sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to Free Queso Day!
Salsa and chips are always free at Moe's Southwest Grill, but queso—or "liquid gold," as they call it—is also free today. Why? Because it's Free Queso Day! Each year on the day, Moe's gives out a free six-ounce cup of their queso as a way to thank their loyal customers. In past years, the restaurant—which is a fast-casual franchise that serves southwestern food in around 700 locations—has held contests giving those who enter the opportunity to win free queso for life. (Well, at least one free cup a week for 24 years.) In 2019, the day was expanded to "Queso Season," and queso was celebrated all of September. Not only was free queso available in-store, but also by using the Moe Rewards app, online ordering, and catering. Moe Rewards members also got an extra 100 bonus points for every purchase of queso they made during the month.
Queso, more formally known as chile con queso, is a dip made with cheese and chile peppers that are primarily used with tortilla chips. According to one story, the first time queso was sold at a restaurant may have been 1900, when Otis Farnsworth opened the Original Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio and put it on the menu. It became one of the most popular menu items, although it is unknown what type of cheese was used. The first published queso recipe may date to the early 1920s when one appeared in a women's organization cookbook in San Antonio. This recipe used American chees
SU News
Beat Writers skeptical of Syracuse's chances against No. 25 Pittsburgh (DO; Staff)
Syracuse slumped to a 31-6 defeat against then-No. 18 North Carolina in its season-opener Sept. 12. But the Orange’s next opponent, No. 25 Pittsburgh, cruised past Austin Peay 55-0 in its first game.
Here’s what our beat writers think will happen Saturday at Pitt:
Anthony Dabbundo (1-0 straight up, 1-0 against the spread)
Stuffed
Pittsburgh 35, Syracuse 10
Syracuse’s offense Sept. 12 was even worse than I originally thought after rewatching the condensed game film and examining some advanced analytics. For a team whose tight ends aren’t used, wide receivers can’t separate and offensive line doesn’t block consistently, it’s hard to imagine how the Orange will generate points of their own against this Pittsburgh defense.
During last season’s game against Pitt, Taj Harris’ long touchdown and Clayton Welch’s running ability opened up an SU offense that failed most of the night. Against this Panthers defensive line, Syracuse’s O-line gets exposed again.
It’s going to be a long day for Tommy DeVito and the running backs. Without three gifted possessions like UNC gave the Orange, Pitt gets ahead early and rolls to a win, covering the 21-point spread. Syracuse falls to 0-2 and enters an easier portion of its schedule without much optimism.
Danny Emerman (1-0 straight up, 1-0 against the spread)
Mismatch
Pittsburgh 28, Syracuse 13
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Syracuse Football: QB Tommy DeVito needs to step up game, and he can (itlh; Adler)
It’s no secret that Syracuse football starting quarterback Tommy DeVito needs to play better at Pitt, but let’s not write him off yet.
In the Syracuse football season-opening loss at North Carolina this past Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, Orange redshirt junior quarterback Tommy DeVito struggled, to put it mildly.
Then-No. 18 UNC pulled away from the ‘Cuse in the fourth quarter to ultimately rout Syracuse football, 31-6. DeVito really had a rough outing, going 13-of-31 for 112 passing yards, along with an abysmal total quarterback rating of 23.8, according to ESPN.com.
After that performance, a ton of Orange fans absolutely ripped DeVito on social media, saying that he’s awful and should get removed as the team’s starting quarterback.
Hold on, folks. While I of course respect the opinions of my fellow ‘Cuse fanatics, even when we vehemently disagree with one another, calling for DeVito to get benched after only one week is a tad over the top.
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DeVito "Optimistic, For Sure" About Sluggish SU Offense spectrum; video)
At the risk of reminding Syracuse fans of the Pollyanna days of Greg Robinson, junior quarterback Tommy DeVito says despite its paltry performance in game one, he's 'optimistic, for sure' about the capabilities of the Orange offense.
"Just seeing how that game could've [gone] with just the slightest detail," DeVito said. "It feels a little frustrating, but you know about the good that is to come."
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D.O. Sportscast Blitz: 3 SU superfans detail their tailgates after COVID-19 (DO; Staff)
This episode of The D.O. Sportscast, hosted by KJ Edelman, peeks into Syracuse tailgates during COVID-19. Dedicated tailgaters Gary Anastasio, Kurt Pomerenke and Mark Bradwick explain how their tailgates have changed due to COVID-19 social distancing protocol.
