sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, during the Franco-Mexican War. The day is a minor, regional holiday in Mexico, being mainly celebrated in the state of Puebla where the city of Puebla is the capital. Military parades, speeches, and reenactments of the battle are held there. It is also celebrated in Veracruz and Mexico City, but in many other places of Mexico, May 5th is no different than any other day.
It is more widely celebrated in the United States, where it commemorates the battle, and celebrates Mexican culture and heritage. It is most celebrated in areas with large Mexican-American populations. The day began gaining popularity in the 1940s, during the beginnings of the Chicano movement. Mexican immigrants used the day to show their pride in their Mexican heritage. Awareness of the holiday was further raised in the 1960s by Chicano activists. Today it is celebrated by many in the country, regardless of their ethnic background. Parades, parties, and festivals are part of the day. These events usually include mariachi music, Mexican folk dancing, and traditional Mexican foods. The largest festivals in the country are held in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston.
SU News
Lions GM: Ex-Syracuse CB Ifeatu Melifonwu was too good to pass up late in 3rd round (247sports.com; Bailey)
After an eye-popping pre-draft process, former Syracuse football cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu watched the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft come and pass without his name being called. Andre Cisco, his teammate in the Orange secondary, was picked to start the third round, as another 35 selections went by.
On the clock with the 101st overall pick, the Detroit Lions brass found Melifonwu's availability almost jarring. Executive vice president/general manager Brad Holmes said that based on the franchise's prospect board, he was simply too good to pass up.
"He was actually standing out, I wouldn't say like a sore thumb, but he was standing out significantly," Holmes said. "So from a value standpoint, (we thought), '(Regardless) of position, let's just go and trust our board, trust our process and all the work we put in.'"
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What Will SU’s Young DB Core Bring to 2021? – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Bonaparte)
This past year of Syracuse football was just about as lousy as things can get. 1-10 after a 10 win season that seemed to be brimming with potential and the possibility of Syracuse becoming some kind of a football school was all flushed away when Dino Babers and company trotted out and spat on any kind of hope SU fans had. Tommy DeVito looked awful, the offensive line was not good, the defensive line was worse, the running game was non-existent besides Sean Tucker, the only talented receiver on the team flipped off a camera and the new coordinators didn’t seem to help all that much. Though there was at least one bright spot.
Last season, in the wake of departures from Trill Williams and Andre Cisco, Syracuse showed off it’s young secondary talent. Names like Garrett Williams, Ja’Had Carter, and Rob Hanna became well-known to Syracuse fans not far into the season. Will they be able to keep it up in 2021? Williams believes the unit will be more cohesive:
Courtesy of @CallDT on Twitter
Obviously the Orange had quite the veteran secondary lineup this past year. Cisco, Melifonwu, and Williams will all play their next games in the National Football League. To replace them Babers went out and recruited the aforementioned young studs, and they played incredibly last season, they were really the only positives aside from Sean Tucker. Looking back on a 1-10 season usually isn’t an incredibly positive experience, but the stats of these young bucks still hold up as wildly impressive:
#8 Garrett Williams (5-11, 188 lbs): 11 Games
- 64 Total Tackles (3.0 TFL, 1 Sack)
- 2 Interceptions (70 yds, 1 TD)
- 9 Passes Defended
- 65 Total Tackles (3.0 TFL)
- 2 Interceptions (34 yds)
- 3 Passes Defended
- 1 Forced Fumble/1 Fumble Recovery
Orange Watch: Dreaming of the ‘Loud House’ for 2021 Syracuse Football - The Juice Online (the juice; Bierman)
Item: it was the ironic twist of fate. After the university spent $118 million in a tight timeline to boot, to renovate and modernize the Dome, the emergence of the pandemic has limited the experience to be enjoyed by only a slim number of Orange fans watching lacrosse this spring. That dynamic will change come September 11, 2021, when Syracuse hosts Rutgers in the second game (Sept. 4 at Ohio) of the football season.
