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World Coconut Day celebrates coconuts, promotes their use and importance, and commemorates the formation of the International Coconut Community, formerly known as the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community. Coconuts grow on the coconut palm tree and are a fruit from the drupe family. They grow in more than 80 countries and are an essential crop in the tropics. It takes a year for a coconut to ripen, and a tree may produce about 100 of them each season. Coconuts have antifungal and antiviral properties and are high in lauric acid, electrolytes, and antioxidants. The flesh, which is high in fat, can be dried and eaten fresh, or be used to make coconut milk or coconut oil. Coconut water can be found at the center of the coconut. The leaves, shell, and husk—which contains coir—also have many uses.
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FLIPPING THE SCRIPT: Football Guide 2021 (DO; Staff)
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Dear readers,
After walking off the field in Orlando, Florida, Syracuse has yet to piece together a winning season. And in last year’s 11-game campaign abbreviated by COVID-19, the Orange went 1-10 — their worst record since 2005. Now, Babers and SU look to improve on last year’s performance with the help of fifth-year senior Chris Elmore, an unexpected leader at fullback. And despite a troublesome 2020 season, Taj Harris returns to ignite Syracuse’s offense while honoring his mother. Garrett Williams sharpens his skills this season in hopes to become SU’s next secondary star. As the Orange approach their next season, perhaps one of the most pivotal in recent memory, The Daily Orange’s 2021 Football Guide has everything you need to know about Syracuse’s rising — and established — stars.
Thanks for reading,
Skyler Rivera
UNLIKELY LEADER: Chris Elmore’s versatility, selflessness helped him become a leader for SU football (DO; Fernandez)
The first time Chris Elmore was the face of a team was the first time he played football.
In elementary school, he accompanied his father to Chicago high school games where the latter worked part-time as a medical standby for the school district. Elmore took initiative — he led his younger siblings out of their father’s off-yellow Cadillac and in and out of Gately Park’s stadium as they carried medical supply bags and coolers.
Elmore then rounded up other fans’ kids to play football on the patch of grass outside the stadium during games. Elmore was the group’s leader, said Kennard Johnson, who worked as stadium security at the time.
As the group played tackle football, driving one another into the ground, Elmore proved he was the “ultimate tough kid,” said Keith Brookshire, one of many Chicago high school coaches who noticed Elmore playing on the makeshift field years ago.
His father, Clinton Elmore, said another high school coach pointed at the kids playing on the little patch of grass as he passed by and told his players that if they worked that hard, they could win a state title.
Behind it all was Elmore, the face of the group.
“Coaches filtered around me and were just like, ‘You’re a guy who knows football,’” Elmore said of his experience leading the group. “That leadership role, it just came to me. It just naturally came to me.”
Elmore became the face of his high school team — and the school — at Wendell Phillips (Illinois) Academy, and he’s stepped into a similar role with Syracuse University football. Head coach Dino Babers said last year that the Orange wouldn’t have finished the season had Elmore not selflessly agreed to shift from fullback and tight end to offensive line.
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HIS 'EVERYTHING': Taj Harris mirrored his mother's work ethic in his ascent to Syracuse (DO; Vasudevan)
Ajeenah Miles reached for the remote as Syracuse faced Liberty on the television screen in front of her. Something in the last frame had caught her eye. The game broadcast transitioned into a commercial break, but Miles pressed the rewind button.
Her son, SU receiver Taj Harris, sat at the corner of the bench — eyes directed toward the camera, orange gloves wrapped around his hands — and flipped his middle finger upright. Harris’ frustrations from Syracuse’s three losses of 2020 were displayed with two minutes left in the fourth quarter — all in one gesture.
After the Liberty game, Miles’ phone rang. “I’m sorry mom, I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Harris said. But it wasn’t an embarrassment in Miles’ eyes. She knew her son was emotional at times, especially in sports. “Everybody makes mistakes,” she told Harris and checked if he apologized to his coaches and teammates, something he already did.
“You live and you learn. It’s a lesson,” Miles said. “The road isn’t always smooth.”
Miles knows that an incident like last year’s could repeat this season since Harris gets frustrated easily. But the biggest lesson he learned from his mom was determination to succeed, even “when your back is against the wall,” Harris said. That’s why Harris came back for one more year, after what was supposed to be his breakout year last season evolved into a speed bump.
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NEXT MAN UP: How former quarterback Garrett Williams became Syracuse’s next NFL Draft prospect (DO; Smith)
In Hickory Ridge (North Carolina) High School’s 2017 homecoming game, Butler High School running back Jamal Worthy broke loose after a handoff at the 20-yard line, on his way to an 80-yard touchdown run. But Worthy only went 79 yards when Garrett Williams — lined up in press man coverage on the opposite side of the field — made the tackle at the 1-yard-line.
