sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Chewing Gum Day!
Chewing Gum Day is a day for gum chewers around the world. Forms of chewing gum got their start millennia ago in different locations, but it wasn't until the 19th century in America when chewing gum began to look like what we know it as today. Early civilizations chewed various substances, such as plants and resins, that were near where they lived. The Aztecs and Mayans chewed chicle, the Greeks chewed resin from mastic trees, and American Indians chewed resin from the sap of spruce trees. Newly arrived Americans soon took after the chewing habits of their Native American neighbors. In 1848 John B. Curtis took this idea and made the first commercial chewing gum in 1848—called Maine Pure Spruce Gum. A gum made out of paraffin wax became very popular soon after this.
John Colgan created the first flavored chewing gum in Louisville, Kentucky, in the 1860's. He mixed powdered sugar with tolu from balsam trees, creating what he called Taffy Tolu. He also was instrumental in the expansion of chicle chewing gum. In 1871 Thomas Adams, a Staten Island New York inventor, also helped popularize chicle. Adams was given chicle from former Mexican president, General Santa Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who thought it could be used as a rubber substitute. Adams noticed Santa Anna chewing chicle as well, and created Adams New York No.1 chewing gum. His company later came up with and sold Black Jack, a licorice flavored gum. William Wrigley soon became the largest maker of chewing gum, and started selling both Spearmint and Juicy Fruit in the 1890's.
SU News
Syracuse emphasizes turnovers to compensate for poor offense, statistics show (DO; Dabbundo)
Syracuse grabbed its first win of the season on Saturday against Georgia Tech, heading into the bye week at 1-2. Given this season’s expectations, SU’s offense has struggled while its defense has shined, forcing nine turnovers and keeping the Orange in games against nationally-ranked opponents in their first two games.
The Orange will play Duke and Liberty as they come out of the bye. Here are some key numbers that could predict some bright spots and trouble areas ahead:
Syracuse is one of the nation’s worst offenses
Even with the offensive improvements against Georgia Tech, only Charlotte has a lower predicted points added per play in the NCAA. This means that, on a per-play basis, only one offense has been less efficient than Syracuse.
SU has struggled in just about every phase. Even when facing a Georgia Tech defensive line that allowed lots of defensive line yards, Syracuse’s line wasn’t able to generate much of a push, accounting for 2.4 total line yards.
Tommy DeVito has regressed from 2019 on a predicted points added per play basis. Despite the offense’s issues in 2019, DeVito was consistently positive on cumulative PPA average. This year, his rolling average places him at the bottom of the ACC and in the negatives.
His rolling average did make a small uptick last week, but as shown in the graph below on collegefootballdata.com, he remains below zero.
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Fizz Film Review: Offense vs GT – Orange Fizz – Free Syracuse Recruiting News (orangefizz.net; Eads)
“OITNF” (Orange is the new fast) was on full display Saturday against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jacket defense had no answers for Syracuse’s aggressive up-tempo attack. Sterlin Gilbert and Dino Babers finally let their skill players shine. Let’s take a look at some of the big plays from Saturday’s game and why they worked.
Play 1
The run game was pitiful the first two games, but SU has found something in freshman tailback Sean Tucker. He had several plays where he made something out of nothing, but on this play the O-line made it easy for him. Excellent scheme from Gilbert and Babers, this is a simple read option between Tommy DeVito and Tucker. DeVito freezes the read defender off the left side and the double-teams from Aaron Servais and Chris Elmore along with Darius Tisdale and Matthew Bergeron are executed perfectly. Carlos Vettorello wins his critical one-on-one matchup and a gaping hole through the “B-gap” (between the center and right guard) for Tucker to run through. You know what happens after that..
Play 2
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Locked On Syracuse - Daily Podcast On Syracuse Orange Football & Basketball: What Stood Out (And What Didn't) For Syracuse After the Cooling Period and Debut of the Praise Pie 9/29 on Apple Podcasts (apple.com; podcast; Leonard & Aki)
Tyler Aki and Tim Leonard discuss what stood out after they've had a chance to rewatch the game. There were a number of defensive players who did not receive the praise they deserve. Also, the running game has a chance to change the trajectory of the season. What concerns remain for Tommy DeVito after the win? Plus, the guys debut their praise pie and divide up the credit for who and what was responsible for the win.
Former Syracuse football star Derrell Smith now a famous chef - The Juice Online (the juice; Cheng)
Former Syracuse linebacker Derrell Smith was at the center of Syracuse’s turnaround in the Doug Marrone era. Derrell was the defensive captain of the 2010 team that won the Pinstripe Bowl against Kansas State, and after being named twice to the All Big East team, had a two-year career in the NFL.
