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Orangeyes Daily Articles for Monday for Football

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Welcome to National Polka Day!

The sound of an accordion and the sight of dancers moving across the floor―it could only mean one thing: polka! Polka is both a genre of music and a type of dance, and today we celebrate both. So strap on your dancing shoes, and open your ears to a sound that has stood the test of time!

First, the dance. Polka originated in Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. "Polka" likely comes from a Czech phrase for "half-step," which refers to the short half-steps (or hops) in the dance. There are various iterations of a story in which a peasant girl named Anna Slezak ( or Slezáková) came up with the dance, either in 1830 or 1834. A music teacher named Josef Neruda saw she was dancing to a traditional folk song—"Strýček Nimra koupil šimla," or "Uncle Nimra Bought a White Horse"—in a unique way. Slezak called her dance Maděra, and Neruda taught young men to dance to the song in the way she had. From there, the dance made its way to ballrooms.

SU News

Syracuse Football 2021 Season Preview (SI; McAllister)


Syracuse football's 2021 season is right around the corner. The Orange embark on a year in which it looks to bounce back from a disappointing 1-10 2020 campaign. How will Syracuse fare? What is the outlook for each position? Who will breakout this year and which incoming players will have the biggest impact? We have everything broken down for you below.

Each item under the categories below is a link. Simply click on the item to read the related article.

THE BASICS

Roster
Coaching Staff
Schedule

POSITION PREVIEWS

Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
Offensive Line
Defensive Line
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams

ANALYSIS

Breakout Candidates
Instant Impact Players
Bowl or Bust?
Ranking Syracuse's 2021 Opponents

PREDICTIONS

Syracuse Football 2021 Season Predictions
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Syracuse Football: Why I’m so excited about the Orange’s new WR commit (itlh; Fiello)

Syracuse football legend Art Monk! Marvin Harrison! David Tyree! Alec Lemon! Rob Moore! Qadry Ismail! Steve Ishmael! Taj Harris! Donovan Brown!

Listed above are some Syracuse football wide receivers who have graced the program and made us fans proud plus an extra name that you may not know but one day may know. Please note, this is NOT to put pressure on him to perform up to how those players performed because I NEVER put pressure or expectations on anyone except myself.

I only name them because I think it’s important to remember our legacy and hope that attracts recruits like Donovan Brown, which likely does help.

Last Friday, 2022 prospect Donovan Brown, a 6-foot-3 wide receiver from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md., said on Twitter that he was committing to Syracuse football after a recent visit and offer. If you want to learn more about other members of the Orange’s 2022 class, we did a recent column on that topic.

committed pic.twitter.com/2mPe9utpW9
— Donovan Brown (@kxngdono) July 30, 2021

Mike McAllister, the publisher of SyracuseOnSI, wrote about this news on his site for SI.com, which you can read by clicking here, stating that they saw tape of him at a Penn State camp then visiting Cuse, and he worked out and the staff liked what they saw. Apparently, as Mike shared, Donovan was equally happy by what the staff said and the surroundings including pictures on the wall, and was ready to play here.

When I read this story, I was excited to have Donovan join the Orange because of the quotes you can read and the excitement he shared. My sharing it led to a friendly conversation with a friend about the lack of national ratings and offers, which many utilize to rate a prospect. And while I am all on board with Syracuse football signing a 5-star athlete with 30 offers including SEC schools, that is not the only factor I consider when someone commits.
...


Axe: SU football's Josh Black sees a path to success in '21. “Why not us?” (PS; $; Axe)

”I Feel Good” by James Brown blared over the speakers as the first practice of Syracuse Football’s 2021 training camp ended and the media approached to document how it went.

It was an appropriate warmup tune for Syracuse senior defensive tackle Josh Black to step in front of the cameras and microphones.

Black, who is participating in his sixth training camp for the Orange, knows SU has a lot to prove after a 1-10 season in 2020.

Listen to the man talk for a few minutes and it’s hard not to get drunk on optimism.

“Attack the day. How you be a pro at everything,” Black said when asked to dispense six years of wisdom on his teammates.

“The way I do it, I wake up and look myself in the mirror and go over my objectives for the day,” Black said. “You attack meetings the same way you attack on the field. You never want to lose focus. As soon as you lose focus, you might take a false step and miss your assignment. That’s the difference between winning and losing. Everything has to be prepared like a pro.”

