sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National LED Light Day!
October 7th may be an unusually illuminating day considering it is National LED Light Day.
We are all born as incredible detectors of light. We intuitively notice differences in color and brightness. And lighting professionals know that much of human sensation is visual. People respond emotionally to light and color, using its consistency to draw us in, like moths to a glowing light. The power of LED lighting affects all of us in emotional, economic, and environmental ways, too.
Emotion
Unlike other light sources, LEDs can create a more appealing display for a variety of environments. Let’s say you drive by two gas stations. Station A is illuminated throughout by bright white LED lights, while Station B’s illumination varies from yellow to white and one panel is dim. You will likely go to Station A because its color consistency feels comforting, clean, secure, and high-quality. You may not even be conscious of that decision.
Economy
LED lights help save on our energy costs. The low power consumption, high reliability, and long lifespan allow us to realize significant energy savings. They also reduce maintenance over the lifetime of an LED fixture.Environment
The fewer LED bulbs changed means there are fewer bulbs thrown away. LED bulbs also have a much smaller impact on the environment than other light sources. Furthermore, because LEDs use electricity very efficiently, greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.SU News
Syracuse's walk-on punter had little notice before being thrust into a starting role at Florida State.
A phone call, a knock and a walk-on freshman ends up unexpectedly punting at Florida State (PS; $; Carlson)
Ian Hawkins expected to spend Syracuse’s game against Florida State in his dorm room in Lawrinson Hall. Then came a phone call. Then a knock on his hotel room door.
Suddenly the freshman walk-on was thrust into a very public position, punting for the Orange in front of 56,609 people in Florida State’s Doak Campbell Stadium.
Hawkins started after James Williams, the team’s top punter, did not make the trip.
Hawkins’ college debut was mixed, which probably shouldn’t be particularly surprising after the whirlwind he experienced leading up to it.
“I was told Thursday night that I’d be traveling,” Hawkins said. “I got a call saying, ‘Hey, get ready, you’re going to Florida. I was like, all right. A few hours before the game I get a knock on my door and they say you’re starting. All right. Here we go. Let’s make the best of this.”
Hawkins traveled from San Diego to Syracuse as a college freshman this year in order to join the team as a preferred walk-on, promised only the opportunity to compete for a spot punting and kicking for the Orange. He picked SU because it was the biggest name to offer him an opportunity. Most of the interest came from small schools near his home in California.
“Back in April they looked at my film, diagnosed everything and said I’d have a spot,” Hawkins said. “Once I got out here they said I’d have a chance to compete for kickoff and punt. All right, I’ll be out there and we’ll see what we can do.”
When he came across the country, the chances at playing time were not promising.
Kicker Andre Szmyt was an All-American as a freshman and unlikely to be budged from his spot.
The Orange thought enough of second-year starting punter James Williams to have offered him a scholarship out of high school, an indication he would be a heavy favorite for the position. He’ll probably be around for a while too.
Punters and kickers are generally the least likely players on a team to be afflicted with injuries or unexpected absences.
Still, Hawkins decided the cross-country journey was worth the chance.
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Babers’ gamble raises a familiar question: Who has faith his QB swap is for the best? (PS; Mink)
A former staff member under Dino Babers once made an analogy comparing the cut-throat nature of college football to the number of generals Abraham Lincoln replaced during the Civil War.
His point was this: History best remembers Grant leading the Union to victory, even though he finished middle-of-the-pack in his class at West Point and other leaders helped deplete the Confederates’ supplies by the time he took command.
“In order to get to where you wanted to get,” the staff member said, “there had to be some people fall on the sword.
“There’s a lot of pressure to win, and nobody has more pressure than the head coach.”
It’s a timely reminder amid the seismic shift happening inside Babers’ program five weeks into a season that has already seen what could be a tenure-defining quarterback change and the team’s top receiver leave the program.
While the rest of us wonder what drove Taj Harris out or whether Tommy DeVito will eventually transfer after a sudden benching two hours before a game, Babers is once again thinking about the big picture, even if it runs in conflict with loyalties to the players and those who helped him climb into a head-coaching seat in the ACC or earn a long-term contract extension three years ago.
The coach raised on a family-minded program under Dick Tomey at Hawaii has followed a similar blueprint with his own team. Acts of self-preservation by the family patriarch can, at times, appear to some as incongruent to the bottom line: Babers’ duty is to put the organizational needs above an individual, regardless of who might feel is being left behind.
