sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
- 25,190
- Like
- 108,541
Welcome to National Suspenders Day!
Today is devoted to suspenders, an accessory made of straps of fabric or leather that cross over a wearer's shoulders and hold up their pants. Suspenders usually form an X or Y shape on the wearer's back, and attach with clips or buttons. In Britain they are known as braces, and in the nineteenth century they were sometimes called galluses. Outside the United States the term suspenders refers to a garter belt.
Modern day suspenders were invented in 1820 by Albert Thurston, and their popularity has waxed and waned since then. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries they were almost universally worn, because most people wore high cuts pants, which made belts impractical. Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, received an early patent for suspenders in 1871. Suspenders lost some popularity following World War I, where men had become used to wearing belts with their uniforms. Up until the mid-twentieth century suspenders were still considered an undergarment, and were covered by vests, waistcoats, or cardigans. Thus, as men wore vests less in the 1930's, they also wore suspenders less. In the 1940's fuller cut trousers came back into fashion, helping revive suspenders a bit. Now it is considered acceptable for suspenders to be seen, and that is often the preferred way to wear them. Although suspenders have not rivaled the belt for decades, there has been some resurgence in recent years. The film Wall Street may have helped contribute to this, and other prominent figures such as Larry King and Annie Lennox from the Eurythmics have also sported them.
SU News
Dino Baber's argues with the ref during Syracuse vs. Wake Forest.
Film Review: Breaking down SU’s defensive performance against Clemson (DO; Vasudevan)
Before Syracuse’s matchup against Clemson, its players had to answer one simple question about the unranked Tigers — is Clemson still Clemson?
“Of course they’re still Clemson,” linebacker Marlowe Wax said three days before the game.
Wax said the Tigers still have some of the best players in the country, including 5-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei. Despite Clemson dropping out of Associated Press’ top 25 for the first time since 2014, the Orange had to game plan against Uiagalelei: they wanted to make him “uncomfortable,” defensive lineman Cody Roscoe said.
After allowing an average of 38.3 points against Clemson over the last three seasons, the Orange held the Tigers to 17 during Friday’s game. SU achieved its goal of pressuring Uiagalelei, as Clemson converted on just five of 15 third downs.
These are the key defensive plays, despite Syracuse’s 17-14 loss against Clemson:
Early success
With a third-and-12 and five receivers out on the field, Clemson’s offense makes it pretty clear they want to throw the ball for a first down. Still, the Orange sends five rushers at the defensive line, hoping to win the battle at the line of scrimmage instead of in pass coverage.
“Our D-line room up front is some of the best guys in the business,” Roscoe said. “Regardless of who we play … we have to come ready to play.”
After arriving at Syracuse last season following three years at Football Championship Subdivision school McNeese State, Roscoe has the most sacks in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 7.5. At the start of this play, he takes an easy approach — along with linebacker Stefon Thompson — going outside of the opposing player in front of them.
While Thompson can’t get free, Roscoe keeps his hands up like a boxer, swiping Clemson right guard Reed Morrissey’s hands away from his padding. As Roscoe gets closer to Uiagalelei, fellow defensive lineman Steve Linton uses a stunt to get free in the middle of the pocket. Linton’s success causes Uiagalelei to move to the left slightly, allowing Roscoe to take down the quarterback.
The best way to stop one of the top teams in the ACC is to get at them early and create an expectation of constant pressure. Roscoe and Syracuse do exactly that on the first defensive drive, setting up a game filled with strong play from defensive coordinator Tony White’s 3-3-5 system.
You got Mossed
...
Spiers' arm was the difference at Syracuse (theclemsoninsider.com; Dodd)
Clemson owes a lot of its success in the win at Syracuse last Friday to the arm of its punter.
The Tigers offense struggled in the Carrier Dome with 17 points and just 319 yards of total offense. But consistency on defense and a big play on special teams helped them improve to 4-2 on the season.