When you think back, there was a huge difference in the homefield advantage for a select few ACC school’s last season. Led, of course, by Clemson which averaged it’s allowed 23% capacity at Memorial Stadium – 19,000 fans per game, while Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame (one time ACC member), Virginia and Virginia Tech also played in front of crowds of varying sizes.
Syracuse did not host any spectators under its new permanent roof in 2020, and maybe that was best in a 1-10 season.
The visual of an enormous video screen hanging above the field, the clearer sound of the music and public address system, and the sensory-testing mix of lighting on display during televised games made it all that more alluring, and frustrating, not to be able to experience the atmosphere first-hand.
Fast-forwarding to the spring, still some four months from football season, there’s been additional items checked off the list of building upgrades including efforts to better comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, much-needed improvements to concession areas and restrooms, striking new graphics and painting throughout the upper level, and the biggest comfort aid of all, air conditioning.
The stifling heat and humidity in the Dome during early season football games, when the weather outside was sunny and hot with so few openings in the air-supported stricture up top to bring in some amount of “fresh” air, was at times tortuous.
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2021 NFL Draft: Grading the Jacksonville Jaguars’ class (bigcatcountry.com; O'Bleness)
After months of speculation, mock drafts and H0T Takes, the 2021 NFL Draft is officially over. Urban Meyer, Trent Baalke and the rest of the decision-makers for the Jacksonville Jaguars have completed their first class of the new regime, headlined by Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick of the draft.
As a quick refresher, here are the nine players who Jacksonville selected:
- Trevor Lawrence, quarterback, Clemson
- Travis Etienne, running back Clemson
- Tyson Campbell, cornerback, Georgia
- Walker Little, offensive tackle, Stanford
- Andre Cisco, safety, Syracuse
- Jay Tufele, defensive tackle, USC
- Jordan Smith, defensive end, UAB
- Luke Farrell, tight end, Ohio State
- Jalen Camp, wide receiver, Georgia Tech
JP Acosta: B+
While I’m still wary of the value of drafting Travis Etienne at No. 25 overall and only drafting a tight end in round five, I can see the vision of what Urban Meyer and Trent Baalke want to build. That’s the most important thing for first year draft classes, you have to be able to see the culture and play style being built. So if I can see what’s being built, it gets a passing grade from me.
Ryan Day: B-
Trevor Lawrence is all that matters, honestly, and this grade will be a lot higher if (when) the players picked in later rounds pan out. Urban Meyer drafted a lot of guys who would have gone higher had they not dealt with injuries. Let’s see if it pays off. Admittedly, I also don’t like how little they addressed the tight end position.
Ryan O’Bleness: B+
It’s difficult to give the class anything other than an “A” simply because of Trevor Lawrence, however, when looking at the class as a whole, there were some head-scratching moves, so I am going with a B+ overall. While I am actually excited about the kind of matchup nightmares Travis Etienne can make, and his home run-hitting ability, drafting a running back at No. 25 overall with many other more pressing holes to fill was an interesting choice. Additionally, the Jaguars waited too long to address the tight end position, arguably Jacksonville’s biggest need right now.
Also, drafting three players in a row who played a combined two games in 2020 doesn’t sit well with me after Urban Meyer said he wanted “instant impact” guys. I am supportive of the players who opted out last season due to COVID-19, but Andre Cisco is roughly seven months removed from a torn ACL, and Walker Little has played one game in the past two seasons combined. If Little, Cisco and Jay Tufele (opt-out in 2020) are all healthy and in-shape to start training camp, then all three could prove to be great value picks, but we will see. Little could be the eventual replacement for Cam Robinson at left tackle. I also think Georgia Tech wide receiver Jalen Camp could end up being a steal in the sixth round.
Demetrius Harvey: A
It’s tough to give the Jaguars anything but an “A” for this year’s draft class because of who they picked first overall. The team addressed the most important position on the roster in drafting Trevor Lawrence, who is thought to be a generational talent at the quarterback position. The rest of the team’s draft class has some question marks, but it was clear the team hit on many needs and found value due to their history. While the draft class has a bit of boom or bust potential following round one, on paper it deserves a solid overall mark.
