sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Salsa and chips are always free at Moe's Southwest Grill, but queso—or "liquid gold," as they call it—is also free today. Why? Because it's Free Queso Day! Each year on the day, Moe's gives out a free six-ounce cup of their queso as a way to thank their loyal customers. In past years, the restaurant—which is a fast-casual franchise that serves southwestern food in around 700 locations—has held contests giving those who enter the opportunity to win free queso for life. (Well, at least one free cup a week for 24 years.) In 2019, the day was expanded to "Queso Season," and queso was celebrated all of September. Not only was free queso available in-store, but also by using the Moe Rewards app, online ordering, and catering. Moe Rewards members also got an extra 100 bonus points for every purchase of queso they made during the month.
Queso, more formally known as chile con queso, is a dip made with cheese and chile peppers that are primarily used with tortilla chips. According to one story, the first time queso was sold at a restaurant may have been 1900, when Otis Farnsworth opened the Original Mexican Restaurant in San Antonio and put it on the menu. It became one of the most popular menu items, although it is unknown what type of cheese was used. The first published queso recipe may date to the early 1920s when one appeared in a women's organization cookbook in San Antonio. This recipe used American cheese.
SU News
Opponent Preview: Everything to know about UAlbany (DO; Smith)
Coming off its first loss of the season, Syracuse will play its only Football Championship Series opponent of the season, UAlbany. The Great Danes are coming off a 16-14 loss against Rhode Island in their home opener last week.
UAlbany didn’t play a fall schedule last year, instead playing a shortened four-game spring schedule where they went 1-3. In 2019, UAlbany went 9-5 and lost in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.
Here’s everything you need to know about The Great Danes before they visit the Carrier Dome on Saturday:
All-time series
Saturday’s game will be the first-ever meeting between UAlbany and Syracuse.The UAlbany report
Two years ago, UAlbany was predicted to finish in last place in the Colonial Athletic Association according to a preseason coaches poll. But the Great Danes picked up ranked wins over Towson and Central Connecticut before losing to Montana State in the FCS Playoffs.
This year’s CAA has five ranked teams, and UAlbany lost on the road 28-6 against No. 4 North Dakota State in week one. The Great Danes will enter the Carrier Dome 0-2 after losing by two points against Rhode Island in their home opener.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jeff Undercuffler has thrown for 400 yards and two touchdowns during the first two games. The top receiver, freshman Roy Alexander, already has 167 receiving yards and a touchdown. Alexander had a 67-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter against NDSU — the Great Danes only touchdown of the game.
Defensively, sophomore defensive back Larry Walker Jr. leads the team with 14 total tackles and three pass breakups. Walker will likely cover SU wide receiver Taj Harris during Saturday’s game.
Like Syracuse, UAlbany has struggled to move the ball on offense through its first two games. The Great Danes average just 10 points per game and are under 22% on third-down conversions. They average just 37 rushing yards per game.
How Syracuse beats UAlbany
Playing in the division below the Orange, UAlbany should be Syracuse’s easiest opponent of the season. This game will be an opportunity for SU’s offense to potentially get in rhythm, and it may give a better idea of whether Tommy DeVito or Garrett Shrader will be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season.Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said he’s not using the word “tune-up” with any team — including the Great Danes — after how his offense performed against Rutgers. The Orange were shutout in the first half and had more punts (eight) than they did points.
Babers said teams like Ohio, who SU played in week one, and UAlbany play games against power conference schools like they’re bowl games. Syracuse is UAlbany’s only Football Bowl Subdivision opponent this season, and Babers said if an FCS team has the right players, they make it an “extremely interesting game.”
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How Good Is Mikel Jones? – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Klein)
So often Syracuse is referred to as defensive back U. Rightfully so. Trill Williams, Iffy Melifonwu, and Andre Cisco were the anchors of the Syracuse defense when healthy last year. But when the secondary was banged up, which ended up being most of the year, one player’s production remained a common denominator.
Mikel Jones led the team with tackles and interceptions with four last year. That earned him a spot on the Dick Butkus Award Watch List for National Linebacker of the Year. The sophomore doesn’t get nearly enough credit for what he provides the defense.
Last week against Rutgers, it was a team best 11 tackles. He also made sure to add 2.5 tackles for loss, a career best. Granted, Rutgers only scored when Garrett Williams left with an apparent injury. But the fact that SU only gave up 17 points to a team that scored 61 the week before without 30 minutes of Williams speaks to the unit as a whole. Mikel Jones, as always is in the thick of it.