Our host and editorial director is KJ Edelman. Luca Serio is our executive producer, Elizabeth Kauma is our podcast editor, and Skyler Rivera is our assistant sports digital editor. The reporters featured in this episode are Skyler Rivera, Adam Hillman, and Anthony Dabbundo.
Listen on Spotify:
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Syracuse Football: StatPack grades from loss at North Carolina (itlh; Mlodzinski)
Syracuse football struggled offensively in game one of the 2020 season. Here’s where they went wrong and how to fix it heading into Pitt.
Syracuse football lost their first contest of the season to North Carolina, 31-6. The Orange had multiple chances in the first half to either take the lead or counter the Tar Heels. However, too many more times not taking advantage won’t fly against a top-20 team in the nation. Quarterback Sam Howell eventually got his guys grounded and UNC never looked back.
Howell finished the game with two picks, but was relatively accurate otherwise, completing 25 passes out of 34 attempts for 295 yards and a touchdown. He got help out of the running game, with Michael Carter going for 78 yards and Javonte Williams rushing for 54 and three scores.
Tommy DeVito struggled to throw the ball for the ‘Cuse, finishing 13-of-31 for a dismal 112 yards. He led the team in rushing with 30 yards, as Jahwar Jordan was held to just 26 yards on the ground. That could be a pattern this season have first and second string RBs Abdul Adams and Jarveon Howard opted out of the season.
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Film review: Syracuse’s 2019 offensive line failures overflow into 2020 (DO; Dabbundo)
One game into the 2020 season, Syracuse’s problems with its offensive line have persisted since last year.
Converted fullback and tight end Chris Elmore has moved to left guard to fill in for Dakota Davis, who’s injured. The Orange (0-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) couldn’t block for their running backs and struggled to protect quarterback Tommy DeVito and control a talented UNC front at the point of attack. When they did successfully block, the receivers didn’t create separation.
Below is a closer look at Syracuse’s offensive line performance in Week 1 against the Tar Heels (all screenshots via ACC Network):
Carlos Vettorello pushed into DeVito for a sack
Early in the second quarter, Syracuse faced a 3rd-and-10 near midfield. A first down would have put the Orange in UNC territory, but back-to-back incompletions instead put them in a third-and-goal situation.
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/ccpa/ (triblive.com; Benz)
Saturday marks the 75th college football game between Pitt and Syracuse. And one word sums up the history of this series.
Weird.
It’s one of the strangest, goofiest rivalries in terms of historical trends that you will find.
Just look at Syracuse’s three most recent trips to Heinz Field.
2020 … Pandemic. No fans. Enough said.
2018 … There’s a 75-minute weather delay. Syracuse blows a 14-point lead. Pitt blows a 10-point lead. Syracuse blows two different leads in the fourth quarter. And then Pitt wins in overtime.
2016 … Pitt outguns the Orange 76-61, setting the record for the highest-scoring regulation game (137 total points) in FBS history. The teams combined for 47 points in the fourth quarter alone.
That’s just recently. The oddities of how the series momentum has twisted go all the way back to the 1960s.
From 1957-1968: Syracuse wins nine of 12.
From 1973-1983: Pitt wins 11 in a row.
From 1984-2001: Syracuse goes 16-1-1.
From 2002-2019: Pitt has gone 15-3.
Furthermore, even when Syracuse has beaten Pitt during this recent stretch, it has been by an eyelash.
One of the three victories was in double overtime (38-31 in 2004). The Orange pulled out a 14-13 victory in the Carrier Dome in 2012. And SU squeaked out a 27-24 victory in 2017.
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Syracuse at Pittsburgh - Saturday 9/19/20 - College Football Picks & Predictions | Picks & Parlays
How can Syracuse football's offense improve ahead of Pitt matchup? (the juice; McGlynn)
Another Syracuse game and another frustrating performance from Tommy Devito and the offense. It may only be one game into the season, but it was more of the same struggles from last season. Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote about how I still had faith in Devito’s potential. I believed he would eventually become the great leader of the Syracuse offense, much like Eric Dungey before him. I thought his arm talent would lead him to be even more dangerous in this fast-paced offense.
Unfortunately, it seems like Devito has stayed exactly where he was two years ago when he first started for Syracuse. His development has stagnated. North Carolina might have a talented defense, but completing fewer than 50 percent of his passes for an average of 3.6 yards per attempt is brutally inefficient. It was the fourth time since the start of the 2019 season he failed to hit the 50 percent mark. His yards per attempt were the second-worst average in the country, ahead of only Middle Tennessee’s Asher O’Hara.
