message. Fans can manage their tickets via their cell phone and scan into the venue with a few quick taps.
  • Sit with Friends: Using the "Sit with Friends" feature, you can link your ticket(s) with other Panther Mobile Pass purchasers to be seated together. Or you can click the "Buy Guest Tickets" options to bring a friend. Tickets are easily transferred to your guests.
  • Ultimate Flexibility: Can't make the game? With the "Return Tickets" feature, you can return tickets and instantly earn credit to be applied towards Guest Tickets and Seat Upgrades.
The Panther Mobile Pass is ready for purchase and can be accessed here.

Pitt Athletics 2020 Ticket Guarantee

We know and understand that COVID-19 has generated far more questions than answers. During this uncertain time, Pitt Athletics wants to provide the best customer service and flexibility for its loyal and valued supporters.

If, for any reason, the 2020 season or any portion of the home schedule is not played, the value of the affected tickets, scholarship seating and parking payments will be refunded to fans who purchased through the Panther Ticket Office.

Season-ticket holders may also choose to show their ongoing commitment to Pitt student-athletes by utilizing refunded amounts to support Pitt Athletics in the following ways:

  • Direct refunded payment to supporting student-athlete scholarships through the Panther Club as a tax-deductible gift or accrual of priority points.
  • Use refund amount as a payment toward 2021 football season tickets.
...

Doing Less with Miami (RX; HM)

Doing Less with Miami

You'd be hard-pressed to find any P5 football program - in the ACC or outside it - which has accomplished less with its talent than the 20-teens Miami Hurricanes. With the second most NFL draft picks since 2010 - a mere 3 picks fewer than the Clemson Tigers - you'd think Miami would've at least won 3 or 4 Coastal division titles and maybe one ACC championship, right? But no; only one division title and zero conference championships for the talented Hurricanes. That points the finger at coaching.

When Miami has had good coaches like Mark Richt, they've won (Richt is responsible for the one and so far only division title for the Canes). When the "U" has had a great coach - like Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson - they've won National Titles. Even Larry Coker was able to win one with the roster Butch Davis stocked before he took over...

Manny Diaz took over a program from Mark Richt which was just a year removed from that Coastal division crown and trip to the ACC Championship Game. True, it was a rush to hire Diaz - Richt's retirement was sudden and, apparently, unexpected. That said, Temple thought enough of Diaz to give him the head coaching position there, so in principle Miami was hiring a G5 head coach.
...


2020 Preseason Predictions (CFN) (RX; HM)

2020 Preseason Predictions (CFN)

A little while back, College Football News (CFN) published their 2020 preseason game-by-game predictions for each ACC football team. What I've done here is take the total wins and losses and the ACC wins and losses and presented them to you in two tables, sorted by predicted order of finish in each division.

2020 PredictionW-LACC
Clemson11-18-0
NC State7-54-4
Louisville6-64-4
Florida State6-64-4
Syracuse7-53-5
Boston College5-73-5
Wake Forest5-72-6
source: 2020 ACC Atlantic Predictions

2020 PredictionW-LACC
N Carolina8-46-2
Virginia Tech8-45-3
Miami8-44-4
Pitt8-44-4
Virginia7-54-4
Georgia Tech4-83-5
Duke4-81-7
source: 2020 ACC Coastal Predictions

The predictions above would result in a rematch of the 2015 ACC Championship Game between the Clemson Tigers and the UNC Tar Heels. No surprise that they pick Clemson to go undefeated in ACC play (losing only at Notre Dame), but the sensitivity is pretty great in the other division, as CFN picks Virginia Tech to finish second despite losing to both UNC and Pitt. What this means is that they pick the winner of the UNC/VT game to win the Coastal division.
...




Ranking the 5 best Defensive Linemen in the ACC for 2020 (scacchoops.com; Fann)

Let's take a look at the top Defensive Linemen in the ACC.

MarvinWilson.jpg

Marvin Wilson

1) Marvin Wilson, Florida State

Christmas came for FSU when arguably the nation’s best defensive lineman Marvin Wilson returned for his senior year. the DT Wilson enters 2020 as a consensus pre-season All-American. He had 44 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks in just 9 games. Wilson is projected to be a top 15 NFL pick. He’s good, really good.