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How to Watch Syracuse vs #19 Wake Forest (SI; McAllister)
Matchup: Syracuse (3-2, 0-1) vs #19 Wake Forest (5-0, 3-0)
Location: Carrier Dome - Syracuse, N.Y.
Time: 3:30pm Eastern - Saturday, October 9th.
Television: ESPN2
Stream: FuboTV
Broadcast Team: Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, Dawn Davenport
Radio: TK99, WAER, Cuse.com, TuneIn App
Series History: Syracuse leads the all-time series 6-4 including a 4-2 edge in the Dome. The two teams have split the last four contests, with each team averaging over 30 points per game during that span. Last year, Syracuse started Rex Culpepper and kept it close for most of the first half. A late first half touchdown pushed the Wake Forest lead to 17-7. Then, two touchdowns in nine seconds, the first an 80 yard touchdown pass and the second a pick six, broke the game open for the Demon Deacons.
Live Stats: LINK
Odds: Point spread: Wake Forest -6.0, Over-under: 57 points
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Syracuse has a 33.0% chance to win.
Syracuse enters the 2021 season following back to back losing campaigns. After a 10 win 2018 season, the Orange has gone 5-7 and 1-10 in the last two years. Getting back to a bowl game would be significant for the program's direction. A season opening win over Ohio was a step in the right direction. However, Syracuse missed a chance to start the year 2-0 with a loss to Rutgers in the home opener but bounced back with a 62-24 win over Albany. The Orange followed that up with a 24-21 win over Liberty and a 33-30 loss to Florida State.
Wake Forest is undefeated at 5-0 and is ranked in the top 20 in both polls. The Demon Deacons blew out its first four opponents, including a 20 point win at Virginia and a 21 point win at home over Florida State. Last week, Louisville pushed Wake to the brink, but the Demon Deacons held off the Cardinals 37-34.
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Syracuse Football: Missed call, confusing “well-wishes,” and a big ask (itlh; Abramo)
It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to put my thoughts on the Syracuse football team in writing. Lots of things have happened in the interim. So rather than focus on one…let’s take a quick journey around some of the key topics of the week.
We all like to bemoan the officiating. Every fan base argues that the officials are singularly out “to get them”. The Rutgers game a few weeks ago was a perfect example. The officiating that game was terrible. And it did seem to be slanted against us.
Now, did it cost us the game? Maybe…but probably not. However, there was no single blown call in that game that cost us nearly as dearly as the failure of the officials to call that blatant hold right at the point of attack at the end of that Florida State game.
It was an egregious error considering that multiple sets of zebra eyes were staring right at that part of the field. Everyone…everyone... knows that in order for a player to successfully turn the corner the blocking on the edge has to be perfect, and holding is super common there, and that’s why officials are supposed to specifically look for it.
Even the ACC Network announcers, never known to be cheerleaders for the Conference’s northern schools, made the call in real-time and were stunned that it was ignored.
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Syracuse Football’s Path To A Bowl Game Just Got Much Harder – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; May)
Heading into this Syracuse Football season the thought of a bowl game was blasphemous. The Orange were coming off a one-win season and Vegas had SU’s projected win total right around three. So, it is a little surprising to say this, but Syracuse could have a chance to make a bowl game.
Going 3-1 in the non-conference part of your schedule helps a ton. A 2-2 record was more realistic, but grabbing that extra win got Syracuse halfway to bowl eligibility. All the Orange need to do now is find three ACC wins. Easy, right?
Not so much. With Syracuse’s loss to Florida State last weekend, the Orange missed a massive opportunity to make a bowl. The Seminoles were the most realistic win on the schedule remaining, as they were winless on the year going into the game. Dropping that opportunity makes the path to the postseason way more difficult.
With seven games to go, SU needs to go 3-4 for the remainder of the season. While that may be a tall task for a team that only got three wins in the non-con, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. The ACC is down this season – Clemson is not Clemson, Miami and North Carolina are severely underwhelming, and the other usual powerhouse schools are meh. This is the best year for SU to sneak out some wins and sneak into a bowl game.
With that being said, there is not a game left of Syracuse’s schedule that is a definite win or a definite loss. Sure, some games will be closer than others, however, the Orange can realistically put up a fight in each game remaining. So, if they’re in each game, you would expect them to pull out at least one or two more wins. Maybe even three to become bowl eligible.
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ACC notebook: Is the conference already eliminated from the College Football Playoff? (P-G; McGonigal)
Jim Phillips, the new-ish ACC commissioner, went against the grain in July. While rumors and reports of a 12-team College Football Playoff swirled — and many considered how early the changes could take effect — Phillips poured cold water on the ACC’s interest at the conference’s media days, acknowledging justifiable concerns about the proposal.