Hickory Ridge’s defense held Butler for the next three plays, blocking a field goal attempt on the fourth. Williams scooped up the ball and returned it the length of the field for a touchdown. With Williams’ play, Hickory Ridge won the game 43-42. Williams, in his first season at defensive back, secured the victory with an interception in the red zone late in the fourth quarter.
After his breakout 2017 season as a junior, Williams was recruited by numerous D-I schools. He committed to Syracuse in August 2018 and redshirted in 2019. In 2020, Williams became one of the top cornerbacks in the Atlantic Coast Conference after leading the league in passes defended (12) and recording the most tackles per game by an ACC cornerback (5.8). He was named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic, an Honorable Mention All-ACC player and led the conference in passes defended. After two Syracuse DBs were selected in last year’s NFL draft, Williams’ name has been on recent 2022 first round NFL draft projections, too.
“I knew he could play D-I ball from the beginning,” Williams’ dad, George Williams, said. “But seeing those kinds of plays … I thought he could be the best cover corner in the country just because of natural instincts. He’s living up to everything I’ve thought about him.”
But Williams’ path to the ACC — and possibly the NFL — wasn’t always through being a defensive back. He started tackle football at 7 years old, eventually moving to quarterback three years later.
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Rob Hanna solidifies ‘big role’ at safety for 2nd straight season (DO; Vasudevan)
In the final regular season game of his sophomore year at Miami Palmetto High School (Florida), safety Rob Hanna did what he did on every other play that season — drop back.
As he started to backpedal, the quarterback for Coral Reef Senior High School rolled out to his right. Hanna mirrored his moves, planting his back foot and pushing forwards toward the line of scrimmage.
Two of Coral Reef’s offensive linemen worked to the second level, trying to block Hanna. But they couldn’t. Hanna beelined to the quarterback, pounding him to the ground with his right shoulder as Hanna let the ball go. The quarterback’s heave went short, and Hanna’s teammate made the interception.
“I’ve never seen a kid change direction with the kind of speed he did on that play,” Miami Palmetto head coach Mike Manasco said. “That was the one play a lot of colleges saw early on.”
At Syracuse’s 2021 preseason training camp, Hanna forced turnovers similar to the ones he forced during high school, solidifying his spot at the back of SU’s defense. Head coach Dino Babers played Hanna as a true freshman because of injuries to the secondary and tasked him with the complicated rover position in the first season with the 3-3-5 defense. Now, he’s preparing for the 2021 season alongside Garrett Williams in a young secondary that lost three stars to the NFL draft.
“He was a very, very young player in a very, very big role last year,” Babers said. “I’m not going to say he settled down yet, but he’s got to be feeling a lot better than he was last year when we threw him out there the first time.”
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Opponent preview: What to know about Ohio before Syracuse’s season-opener (DO; Staff)
Syracuse opens its 2021 season in Athens, Ohio, against a Mid-American Conference team after tying the worst record in program history last year. Head coach Dino Babers said in a press conference that he felt more confident in this year’s group, and that this year’s team would “get after” last year’s.
Ohio, on the other hand, played just three games last season due to the pandemic. Here’s everything you need to know about the Bobcats before Syracuse plays its fourth-consecutive season-opener on the road:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 2-0.Last time they played
Syracuse beat Ohio 38-0 at Archbold Stadium on Oct. 1, 1921 — the second of four consecutive wins for the Orange that season. They defeated Hobart 35-0 in the 1921 season-opener and then beat Maryland and Brown by a combined score of 70-0. The Orange finished that season 7-2.Babers has played Ohio twice when he was the head coach of Bowling Green, also in the MAC. Babers won both the 2014 and 2015 matchups.
The Bobcats report
Ohio went 2-1 during the shortened 2020 season, falling to Central Michigan on a late field goal in the Bobcats November season-opener, then defeating Akron and Bowling Green by 14 points and 42 points, respectively. The Bobcats went 7-6 in 2019, including losses to ACC-foe Pittsburgh as well as LSU.Babers paid tribute to longtime Ohio head coach Frank Solich, who retired this July, and wished former offensive coordinator Tim Albin luck during his debut as Ohio’s new head coach. “I wish the best of luck to coach Albin, but hopefully not this week,” Babers said laughing.
Babers described Albin’s team as “the old Nebraska without the option.” The offensive linemen are big and physical, and they have veterans who understand the scheme and running backs who know how to get downhill and north-south.