On fourth-and-5 on the Syracuse 41-yard line with 1:10 left in the first half head coach Dabo Swinney made a gutsy call that paid off in the long run.
After lining up on offense to go for it and calling time out Swinney elected to run a fake punt pass that extended a drive and eventually gave Clemson a 14-7 lead on a two-yard touchdown run by Kobe Pace.
Punter Will Spiers reflected on his mindset when Swinney made the call.
“We were going for it on fourth down, then we used the time out and decided to send the punt team on the field,” Spiers said. “We were running out there and coach Swinney made the call from the sideline like it was a normal call. He said it, we ran out there like alright lets run it and executed it so it was pretty cool.”
After the snap, Spiers pump-faked and delivered a 50-50 ball on a dime to tight end Davis Allen who made a spectacular catch for a 17-yard gain and a Clemson first down at the Orange’s 34-yard line.
The ball felt good coming out of Spiers’ hand and he credited Allen’s athleticism to make the big play.
“Yeah whenever I released it I felt like there was a chance and Davis made a heck of a catch on it and coming down with it, it was a great catch,” Spiers said.
Spiers played quarterback in high school and has thrown passes for Clemson before when he got reps in the fourth quarter at Georgia Tech last season in the midst of a blowout.
Clemson travels to Pittsburgh on Saturday to face the Pitt Panthers at Heinz Field on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The Departure of DeVito (SI; McAllister)
The age of coach-player relationships is falling to the hands of the transfer portal in Syracuse.
With Tommy DeVito transferring this marks Syracuse’s fourth player to leave this season. Before DeVito, it was Taj Harris. Before Harris, it was Jarveon Howard. Before Howard, it was Ben Labrosse.
The ongoing cycle of players leaving the program is a testament to the powers of the transfer portal. However, DeVito’s decision to leave left Syracuse head coach Dino Babers more than emotional.
“I’m attached to him,” Babers said. “People may not believe that but his well being and him doing well is extremely important to me.”
The occasional Monday press conference held by Dino Babers is usually filled with energy and questions on the upcoming matchup.
There was none of that.
The awkward silence, emotional pauses, and somber reality emoted the relationship that was once bred but never fulfilled. The outward display of the relationship between a coach and his/her players is often normalized—lacking the depths of relationships a coach has to go into with each player.
“You treat everybody the same, but he’s (DeVito) different.”
The analogy Babers gives is that you treat all your sons the same but you understand some of those guys are different correlates straight to DeVito.
...
Hokies searching for confidence among defensive bright spots (wsls.com; Leonard)
The Virginia Tech Hokies held Pittsburgh to their lowest score all season on Saturday. A bright spot for this Virginia Tech defense, and some added motivation for this week’s preparation for Syracuse.
“Coming into Sunday, it’s easy to be like ugh this sucks, I’m throwing in the towel, this is just terrible,” linebacker Dax Hollifield said. “But I didn’t sense that at all. We came out and flew around, juiced up Sunday at practice. And today we had one of our better Tuesday practices.”
The 3-4 Orange could very easily be a six win team by now. Their last three losses have been by three points, and in their latest effort, holding Clemson to only 17 points.
“They’re physical up front, they throw into a bunch of different coverages, they mix it up a lot,” Quarterback Braxton Burmeister said. “They like to pressure in early downs and then on third downs, they do a bunch of stuff but we’ll be prepared for it.”
But what is needed most from the Virginia Tech offense on Saturday is an immeasurable statistic.
“We have to find a way to get our guys playing with some confidence. I’ve slowly watched over the last several weeks a shift in the confidence level, our defense is increasing, offensively it’s decreased,” head coach Justin Fuente said. “We have to find a way to get it back to the way it was.”
Kickoff is slated for 12:30 p.m. in Lane Stadium on Saturday.