Black, known for his acrobatics on social media that caught the attention of one Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, couldn’t let last season sit as the end of the story.

He sees 2021 as a chance to put Syracuse back on a path he experienced in 2018.
...


The Biggest Questions Heading into Fall Camp – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Eads)

Fall camp begins today for Syracuse Football with the 2021 season looming on the horizon. This is a pivotal campaign for Dino Babers and Company as it represents a chance to write off the past two years as a pair of anomalies. On the flip side, another disappointing showing could make Babers’ seat much hotter.

Here are some of the biggest questions and unknowns surrounding SU heading into preseason training.

Who Wins the Quarterback Job?

This one’s obvious so let’s just get it out of the way now. Syracuse has plenty of signal callers in a talented room. As much as the room is talented though, it’s not very proven.

Tommy DeVito is back for his fifth year as an Orange. The former four-star carries a 6-10 record as the starting quarterback but only played in four games last season. Can he return from injury and grab the reins of the starting job? If so, can he stay healthy? The talent and pedigree have always been there, but can he put it all together in 2021?

Garrett Shrader entered the fold back in the winter. The early enrollment is monumental for his position in this race as fall camp begins. While Devito may have the experience edge over the former Mississippi State Bulldog, Shrader brings more mobility to the table.

The Charlotte, NC native started for MSU as a true freshman and threw for 1,170 yards with a 57.5% completion percentage, and eight touchdowns to five interceptions. Obviously those numbers aren’t great and it’s just a sample size as Shrader only played in eight games back in 2019. Here’s the kicker, the former blue chip dual-threat recruit also tacked on 587 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
...


Syracuse Football Breakout Candidates (yardbarker.com; McAllister)

Five Syracuse football players who could have breakout campaigns during the 2021 season.

WR Courtney Jackson: The slot receiver generally receives a lot of targets in Syracuse's offense. Jackson will battle with JaVontae Williams for the starting spot. Whoever wins that battle will be in for a big chance to have a productive 2021 season. Jackson great speed and could become a big play option for the Orange.

WR JaVontae Williams: Williams is extremely athletic and can play inside or outside receiver. Even if Williams does not earn a starting spot, he will be in the rotation and have opportunities to make plays. Do not be surprised if he makes a few highlight reel plays this season.

TE Luke Benson: With Aaron Hackett gone, Benson is the clear starter at tight end. He is an extremely gifted receiving tight end, but that position was not utilized much last season. With a weapon like Benson, could the Orange move to make tight ends a bigger part of the offense in 2021? If it does, Benson could be in for a big season.

QB Garrett Shrader/Tommy DeVito: If Syracuse is going to have a successful 2021 campaign, it will need better quarterback play. That could mean Tommy DeVito wins the job, the offensive line takes a big step forward, and DeVito has a strong season. It could also mean that Shrader wins the job and displays his dynamic abilities with his arm and legs. Either way, both are candidates to be breakout stars in 2021.

DB Ben LaBrosse: LaBrosse appeared in nine games as a true freshman last season. He was highly regarded by the coaching staff as a recruit and made an instant impression during training camp. A larger role is expected this season and he will have an opportunity to earn a starting spot.



Sterlin-Gilbert-1024x713.jpeg


For Better or Worse, Sterlin Gilbert’s System May Dictate SU’s Success – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Bainbridge)

After such a dismal 2020 season, it’s been somewhat surprising to see how much intrigue there is surrounding the storylines of Syracuse football. We’re just a few weeks away from the season opener at Ohio on September 4th, and just a reminder: it’s okay to get excited. If you’re a Syracuse fan, it’s interesting to wait and see how all the pieces we’ve talked about fall into place. Who plays at QB? How will the defense look? Is this the year things finally get back on track?

We don’t have the verdicts to those questions yet, but a large part of the answer to that last one falls on a Texan whose name has mostly escaped the scrutiny of headlines this offseason. That would be Sterlin Gilbert, Syracuse’s offensive coordinator since the start of 2020.




When Gilbert was hired to replace former OC Mike Lynch in January 2020, the move appeared to be one centered around scheme familiarity. Gilbert was Dino Babers’ offensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois from 2012-13 and Bowling Green back in 2014 and boasted extensive knowledge of his system.





If that was the case, familiarity was prioritized over prior success, and the results on the field showed in year one.