“There’s not a lot of wasted movement,” Babers said of one of Ohio’s running backs. “When he sees a crack, he goes and hits it. It’s old school football, and I can appreciate that.”
In 2019, Ohio’s De’Montre Tuggle and O’Shaan Allison were both among the nation’s top-30 in yards per carry (6.4 and 6.3, respectively). Both return to the Bobcats in 2021. Ohio ranked No. 7 in the nation in yards per carry and No. 8 in average rushing touchdowns in 2019. Syracuse offensive lineman Aaron Servais said they’re good at stopping the run, too .
On Monday, Ohio announced that redshirt sophomore Kurtis Rourke would start at quarterback. Rourke played all three games in 2020, throwing for 386 yards, scoring three touchdowns and never being intercepted. The Bobcats also have quarterback Armani Rogers, who had two rushing touchdowns in 2020.
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The rise and fall of Syracuse’s northeast recruiting base (DO; Smith)
Don McPherson walked into Nassau Community College football head coach John Anselmo’s office, days after he found out that he would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Sitting in the small office, the former Syracuse quarterback spoke with Anselmo and Ed Mack, who was an assistant at Nassau. After informing them of his induction, McPherson asked the coaches what they thought of SU’s then-head coach, Greg Robinson, who was coming off a 2-10 season in 2007. Anselmo and Mack replied that they had never met Robinson. In his three years as SU’s head coach, Robinson never visited the local school that sent over 150 players to Division I programs under Anselmo.
“You gotta be kidding me,” McPherson said.
Anselmo, like other high school and junior college coaches around the northeast, had a close relationship with Robinson’s predecessor, Paul Pasqualoni, who was SU’s head coach from 1991-2004. Pasqualoni focused on recruiting players within five to six hours of Syracuse’s campus. Even if he wasn’t recruiting a player at Nassau, Pasqualoni or other members of his SU staff stopped by the school and dropped off a dozen doughnuts when they were in the area, McPherson said. Anselmo could always call Pasqualoni’s office at Syracuse and talk to the coach on the phone. But he never called Robinson — or even met him. He didn’t know who Robinson was, a sentiment echoed by several other area high school coaches who spoke with The Daily Orange.
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Smith: 2021 is Dino Babers' make-or-break season (DO; Smith)
When Dino Babers was introduced as Syracuse’s head coach in Dec. 2015, he told fans to have “belief without evidence.” He said he would ensure that the Carrier Dome would be packed with fans — even though the 49,250-seat building had a season-average of over 45,000 fans only once since 1999.
He said there would be a “relentless” Syracuse defense paired with a “well-coached” special teams unit. But above all else, Babers said, there would be a no-huddle offense speeding on the Dome’s turf.
Flash forward almost six years. The Orange, led by Babers, are coming off their second one-win season since 1948. Syracuse abandoned it’s up-tempo offense in 2020, ranking 117th out of 127 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in points per game. Babers has compiled a mediocre record of 24-36 in five seasons at Syracuse. Take away the 10-3 season in 2018 and he has just 14 wins at Syracuse, and only seven against Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
“If you had to pick one program that falls apart this year, it’s probably (Syracuse) or Duke,” an opposing coach recently told Athlon Sports. “Right now it’s a train wreck, at least externally.”
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Beat writers agree that Syracuse will secure close win over Ohio (DO; Staff)
Syracuse travels to Athens, Ohio, to open its 2021 season after a 1-10 record last year — the program’s worst record since 2005. The Orange are stronger than they were at the start of last season. Super senior Josh Black, who’s entering his sixth season, said this was the best offseason training camp he’s been a part of.
Here’s what our beat writers predict will happen when Syracuse faces the Bobcats on Saturday evening:
Roshan Fernandez (0-0)
A clean slate
Syracuse 24, Ohio 17
Head coach Dino Babers said this year’s team “would get after the team from last year” if the two faced off, and reiterated that he feels more confident in this current group. Syracuse has all the pieces — on paper, at least — to avoid its first loss to a Mid-American Conference team since 2008 against Akron. The defense settled into the 3-3-5, and the offensive line improved. Quarterback Tommy DeVito said he has more trust in the lineman in front of him, and the Orange have what seems to be a viable alternate option in Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader. Babers emphasized that this is a brand new season and a clean slate for the Orange to “start painting the portrait.” He called this a difficult game, perhaps more difficult than Syracuse would like for a season-opener after a 1-10 season, but the Orange should be able to get the job done.