By the Numbers: Syracuse at Virginia Tech (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse football travels to the Commonwealth of Virginia to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies looking to snap a three game losing streak. Here is a look at how the teams match up from a statistical perspective.
| Category | Syracuse | Virginia Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 3-4 (0-3) | 3-3 (1-1) |
| Points Scored | 29.0 | 21.7 |
| Total Offense | 404.0 | 311.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 231.7 | 131.2 |
| Passing Offense | 172.3 | 180.7 |
| Points Allowed | 23.0 | 20.1 |
| Total Defense | 309.0 | 354.2 |
| Rushing Defense | 114.3 | 156.7 |
| Passing Defense | 194.7 | 197.5 |
| Kick Return Avg. | 20.0 | 27.5 |
| Punt Return Avg. | 8.3 | 11.9 |
| Field Goals | 7-11 | 4-6 |
| Punt Avg. | 34.9 | 43.5 |
| Sacks Per Game | 3.4 | 2.7 |
| Sacks Allowed | 1.9 | 2.3 |
| TOs Forced Per Gm | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| TOs Lost Per Gm | 0.9 | 1.2 |
| 3rd Down O | 35.2% | 43.4% |
| 3rd Down D | 35.1% | 30.1% |
| 4th Down O | 57.1% | 28.6% |
| 4th Down D | 63.6% | 72.7% |
| Red Zone O Score % | 80.8% | 77.8% |
| Red Zone D Score % | 84.0% | 87,5% |
| Red Zone O TD % | 57.7% | 66.7% |
| Red Zone D TD % | 48.0% | 68.8% |
| Penalty Yards | 61.4 | 32.7 |
| Time of Possession | 28:57 | 28:58 |
Syracuse comes into the game on a three game losing streak, each by just three points. In each of the losses, there was a play that decided the final outcome in the closing seconds. The Orange is looking to snap that losing streak and keep bowl hopes alive.
...
Stock Up/Stock Down: Week 7 – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Eads)
Just another Tuesday morning here recapping a sudden death Syracuse loss. This should become a scheduled text or tweet by now. Anyways, the stock market is busy once again today following SU’s 17-14 defeat to Clemson. Here are the big movers:
STOCK UP
RB SEAN TUCKER
I’ll be damned if I don’t appreciate Tucker enough. The guy is ripping off 100-yard games every single week and is the only reason this offense isn’t shut out every week. As of this morning, the sophomore leads the nation in all-purpose yards with over 1,100 and is second in the country in rush yards. Tucker is breaking out before our very eyes and before you know it, he’ll be suiting up on Sundays. Let’s appreciate this talented tailback before he’s gone.WR TREBOR PENA
Pena is the definition of a skill position player. The all-purpose threat has shown flashes in the return game and has the speed to be a game changer. His only reception in Saturday’s game resulted in a 62-yard pitch and catch. Pena should get more looks moving forward whether it be in the perimeter rushing attack or through the air.WR DAMIEN ALFORD
The Canadian flashed his abilities on the outside and nearly reeled in a circus catch. There isn’t another player on this team like Alford. He’s 6’5” and has good speed to complement that size. If Garrett Shrader wants to chuck a ball deep it should only be going to 82 in Orange.H-BACK CHRIS ELMORE
It’s clear that Elmore plays a vital role in this rushing attack. The way he can run and open up holes for Sean Tucker will only strengthen the ground game going forward. Elmore (and the offensive line) paved the way for Tucker to tally 157 yards against the ACC’s best defense. Oh, Rhino also caught a pass for ten yards so there’s that....
Nate Mink "On The Block" 10-19 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
Brent catches up with Syracuse.com’s Nate Mink to discuss Sean Tucker and Duce Chestnut receiving midseason awards, Tommy DeVito entering the transfer portal and how the team can fight back from three consecutive close losses.
30 Minutes In Orange Nation 10-19 (ESPN; radio; Steve & Paulie)
Steve and Paulie compare last night’s Bills loss to Friday’s Syracuse loss. Then, they talk CFB playoffs and discuss whether or not Cincinnati is the RC Cola of NCAA football. Later, Tom in Syracuse compares Tommy DeVito watching game tape to Steve Infanti watching Dancing with the Stars in an all-time great caller analogy.