Gilbert has bounced around the college landscape from place to place, particularly since he and Dino parted ways. The San Angelo, TX native hasn’t spent more than two years at a program since his collegiate debut (his last three-season tenure was at Lake View High School, TX from 2008-10). He’s been an offensive coordinator somewhere every season since 2012, but his results have been mixed.

In 2016, Gilbert’s Texas Longhorns offense finished 5-7 and 6th in the Big 12 in points scored despite a 2,000-yard season from RB D’Onta Foreman. The very next year, Gilbert took over a University of South Florida offense that finished 4th in the nation in points scored and returned its starting quarterback from the prior year. By year two, USF had dropped to 71st in the country in points scored, and Gilbert was off again, this time to be the head coach of McNeese State. After just one year, he took the Syracuse job in early 2020.
...


30 Minutes In Orange Nation 8-6 (ESPN; radio;l Steve & Paulie)

Steve and Paulie break down the expectations for Syracuse football this upcoming season after the opening day of training camp and take a few calls on the team.

Envisioning an Idealized ACC After Realignment and Expansion (SI; Black)

Realignment and expansion news have dominated the internet after Texas and Oklahoma announced they were abandoning the Big 12 for the SEC. Every conference now needs to consider how to counter strike this aggressive move by the SEC. One conference that can I’ll afford to stay pat during this time of turmoil and change is the ACC. With revenues near the bottom of all P5 conferences, and even the slight possibility that Clemson/FSU could head to greener pastures, commissioner Jim Phillips needs to be aggressive.

What could he do to not only push the conference forward, but also close the gap with the SEC and Big Ten? Let's look at the end product of an ideal ACC conference at the end of this cycle of realignment and expansion.

1. Get Notre Dame to become a full member.

Whether that’s by using the carrot (more money, flexibility in scheduling) or the stick (work behind the scenes to make it impossible for ND to get in playoffs as an independent),the fact remains the ACC needs Notre Dame badly. The Fighting Irish are a marquee program, that would immediately raise the profile of the conference. This has to be priority number one, and Jim Phillips realizes that as he has brought up ND multiple times already in his brief tenure.

2. Add either one or three more teams, that are not WVU, Cincinnati or UCF.

This is where Commissioner Phillips needs to be creative. Adding Notre Dame would be big, but still it leaves the conference behind the SEC and most likely the Big Ten in terms of prestige. The conference needs to look bigger than UCF, WVU, and Cincinnati. No offense to those three programs, but if they were added do they really change the national landscape at all? The answer is very clearly no, and more importantly they wont impact the media contract with ESPN. The conference needs to look bigger….much B1Gger.

The first option, and it’s been bantered about on various sites is Penn State. Right now the Nittany Lions are in a deal with the Big Ten that would be foolish to leave given the ACC contract with ESPN. But we will get to how to fix that next. What do the Nittany Lions get out of this? Hopefully more money (with a changed contract), new matchups against exciting teams like Notre Dame, Clemson and Virginia Tech, and they get to get out of the shadow of Ohio State.
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Wake Forest Football: Will experience lead to big things in 2021? (saturdayblitz.com; Caudell)

The passing attack will lead the way for Wake Forest offense in 2021

Wake Forest football has slowly gotten better on offense each year under head coach Dave Clawson and the one that will be on the field in 2021 might be the best one yet.

The quarterback was a bit of a question mark heading into the season in 2020, with Jamie Newman transferring to Georgia, but Hartman answered all of the questions about him. Hartman threw for over 2,200 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Hartman only threw five interceptions, but most of them came in a dreadful performance in the bowl game against Wisconsin. If Hartman can forget his performance in the bowl game, I think he can have a really nice season and he is currently flying under the radar as far as ACC quarterbacks go.

There is a bit of a hole at running back after Kenneth Walker III transferred to Michigan State and the Demon Deacons are trying to replace his production. Christian Beal-Smith was the leading rusher for the team last season with 732 yards and he might have to carry an even bigger load this season. Look for Michigan transfer Christian Turner to factor in and get some carries as well.

The receiving corps should be one of the ACC’s best this season. The leading guy Jaquarii Roberson is in for a huge season after posting 62 catches and 926 yards and eight touchdowns.