Anish Vasudevan (0-0)
Revival tour, premiere show
Syracuse 20, Ohio 10
The Orange are in the second season of using the 3-3-5, the first with a spring of preparation. Defensive players throughout camp said this added time studying the set — which they didn’t get because of COVID-19 protocols last season — has led to a deeper understanding that should start to translate onto the field. Syracuse is returning 10 out of its 11 defensive starters, who now all have a year under their belt in the unique experiment which backfired. Ohio is the test of whether this system is still viable or if the Orange need to return to a simpler approach.
Syracuse’s defense should cause Ohio some issues, but SU’s offense might sputter at the beginning. Babers announced that DeVito would be starting in the latest depth chart, starting over Shrader, who might also get playing time. But DeVito hasn’t been in between the white lines on Saturday since Oct. 10, 2020. He might take some time to find weapons like Taj Harris on the field. But if Syracuse can stop Ohio’s offense, DeVito — or Shrader — should be able to finish some drives in the end zone.
Connor Smith (0-0)
This isn’t 2008
Syracuse 31, Ohio 21
Babers said this week that Ohio will play this week-one matchup like a “bowl game.” It’s the Bobcats’ first game under new head coach Tim Albin, and the team was picked to finish second in the MAC’s Eastern Division. They’re also hosting an ACC school for the first time ever, which should make for an exciting atmosphere at Peden Stadium.
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The Newcomer: Jason Simmons (SI; Milliner)
The Orange welcomed transfer Jason Simmons from New Mexico State to the secondary this season. Simmons, a 6ft, 195lbs, defensive back started eight games in 2019 at New Mexico State. The defensive back had a total of 62 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Although Simmons is not a starter on the depth chart which was released Monday morning, we can expect to see a lot of him this season, Dino Babers said.
“Honestly, I just want to make sure whatever I am asked to do when I get my opportunity, I can do what I need to do to help the team,” Simmons said. “So just focusing in and being 1 of 11.”
Simmons' season was canceled at New Mexico State last year due to the pandemic. After spending a year away from the game he loves, his approach to now being at Syracuse is a grateful one.
“Everyday it’s a privilege," Simmons said. "I’m just appreciative of the opportunity to be back on the field.”
The facilities, coaches, and city of Syracuse all attracted Simmons in making his decision to come here. In this star studded secondary, Simmons believes the Orange can go three deep into its depth chart. Improving in certain facets of the game is what Simmons honed in on in his year away from competing. A sure tackler, Simmons wanted to work more on his speed and coverage this offseason to become a complete all around defensive back.
The goal for Simmons is to play in the NFL one day, which runs in the family. Simmons is the son of Jason Simmons Sr., who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998 and then played for the Houston Texans from 2002 to 2007. His father is currently the defensive pass game coordinator and secondary coach for the Carolina Panthers.
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Defense — 2021 Syracuse Football preview - The Juice Online (the juice; Stechschulte)
DEFENSIVE LINE:
Six of the defensive line’s seven biggest contributors return from last season’s unit. McKinley Williams returns at nose tackle to anchor the front line of the 3-3-5. Williams has 20 starts in his career, including all of last season on the nose, and led last year’s squad with eight tackles for loss. Unfortunately, Williams has missed all of training camp with an illness, but still was listed as the starter on the opening day depth chart.
Josh Black has 36 starts at SU, including every game in the last two seasons and capably handled the switch from defensive tackle in the previous alignment to defensive end last season. He has logged ten tackles for loss in the last two seasons and 18 in his career.
Black’s opposite number will be Kingsley Jonathan, who has played in 44 games at Syracuse and was honored last season by the ACC as the Jim Tatum Award winner, which goes to the top senior football student-athlete in the conference. Jonathan tied for second on the team with three sacks and has 10.5 in his career.
Cody Roscoe joined the Syracuse program last season as a transfer from McNeese State and was an instant contributor, finishing in a tie for third on the squad with six tackles for loss as a rotational defensive end. Roscoe also had a pair of sacks to go with three quarterback hits and figures to see action in pass rush situations again.
Curtis Harper has been a reserve at tackle the last two seasons and will see action there again. He is the likely starter at nose if Williams is not ready for the beginning of the season. Caleb Okechukwu logged his first sack last season and should see time at defensive end.
LINEBACKERS:
Last year’s second line of defense was very light on experience coming into the season, but finished the campaign looking like a future strength. Mikel Jones was a playmaker in every sense of the word, leading all linebackers nationally and all ACC players with four interceptions. He also led the Orange with 69 tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and five quarterback hits.
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DeVito and Babers: 5 years of trust comes down to this season (PS; $: Mink)
Dino Babers crafted an image in our minds about who Tommy DeVito is on the day he officially joined the Syracuse football program.