In the time since then, Derrell has become the owner and CEO of 99EATS, a food company with a goal of connecting people through food and experiences. His cooking has been featured at the Barclays Center, Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, and also a video series at Bed, Bath and Beyond. 99EATS has also partnered with a variety of brands, including Hennessy, Hot97, and Tastemade.
Derrell joined me this week on The Juice on the Cuse podcast to talk about how he become a famous chef, social justice, his Syracuse playing days, and the current team. Among the highlights includes his take on current linebacker Mikel Jones (“that boy’s a dog”), advice for the current team (“just get better each week”), and his key sack against Rutgers that sent SU to bowl season in 2010.
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(Stitcher; podcast; Cuse Militia)
What's up Cuse Nation?!?! Well. The Orange finally get a "W" in 2020. Opening the Dome up in style against GT! Syracuse will head into a week off and prepare for Duke on Oct. 10th! You'll hear from us and we'll hear from you in Fan Feeback!
‘Groundhog Day feeling’ among Blue Devils after 3rd loss to begin season (wane.com; Clark)
For the third time in a young season, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe spoke with the media Monday following a tough loss. He fielded the same questions about the same questions. If you’re having déjà vu, you likely aren’t the only one.
“It does become a groundhog thing when you step up every Monday after a loss talking about getting better,” Cutcliffe said. “I think the thing that we have to focus on is re- re-loading our motors, but reshaping the path of preparation.”
One of the problems Duke and all college teams are dealing with is practice time. The idea is to run a play enough times so muscle memory kicks in and players will execute without thinking. The Blue Devils haven’t had anywhere near the amount of time to prepare as in years past. Spring camp was canceled due to COVID-19. The team was away for 129 days and summer camp was roughly a week before school started.
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Special Teams: 2020 vs 2019 (RX; HM)
Special Teams: 2020 vs 2019
From ESPN: "Special teams: Still an adventure?" examines trends in, you know, special teams...
Placekicking: short field goals are slightly down, long ones are up a bit, and PATs are flat.
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This Week's Dirty Little SECrets! (RX; HM)
This Week's Dirty Little SECrets!
The headline reads "SEC dominates new AP college football poll top five", but how can you "dominate" when (a) you've only played one game, and (b) it was against yourselves? This is the same, old-fashioned favoritism, plain and simple.
1. Is the SEC still dominant defensively? Mike Leach doesn't seem to think so after his team put up 623 yards and 44 points on LSU... in case you think this is an anomaly, I'd like to remind you what happened when Texas A&M and Missouri first joined the SEC from the Big XII: the SEC made a star out of Johnny Manziel while Missouri proceeded to win the SEC East not once but twice. If you're beginning to think that SEC defenses look dominant because they play so many SEC offenses you may be onto something. (By the way, Ole Miss hung 600+ yards on Florida, too, although Lane Kiffin's crew couldn't close the deal).
2. How does the AP respond when teams win? Number 8 Auburn beat #23 Kentucky and moved up to 7th. Meanwhile #21 Pitt beat #24 Louisville and fell 3 spots. Now, I ask you, which is expected to have the easier win: #8 vs. #23, or #21 vs. #24? By the way, both Kentucky and Louisville dropped out of the top 25, but while UK was the only SEC team to lose its ranked status, the Cardinals were joined by the Virginia Tech Hokies - blowout winners this week - in getting bumped to the ranks of the unranked... and that just rankles me!
3. Is it legitimate to have 8 ranked SEC teams?
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ACC FB Power Ranking - 9/29/20 (RX; HM)
ACC FB Power Ranking - 9/29/20
Now that ever team has played at least one game, I'll take a shot at power ranking them. Because there's so little data so far (literally x teams have played only one game), I'm going with the "tiers" cop-out; if you don't like it, here's your money back...