Then again, why wouldn’t he be the go-to name and face to the defense? He’s one of the most senior members of the unit, dating back to his true freshman season when he made four starts and played in all 12 games. Last offseason, as a sophomore, he was very vocal about being a leader. That was tested when the first depth chart came out and Jones was not set to start. Jones changed Dino Babers’ mind very quickly. There is no defense without Mikel Jones. With Jones at the second level, Rutgers’ run production was slashed to less than a quarter of what it was in Week 1.
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Syracuse football season hits early skid after loss (AP; Kekis)
A season that started with a measure of promise for Syracuse suddenly has hit the skids.
The Orange's season-opening win at Ohio seemed like a distant memory after Saturday's 17-7 loss to Rutgers in the first game with fans in the Carrier Dome in 650 days. It was an uninspired start to a three-game homestand against nonconference foes that figured to give Syracuse a chance to show last year's 10-loss season was an aberration.
Six sacks by the Scarlet Knights of the Big Ten — five on starter Tommy DeVito, the other on newcomer Garrett Shrader — brought back unpleasant recent memories for a team that allowed 38 sacks last year and 50 the year before.
“Last year, that doesn’t matter to me,” Orange coach Dino Babers said this week. “The thing that matters is we’re not going to do this again this year. We need to be better. That’s the bottom line.”
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Potential Syracuse football head coaching candidates - The Juice Online (the juice; McGlynn)
After another rocky start to the season, Syracuse head coach Dino Babers’ seat is only getting hotter. The fifth-year coach is searching for answers following a disappointing 17-7 loss to Rutgers. Since winning 10 games, including the Camping World Bowl, in 2018, SU is 7-18 with a mediocre (at best) offense.
It’s only Week 3, and a lot still needs to happen before Babers would be fired, even if it is trending in that direction. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some potential Syracuse coaching candidates if John Wildhack decides to let Babers go.
CNY Roots
Any conversation about a new head coach likely starts with Tony White. While Syracuse’s offense has been anemic, the defense seems to be as stifling as ever. White has a good track record as a recruiter as well, winning At their request, this network is being blocked from this site. Mountain West Recruiter of the Year. The question will be if he can recruit on both sides of the ball. SU seems to have no issue attracting solid defensive talent but finding and developing a quarterback and offensive line remains the biggest challenge for the program.
There is a possibility Doug Marrone could be persuaded to return to Central New York. Marrone led the Orange to a 25-25 record over four seasons, which included two Pinstripe Bowl victories. Something to keep in mind, though, was that Marrone’s success was prior to SU being in the ACC. Would Marrone be able to recruit at the ACC level? He has spent several years coaching in the NFL and is currently serving as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. His experience and connections could make him a good fit. It might not be the sexiest hire of all time, but it would offer some stability.
As I said, I am throwing all possible candidates, even if some of them might be a bit unlikely. Ed Orgeron has some significant ties to Syracuse. He was the team’s defensive line coach from 1995-97, a highly successful period in Orange history. Coach O had voiced interest in the coaching job way back in 2015, way before he ever led LSU to a national championship. With his seat in Baton Rouge getting warm, is there a chance he could be open to rescuing the Orange now? It feels like a long shot he even leaves LSU, just two years removed from a national championship. If the Tigers do make a coaching change and the Orange follow suit, you can bet Orgeron will be high on the list of Syracuse coaching candidates.
Up and comers
If the Orange is serious about turning around its offense, there is one name that has to bubble to the top of the discussion. Joe Brady worked wonders with LSU’s offense in 2019 and while he had a ton of talent at his disposal, there is no question he aided Joe Burrow’s development into a Heisman-winning No. 1 overall pick. Brady is now entering his second season as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator. I imagine he is interested in leading his own program at some point. Perhaps he is a bit too green at this stage. After all, he was a graduate assistant at Penn State just five years ago. It would be a bold move, but one that has the potential to pay off in a big way.
Sticking with the trend of rising offensive-minded coaches, Tony Elliott is building quite the case to be a head coach. Syracuse knows him well. Clemson scored a combined 88 points in the past two meeting between those schools. This would be a quality hire for SU, but also seems to be an unlikely one. Elliott is a household name in coaching circles and likely could have taken a head coaching job by now if he really wanted one. The chances that Syracuse will be the destination to pull him away from Death Valley feel low.
How about a name most SU fans might not know yet? Zach Wilson credited BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick with his ascension to the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Wilson undoubtedly had talent to work with, but that praise is a positive sign for the culture of growth and learning Roderick fosters. Sounds like that might be perfect for Syracuse. His coaching career has been primarily spent in Utah, split between the Utes and Cougars. Would Roderick be willing to leave his alma mater to come coach in CNY? I sure hope so.