DeVito, Babers said on national signing day four years ago, was like Denzel Washington’s character in the movie “Glory,” holding the flag amid a staccato of bullets.
A hot quarterback recruit coming out of high school, DeVito stuck with his commitment to Babers and SU despite late calls from SEC schools and other big-time colleges.
DeVito wouldn’t pass up the chance to be the centerpiece of an offense that produced gaudy passing numbers and play close to home.
His big Italian family in New Jersey always told him: Give someone your word, you’re held to it.
Five years of trust between Babers and his first hand-picked quarterback now boils down to one season. The loyalty once celebrated by fans has, for some, since been admonished as stubbornness for sticking with the same guy for a third-straight season.
Babers and DeVito are the closest approximation in college to a coach and franchise quarterback in the NFL — the latter’s success so often dictates the other’s — and will be inextricably linked long after their time in Syracuse comes to an end.
DeVito, 23 and in his fifth season, is vying to show he’s as good as his coach has said he is despite a 5-10 record as a starting quarterback.
Babers, 24-36 in five seasons of his Syracuse tenure that’s supposed to be defined by a high-scoring offense, is responsible for surrounding DeVito with a supporting cast that can live up to that billing.
The stakes have never been higher heading into the season opener Saturday night at Ohio, where the first chapter in what could be their final season together will begin to unfold.
Preparation began in a series of face-to-face meetings dating back to last year, when DeVito wore a protective boot rehabbing a season-ending injury that accelerated the tailspin toward a 1-10 season.
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This is the 12th and final simulation of the 2021 Syracuse Football Simulation hosted by Orange
3 Players to Look Out for in Week 1 – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Bonaparte)
Football season starts on Saturday, can you believe it? Syracuse takes a trip to Athens, Ohio to take on the Bobcats inside Peden Stadium this Saturday at 7 pm. If you want to know more about Ohio check out the interview I did with Bobcats play-by-play broadcaster, Russ Eisenstein earlier this summer:
Last season, Sean Tucker introduced himself to SU fans in week 3 against Pittsburgh last season, rushing for over 100 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Tucker came out of nowhere after the SU running game looked bleak for two weeks. That begs the question, who will be SU’s break-out star this year? Here are a few potential diamonds in the rough:
JASON SIMMONS #14 – FS
Simmons was a member of New Mexico state last season. He didn’t play in 2020, as the team canceled its season, but looking back to 2019 will show just how special he can be. In his true freshman season as an Aggie, Simmons tallied 62 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 pass defenses, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. The Safety entered the transfer portal following last year and ultimately chose Syracuse after receiving offers from 5 other Power 5 schools including the likes of Michigan St. and TCU. When asked about why he came to SU he the young DB pointed at the success the rest of SU’s secondary had last season saying, “Being able to know that I’ll be able to be put in a great opportunity to fulfill my ultimate dream of being able to play in the NFL. That was a huge factor. I’m going to be coached accordingly. Just going to try to come in immediately and make an impact.” The reason Simmons is included on a list of potential surprises is his ranking on the newly released depth chart. Currently ranked as the number two free safety behind true freshman Ben LaBrosse, Simmons is poised to breakout. Look for number 14 to make some big plays in the secondary this season.ORONDE GADSEN #89 – WR
A true freshman this season, Oronde Gadsen should shine at SU. Though with a few names in front of him such as Anthony Queeley, Sharod Johnson, and Courtney Jackson, it may take a few weeks. Gadsden enters the program as a three-star recruit looking to do some damage in an aerial attack that ultimately suffered in 2020. Taj Harris was solid as per usual, but aside from SU’s best, there wasn’t much to write home about. With an even thinner WR room in 2021, guys like Gadsen should get plenty of time to shine.MARLOWE WAX #2 – LB
Marlowe Wax is the only player on this list to have played for Syracuse prior to this year. In 2020 Wax was solid, 32 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3 sacks, and a fumble recovery for the true freshman. In 2021, with a lot of other developing talent around him such as Mikel Jones and Geoff Cantin-Arku, expect Wax to be special. Him along with those other names will be crucial to defending against the run as we all know SU’s defensive line tends to struggle when defending the run or getting to the QB....
Defense – 2021 Syracuse Football Preview | Empire State News (empirestatenew.com; Binghampton)
LINE OF DEFENSE:
Six of the seven largest contributors to the Defensive Line are returning from last season’s session. McKinley Williams returns at the nose tackle to anchor the front line of the 3-3-5. Williams has 20 starts in his career, including all of last season on the nose, and led last year’s roster with eight tackles for the loss. Unfortunately, Williams missed the entire training camp due to illness, but was still listed as a starter on the depth table on the opening day.