2) Jaylen Twyman, Pittsburgh

The ACC is full of NFL quality defensive lineman, and Pitt’s Jalen Twyman is another one. Twyman is the best defensive linemen at Pittsburgh since the great Aaron Donald. Twyman had a 10.5 sacks last year, and was named 2nd team-All American by multiple publications. He could be a 1st round NFL pick.

3) Gregory Rousseau, Miami

Does Miami have the best defensive line in the ACC? Gregory Rousseau is an All-American in making after a tremendous freshman season. Fellow defensive lineman Quincy Roche, just missed our top 5 list. At 6’7″ Rousseau was described as consistently dominant and future All-Pro by NFL.com

4) Carlos Basham, Jr, Wake Forest

Wake Forest’s Carlos Bashman Jr. was second in the ACC in sacks and tackles for loss. Bashman named to multiple pre-season All-America teams, and one of Athlon’s top 50 players returning for next year. He is projected as a 2nd or 3rd round NFL pick, but could work himself into the 1st round with a strong senior season.

5) Tyler Davis, Clemson

Tyler Davis is the next in line of great Clemson defensive linemen. The DT was a 2nd team All-ACC pick last year as a freshman. He had 51 tackles, 9 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks in a very strong 2019 season. Davis and Miami’s Gregory Rousseau, Miami are the future of ACC defensive linemen.
...


Watch Now: 2020 Atlantic Division football preview | ACC Today with Bill Roth (roanoke.com; podcast; Roth)

Watch Now: 2020 Atlantic Division football preview | ACC Today with Bill Roth

Ranking the Top 30 ACC players for 2020 (247sports.com; Seats)

It’s difficult arguing against the SEC as the most talented division of college football. But with Clemson paving the way, the Atlantic Coast Conference could begin making ground towards the SEC’s long-standing dominance.

The Tigers have made five consecutive trips to the College Football Playoff, having appeared in four championship games and claimed two national titles. Last year, Clemson’s title defense was thwarted by a 42-25 loss to the LSU Tigers.

Ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, running back Travis Etienne announced he would be returning to Clemson for his final year of eligibility. With one of college football’s most dynamic offensive players back in play alongside quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the Tigers are poised for yet another postseason run.

But from top to bottom, the ACC is only growing stronger. In the coastal division, Virginia has continued to make strides, having reached the ACC Championship and the Orange Bowl in 2019. Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Miami have all experienced a recent influx of talent, especially the Hurricanes' recent transfers D'Eriq King and Quincy Roche, that’s raised team expectations.

With that in mind, College Football News released its list of the top 30 players from the ACC heading into the 2020 season.

Check out the entire list of players below.

Paris Ford

Paris Ford (Photo: Icon Sportswire, Getty)

No. 30 Victor Dimukeje DE, Duke
No. 29 Hendon Hooker QB, Virginia Tech
No. 28 David Curry LB Georgia Tech
No. 27 Zane Zandier LB, Virginia
No. 26 Paris Ford S, Pitt
...


2020 Preseason All-ACC Team: Offense (247sports.com; Howe)

While no one quite knows how the 2020 college football season will play out, the players mentioned below belong there for a reason. The 2020 preseason list of All-ACC offensive players are coming off exciting 2019 seasons and many will look to have a full breakout season ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.

To no one's surprise, Clemson has the most players on the list with three. Pitt and Lousiville check-in tied for second with two players each. Four other ACC teams are represented on the list with one player each. Over the past five seasons, Clemson has won five straight ACC Championships, and appear to have no real challenge to stop them from winning a sixth straight in 2020. The ACC has been dominated by only two teams dating back to 2012, with Florida State winning three straight championships from 2012-14 prior to Clemson's five-year run.

The list contains one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, two tackles, two guards, and one center.

College Football News compiled the preseason All-ACC team, and below each player is a description of why they are deserving of the preseason honors heading into the 2020 season.

QB – TREVOR LAWRENCE, JR. CLEMSON
Lawrence enters what will be his final season at Clemson with a 29-1 career record, two ACC championships, two national title appearances, and a chance to go No. 1 overall in next year’s NFL draft. A 247Sports Composite five-star recruit and No. 1 overall ranked player in the class of 2018, Lawrence has more than lived up to the hype. In two seasons, Lawrence has thrown for 6,945 yards with 66 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. After last year’s loss in the national championship game to LSU, Lawrence and the Tigers will look to get back to the final college football game of the year for the third straight season in 2020. Don't forget to add Lawrence's 2019 National Championship to his resume which he won as a true freshman.