Roberson is one of the best in the country and is in for a big season, but he is far from the only playmaker for the Demon Deacons. Donovan Greene is a big-time player and guys like Donald Stewart and Jahmal Banks are ready to break out. Keep an eye out for Illinois transfer Casey Washington to step in this season for depth. The entire offensive line returns and that should make this offense even more dangerous.
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Virginia Tech football: Justin Fuente excited about a sense of normalcy heading into 2021 (gobblercountry.com; Manning)

The 2020 college football season was tough on everyone. Now, with last season in the rearview mirror, coaches, players and fans are looking forward to a more normal 2021 season with stadiums packed.

Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente recently spoke to the media after the Hokies’ second practice of fall camp and was cautiously optimistic about a return to normal in 2021, per Virginia Tech’s official website:


It feels great. But there is a little apprehension on how long this feeling of normal is going to last, to be perfectly honest. I haven’t really talked about it with too much of the team, because we’ve only practiced once so far. And I don’t know where this all is going to go. It seems like we’re learning more each day on what may or not happen this season. But yeah, so far it’s been refreshing. We didn’t have the same feeling on certainty at least in the short time we’ve been in fall camp.
Fuente’s apprehension is due to the rising numbers of the COVID-19 variant.
...


Breaking down early ACC college football betting angles (nypost.com; Reynolds)

VSiN’s college football analyst Wes Reynolds looks at some betting angles for the 2021 ACC season.

Favorites: Clemson and North Carolina — Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne and Amari Rodgers are gone to the NFL, but there is no panic in Death Valley. Clemson is -900 to win the ACC for the seventh consecutive year. The offense looks to be in very capable hands with sophomore D.J. Uiagalelei, and the defense could potentially be the team’s strength early as nine starters return. The Tigers will need to be ready immediately as they face Georgia in the season opener in Charlotte, N.C. The schedule then gets substantially easier as Clemson avoids the top three teams in the Coastal Division (North Carolina, Miami and Virginia Tech).

Sophomore quarterback Sam Howell is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate for North Carolina (17/2), which scored 41.7 ppg last year. Its top two running backs and wide receivers are gone but the entire offensive line and 10 defensive starters return. North Carolina avoids Clemson in the regular season and plays Miami at home. But the Tar Heels visit Virginia Tech in the opener and also have a trip to South Bend in a revenge spot for Notre Dame.

Live ’dog: Miami — The Hurricanes (9/1) are neck-and-neck with North Carolina to win the Coastal Division. Last season, the Tar Heels went to Miami and cruised 62-26. Quarterback D’Eriq King, now a fifth-year senior, tore his ACL in the Cheez-It Bowl against Oklahoma State. King declared himself 100 percent and good to go for the opener against Alabama in Atlanta. Assuming King is truthful about his health, this offense should show even more improvement with every skill-position player of note and all five starters on the offensive line returning. Head coach Manny Diaz takes over the defensive play-calling duties for a unit that slipped a bit last season but returns nine starters.

Dead money: Syracuse and Duke — Syracuse (250/1) is coming off a 1-10 season, the worst in Dino Babers’ five years as coach. The Orange have plummeted from 10 wins to one in just three years. In fact, Babers (24-36) has only one winning season at Syracuse (10-3 in 2018). The Orange were outgained by almost 200 yards in conference play last season. Syracuse couldn’t score points (17.8 ppg) or move the ball (265 ypg) largely because the offensive line couldn’t block or protect the QB, allowing 88 sacks over the last two seasons.
...


Lost to an FCS lately? (RX; HM)

Lost to an FCS lately?

BGB has another good one...
Schools That Lost To An FCS School

In The 21st Century pic.twitter.com/ALqUADi3no
— Big Game Boomer (@BigGameBoomer) August 5, 2021
Here's the text list of the FCS upset victims:
ACC: (6/14) Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pitt, Duke, Wake Forest
...


Traditions, FSU and others (RX; HM)

Traditions, FSU and others

From Bobby Bowden and the birth of a Florida State tradition
by Tom Shanahan, AllSportsDiscussion:

The news that College Football Hall of Famer Bobby Bowden died on Sunday at age 91 reminded me of my 2010 interview with him. We discussed how he copied q San Diego State tradition on what became a landmark night for Florida State’s national identity despite suffering a loss at San Diego State.
Bobby Bowden vividly [recalled the night of] Nov. 19, 1977 when his 13th-ranked Florida State team played at San Diego State. Bowden returned home with more than a 41-16 spanking that lives on as a legendary night in SDSU lore.
He told Florida State’s promotions department about the Aztecs’ pre-game show featuring an Aztec warrior thrusting a flaming spear into the turf to the delight of 50,543 fans.
The next year Florida State created a pregame tradition with Chief Osceola, a Seminole Indian, riding Renegade, an an appaloosa horse, and planting a spear in the turf to the roaring approval of Doak Campbell Stadium’s fans.
“We got that idea from San Diego State,” Bowden told me in a 2010 interivew...