Alfie Crow: A-
I think the Jaguars had an excellent draft for 2021, even without considering the expected home run with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Those who have read Big Cat Country for a while I am sure are aware my thoughts on picking running backs in the first round, but given the type of offense that Urban Meyer is likely going to run and the depth at the running back position, grabbing Travis Etienne makes a lot of sense. It may not be good “value,” but Etienne is an excellent player and should contribute a lot as a rookie, despite Meyer’s comments about him being a third down back. After that, the Jaguars tried to be sneaky about grabbing value with players like Walker Little and Jay Tufele, who opted out of the 2020 season and Andre Cisco, who missed time with an injury. All three players at some point prior to the 2020 season had been mocked as first round picks.
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2021 ACC spring football overreactions: Clemson boasts best WR corps in nation, UNC eyeing playoff run (cbssports.com; Patterson)
Not every ACC team held a spring game this year, but every coach in the league has been extremely vocal about how different they feel this May after getting in a full spring practice. Optimism is brimming at every program for the simple reason that they got to put in the work that was missed in 2020, and the progress seen this spring that was absent last year has every coach feeling a little bit better about what's ahead in 2021.
As long as the team gets through spring practice healthy, it is nearly impossible to come out on the other end of spring practice worse off than when you started. That aforementioned optimism leads to a lot of positive headlines and talking points, which then get put through fan translation to become to the boasts and overreactions that will carry us into the fall.
So join us as we take a look around the ACC for some of the big talking points and takeaways from 2021 spring practices -- from the starting position of a boast or overreaction.
Boston College: The Eagles may never run the ball
In each of the first four years under Steve Addazio (2013-16), Boston College ranked 13th in the ACC in terms of pass attempts per game, only throwing the ball more than Georgia Tech. The Eagles opened up the offense a little bit more in the next three seasons but never finished the year higher than 10th in the conference. When a defensive coordinator is hired as a head coach, an explosion in the passing game is not among the usual expectations. But that's exactly what's happened with Jeff Hafley, who brought in Frank Cignetti Jr. as offensive coordinator, Phil Jurkovec as the team's new quarterback and oversaw an offense that finished fourth in the ACC in pass attempts per game in 2020.All signs from spring point to more of the same, with Jurkovec back and his backup, Dennis Grosel, also earning praise for his work throughout spring practice. Both quarterbacks looked good in the spring game, which featured the familiar combo of Jurkovec and Zay Flowers hooking up twice in the first half. Hafley may prefer a more balanced approach, but when it comes to utilizing the personnel, it makes sense that Boston College has become a pass-happy team. Flowers is one of the best wide receivers in the conference, Jaelen Gills is set to have a big year in 2021 and there are intriguing younger receivers like Taji Johnson poised to continue this aerial success in the future.
Clemson: Best WR room in the country
There's going to be some push back from Columbus, Ohio, and Norman, Oklahoma, but no one in the upstate believes there's a better set of wide receivers than what Clemson has. The offense as a whole does have questions in terms of how the order shakes out at running back, whether the offensive line can be a strength and the backup quarterback position, but the passing game is primed to be one of the best in the country with D.J. Uiagalelei and this group of wide receivers.Justyn Ross and Frank Ladson Jr. didn't even participate in the spring game, and the depth at the position was still among the top takeaways from the scrimmage. Joseph Ngata seems healthy and ready to explode, Ajou Ajou is ready to flip flashes of athletic excellence into regular production and the freshmen duo of Beaux Collins and Dacari Collins got on campus early and "lit a fire" under the rest of the group for spring practice. Add in E.J. Williams, a late-season star with half of his catches and both of his touchdowns in the final four games, and the collection of talent just seems overwhelming.
Actually pushing Ohio State or Oklahoma (or Alabama or USC) in the argument for top wide receiver room in the country means turning all that on-paper potential into production on Saturdays. Given the other questions on offense, that may be more of a necessity than a luxury.