RB – TRAVIS ETIENNE, SR. CLEMSON
...


Clemson Football: Anonymous coach questions Travis Etienne’s toughness (rubbingtherock.com; Spencer)

Anonymous coach has doubts about Clemson football RB Travis Etienne

Travis Etienne became the all-time rushing leader in Clemson football history in just three seasons and announced that he would be returning for one more year to get his degree and attempt to leave on top with another National Championship.

In addition to the Clemson football program records he has already set, Etienne is also the all-time touchdown leader in the ACC and has won ACC Player of the Year each of the last two seasons.

Despite all of that production, there apparently is one coach who has doubts about what Etienne can accomplish at the running back position.

Athlon Sports released an anonymous coach’s words of the Clemson football running back and they seem to be a bit of a head-scratcher.

“Etienne is a showstopper, but he actually needs to work on some things to become a truly great back,” said an anonymous coach to Athlon Magazine. “He’s always been a home-run guy because they’ve never had to lean on the running game with Trevor there.”

Etienne is already an all-time Clemson football great

The coach may be right in saying that Etienne hasn’t had to carry the ball 20-30 times per game, but it’s not because he isn’t capable of it. It’s simply because it’s not needed.

This coach clearly can’t be Syracuse’s Dino Babers and here’s why.

Does anyone remember the 2018 game against Syracuse when Trevor Lawrence went out with an injury in his first-ever start? As The Clemson Insider first noted: Etienne carried the ball 27 times for an astounding 203 yards and three touchdowns.

For those keeping up at home, that’s an average yards per carry number of 7.5 and he only had a long of 26. That means he was fighting for tough yardage all the way through and he put the offense on his back.
...


Clemson football: The important Tiger no one is talking about (rubbingtherock.com; Benedict)

for gbo

Clemson football has a lot of big names that attract a lot of attention, but there is one person that no one is talking about that will have a huge impact in 2020.

After the 2019 season ended in a fashion that left a bad taste in those around Clemson football, many still had a decision to make – come back for another year of Tiger football or go chase their professional football dreams.

Nyles Pinckney is one that chose to come back for his senior year. In all honesty, it was probably a very easy decision for him given his draft grade from the NFL was an unrestricted rookie free agent, but we have seen guys from all over the country still take their chances.

Sophomore Tyler Davis and freshman Bryan Bresee and DeMonte Capehart are getting all the love and attention right now, but Pinckney is the elder statesman of the group and the experience, as well as the leadership that he brings to the group, will be invaluable in 2020.

Clemson football has just nine seniors on the two-deep
...


Clemson Football: Ranking the Toughest Games on the Tigers' Schedule (athlon; Kinne)

for gbo

Clemson's championship dreams may be determined on their trip to Notre Dame in November

Clemson will enter the 2020 season as the No. 1 team in America and as such, the Tigers will be considerable favorites in every game they play. Furthermore, there aren't a lot of attention-grabbing games on Clemson's slate this coming fall.

Yes, there's the trip north in early November that will be one of the marquee games of the college football season. But after a down season last year, the ACC doesn't appear to be much stronger this time around and until the league produces a team or two that can compete on the national level, questions will persist about the difficulty of Clemson's schedule.

There are some contests in which Clemson could struggle in 2020, though it does appear that the game on the first Saturday in November is all that stands between the Tigers and another 12-0 regular season.

12. Nov. 14 vs. The Citadel
This fall marks the 30-year anniversary of the FCS Bulldogs' 38-35 upset of South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium. Beating the other in-state power — especially this season — would be cause for an even bigger celebration. Clemson will have no problem with a Citadel team that was 6-6 in 2019.

11. Sept. 19 vs. Akron
Second-year head coach Tom Arth has still not tasted victory as a Zip. While his team has a shot in each of the season's first two weeks and returns quarterback Kato Nelson, they won’t be winning at Death Valley in week three.

10. Sept. 3 at Georgia Tech
Geoff Collins battled the Tigers in the season opener of his inaugural year as the Georgia Tech head coach and he faces the same challenge in year two. While the Yellow Jackets improved as 2019 developed, they still need to find an answer at quarterback and are a long ways from staying with Clemson.