While much of the Syracuse offense prioritizes getting the ball out of his hands quickly, Devito cannot seem to take advantage of when he gets to take a shot down the field. He has all the arm strength needed to complete long passes, but the accuracy simply isn’t there. The Orange has plenty of players with the speed necessary to generate separation on the outside. Taj Harris, Nykeim Johnson and Sharod Johnson are all capable of turning on the burners. Johnson did let him down with a drop in the end zone. On the whole, Devito has few excuses when it comes to his weapons.
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Opponent Preview: Syracuse heads to Pittsburgh to face the No. 25 Panthers (DO; Hillman)
Syracuse heads south to Pittsburgh for its second game of the 2020 season. The Orange are coming off a disappointing 31-6 loss to UNC, where the Tar Heels scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. SU held a strong North Carolina offense to 10 points through three quarters but relented in the final 15 minutes.
Here’s everything to know about Pittsburgh ahead of Saturday’s game against Syracuse
All-time series: Pittsburgh leads 40-32-3
Last time they played: The Orange clawed back from a 24-6 halftime deficit to make one-possession game late in the fourth quarter. Tommy DeVito left in the third after taking a hard hit and was medically cleared to return, but head coach Dino Babers kept him out. Backup Clayon Welch entered and led the Orange to within seven points, but a third-down conversion with under two minutes remaining iced the game for the Panthers.
The Pittsburgh report: Under head coach Pat Narduzzi Pitt is known for tough, hard-nosed defense. Star defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman opted out, but 2019 All-ACC pick Patrick Jones II had 8.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hurries last year. Defensive end Rashad Weaver returns from an injury that kept him out of the 2019 season — Weaver led the Panthers in sacks in 2018. Safeties Paris Ford and Damar Hamlin rival Syracuse’s touted defensive backs as well.
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Syracuse Needs to Re-Route its Passing Game – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Unsworth)
Newly hired offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert was supposed to be a breath of fresh air for the Syracuse offense, mixing up formations and play-calls while retaining the principles of head coach Dino Babers’ “Orange is the New Fast” scheme. To go full Babers and put it in metaphorical terms, the SU offense didn’t need to be an iPhone 12, just an iPhone X with a brand new software update. Forget the fact that the offense had lost its best wide receiver and running back. And top of that, was starting a fullback at left guard and two brand new ball-carriers. Most SU fans just wanted to see something different.
Instead, it was 2019 all over again. QB Tommy DeVito and company could not string drives together. The Orange went three-and-out five times in the second half. The run game was nonexistent, but that was to be expected. Devito needed to be better. The junior only completed 13 of 31 passes for 121 yards. But it is where those 31 passes went that left people confused.
Taj Harris was targeted 15 times. That’s right, 15. He had to emerge early as a number one receiver early, and did not do so. Harris officially dropped one pass, but there were at least three other opportunities to make plays that the Florida native missed. He only caught five passes for 64 yards.
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Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh Football Prediction and Preview (athlonsports.com; Saelhof)
COVID-19 isn't going to stop the long-standing rivalry between ACC programs Syracuse and Pittsburgh.
One that dates back to 1916 and has been an annual fixture since 1955 continues here in the strange year of 2020 on Saturday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
But that doesn't mean the world-wide health crisis isn't playing a part in the proceedings, with players from each school opting out of the college football campaign.
Syracuse has taken the big hit with two running backs, senior Abdul Adams and junior Jarveon Howard, and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Cooper Dawson electing to sit the season. Given that Howard and Adams, who transferred from Oklahoma prior to last season, were the Orange's top returning rushers with 337 and 336 rushing yards, respectively, it's a hit to the ground game.
Meanwhile, the Panthers lost a giant talent in defensive lineman Jaylen Twyman, a junior who had 41 tackles and 10.5 sacks last fall and was named a preseason Athlon Sports second-team All-American, when he decided to opt out and focus on the 2021 NFL Draft.
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No. 25 Pitt to face Syracuse in ACC Opener (cardiachill.com; Whaley)
With a tuneup game against Austin Peay out of the way, the No. 25 Pitt football team will face Syracuse this weekend in the first ACC contest of the year.
The Panthers are a heavy favorite coming into the game, picked to win by about three touchdowns. The fact that Pitt is expected to win isn’t much of a surprise. What did raise my eyebrows a bit, of course, was that large number. That type of spread in any conference game is massive.
If you’re a Pitt coach, you’re now in defense mode a bit, trying to guard against players getting swelled heads. First, the Panthers slipped into the Top 25 and now they’ve got Vegas calling for an easy win this weekend. Frankly, a big concern of mine is keeping guys motivated and I want to see the coaches do that this week. Head coach Pat Narduzzi talked after the Austin Peay game about really wanting guys to come out and make a statement in that. They did that. The question is, will they do it again? And again? There’s enough talent on this team that they can and now the coaches have the task of keeping them motivated each week. That won’t be hard as the games get more difficult but they need to do that in games like this where they’re expected to win.