Orange in the NFL: Week 6 Recap for Syracuse Football Alumni | Empire State News (empirestate.news; Binghampton)
While you’ve probably spent the weekend gritting your teeth over Syracuse Orange football, there are numerous SU alums that are enjoying success at the NFL level. Every Tuesday we look at how they all fare as Syracuse rebuilds its pipeline for the league.
Here’s how former Orange standouts performed in week 6:
Chandler Jones, Arizona Cardinals
We haven’t seen many (most would agree) of the best defensive players in the league since his five-sack start into the regular season. He was also put on the reserve / COVID list a week ago, although he is fully vaccinated. We’ll see when he can return to the field.
Justin Pugh, Arizona Cardinals
The former first-round pick has been in and out of the line-up this year but has still not admitted sacks while blocking for an offensive with the lights-out cards. In case you needed more reasons to believe the Giants have been run like a garbage organization lately, it would be another …
Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts special team captain had a solo tackle and an assist in the 31-3 demolition of the Texans in Indianapolis. With nine tackles in six games, he’s well on his way to racking up the second-most stops of his career.
André Cisco, Jacksonville Jaguars
After Cisco played a lot at the start of the season, Cisco’s posts have decreased significantly until now it stops playing. That’s not a good sign for him, but who knows how much that could change if the Jags look to secure a better draft position later in the year.
...
Syracuse Game Saturday: Syracuse at Virginia Tech prediction, odds, spread, line, over/under and betting info. for week 8 (itlh; Adler)
Syracuse football, for the third-straight week, lost an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown by just three points, as the Orange fell to perennial league powerhouse Clemson, 17-14, this past Friday night on the Hill.
Running back Sean Tucker was his usual fabulous self, but the ‘Cuse (3-4, 0-3) missed a potential game-tying field goal in the final minute to suffer this heart-breaking defeat at the hands of the Tigers.
The Syracuse football team will look to regroup, and grab their first ACC victory, when the Orange travels to Blacksburg, Va., for a conference clash with Virginia Tech on Saturday, Oct. 23. The kick-off for this contest is scheduled for 12:30 pm at Lane Stadium, with television coverage on regional sports networks.
Over the weekend, Pittsburgh crushed the Hokies, 28-7, in Blacksburg. That outcome dropped Virginia Tech to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in ACC games. The Hokies have wins over North Carolina, Middle Tennessee and Richmond. Virginia Tech’s losses are to the aforementioned Panthers, along with West Virginia and Notre Dame.
Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech odds for week 8
Please check out WynnBET for the latest odds and betting information on Syracuse football at Virginia Tech.Syracuse injury report vs. Virginia Tech for week 8
For the latest updates on any potential developments on the injury front, I’d recommend taking a look at Syracuse.com....
Links, news, and rumors - 2021-10-20 (RX; HM)
Links, news, and rumors - 2021-10-20
From Sporting News: ACC hopefuls and more winners, losers from Week 7WINNERS: Pitt and NC State
That sounds familiar!
__________
Hokie fans, bloggers, and podcasters are really piling on Justin Fuente...
From Sons of Saturday: Sometimes You Dig Your Own Grave!
The author also noted that "Tech had the worst recruiting class in the Power Five in 2020", although they have improved in that area since then. The Hokies finished with the 44th best class in 2021. The 2022 VT football recruiting class is currently ranked 19th.
...