ACC Football Power Tiers
Tier 1: Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami
Tier 2: Pitt, UNC, Virginia Tech
Tier 3: Boston College, Louisville, Virginia
Tier 4: everyone else
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Bowl Projections - 9/29/20 (RX; HM)
Bowl Projections - 9/29/20
From CBS Sports: College football bowl projections
| COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF | ||||
| BOWL | DATE | LOCATION | MATCHUP | PREDICTION |
| Championship Bowl | Jan. 11 | Miami, Fla. | Semifinal winners | TBD |
| Rose Bowl | Jan. 1 | Pasadena, Calif. | CFP Semifinal | Ohio State vs. Alabama |
| Sugar Bowl | Jan. 1 | New Orleans, La. | CFP Semifinal | Clemson vs. Oregon |
| SELECTION COMMITTEE BOWL GAMES | ||||
| BOWL | DATE | LOCATION | MATCHUP | PREDICTION |
| Fiesta Bowl | Jan. 2 | Glendale, Ariz. | at-large vs. at-large | Penn State vs. USC |
| Orange Bowl | Jan. 2 | Miami, Fla. | ACC vs. SEC//ND | Miami (FL) vs. Georgia |
| Peach Bowl | Jan. 1 | Atlanta, Ga. | at-large vs. at-large | Florida vs. Boise St |
| Cotton Bowl | Dec. 30 | Arlington, Tex. | at-large vs. at-large | Oklahoma vs. UNC |
| OTHER BOWL GAMES | ||||
| BOWL | DATE | LOCATION | MATCHUP | PREDICTION |
| Gator Bowl | Jan. 2 | Jacksonville, Fla. | at-large vs. SEC | FSU vs. South Carolina |
| Liberty Bowl | Dec. 31 | Memphis, Tenn. | Big 12 vs. SEC | Oklahoma St vs. Tennessee |
| Sun Bowl | Dec. 31 | El Paso, Tex. | ACC vs. at-large | NC State vs. Washington |
| Duke's Mayo Bowl | Dec. 31 | Charlotte, N.C. | ACC vs. at-large | Louisville vs. Indiana |
| Cheez-It Bowl | Dec. 28 | Orlando, Fla. | ACC vs. Big 12 | Notre Dame vs. Texas |
| Holiday Bowl | Dec. 27 | San Diego, Calif. | at-large vs. Pac-12 | Pittsburgh vs. Utah |
| Pinstripe Bowl | Dec. 27 | New York, N.Y. | ACC vs. at-large | Virginia Tech vs. Purdue |
| Military Bowl | Dec. 27 | Annapolis, Md. | ACC vs. American | Virginia vs. Memphis |
| Gasparilla Bowl | Dec. 23 | Tampa, Fla. | ACC/SEC vs. Pool | Wake Forest vs. Navy+ |
| Fenway Bowl | Dec. 20 | Boston, Mass. | ACC vs. American | Syracuse vs. Cincinnati |
College Football Analytics Assessment: Notre Dame and the ACC (onefootdown.com; Klaus & Concannon)
As the Notre Dame Fighting Irish get adjusted to conference life, we decided to put Notre Dame’s 2020 performance in the context of the ACC. For all charts except the Point Differential view we only looked at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd down and excluded garbage time in games against FBS competition (sorry Clemson Tigers, you don’t get to use The Citadel to fluff up your numbers). The Irish have not played up to their potential yet, but it is not time to sound the alarm. As we will show, the defense has played very well and if Ian Book reverts to his normal self, as we expect him to, this team will be in good position come November 7th.
For all of these charts, the top right quadrant is good and the bottom left quadrant is bad.
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How ACC football teams stack up heading into Week 5 games (independentmail.com; Keepfer)
1. Clemson (2-0, 1-0 ACC)
Last week: 1
The top-ranked Tigers return to action this week against Virginia, kicking off a stretch of six consecutive ACC games, so perhaps quarterback Trevor Lawrence actually will get to play into a second half for a change.
Up next: Saturday vs. Virginia, 8 p.m., ACC Network
2. Notre Dame (2-0, 1-0)
Last week: 2
Thanks to a postponement, the Fighting Irish haven’t played since crushing South Florida 52-0 on Sept. 19, so Notre Dame remains a largely unknown quantity. In the meantime, we’ll leave the Fighting Irish entrenched at No. 2 in the ACC, looking up only at Clemson.
Up next: Oct. 10 vs. Florida State, 7:30 p.m., NBC
3. Miami (3-0, 2-0)
Last week: 4
The Hurricanes leapfrog idle North Carolina based on their explosiveness. Miami crushed rival Florida State 52-10 last week, bolting to a 38-3 halftime lead and becoming the first team in the history of the rivalry to score 50 or more points. Quarterback D’Eriq King, a transfer from Houston, is the straw stirring the ’Canes’ drink.
Up next: Oct. 10, at No. 1 Clemson, 7:30 p.m., ABC
4. North Carolina (1-0, 1-0)
Last week: 3
It seems like eons ago that we last saw the Tar Heels and sophomore sensation quarterback Sam Howell in action; the Tar Heels will take the field for the first time in three weeks on Saturday.