[The rest, as they say, is history!]
...


ACC Divisions - Part 1 (RX; HM)

ACC Divisions - Part 1

If you just look at the map of the ACC, what's the most obvious way to divide the conference?
map of ACC

If you said "North-South", congratulations - you are smarter than a 5th grader! Unfortunately, the guys who actually drew up the divisions, apparently, were not.
Instead, we got this:

Atlantic: BC, Clemson, FSU, Louisville, NC State, Syracuse, Wake Forest
Coastal: Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, N Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Why? What are the the advantages of those divisions?

Are the ACC divisions better for travel?

Well, no... Of the 14 ACC football teams, 8 of them do NOT play their nearest ACC neighbor every year. In fact, for those 8, they only enjoy their shortest cross-division road trip once every 6 years! What are those rare match-ups? Here you go:
Closest cross-division opponent
teamclosestannual?
BCUVaNO
SyracusePittYES
PittSyracuseYES
LouisvilleVTNO
UVaWFUNO
VTWFUNO
WFUUNCNO
DukeNC StateNO
UNCNC StateYES
NC StateDukeNO
ClemsonGTYES
GTClemsonYES
FSUGTNO
MiamiFSUYES
So only 43% of ACC teams get to play their nearest cross-division opponent every year - the other 57% do not. This despite the fact that the divisions are not geographic in nature, but rather, a pseudo-zipper.
Keep in mind that these are closest cross-division games. In many cases, the absolute closest team is in the same division - but not always. For instance, Duke and NC State are right next to each other, but play only once every 6 years. On the other hand, the closest team for Boston College is Syracuse, whom the Eagles play in the Atlantic division every year - but BC misses out on its 2nd closest neighbor (as well as it's 3rd closest, Pitt, IIRC).
Notice this quote from "Why Should the ACC Realign Divisions" posted on July 9th, 2020:

Within the two divisions, the average driving distance between two division-mates in the ACC is 559 miles; the average for all teams, regardless of divisions, is only 527 miles. In other words, the divisions are actually more spread out geographically than the conference as a whole! That, dear readers, is just totally, 100% unacceptable.
...

Statement from ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips on the Passing of Bobby Bowden (theacc.com)

[“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the passing of Bobby Bowden. The ACC, Florida State and the entire college athletics family have lost a true giant. Coach Bowden was one of the most successful, humble and endearing individuals who was also one of the most decorated college football coaches in history. Throughout my several interactions with Coach Bowden, it was clear that he was warm, friendly, caring and always made people smile. It was no secret that Coach Bowden genuinely loved his players, the Florida State community and college football. On behalf of the entire ACC family, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Ann and the Bowden family.”

Other

AU7HD7ZNFJHKDKC4OPBW4JGPBI.JPG

A look at the proposed roundabout near Dr. King Elementary School in Syracuse.Source: NYS DOT

Would new I-81 traffic circle near Syracuse school be the next Carrier Circle? (PS; $; Weaver)

The $2 billion plan to rework Syracuse’s highway system includes a piece of infrastructure unfamiliar to many local motorists: a roundabout that sits just blocks from an elementary school.

Under the latest plan for Interstate 81, traffic headed into Syracuse from the south would enter the street-level circle near Dr. King Elementary School, rather than stopping at a traffic light.

Some local officials have concerns. “I wouldn’t want my kid walking around there for sure,” said Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse.

But transportation experts and urban planners say the circle will slow traffic and save lives. And, they say, it will be far different from Syracuse’s most well-known roundabout, Carrier Circle.

“It’s small enough that it won’t become a racetrack,” said Ben Crowther, a program manager at the Congress for the New Urbanism, a think tank that favors tearing down highways in cities.

State and federal highway officials here are proposing just that – a $2 billion plan that would remove part of I-81 in Syracuse and reroute highway traffic onto an expanded Interstate 481.

The plan also would create more options for northbound drivers to peel off the current I-81 – such as at Glen Avenue and Colvin Street – to disperse traffic before getting to this new traffic circle near King school.
...
 
I kinda like that "Idealized ACC After Realignment..." post!
 

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