Josh Black has made 36 starts at SU, including every game in the last two seasons, and has made the transition from defensive tackle in the previous line-up to defensive end last season. He has logged ten tackles for losses and 18 in his career over the past two seasons.
Black’s opponent will be Kingsley Jonathan, who played 44 games in Syracuse and was honored by the ACC last season as the Jim Tatum Award winner, which goes to the conference’s best senior soccer student athlete. Jonathan is second on the team with three sacks and has 10.5 in his career.
Cody Roscoe entered the Syracuse program as a transfer from McNeese State last season and made an immediate contribution. Roscoe also had a pair of sacks of three quarterback hits and figures to see action again in pass rush situations.
Curtis Harper has been a reserve in a duel for the last two seasons and will be active again there. He’s the likely starter on the nose when Williams isn’t ready for the season to start. Caleb Okechukwu received his first expulsion last season and should have time at the end of the defense.
LINEBACKER:
Last year’s second line of defense was very little experience of the season, but the end of the season looked like a future strength. Mikel Jones was literally a playmaker, leading all linebackers nationally and all ACC players with four interceptions. He also led the Orange with 69 tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoverys, and five quarterback hits.
Stefon Thompson started seven times as a freshman last season and was only the fourth freshman to start his first game in Syracuse in the last ten years. Thompson finished the season runner-up on the team in Tackles for Loss with 7.5, three of which came as sacks.
Marlowe Wax played as a freshman in every game last season, including a start, and has secured a spot on the line-up this fall. Wax had three sacks under his 5.5 tackles for the loss and finished in the team’s top six on every stat.
Geoff Cantin-Arku was a first-time runner last season, was honored ten times and immediately paid a dividend. Cantin-Arku paced the team with four sacks and finished fourth in a duel. The runner-up also forced a fumble last season, which he recovered and returned 28 yards for a touchdown against Duke. It is listed as a backup of Wax on the depth map and seems like a strong option for passport noise.
The group is very flat beyond that top 4 as Steve Linton and Leon Lowery are the only other linebackers in the roster to see the game time. While listed as a defensive end, Linton played eight games last season, including one for the linebacker, and recorded 15 tackles. Lowery had five tackles in three appearances as a newcomer last season.
DEFENSE BACKS:
Usually having three defensive backs sign up for the draft is a bad thing. Andre Cisco and Ifeatu Melifonwu were drafted and Trill Williams signed as free agent, meaning many talent left the supporting role. However, those departures could have been worse for the remaining Orange defenders as Cisco and Williams were injured for most of last season, paving the way for some of their successors to get on the field.
One of these successors was on the field before these injuries when Redshirt newcomer cornerback Garrett Williams fought for a place on the grid last season. Williams was there from the start and ended the season at the top of the team in Solo Tackles at 54 and in Pass Breakups at 10. Additionally, Williams added three tackles for the loss, including a sack and a pick-six against Clemson.
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On The Block On Demand 9-1 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
Brent tells you why week 1 is a must-win for Syracuse. Later, Tommy joins with some Over/Under player props.
https://www.espnur.com/2021/09/01/30-minutes-in-orange-nation-9-1-2/(ESPN; radio; Paulie & Sal)
Paulie and Sal start the show joined by former SU floor general Lazarus Sims, who explains how you can watch him take the court in less than two weeks. Then, Sal gives his outside perspective on Syracuse football’s opening game against Ohio.
ESPN The Sportszilla Show 09-01-21 (ESPN; radio; Rain, Matt & Spencer)
On today’s James Mitsubishi podcast, Rain, Matt and Spencer Davidson talk to Mario Sacco with NewsChannel 9, Alex Sims with WSYR, Mark Larson with Spectrum Sports, plus more!
Syracuse Football: Waxing poetic on the Orange in a NC State of Mind (itlh; Fiello)
Our football guru has another rhyme for us in his Syracuse football preview at NC State.
Hello Orange family and welcome to another Syracuse football preview poem
I thought about doing it Billy Joel style since his jersey hangs in the Dome
But the last two I did were done in a song lyrics style
And I figured that’s likely enough to last us a while
So I thought I’d go back and do this game in the original form
Especially since I think the NC State game could be a perfect storm
This could possibly be one of those games where the winner is bowl-bound
And the loser might need to pray others lose or they can actually win out
Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren has been in Raleigh for 8 years now
He recently signed an extension and with a 55-46 record, you can see how
And the Wolfpack with have the home field at Carter-Finley Stadium
Which can seat 58 thousand and it’s not some quiet gymnasium
Their offense looks potent based on the all research that I’ve done
Senior Emeka Emezie is ready to catch the ball; Ricky Person was born to run
Can McKinley Williams and Stefon Thompson limit the Pack to minimalize their backs
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ACC teams hope vaccinations reduce COVID-19 setbacks in '21 (AP; Beard)
North Carolina State coach Dave Doeren remembers the stress attached to every round of COVID-19 testing for his football program last season.