2021 Week 8 TV, Radio, and Announcers (RX; HM)
2021 Week 8 TV, Radio, and Announcers
From the official ACC release of Oct. 18, 2021...ACC Weekly Football Schedule
Saturday, Oct. 23, Time, TV, Sirius, XM, App/Web
UMass (1-5) at Florida State (2-4), Noon, ACCN, 137, 193, 955Series: First Meeting
ACCN: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Jalyn Johnson (sideline)
No. 16 Wake Forest (6-0) at Army (4-2), Noon, CBSSN, 85, 85, 85
Series: Wake Forest leads series, 11-5; Last meeting: Army, 21-13 (2016)
CBSSN: Jason Horowitz (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), Tina Cervasio (sideline)
College football ACC QB rankings at midseason: Devin Leary, Kenny Pickett surge (247sports.com; Crawford)
We've reached the midseason point in the ACC, and everything you thought you know coming in about the quarterback position has been proven wrong this fall. Preseason Heisman Trophy contenders, North Carolina's Sam Howell and Clemson's D.J. Uiagalelei, are now completely off the radar as player-of-the-year candidates while Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett and NC State's Devin Leary have surged to the forefront for their division-leading teams.
One of the preseason national title frontrunners, Clemson held off Syracuse, 17-14, last week that sparked positive comments from coach Dabo Swinney about his first-year starter under center.
“I thought he played his best game. What are we, 4-2? Of our six games, that’s the best game he’s played,” Swinney said. “He put some huge plays together. Again, some missed opportunities, but some very accurate throws.
Our quarterbacks rankings consist of film review, numbers against quality competition and overall impact on the success or failures on every respective team. There's also a heavy emphasis on production relative to the talent around them.
At the midseason junction, here are the ACC's starting quarterbacks ranked worst to first:
14. GUNNAR HOLMBERG, DUKE
2021 season statistics: 152-of-216, 1,750 yards, 6 TDs, 6 INTs; 6 rushing TDsA month ago, Duke was 3-1 with Gunnar Holmberg in complete control of the offense, helping the Blue Devils establish early rhythm in the passing game with several wins over less-than-stellar opponents. However, Holmberg and Duke have hit the bottom since the start of ACC play and three straight losses yield questions of potential changes offensively. What's going wrong for a unit that's converting third downs at the third-best clip in the conference? Duke's red-zone percentage is dreadful and the Blue Devils' inability to punch it in when they're inside the opponents' 20-yard line defines their struggles.
13. DENNIS GROSEL, BOSTON COLLEGE
2021 season statistics: 85-of-143, 982 yards, 5 TDs, 5 INTsThe Boston College offense suffered a major blow this season when Phil Jurkovec went down with a devastating injury, giving way to a quarterback that wasn’t quite ready for the spotlight. Dennis Grosel’s performance has been admirable at times, but also limits what Jeff Hafley can do in the passing game. A completion percentage under 60 has had a critical effort on the offense and back to back losses to Clemson and NC State has exposed some of Grosel’s weaknesses. Still, this is a player who threw for 520 yards in a game against Virginia last season, so the talent is there.
12. TYLER VAN DYKE, MIAMI
2021 season statistics: 45-of-86, 737 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INTsWith starter D'Eriq King out for the season after shoulder surgery, Tyler Van Dyke has stepped in for the Hurricanes at quarterback. He is 1-2 over three starts with three of his five touchdown passes coming against Central Connecticut State. He wasn't kept clean in Saturday's loss at North Carolina, but put his team in position to at least force overtime during a 45-42 loss before a tipped pass in the final moments was picked off. It was a throw Van Dyke would like to have back and his third interception of the contest. Miami's bowl hopes are on life support this season.
11. JEFF SIMS, GEORGIA TECH
2021 season statistics: 50-of-80, 791 yards, 6 TDs, 4 INTs; 255 yards rushing, 4 TDsJordan Yates or Jeff Sims for the Yellow Jackets moving forward? Geoff Collins has used both of his quarterbacks this season. Two weeks ago during a loss to Pitt, Sims threw for a career-best 359 yards, the most passing yards by a Yellow Jackets quarterback in 20 years. It was also the first 300-yard passing game by a quarterback since 2007 for a program still eliminating the final remnants from a triple-option offense under the previous regime. Sims helped Georgia Tech to a 31-27 victory over the weekend at Duke.