Part of the reason for that big spread is because Syracuse could find it difficult to score points on Saturday. The Orange were held to only six points last weekend against a ranked North Carolina team and did not find the end zone all game. Conversely, Pitt put 55 points up on the board, albeit against an admittedly weak opponent in Austin Peay. Neither team is likely as bad (Syracuse) or as good (Pitt) offensively as they looked this past weekend, though, it is notable that the Panthers certainly could have scored even more had they not pulled starters after the first half. I’ll say this — the Pitt offense has a chance to be good. Very good.
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Rules of Postponement (COVID) (RX; HM)
Rules of Postponement (COVID)
What are the guidelines for postponing an ACC football game? What are the triggers to shut down the whole football season? Virginia Tech Head Coach Justin Fuente has been vocal about asking those questions, so it's not surprising that Virginia Tech football beat writer Mike Niziolek of The Roanoke Times would be the one to cover this story. Here are some highlights based on his article "Surprising details from ACC's COVID-19 postponement guidelines":
ACC Medical Advisory Group’s Game Discontinuation Considerations
• Inability to isolate new positive cases, or to quarantine high contact risk cases
• Unavailability or inability to perform symptomatic, surveillance or precompetition testing as required
• Campus-wide or local community transmission rates that are considered unsafe by local public health officials
• Inability to perform adequate contact tracing consistent with governmental requirements or recommendations
• Local public health officials of the home team state that there is an inability for the hospital infrastructure to accommodate a surge in COVID-related hospitalizations
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Factoids, 2020 Week 3 (RX; HM)
Factoids, 2020 Week 3
From the ACC:
Saturday’s noon game will be the home opener for Duke, but Boston College hosted the first three meetings in the series from 1927-29, and then the schools did not meet on the football field for nearly eight decades. The first meeting ever between the programs in Durham occurred in 2010.
This weekend's game between Clemson and The Citadel is the 39th meeting in a series that was first played in 1909. The Tigers have won 17 straight since The Citadel’s last victory, a 6-0 win in 1931 at Florence, SC. This will also be the 12th straight meeting between the teams at Clemson; the Tigers’ last visit to The Citadel was in 1953.
The ACC is blessed with some very good quarterbacks this season, but this is not something new... the ACC leads the country with nine starting quarterbacks in the NFL:
- Boston College's Matt Ryan (Falcons)
- Clemson's Deshaun Watson (Texans)
- Duke's Daniel Jones (NY Giants)
- Louisville's Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
- Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater (Panthers)
- North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky (Bears)
- NC State's Philip Rivers (Colts)
- NC State's Russell Wilson (Seahawks)
- Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor (Chargers).
More ACC News - 9/16/20 (RX; HM)
More ACC News - 9/16/20
Fall sports coverage on @accnetwork and ACCNX begins this Thursday!
Sport-specific details below Fall Sports on ACC Network Begin Thursday, September 17
Fall Sports on ACC Network Begin Thursday, September 17
The regular season and tournament games include:
- 30 women’s soccer games
- 21 men’s soccer games
- 19 field hockey games
- 18 volleyball matches
Links, tweets and videos - 9/16/20 (RX; HM)
Links, tweets and videos - 9/16/20
Finally, a change that actually makes some fiscal sense:
Capping college coaches' salaries discussed at congressional hearing
I agree - it is outrageous. And please, don't start in about "free market" - there's nothing free about this market, when players are forbidden from being paid (so naturally all of the money flows to the coaches!). It's been a boondoggle from the start, IMHO. Maybe they'll fix it, maybe not.
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BREAKING: Big Ten to resume football Oct 24 (RX; HM)
BREAKING: Big Ten to resume football Oct 24
From ESPN:
The next big question: will the Virginia Tech Hokies resume football by then?
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Other
SU coronavirus uptick continues 'troubling trend' (PS; Mulder)
Syracuse University reported another 13 new coronavirus cases today, most of them caused by students who traveled recently and brought the virus back to the campus.
The school also said it has quarantined 91 students who were potentially exposed to the virus.
Those are the highest numbers of new cases and quarantined students reported by SU so far in a single update on its Covid-19 dashboard. The dashboard is updated three times a week. SU currently has 23 active cases.
J. Michael Haynie, SU’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, called the uptick a “troubling trend.”
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