Concern remains about the ongoing pandemic, though Doeren and his Atlantic Coast Conference peers are counting on high vaccination rates to minimize risks of illnesses or lineup-depleting contact tracing. That has meant teams working through the offseason's final weeks toward an 85% threshold of vaccinated players, coaches and staffers to allow an easing of mitigation steps such as social distancing at team meals or traveling.
“It’s a lot different than waking up every day, looking at my cell phone and seeing who has a runny nose,” Doeren said. “And these 20 players can’t come to the building because of it. We don’t have that anymore.”
That 85% full-vaccination target is prominent in the ACC Medical Advisory Group’s August report outlining protocols for players, coaches and support staff. For example, unvaccinated players' testing varies with the team's vaccination rate: at least once weekly if the team has hit 85% and at least thrice weekly if it hasn't, matching last year's rigid pre-vaccine plan.
By comparison, fully vaccinated individuals can bypass regular “surveillance” testing and aren't required to quarantine after a potential exposure if they're asymptomatic.
Coaches and athletics officials across the league have reported either reaching that goal or approaching it, such as Doeren's Wolfpack surpassing 90% along with the school implementing an all-sports policy prohibiting unvaccinated individuals from traveling for away games.
Boston College, Duke, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest had the added boost from a vaccine mandate for all students, barring an exemption for medical or religious reasons.
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Some schools, such as Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, aren’t releasing exact figures but said they have reached the 85% mark. Others reported pushing past 90%, including Louisville, Syracuse (98%) and Boston College – which is at 100% after having one player transfer out rather than get the shot.
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2021 Week 1 TV Schedule (RX; HM)
2021 Week 1 TV Schedule
The 2021 football season is nearly upon us! Here's the TV schedule for week one...
| Thursday, September 2nd, 2021 | ||||
| Network | Early Afternoon | Mid-Afternoon | Evening/Prime | Late Evening |
| ESPN | Boise St @ UCF | |||
| ESPNU | E Carolina vs App State (CLT) | |||
| ACCN | USF @ NC State | |||
| SECN | Bowling Green @ Tennessee | |||
| Friday, September 3rd, 2021 | ||||
| Network | Early Afternoon | Mid-Afternoon | Evening/Prime | Late Evening |
| ESPN | N Carolina @ Virginia Tech | |||
| ACCN | Old Dominion @ Wake Forest | |||
| ESPN | Mich. State @ N'western | |||
| Saturday, September 4th, 2021 | ||||
| Network | Early Afternoon | Mid-Afternoon | Evening/Prime | Late Evening |
ABC | Oklahoma @ Tulane | Alabama vs Miami (ATL) | Georgia vs Clemson (CLT) | |
| ESPN | W Michigan @ Michigan | W Virginia @ Maryland | Texas Tech @ Houston | BYU @ Arizona |
| ESPNU | Army @ Ga State | LA Tech @ Miss. State | Kent State @ Texas A&M | |
| SECN | LA-Monroe @ Kentucky | C Michigan @ Mizzou | FAU @ Florida | |
| ACCN | Colgate @ Boston College | U Mass @ Pitt | NIU @ Georgia Tech | |
| Sunday, September 5th, 2021 | ||||
| Network | Early Afternoon | Mid-Afternoon | Evening/Prime | Late Evening |
ABC | Notre Dame @ Florida State | |||
| Monday, September 6th, 2021 | ||||
| Network | Early Afternoon | Mid-Afternoon | Evening/Prime | Late Evening |
| ESPN | Louisville vs. Ole Miss (ATL) |
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ACC Factoids, 2021, Week 1 (RX; HM)
ACC Factoids, 2021, Week 1
Factoids from FBSchedulesBreaking down Week 1 of the 2021 college football schedule
Here are the ACC-related highlights (including an old "friend")...
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WHAT TO WATCH
Friday, Sept. 3
6pm EST – ESPN – #10 North Carolina at Virginia Tech...
Bronco: UVA has worst football facilities in the ACC (jerryratcliffe.com; Ratcliffe)
During the previous five seasons, Bronco Mendenhall has had the opportunity to see most of the football facilities of all his ACC rivals. What he documented was revealing.
When Mendenhall and Virginia director of athletics Carla Williams went before the Board of Visitors last week and declared that UVA’s football facilities were the worst in the ACC, they spoke with authority.