A lot has changed since reporters questioned Phillips in Charlotte, N.C. News of Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC broke days later. The Big 12 set into motion the addition of Cincinnati, BYU, Houston and UCF. And whatever the “alliance” is supposed to be was announced by the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12.
Now, the fate of a 12-team playoff is uncertain. But, boy, does the ACC wish it was around this year.
The perplexing, chaotic conference normally tethered to Clemson’s uninterrupted success doesn’t have its saving grace this season. And because of the Tigers’ fall from Mount Olympus, the ACC is in clear and obvious danger of missing out on the College Football Playoff for just the second time since its inception in 2014.
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Hot Seat Update 2021-10-07 (RX; HM)
Hot Seat Update 2021-10-07
From CBS Sports: "2021 Hot Seat Rankings: Manny Diaz, Mike Norvell heat up..."Status: start improving now - or else!
Dino Babers, Syracuse
A last-second loss to Florida State makes Babers 6-17 in his last 23 games (3-15 in last 18 ACC games). A 3-2 start has brightened prospects, however, especially the tight win over Liberty. Last week, WR Taj Harris became the fifth player to leave the program since fall camp.Record so far: 3-2
Remaining schedule:
Prognosis: To be honest, every team left on the schedule is as tough or tougher than the toughest team the Orange have played so far. In other words, they have a winning record now, but I don't see a lot more wins. My guess: Babers is gone after this season.
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2021 FSU at UNC (RX; HM)
2021 FSU at UNC
Florida State (1-4, 1-2 ACC) at North Carolina (3-2, 2-2 ACC), 3:30 p.m.; ESPN FSU leads series, 16-3-1; Last meeting: FSU, 31-28 (2020) Head Coaches: Florida State - Mike Norvell (4-10 in 2nd season at FSU; 42-25 in 5th season overall) North Carolina - Mack Brown (87-58-1 in 13th season at UNC; 262-134-1 in 33rd year overall) Notes: FSU and UNC meet in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2009-10 • QB Jordan Travis ran for two touchdowns and threw a scoring pass to help Florida State build a big first-half lead, and the Seminoles held off No. 5 UNC for a 31-28 win in last season’s game in Tallahassee • FSU’s win snapped a two-game losing streak versus the Tar Heels, who had won road games in 2010 and 2016, both by 37-35 scores • UNC’s only other win in the series came in 2001 by a 41-9 score in Chapel Hill • The Seminoles rallied for a 30-27 win on their last visit to Kenan Stadium in 2009 and are 7-1 all-time in Chapel Hill • FSU leads 13-3 all-time in ACC play • The schools met in football for the first time at the 1983 Peach Bowl in Atlanta, where Florida State defeated the Tar Heels 28-3 • This Saturday’s contest will be the second of a three-game ACC homestand for UNC. |
COMMENTS:
I'm not old enough to remember when Florida State football was this bad. We're talking pre-Bobby Bowden bad. That said, good as the Tar Heels are, they're also vulnerable - this is not a sure thing.That said, JHowell picked UNC to win by 15.5 points (ouch!)
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Pitt’s Pickett emerging in ACC’s next wave of NFL-ready QBs (wnct.com; AP)
Kenny Pickett’s decision to return for his redshirt senior season is working out well for Pittsburgh, the nation’s top-scoring team.
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi believes the decision also will pay off for Pickett in the next NFL draft.
“He’s made himself a lot of money coming back,” Narduzzi said.
Pickett is poised to join North Carolina’s Sam Howell, Virginia’s Brennan Armstrong and possibly others in the next wave of Atlantic Coast Conference quarterbacks on NFL draft boards.
The ACC, which may be out of the national championship pictures, already sits atop all other conferences in the NFL quarterback derby. Nine NFL quarterbacks with at least one start this season are from ACC schools, the most of any conference.
That list doesn’t include the inactive Deshaun Watson, whose status is in limbo following allegations of sexual assault and harassment. With Watson, the ACC would claim almost one-third of the NFL’s starting QBs, including this year’s No. 1 overall pick, Trevor Lawrence.
The list of former ACC starters includes MVPs Lamar Jackson and Matt Ryan, plus Russell Wilson, who’s usually in the MVP discussion. The others: Daniel Jones, Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett and Tyrod Taylor.
There’s a list of candidates who could be next in line.