Joseph Ngata helps make up one of the most dominant wide receiver corps in the nation. Getty Images
Duke: Blue Devils due for better turnover luck
With 20 lost fumbles and 19 interceptions in 11 games, Duke ranked last among all FBS teams with a -19 turnover margin on the season. Now in terms of turnover margin per game, the Blue Devils only ranked No. 125 (-1.73), but it's important to note that the totality of the turnovers drives what was the most frustrating storyline for Duke football in 2020. Bowling Green and Arizona turned it over at a higher rate, but they only lived through that frustration for five games while the Blue Devils saw all kinds of turnovers (red zone, special teams, turnovers after forcing a turnover) throughout a nearly-full regular-season slate. Duke even had nine interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries to finish tied for 13th in the country in turnovers gained, but the frequency of handing the ball right back to the opposition has driven David Cutcliffe to make it a key coaching point for the spring."I've never been around it. I've never seen anything like that in this very long career that I've had," Cutcliffe explained. "I can't pinpoint all of the unique and different reasons. But you have to start it early, day one. It has to become important even when the ball's not on the field."
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Pitt: Run game is ready to go
With Kenny Pickett returning his for his 12th (give or take) year at Pitt, the offense clearly is going to ride on his decision-making and performance. But things get a lot easier for Pickett if the Panthers have an effective run game, something that was absent for much of 2020. Pitt ranked No. 13 in rushing yards per game and No. 12 in yards per attempt in the ACC, with Vincent Davis as the most productive back of the group thanks in part to a 247-yard rushing performance in the final game of the season at Georgia Tech. If you take out that stat-padding finale, Pitt ranked near the bottom of the ACC in most rushing categories. Taking the next step for an offense that has not only Pickett but gifted wide receivers like Jordan Addison and Taysir Mack requires an effective ground attack.Well the good news coming out of the spring game is that there's plenty of buzz about how the offense is going to bounce back in 2021. Davis will once again be a part of the picture, but the the spring game also featured some good running from Izzy Abanikanda and a sense that the offensive line -- "the hogs," as they call themselves -- is ready to assert dominance at the point of attack in the same way that group did in 2018 when Pitt won the Coastal Division.
Syracuse: Youth experience will benefit Orange in 2021
Syracuse already had a young roster last season, but when injuries, opt-outs and other availability issues hit in 2020, the Orange had to lean far more on the youthful end of a roster that had 57 of the 85 scholarship players as true or redshirt freshmen. The on-field results were a one-win season, but the tone Dino Babers takes when discussing his team indicates that experience has had a positive impact on the mentality of the team heading into 2021.The defeats that piled up during a 1-10 season hardened the younger players, revealing in practice just how tough Power Five football can be and how far they had to go in their own development to be ready to win in the ACC. Many of those rookie contributors suffered injuries that needed offseason rehabilitation and recovery that kept them out of spring practice, but what Babers said he saw from the super seniors who missed time with injuries in 2020 was a reignited fire and level of competitiveness when they returned to action this spring. When the younger stars who got thrown into the fire early mix with the veterans who are hungry after missing time, it's going to result in a deeper and far more competitive football team in the fall.
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Warchant - Clark: What in the world is the ACC Network doing? (rlvals.com; Clark)
When new ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips visited Florida State last week, he made it abundantly clear to many people he spoke with that he is focused on shrinking the revenue gap between the ACC and other Power 5 conferences.
He also acknowledged that football has to be the conference's economic driver.
That's where the cash is. He knows it. And after getting lapped in revenue by the SEC and the Big Ten over the last decade, everyone associated with the conference now knows it as well.
So it's great to hear that we're all on the same page. Now, it's time to start doing something about it. And a great place to begin might be with the ACC Network and its flagship daily show, Packer and Durham, which often seems focused on everything else BUT football.
The ACC was obviously late in getting into the network business. The Big Ten and SEC were already changing tires and refilling the gas tank before the ACC even started its engine and got on the track.
But that doesn't mean the race is over, right? The ACC Network can try to compete with the SEC Network. It doesn't just have to idle while Paul Finebaum drops the hammer on the back straightaway (man, how about these racing references? I'm like Dr. Jerry Punch over here!).
Seriously though, one would think the ACC Network would be going out of its way to emphasize football -- the biggest money-making sport, by far, in college athletics.