Virginia’s facilities, not necessarily Scott Stadium, as opposed to a football program home, have lagged behind the rest of the conference for years. Mendenhall acknowledged this during his introductory press conference as UVA’s new head coach on Dec. 4, 2015.
The athletic department introduced its Master Plan several years ago to build a new football home and also headquarters for many of its Olympic sports. Fundraising for the proposed complex was delayed by the pandemic, but is in full drive once again.
Williams presented a detailed report about the department’s plans to the BOV before a member directed a question to Mendenhall concerning football facilities.
“So that [poor facilities] was my opinion, that that’s where we ranked, and a lot of that was based on a particular point,” Mendenhall said Monday. “I love all the history and I recognize and honor the heritage of the McCue Center, but we’re the only [ACC] football program that hasn’t renovated or built a new facility in 31 years.
“So it was really based on that one point. While this isn’t a complete point, it was more based on that.”
Even Al Groh, who coached his alma mater from 2001 to 2009, warned that Virginia had fallen behind most of the ACC in facilities and football program needs and added, “we’re one mis-step from being Duke.” At that time, the ACC was going through expansion, and Groh was afraid the program would fall too far behind the new league.
Years later, administrators acknowledged that Groh was right and they made a mistake not listening and acting.
Since then UVA has added the George Welsh Indoor Practice Facility, and recently created two new grass fields where University Hall once sat. Still, McCue, named after longtime UVA team physician Dr. Frank C. McCue III, was built in 1991.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/09/02/college-football-alliance-sec/ (washungtonpost.com; Feinstein)
Thirteen years ago, the media covering the Final Four in San Antonio was invited to learn about what was later described as an “historic” and “profound” breakthrough in the world of basketball.
The news conference was in a hotel ballroom that looked like a Las Vegas party on New Year’s Eve. A booming PA announcer kept telling us we were witnessing history as he introduced NBA Commissioner David Stern, NCAA President Myles Brand, Black Coaches Association President Paul Hewitt and various other basketball luminaries. When he was (finally) finished, the stars of the news conference kept repeating how historic this alliance, nominally launched to enhance American youth basketball, would be.
Finally, they opened the floor for questions.
“I’m glad this is so historic,” I said. “And I’m really glad that you all love and respect one another so much. But exactly what are you going to do?”
Silence. Finally Stern said, “We’ll have more on that in the future.”
Still waiting.
I thought about that day last week when the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 announced their grand alliance.
There were lots of words from the three commissioners — the ACC’s Jim Phillips, the Big Ten’s Kevin Warren and the Pac-12’s George Kliavkoff — about how important this all was, how it would change the world of college athletics and, of course, the usual blather about doing this for “the student-athletes.”
It’s not clear what the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 are doing, but they’re doing it together
What, then, will the new alliance do? It might — might — give each team one more reasonably good nonconference game in football and one, perhaps two, better basketball games.
No guarantees though. A lot of coaches aren’t going to give up their annual football games against Football Championship Series opponents or their guarantee games in basketball. But let’s hope for the best.
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Other
Whew! One of CNY’s hottest, rainiest summers is finally history (PS; Coin)
In 119 years of records, no Central New York summer has packed the one-two punch of heat and rain like this one did.
Summer 2021 was the second-rainiest and second-hottest since National Weather Service records began in 1902. And this summer is No. 1 for the most uncomfortably hot nights.
The only summer with a hotter average temperature than this one -- and only by 0.2 degrees -- was 2005. Last year’s hot but dry summer is the fourth-hottest on record.
The only wetter summer than this one came 99 years ago, in 1922, when more than 4.5 inches of rain fell on each of two days in a single week in June. Those two days remain the rainiest ever recorded in Syracuse, and the combination caused widespread flooding that killed four people and caused $35 million of damage, in today’s dollars.
Heavy rain last month caused flooding in Central New York as thunderstorms and the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred dropped more than 7 inches of rain in some areas.
While we define summer in different ways -- solstice to equinox, Memorial Day to Labor Day -- the weather service’s definition is calendrical, consisting of June, July and August.
Here’s a look at summer 2021 by the numbers:
-- Average temperature: 73.5 degrees. The summer of 2005 was 73.7, the only warmer one on record.
-- Total rainfall: 19.93 inches. The summer of 1922 had 23.18 inches; nearly 40% of that fell in those two days in June.
-- Total number of days of at least 90 degrees: 15. A normal summer has about nine days that warm. The record is 27, set in 1955.
-- Number of days in which the temperature never fell below 70 degrees: 20. That broke the record of 19, set 100 years ago, in 1921.
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