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Quarterback chose UAlbany football over Syracuse lacrosse (timesunion.com; Singelais)
University at Albany backup quarterback Joey Carino will get to the Carrier Dome on Saturday.
He'll be playing in a different sport and uniform than originally planned.
Carino, who initially committed as a high school junior to Syracuse lacrosse, will suit up for the Great Danes against the Orange at noon Saturday.
Carino backed out of his commitment to Syracuse and chose football, his first love, when UAlbany offered him a scholarship.
“Yeah, it’s going to be a cool experience,” Carino said of going to the Dome. “That’s what I wanted to do first, and obviously the football opportunity around came around for me and I took it, so it’s going be cool going back up there.”
Carino, a standout in both sports at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, visited Syracuse and toured the Dome before he committed to then-Orange lacrosse coach John Desko in January 2019.
“It was a really cool experience for me and the Carrier Dome is a really cool atmosphere and I can’t wait for us and me to play in it,” Carino said.
He viewed the Syracuse opportunity as a fallback in case he didn’t get any Division I football offers. But UAlbany head coach Greg Gattuso offered him and Carino switched his allegiance to the Great Danes on July 31, 2019.
“I’ve always been a football player, so when I committed to (Syracuse) it was a cool opportunity and once football came around for me, I wanted to take that,” Carino said. “I mean, just playing football, being around the atmosphere and being a family, the team camaraderie in football, nothing matches it in another sport.”
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Syracuse vs Albany Prediction, Game Preview (CFN; Fiutak)
Syracuse vs Albany Broadcast
Date: Saturday, September 18
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY
Network: ACC Network
Syracuse (1-1) vs Albany (0-2) Game Preview
Why Albany Will Win
The Great Dane defense is good enough to hold its own for a little while.The secondary doesn’t give up a ton of big plays, getting off the field isn’t a problem, and there’s just enough of a pass rush to matter.
It’s been pressed time and again so far thanks to an offense that’s not providing a lick of help, and yet it was able to keep the team in games against North Dakota State and Rhode Island.
Syracuse doesn’t have an efficient or effective enough passing game to bomb away, the O hasn’t gone off yet – even with a date against Ohio to start the season – and …
– Week 3 College Football Expert Picks
Why Syracuse Will Win
Albany’s offense leaves a little something to be desired.Give Syracuse a little credit – the offensive line that’s been totally abysmal over the last few years under Dino Babers is now just sort of abysmal.
The pass protection is still lacking, but the running game is good enough to take over early, Tommy DeVito is a solid passer when he gets any sort of time – and doesn’t have a slew of Rutgers Scarlet Knights jumping on his head – and it shouldn’t take much to put this away with that offense on the other side.
Albany doesn’t convert on its third down chances – no, really, it’s only connecting at an 18% clip – and it’s going to struggle to get anywhere close to the 200-yard mark.
What’s Going To Happen
Syracuse will get to have a little fun.It needs to open up the O a little bit, the more tuning up it can do for the attack, the better, and the defense will pad the overall stats against the Great Dane offense.
The last four FCS teams Syracuse have faced combined to score 27 points.
Syracuse vs Albany Prediction, Line
Syracuse 45, Albany 3
Line: Syracuse -23, o/u: 44
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1
Must See Rating: 1
...Episode 4 - Expectations Heading into the FCS Matchup with UAlbany - Bleav in Syracuse Football | iHeartRadio (iheart.com; podcast; McAllister and Shamarko)
Episode four of the Bleav in Syracuse podcast is out! Co-hosts Mike McAllister and Shamarko Thomas look ahead to the Orange's matchup with FCS foe Albany, including how to keep your competitive edge for such an opponent, what the Orange can look to accomplish in all three phases, how this game will shape the quarterback situation, some stories about Ryan Nassib and a few things to know about Albany. Download, subscribe and listen on your favorite podcasting location below.
https://www.audacy.com/podcasts/loc...babers-has-lost-his-cute-factor-916-751101602 (audacy.com; podcat; Locked on Syracuse)
Does Garrett Shrader Really Give Syracuse a Better Chance to Win and Dino Babers Has Lost His Cute Factor 9/16
Syracuse football vs. UAlbany: Cheapest tickets available now (PS; Axelson)
The Syracuse Orange is back in the Carrier Dome this weekend to host the University at Albany Great Danes on Saturday, September 18 (9/18/2021), which means now’s the time to get tickets before the good seats are all taken.