And yet, here was the guest lineup for the Packer and Durham Show on Monday morning. Keep in mind, this is the FIRST show after the NFL Draft. A draft in which the ACC had the No. 1 overall pick in Trevor Lawrence and finished second in the country in players selected.
The first interview was with UNC women's lacrosse goalkeeper Taylor Moreno. The second interview was with Notre Dame men's lacrosse midfielder Tommy McNamara. The third interview was with UNC men's lacrosse goalkeeper Collin Krieg (man, two UNC lacrosse goalkeepers in one day! Has that ever been done in the history of television?!?). And then finally, the last interview was with studio host Dalen Cuff to talk about the upcoming NCAA women's soccer tournament games.
This is the flagship show for the ACC Network. The Monday after the NFL Draft. And the guests were: Lacrosse player, lacrosse player, lacrosse player, studio host to talk about soccer.
What in the world are we doing here?
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Virginia Tech football: Devon Hunter accepts plea deal, offers apology (gobblercountry.com; Manning)
Former four-star safety Devon Hunter reached a plea agreement on Tuesday from charges that led to his arrest last September, just before the Virginia Tech Hokies were set to begin their 2020 college football season.
Here is Hunter’s statement in full, which he released on Twitter:
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http://allsportsdiscussion.com/2021...re-dame-documentary-falls-flat-with-acc-fans/ (allsportsdiscussion.com; JFann)
The ACC Network’s 2020 Notre Dame Football Documentary falls flat with ACC fans.
When the ACC Network announces a new documentary, it can be something to look forward to for ACC fans.When the ACC Network announced this Notre Dame Documentary, it was met with a collective groan these same fans.
This tweet says it all.
Notre Dame was a member of the ACC in football in 2020. They aren’t now. Would the SEC Network have a documentary about Bobby Dodd because he coached Georgia Tech when they were a SEC member? I think we know the answer is no of course.
So many opportunities for ACC Documentaries that were missed.
To be fair, I think there is a 30 for 30 on Miami’s early 2000s, but the others are great choices.
I would have liked to have seen a documentary of the 2020 football season – dealing with COVID, which would have included Notre Dame without focusing on them. How about Georgia Tech’s first ACC Championship in basketball since 1993 this year?
Other Documentaries I’d like to see on the ACC Network.
NC State’s Jim Valvano 1983 National Championship Basketball Season
Georgia Tech’s 1990 National Championship Football Season
Michael Vick at Virginia Tech
The Syracuse Final 4 run of 2016 as 10 seed
I have a bunch more. There are too many to list that would have been better and more relevant than the Notre Dame football season in the ACC.
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2020 ACC: NFL players faced, W-L (RX; HM)
2020 ACC: NFL players faced, W-L
Now that we know how many NFL players were drafted from each team, we can compute how many of those players each team faced in conference play - as well as the record against that competition.
| Team | #faced | W-L |
| Boston College | 39 | 5-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 39 | 3-6 |
| Florida State | 38 | 2-6 |
| Syracuse | 37 | 1-9 |
| Wake Forest | 36 | 3-4 |
| Duke | 35 | 1-9 |
| Pitt | 35 | 5-5 |
| Louisville | 34 | 3-7 |
| Notre Dame | 33 | 9-0 |
| NC State | 32 | 7-3 |
| Virginia | 32 | 4-5 |
| UNC | 31 | 7-3 |
| Clemson | 30 | 8-1 |
| Miami | 30 | 7-2 |
| Virginia Tech | 30 | 5-5 |
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Links, news and rumors - 2021 May 3rd (RX; HM)
Links, news and rumors - 2021 May 3rd
From AllSportsDiscussion: "NFL 2021 Draft ACC Winners and Losers"The obvious winner? Pitt (it was a Pitt 6!).
The obvious loser? Virginia. (Wa-who? Nobody!).
The OP also points out one more winner, one more loser - click it!