Up next: Saturday at Boston College, 3:30 p.m. ABC
5. Pitt (3-0, 2-0)
Last week: 5
Pitt’s defense locked down Louisville last week, limiting the Cardinals to 223 total yards and recording seven sacks. The Panthers, 3-0 for the first time since 2014, should be able to flex even more muscle Saturday against an N.C. State offense that isn’t nearly as prolific.
Up next: Saturday vs. N.C. State, noon, ACC Network
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10. N.C. State (1-1, 1-1)
Last week: 8
N.C. State continues to play the quarterback shuffle. Bailey Hockman, the star of the Wolfpack’s opener, gave way to Devin Leary in a loss at Virginia Tech last week and now the “winner” of that battle this week gets to face a Pitt defense that’s one of the best in the league.
Up next: Saturday at No. 25 Pitt, noon, ACC Network
11. Syracuse (1-2, 1-2)
Last week: 15
Syracuse got off the schneid by rolling past Georgia Tech last week thanks to a freshman running back. Rookie Sean Tucker rushed for 112 yards with two touchdowns for the Orange, becoming the first Syracuse freshman to rush for 100 or more yards against an FBS opponent since 2008.
Up next: Oct. 10, vs. Duke, 12:30 p.m., RSN
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ACC Power Rankings: Just Watching and Waiting (SITS; Goldin)
#1 Clemson (2-0, 1-0) LW: #1, Next Game: 10/2 vs Virginia, 8:00 PM ACCN.
Clemson had a open date and, dear reader, this was certainly the weekend to do so. Why? Because college football got weird this weekend. This week saw multiple upsets and teams surprisingly on the ropes. Oklahoma fell to Kansas State, meaning now Arkansas State has a transitive win over the Sooners. Georgia struggled early at Arkansas before switching up quarterbacks, bringing in Stetson Bennett to save the day. Yes, Stetson Bennett is, in fact, a UGA quarterback, not a midtown Atlanta law firm like I originally thought. Texas rallied to beat Texas Tech in overtime and Mike Leach welcomed himself to the SEC by beating LSU in Baton Rouge. It was a very entertaining week, but I’ll be happy to have our Tigers on my TV again come Saturday.
#2 Notre Dame (2-0, 1-0) LW: #2 Next Game: 10/10 vs FSU, 7:30 NBC.
Notre Dame’s game against Wake Forest was postponed due to COVID. The Irish have an open date this week and are then scheduled to welcome the Noles to Notre Dame on the 10th.
#3 Miami (3-0, 2-0) LW: #4 Next Game: 10/10 @ Clemson
My goodness. Miami absolutely destroyed a bad FSU team sans Mike Norvell. Does this mean the Canes are legit? Maybe. As good as Miami looked, FSU didn’t particularly help themselves out with plays like this.
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#8 Boston College (2-0, 1-0) LW:#12 Next Game: 10/3 vs UNC 3:30 PM ABC.
Doing ACC power rankings typically gets funny around this slot on the list because of things like this. Boston College eked out a home win against Texas State. I was watching this game, preparing to roast BC, but looking at the rest of the teams in the bottom sector, I really can’t. They’re 2-0 and everyone else down here isn’t great, so I guess congrats Eagles? You’re slightly less bad than the rest of this crew.
#9 Louisville (1-2, 0-2) LW: #8 Next Game: 10/9 @ Georgia Tech 7:00 PM ESPN
Year two for Scott Satterfield is off to a rough start as the Cards were edged 23-20 by Pitt. Definitely too early to write Louisville off, but it’s looking like we may have overhyped them a bit coming into the season. The Cards have a week off to prep for a Friday Night matchup next week at Georgia Tech. Good thing, since Malik Cunningham was carted off the field near the end of the game with Pitt. The good news is that he can move and feel everything. Cunningham is expected to make a full recovery.
#10 Syracuse (1-2, 1-1) LW: #15 Next Game: 10/10 vs Duke
The ‘Cuse found some life this weekend, laying a 37-20 win on Georgia Tech. Tommy DeVito went 13 for 24 for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Sean Tucker ran for two touchdowns and 124 yards. The Orange will be off this weekend, and then have a chance to put together a winning streak as they take on Duke.
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College Football Is Back (For Now), And So Is Once-Lost Radio Revenue. (insideradio.com)
The decision by several major conferences to do an about-face on playing college football this year has made a lot of fans happy — and quite a few radio executives, too.