The good news is, there’s plenty of tickets available no matter how big your party is. Ticketmaster, the official vendor for Carrier Dome tickets, has resale tickets available for as low as $10 to upwards of $100 (for some of the better seats in the house. Resellers like SeatGeek even have some visitor side corner tickets as cheap as $4.
Here’s a breakdown of tickets available for Saturday’s game:
TicketMaster:
- Lowest: $10 on Visitors sideline (resale)
- Highest: $101 on Syracuse sideline (resale)
- Lowest: $4 on Visitors corner
- Highest: $142 on Visitors sideline
- Lowest: $6 on Lower end zone
- Highest: $100 on Lower Syracuse sideline
- Lowest: $5 on Lower end zone
- Highest $170 on Visitors sideline
Syracuse University began selling single-game football tickets for the new season in July at three pricing tiers. There is the season’s marquee opponent Clemson ($65 to $130), a bottom tier of this week’s game against Albany and Liberty ($25 to $60) and a middle tier that Power-Five games against Pittsburgh, Boston College, Wake Forest and Rutgers ($35 to $75).
Many tickets are already sold and relisted for resale, which often means they are available much cheaper. Ticket prices are subject to change.
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Christian Brothers Academy's Danny Damico tackles Cicero-North Syracuse's Lukas Merrluzzi in the Section III Class AA football final, Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, Saturday, November 5, 2016. Scott Schild
Axe: CBA alum Damico hoping to ‘win the day’ against SU football (PS; Axe)
If you are in attendance Saturday for Syracuse football’s third game of the 2021 season against the Albany Great Danes, your chances of running into a member of the Damico family rest at even odds at this point.
“More than I can count,” said Albany linebacker Danny Damico, when asked how many tickets he had distributed to Saturday’s game. “I didn’t have enough tickets to reserve, so it was kind of pointless even getting them (laughs).”
Damico, a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy and the 2016 All-Central New York Mr. Football, knows Albany (0-2) has a huge mountain to climb against Syracuse, who will look at the Great Danes as a mere pebble on the trail to step over.
Damico, who ranks second on the Great Danes with 12 tackles this season, and his teammates will simply try to execute the mantra Albany football has lived by for years.
Win the day.
“For me personally and for this team, it’s a huge statement game for us just to see how we look against an FBS team,” Damico said. “It’s going to be great competition to match up with, but there is nothing more in the world that could amp me up than playing Syracuse right now.”
“Against North Dakota State and Rhode Island, offense, defense and special teams showed a lot of spurts of being crisp and knowing what we are doing with no mental errors,” Damico said. “A very clean football game. There have been times we lose discipline and accountability. That’s what we are trying to clean up right now.”
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Alliance's Future Could Feature Season-Long Matchups (SI; Dellinger)
Walking shoulder to shoulder, each in their Sunday best, the two commissioners briskly strode through the Ohio State press box as if they were joined at the hip.
In a way, they are. George Kliavkoff, the new Pac-12 leader, and Kevin Warren, head of the Big Ten, have spurred a wave of change in college football over the last several weeks. They helped found the Alliance, have led a movement to pause College Football Playoff expansion and have formed a pact, along with the ACC, to collectively agree not to poach each other’s members.
On Saturday, the two were palling around on a two-game road trip, first here at Oregon’s game at Ohio State, and later to Washington at Michigan.
Kliavkoff’s squad won the first leg of the two-part swing (Oregon beat Ohio State, 35–28); Warren won the second (Michigan whipped Washington, 31–10).
Forget the results for just a second. The matchup in Columbus—a cross-country, out-of-conference clash between two reigning league champions and top-15 clubs—is a good example of what’s to come in the future, the two commissioners say.
As part of the Alliance agreement, the three conferences (Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC) plan to schedule football games against one another in the coming years. They envision that each one of their teams will play two games, home and away, each season against teams from the other two conferences.
Ideally, that means the Big Ten and Pac-12 reducing their league games from nine to eight (the ACC already plays eight). It provides teams with four nonconference game openings: two Alliance matchups and two against the lower level of college football.
Alliance games will be spread out over the course of the entire season, too, giving America what Kliavkoff calls a “trifecta” of Alliance matchups every week—at least three each Saturday. And these games won’t only be scheduled years in advance. They could be arranged eight months before the meetings.
Just imagine it: league officials scheduling the 2023 ACC champion against the 2023 Big Ten champion in a 2024 season opener. Or how about the last-place Big Ten team tangles with the last-place Pac-12 team from the previous season? At least we can determine who’s the better bottom-dweller!