9. Oct. 24 vs. Syracuse
After two years of steady development, the Orange slid backward in a big way last fall, missing the bowl season altogether after posting double-digit wins in 2018. If things are going to improve this year, a defense that finished 115th in yards allowed per game and a woeful offensive line must be considerably better.

8. Oct. 2 at Boston College
Star running back AJ Dillon declared for the NFL draft and quarterback Anthony Brown transferred to Oregon. New Eagles head coach Jeff Hafley would love to have Notre Dame transfer Phil Jurkovec taking snaps, but the NCAA has yet to rule on the quarterback's waiver. David Bailey does provide some answers as a replacement for Dillon and this is a short week road game for the Tigers.
...


Boston College football players return for voluntary workouts - ACCSports.com (accsports.com; Geisinger)

Boston College football is up next as more and more ACC programs return to campus for voluntary offseason workouts amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

By this point, the majority of ACC teams have at least some number of players and coaches on campus. However, there have already been complications; last week, Clemson made headlines when 23 additional players tested positive for coronavirus.

Boston College football players returning on-campus for voluntary workouts today

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) June 22, 2020

According to a release from Boston College, all football players, regardless of home state, are required to self-quarantine upon arrival for a maximum of 14 days.

Earlier this month, Boston College hired Patrick Kraft to replace Martin Jarmond — who left for UCLA — as the school’s new athletics director.

The 2020 season will mark the debut campaign for new football coach Jeff Hafley, who replaced Steve Addazio.
...


Other

AUJLLROLINCZZDINKSLK26EITI.jpg


McMahon: Positive test rate down, phase four expected this week (PS; Tampone)


Onondaga County’s rate of positive coronavirus tests has dropped sharply from earlier in the crisis and that’s welcome news, Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said today.

Over the last three days, the county’s positive rate has been a bit under 1%, McMahon said. Over the last 24 hours, it was .7%.

Earlier in the pandemic, the positive rate was regularly 8% to 8.5%.

“Good news, when look at where we are as a county, as a region, as a state,” McMahon said. “We’re doing well.”

No new deaths occurred in the county in the last 24 hours, McMahon said. The local death toll remains 180.

Hospitalizations fell one to 42. Of those, 16 people no longer need to be in the hospital and are waiting for a negative coronavirus test before being released.

A total of nine people are in intensive care units, down one.

The numbers all point toward the next phase of the state’s reopening plan coming this week. McMahon said he expected state experts to review Central New York’s data soon.

He expected Cuomo to give formal approval for phase four either Friday or Saturday. Phase four is the final portion of the restart plan and includes the arts, entertainment and education.
...
 
Re: the 5 best defensive linemen in the ACC this season -- I sure wouldn't want to try to block any of them!
 
I dont know why people point to athletes returning and testing positive as a bad sign.. it points to alot of issues unrelated to sports and college. Things like the LSU issue are where there is some concern with kids coming back and not being responsible. Thats an issue with society as a whole.
 
I dont know why people point to athletes returning and testing positive as a bad sign.. it points to alot of issues unrelated to sports and college. Things like the LSU issue are where there is some concern with kids coming back and not being responsible. Thats an issue with society as a whole.

And, you would think the motivation level to do the right things, for a factory pseudo-Pro program like LSU, coming off of a Natty, hoping to repeat, would be sky high.

And yet, here we (or rather, they) are.

It’s a bad sign for exactly the reasons you stated, since it’s a societal issue.
Of which college sports is a very minor subset.
 
much easier to get the kids attention when they have less free time though. hopefully
 

Similar threads

    • Like
Orangeyes Daily Articles for Monday for Football
Replies
5
Views
605
    • Like
Orangeyes Daily Articles for Monday for Football
Replies
6
Views
465
    • Like
Orangeyes Daily Articles for Monday for Football
Replies
7
Views
736
    • Like
Orangeyes Daily Articles for Thursday for Football
Replies
5
Views
475
    • Love
Orangeyes Daily Articles for Monday for Football
Replies
5
Views
491

Forum statistics

Threads
167,128
Messages
4,681,642
Members
5,900
Latest member
DizzyNY

Online statistics

Members online
255
Guests online
2,039
Total visitors
2,294


Top Bottom