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From Athlon Sports: "ACC Football: Top 25 2022 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch"
Here are 25 ACC players (in alphabetical order) that could have their names called in roughly 360 days:
- Bubba Bolden, S, Miami
- Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson
- Tyler Davis, DT, Clemson
- Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
- Emeka Emezie, WR, NC State
- Joshua Ezeudu, OG, North Carolina
- Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
- Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
- Nick Jackson, LB, Virginia
- Sheridan Jones, CB, Clemson
- Phil Jurkovec, QB, Boston College
- D'Eriq King, QB, Miami
- Alec Lindstrom, C, Boston College
- Will Mallory, TE, Miami
- Jordan McFadden, OL, Clemson
- Zion Nelson, OT, Miami
- Joseph Ngata, WR, Clemson
- Ben Petrula, OG, Boston College
- Jaquarii Roberson, WR, Wake Forest
- Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson
- James Skalski, LB, Clemson
- Noah Taylor, LB, Virginia
- Xavier Thomas, DE, Clemson
- Tyler Vrabel, OT, Boston College
- Payton Wilson, LB, NC State
2021 NFL Draft - Final Analysis (RX; HM)
2021 NFL Draft - Final Analysis
Are you sick of NFL Draft analysis yet? No? OK, let's stuff some more foie gras down your gizzard!NFL Draft picks by conference:
| Conf | #drafted |
| SEC | 65 |
| B1G | 44 |
| ACC | 42* |
| PAC | 28 |
| B12 | 22 |
| AAC | 19 |
| Indep. | 15* |
| CUSA | 5 |
| FCS | 5 |
| MAC | 4 |
| D2/D3 | 4 |
| SBC | 4 |
| MWC | 3 |
Comment on recent trends, also from the same thread on CSNBBS:
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2021 Best Undrafted Players (RX; HM)
2021 Best Undrafted Players
Just a quick comment about "5 Best College Football Players Who Went Undrafted In 2021", posted on TheSpun. The five players they listed are:- Former Georgia, Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman
- Former SMU quarterback Shane Buechele
- Former Buffalo running back Jaret Patterson
- Former Florida State defensive lineman Marvin Wilson
- Former Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses
COMMENTS:
Jamie Newman was a 3-star out of high school, who had a great 2019 season for Wake Forest. However, a big part of that was due to Fred Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist and All-ACC WR Sage Surratt. Newman opted not to play at all in 2020 because of the pandemic. He chose to enter the NFL draft rather than return for an extra year of college football. He was not selected but is signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent.Marvin Wilson was a 5-star recruit who was considered the #1 defensive tackle in the country coming out of high school. He had 110 tackles (50 solo) and 9.5 sacks in his Seminole career, but he did not get picked in the 2021 NFL Draft. He signed with the Cleveland Bro
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Other
Syracuse Mets fans celebrate both what’s new and normal in opener: ‘It’s a rebirth’ (PS; $; Kramer)
The few dozen Syracuse Mets fans who were first to take in a view never before seen in the history of NBT Stadium on Tuesday fully enjoyed the shine of a stadium that was unwrapped after a $25 million renovation.
More importantly, they were even happier to let the comfort and reassurance of what was all so familiar wash over them.
Two real, live baseball teams in front of them, the Syracuse Mets and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The fumes of ballpark concessions. Syracuse general manager Jason Smorol screaming pregame hyperbole. A national anthem that was crushed by Kim Fetters, a nurse who did the honors on behalf of emergency workers. Postgame fireworks.
And the thrill of a home run landing at your feet.
That’s what Russ Haynes of Manlius saw in the third inning of the Mets opener, when Syracuse’s Martin Cervenka lined a ball over the left field fence.
Normally, the souvenir would have disappeared into the dark wilderness of dirt and trees. Not anymore. Part of the park’s renovation includes a new, elevated 315 Bullpen Bar atop left field. It was the place to be on Tuesday, and Haynes was among the many fans soaking in the new perspective when he looked down to see the ball rolling at his feet.
He picked it up, shoved it into his pocket and slotted it for a spot in his mancave.
“I think it’s awesome,” Haynes said of the experience. “I think it’s very important to get back to normal. I know we’ve got to do baby steps to get to that point. But I’m hoping by July or August we’re at least 50 percent more than we are now, where we can get 5-6,000 in here, really start getting back to the normalcy that we’re used to.”
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