10. GARRETT SHRADER, SYRACUSE
2021 season statistics: 67-of-124, 818 yards, 5 TDs, 3 INT; 418 yards rushing, 9 TDsNow that Syracuse coach Dino Babers is going with Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader full-time as QB1, Orange veteran Tommy DeVito has entered the transfer portal. DeVito opened the campaign as the starter, but his ineffectiveness led to wholesale changes and Shrader has taken over with five starts since. Shrader opens the offense up a bit and gives Syracuse a chance on the ground in money-down situations. His nine rushing touchdowns leads the ACC at the quarterback position. Now if he can solves inconsistent passing issues with the other part of his game, the Orange could have a star at the position.
9. D.J. UIAGALELEI, CLEMSON
2021 season statistics: 97-of-174, 974 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTsSwinney swears up and down Uiagalelei is improving as the season matures this season and whether that's a confidence-building move or not is besides the point — the Tigers are OK with who they have at quarterback moving forward. To put it bluntly, Uiagalelei's QBR of 41.5 cumulative this fall has been a disappointment for the preseason Heisman hopeful who hasn't been on the same page with his receivers. To Uiagalelei's credit, the Tigers have won consecutive games against ACC opponents since the loss at NC State and have a major opportunity this weekend at Pittsburgh.
8. BRAXTON BURMEISTER, VIRGINIA TECH
2021 season statistics: 88-of-163, 1,064 yards, 6 TDs, 3 INTs; 212 yards rushing, 2 TDs
Consecutive dreadful outings from Braxton Burmeister has put Virginia Tech's offense at a bit of a crossroads at the season's halfway point. Burmeister seems to have lost his confidence a bit and the miscommunication with his pass-catching options is starting to amplify. He suffered a right shoulder injury during the loss to Notre Dame and was largely ineffective in Saturday's loss to Pittsburgh, completing 11 of his 32 passes for 134 yards during a 28-7 loss. Burmeister has a chance to get better quickly with Syracuse and Georgia Tech upcoming for the Hokies.
...
ACC Rankings Week 8: League's top teams keep rolling along (greenvilleonline.com; Keepfer)
Top-ranked Wake Forest had a bye last week while N.C. State, Pitt and Clemson each posted victories on the road, ensuring that the league’s top four remained unchanged in this week’s Atlantic Coast Conference rankings.
Clemson’s first-ever game at Pitt looms as the feature attraction this week.
“I know everyone’s talking about them like they’re not Clemson,” Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett said of his team’s game against the league’s six-time defending champion. “They’re still Clemson.”
We’ll find out Saturday. In the meantime, Clemson enters as an underdog in an ACC game for the first time since 2016.
1. Wake Forest (6-0, 4-0)
Last week: 1Wake Forest is set to play Army for the first time since 2016. The Demon Deacons are 6-0 for the first time since 1944, which is ironic – Army won the national championship in 1944.
Up next: Saturday at Army, noon, CBS Sports Net
2. N.C. State (5-1, 2-0)
Last week: 2Could the Wolfpack finally be on track for their first ACC football title since 1979? Perhaps, but N.C. State always has trouble with Miami, going 2-4 against the Hurricanes since 2004.
Up next: Saturday at Miami, 7:30, ESPN2
3. Pitt (5-1, 2-0)
Last week: 3The Panthers may be playing better than anyone in the league. Something will have to give this week when Pitt – the ACC’s top-scoring offense – meets Clemson’s ACC-leading defense.
Up next: Saturday vs. Clemson, 3:30, ESPN
4. Clemson (4-2, 3-1)
Last week: 4Offensively challenged Clemson is coming off a three-point victory at Syracuse, its fifth game this season decided by a touchdown or less.
Commentary:Midway through season, Clemson still waiting for a decisive victory
Up next: Saturday at Pitt, 3:30, ESPN
5. Virginia (5-2, 3-2)
Last week: 7The Cavaliers are quietly winning behind the nation’s passing yardage leader in Brennan Armstrong. Virginia’s defense got in on the fun in last week’s 48-0 win against Duke, which was the program’s first shutout of an ACC opponent since 2007.