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ACC Factoids, 2021 Week 3 (RX; HM)
ACC Factoids, 2021 Week 3
ACC Notes• Week three of the ACC football schedule is highlighted by three league matchups and three non-conference games against Power 5 competition. The conference slate includes two 3:30 p.m. games – Georgia Tech at Clemson on ABC and Florida State at Wake Forest on ESPN. The ACC Network primetime game at 7:30 p.m. features Virginia at North Carolina in "The South's Oldest Rivalry."
• A pair of games match the ACC against the Big Ten - a member of the three-conference Alliance along with the Pac-12. Miami welcomes Michigan State to Hard Rock Stadium for a noon kickoff on ABC, while Duke plays host to Northwestern at 4 p.m. on ACCN. Last week, the ACC and Big Ten split a pair of games with Virginia knocking off Illinois, 42-14, and Rutgers downing Syracuse, 17-7.
• The ACC was 11-3 last week against non-conference competition. The 11 wins equal the league-record set twice previously in 2014 (week two) and 2019 (week two). The ACC's 18 non-conference wins this seasons ranks second among Power 5 conferences. ACC teams play eight total non-conference games in week three, including six against FBS schools and two against FCS competition.
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Virginia's trip to No. 21 UNC headlines ACC's Week 3 slate (AP; Beard)
Here are things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Week 3:
GAME OF THE WEEK
Virginia visits No. 21 North Carolina on Saturday night in a critical matchup for the Coastal Division race. The preseason division favorite Tar Heels (1-1, 0-1 ACC) lost their opener at No. 15 Virginia Tech, so they can’t afford to take a second loss before the end of September.
Bronco Mendenhall’s Cavaliers (2-0) have won four straight meetings, including 44-41 at home last year. The Cavaliers have started this year by beating William & Mary and Illinois at home by a combined score of 85-14.
“Virginia is playing much better than we are,” UNC coach Mack Brown said.
BEST MATCHUP
No. 24 Miami will get a shot to slow one of the nation’s top rushing offenses in visiting Michigan State.
The Spartans (2-0) rank sixth nationally by averaging 299 yards in wins at Northwestern and at home against Youngstown State. That began with Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III going for a 75-yard touchdown on his first carry with Michigan State on the way to a 264-yard, four-TD outing in the opener. Jordon Simmons ran for 121 yards in Week 2.
Miami (1-1) allowed 147 yards rushing in a season-opening loss to No. 1 Alabama and 127 yards in a close win against Appalachian State.
LONG SHOT
Boston College is a 15 1/2-point favorite at Temple according to FanDuel , but the Eagles (2-0) are in flux after quarterback Phil Jurkovec suffered a hand injury that required surgery and could cost him the rest of the season.
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ACC looking to improve shaky performance in Power 5 matchups :: WRALSportsFan.com (AP; Kurz)
Atlantic Coast Conference teams have some work to do when they step up in competition and play football programs from other Power Five leagues.
Through two weeks of the season, some ACC teams have expectedly dominated lower division programs, but the ACC is just 2-6 against Power Five teams — and Notre Dame. And while three of the losses came against No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Georgia and the No. 12 Fighting Irish in overtime, the others were against lightly regarded Rutgers, Mississippi and Mississippi State.
The ACC can improve on its .250 winning percentage — and the perception that No. 6 Clemson is its only formidable team — on Saturday when No. 15 Virginia Tech heads to West Virginia, Northwestern out of the Big Ten visits Duke and the Big Ten's Michigan State plays at No. 24 Miami.
“The only thing you hear about the ACC is Clemson. We’ve got to expand on that,” Syracuse defensive end Josh Black said. “The ACC is more than Clemson. We need the ACC to keep winning these games to get our name out there. We’re not some scrub conference. We’re one of the best and we’ve got to make it seem that way.”
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Other
Former Bruegger’s Bagels shop in Clay to get new life as fast-food restaurant (PS; $; Doran)
The former Bruegger’s Bagels shop in Clay is getting new life as a fast-food restaurant.
The shop, which closed at 7601 Oswego Road (Route 57) in the Bayberry section of Clay, is going to be renovated.
The town of Clay has approved a new KFC on the site. The former Bruegger’s will be converted into the new KFC, Clay planning officials said.
Clay planners have approved the proposal, and said they expect work on the building to begin soon.
KFC Chicken has other locations in DeWitt, Cicero, Liverpool and Syracuse.