Just weeks ago, the Big Ten, the Pac 12 and the Mountain West planned to postpone their seasons. But the flurry of reversals (see HERE and HERE) means abbreviated schedules will now move forward, setting the stage for robust radio advertising sales — not just for games but for ancillary programming like coaches’ shows and sports talk.
For many universities and their athletic departments, particularly those located in mid-size college towns like Bloomington, IN (Indiana University); Corvallis, OR (Oregon State University); and Logan, UT (Utah State University), the revenue represents a form of economic salvation. The same can be said for those local radio markets.
“The word ‘unprecedented’ is a word we all can agree that we never want to hear again,” says Ed Levine, the President and CEO of Galaxy Media, which broadcasts Syracuse University football and basketball games, “but that is the word to describe this college football season.”
Mike Arthur, Senior VP at Veritone, an artificial intelligence tech company based in Costa Mesa, CA that licenses the Big Ten’s video content, said it’s hard to pinpoint the actual dollars at stake for local radio stations but that “one can assume it is a significant portion of their year.”
“Assuming a traditional fiscal calendar year, the fourth and first quarters are both strong for football, holiday spending and basketball,” he tells Inside Radio. “Add an election to this year and it’s significant. But having football means having an audience, and that means the inventory is that much more valuable.”
This past summer, when it appeared the entire college football season could be at risk, David DuBose had as much reason as anyone to feel anxiety. He’s the Market President and Chief Revenue Officer for Townsquare Media in Tuscaloosa, AL, the home of the University of Alabama.
Significant Revenue Generator
“Fortunately the SEC [Southeastern Conference], and Alabama led The Crimson Tide is one of America’s most storied college football institutions, the winners of five national championships in the last 11 years alone. In Tuscaloosa, it’s not hyperbolic to say Alabama football is a religion of its own. A cancelled season would have been devastating.
“College football in Tuscaloosa is a big deal,” DuBose explains. “It means restaurant, bar, hotel and shopping business for the local merchants. The economic impact is estimated to be $19.2 million dollars per game, according to a University of Alabama College of Commerce and Business Administration study, [and] over $134 million during the entire home game season.
“It is a significant revenue generator for us,” he continues. “Fortunately the SEC [Southeastern Conference], and Alabama led the way to find a path to play. For this we are thankful.”
Levine says the absence of fans at the stadium isn’t a problem for Galaxy, which has a stable of 13 locally owned and operated stations in the upstate New York municipalities of Syracuse, Rome and Utica.
“Not having fans at the home games doesn’t really impact Galaxy as much,” he said. “In fact, we have gotten some specific business from advertisers who figured out that there are now 30,000 to 40,000 more ears available to potentially listen to the radio broadcast of each home game.”
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College football player arrested on murder charge in Georgia (fltimes.com; AP)
Georgetown athletes again doing Georgetown things...
U.S. Marshals in Georgia have arrested a Georgetown University football player accused of killing a man in Washington, D.C.
Federal agents took Dijon Williams, 21, into custody at a Lawrenceville home Monday, U.S. Marshals spokesman Inspector Frank Lempka told news outlets.
Williams was charged with first-degree murder in the July 21 shooting of Nurudeen Thomas, 30. Thomas was found fatally wounded in Northwest Washington, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Georgetown's campus, D.C. police spokesman Officer Sean Hickman said.
Authorities have not released additional details about the case.
Williams, a senior from Atlanta, was a wide receiver for the Division I team and played in five games during his junior year, news outlets reported. This fall's season was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Other
Shoppingtown’s Heyday: 105 stores! Ms. Pac-Man! Record Town bargain bins! Huge crowds! (PS; $; Croyle)
Before Destiny USA, before Amazon and online shopping, there was Shoppingtown Mall.
From 1975 through the 1980s, decades before the mall’s many publicized problems, it was the marquee destination for Central New York shoppers.
In a 1981 Herald-Journal poll of readers, it was chosen as the best place to shop in the area, and also the top choice to see a movie.
(There were an unbelievable 105 stores at Shoppingtown at the time!)
Just how “big” was the opening of Shoppingtown in August 1975 when it was transformed from a strip mall to a traditional suburban shopping center?
During its opening week, the Herald-American devoted 32 pages to the mall on August 3, 1975; the Post-Standard another eight pages on Aug. 7.
(Just how in-depth was the coverage? A reporter learned that it required 275,000 bricks to transform Shoppingtown from strip mall to mall.)
An ad in the papers highlighted the excitement and optimism around the new mall, which was brimming with big-name stores and attractions.
It said:
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