Up next: Saturday vs. Georgia Tech, 7:30, ACC Network
6. Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-2)
Last week: 8The Yellow Jackets have won 7 of their last 11 games against Virginia, but haven’t posted a victory in Charlottesville since 2013. It’s probably not going to happen this year, either.
Up next: Saturday at Virginia, 7:30, ACC Network
7. North Carolina (4-3, 3-3)
Last week: 9The Tar Heels have a week off, which is likely much needed after last week’s high-stress 45-42 victory against Miami.
Up next: Oct. 30 at Notre Dame, 7:30, NBC
8. Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1)
Last week: 6After suffering its first ACC loss last week against Pitt, the Hokies will look to rebound by hosting old Big East foe Syracuse in Blacksburg for the first time since 2003.
Up next: Saturday vs. Syracuse, 12:30, ESPN3
9. Boston College (4-2, 0-2)
Last week: 5The Eagles have lost two straight after a 4-0 start, extending their losing streak against Top 25 opponents to 22 in a row.
Up next: Saturday at Louisville, 4, ACC Network
10. Florida State (2-4, 2-2)
Last week: 11After an 0-4 start, the Seminoles are striving to make themselves relevant again with a two-game winning streak. Make that a three-game streak.
Up next: Saturday vs. UMass, noon, ACC Network
11. Louisville (3-3, 1-2)
Last week: 10Back-to-back losses against Wake Forest and Virginia by a combined four points have the Cardinals reeling and convinced they deserved a better fate. A home win against Boston College would be great for their psyche.
Up next: Saturday vs. Boston College, 4, ACC Network
12. Miami (2-4, 0-2)
Last week: 13With a minus-6 turnover deficit this season, the Hurricanes’ turnover chain has lost its luster. So too has Miami, which is off to its worst start since 1997.
Up next: Saturday vs. N.C. State, 7:30, ESPN2
13. Syracuse (3-4, 0-3)
Last week: 12The hard-luck Orange have lost three consecutive games by three points. This week Syracuse will renew and old Big East rivalry by traveling to Virginia Tech for the first time in 18 years.
Up next: Saturday at Virginia Tech, 12:30, ESPN3
...
Other
Deborah Preaster stands near the 12-foot deep sinkhole that opened up on her property this summer on Valley View Drive, in Syracuse's North Valley neighborhood. Looking on is Syracuse University geology professor Peter Plumley. Glenn Coin | gcoin@syracuse.comGlenn Coin | gcoin@syracuse.com
An underground mystery baffles a Syracuse neighborhood (PS; Coin)
The first omen in the North Valley neighborhood was the mysterious tilting and toppling of tall, mature trees.
Then craters developed in once-smooth lawns. Cracks spidered cross basement floors; water seeped in. A kitchen and adjoining deck leaned precariously. A house foundation shifted, opening a gap big enough for a pit bull to crawl in. A 12-foot-deep sinkhole suddenly gaped.
What, neighbors wondered, was happening beneath their feet?
“What the heck’s going on in this valley?” asked Valley View Drive resident Deborah Preaster, whose sinkhole and activism has brought the mystery to the attention of officials from the city to the federal government. “This is crazy.”
Theories abound about what’s going on in this neighborhood in Syracuse’s southern panhandle, sandwiched between Onondaga Creek and the steep western valley wall.
It could be decomposing fill dumped by developers more than 50 years ago. Maybe it’s torrential rains from Syracuse’s second-wettest summer on record cascading down the slope and pushing up beneath houses. Or could it be long-covered-over wetlands from Onondaga Creek, which meandered around this valley for millennia before being channelized more than 50 years ago.
“There are a lot of things it could be, but we have no concept of what it is,” said retired geologist Bill Kappel, who for decades with the U.S. Geological Survey studied underground formations and groundwater from Tully to Onondaga Lake.
Kappel said much work remains to figure out what’s going on here. Residents need to more closely document the changes and carefully record what’s happening and when. Officials need to look at records of soil boring and perhaps do some more.
...