Howell has had an uneven season. He was sacked a combined 14 times in road losses at Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.
Virginia Tech opened the season by sacking Howell six times and forcing him into the first three-interception game of his career in a 17-10 Hokies win.
Then, after the Tar Heels offense rolled in a 59-point output in a win against Virginia, Georgia Tech sacked Howell eight times. He lost three fumbles in the 45-22 loss to the Yellow Jackets.
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ACC Football Staff Predictions: Week 6 (tarheelblog.com; Hood)
After a couple of weeks of controversy in terms of picking, mostly from Jake, this week we get to focus on the things that actually matter: football games.
We’ve hit the time of year where conference matchups dominate and teams start taking bye weeks, so after weeks of having to sift between ten to fourteen games, we now only have a few to have to focus on. Surely this is helping Carolina for getting these nice 3:30 start times for the next couple of weeks, but it makes it tough for us to start to separate from each other.
First, in case you didn’t pay attention last week, the ongoing saga with Jake and his picks have been solved. His lateness was as a result not of spite, but of the fact that he’s doing this odd thing called “serving our country” or something. He realized on Wednesday he had forgotten to make picks, and asked nicely if I would update everything. Seeing as how I didn’t want to remind him before I published because he was likely asleep, I relented.
It’s a good thing he made some picks, here’s how we all did:
It shows how little regard we all had for FSU in that the vast majority of us took Syracuse thinking it would be an “upset” pick, meanwhile Evan, Brandon, and Tanya almost nailed the upset of BC against Clemson.
Also, Miami. Look, I know that UNC is going to be listed as a disappointment for the way this season has gone. I even wrote a nice long post about how disappointing this season was compared to expectations. This week has calmed that down a bit, and despite the fact that the Tar Heels will mostly fade to irrelevance this season they still have a shot at an unthinkably good season compared to three years ago. At the southern end of the conference, though, the Hurricanes are looking more like tropical waves.
Weather humor, get it?
Miami started the season ranked 14th, just four spots behind the Tar Heels, with a lot of hope pinned on the return of D’Eriq King. It hasn’t panned out that way, perhaps the most embarrassing of the losses being the one to the Wahoos last week. After watching UVa, a lot of us thought Miami would thump the Cavs, but instead Miami got their ACC schedule kicked off with a loss, are staring at 2-3, and have to nurse on that loss this week before they come up to Chapel Hill. There’s still time for them to turn it around as well, but as a squad that was expected to fight for a spot in Charlotte, the calls to fire Manny Diaz are loud right now.
Our standings stay tight, although some of the results led to a bit of turbulence. Max now leads all by himself, and in second are...yours truly! Some other guys are there, too (Ok, Jake and Joe are in a tie for second with me), while Micheal is in last place, but at 26-13, it’s pretty easy for him to jump right back up. With small slates for the next few weeks, it’s unlikely we’ll see much more in the separation. Especially when you look at the slate this week:
Only five games, and there is only one game where we disagree. So, there’s a real shot that someone will go 5-0 this week, and it’s also possible a lot of us go 0-5. Either way it won’t change the standings that much. Still it’s fun to keep track.
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Other
New Syracuse cat cafe offers visitors a 1-way ticket to Japan (DO; Rosenblatt)
Josh Davis, owner of the newly opened Luna Café, said he wanted to bring a piece of Japan to Syracuse.
Davis also said he decided to open the cafe, which offers a mix between Japanese and Midwestern food, when he recognized the need for a place where students could escape their dorms and stressful lives to decompress alongside animals.
Luna Café was inspired by traditional Japanese cat cafes, which are small spaces where people are able to play with cats while enjoying their favorite coffee or bubble tea. He took the idea of a cat cafe further by curating a full restaurant menu of Midwestern and Japanese food that he prepares daily by himself.
Located at 1001 E. Fayette St., the restaurant is decorated with traditional Japanese items and colors, and the cat room has anime playing in the background. Open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, customers come to the cafe to eat, drink and hang with cats.
Davis’ fascination for Japanese culture and cuisine has grown through his trips to Japan, he said.
“I also wanted to bring a piece of Japan because I miss it so much,” Davis said. “That is why the colors in the restaurant are the colors of a Japanese torii gate, and the colors in the cat room are those of cherry blossoms.”
Most of the cats at Luna Café are up for adoption, and the cafe works with the Central New York Cat Coalition to help visitors facilitate the adoption of available cats, Davis said. This provides guests with a safe and trustworthy environment where they can get to know their future pets before taking them home.
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