sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to National Entrepreneurs' Day!
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, but for those who come up with ideas, take risks, and start businesses. National Entrepreneurs' Day recognizes, celebrates, and honors entrepreneurs, particularly those in the United States, for all the hard work they do. It was created in 2010 by David Hauser and Siamak Taghaddos—co-founders of Grasshopper, "the entrepreneur's phone system"—and Amir Tehrani, an entrepreneur and co-founder of The Legacy Foundation.
SU News
Dino Babers talks offensive strengths, November depth in weekly press conference (DO; Alandt)
Syracuse head coach Dino Babers led off his weekly press conference by sending his thoughts and prayers to the University of Virginia and its football team.
On Sunday night, three UVA football players were shot and killed, while two other students were injured. Babers said that there were coaches in Syracuse’s locker room that are familiar with the UVA players that were taking phone calls about the situation. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterback coach Jason Beck spent the last six seasons at Virginia.
Then, he went back to reflect on Saturday’s 38-3 loss to Florida State, Syracuse’s worst loss of the season and its fourth straight on the year. Though he said that Anae will still be in charge of calling plays — he called six-straight perfect games — the team went into “deep meetings” over the last two days to discuss what went on during Saturday’s loss.
“We’re all disappointed about what happened on Saturday,” Babers said. “That’s not a direct reflection on what we’ve represented this year.”
Here are some takeaways from Babers’ press conference:
Babers said that having Shrader at full strength is going to help the Orange, and he didn’t rule out the possibility of Shrader returning to 100% before the end of the regular season. He chalked up the answer to a medical decision between he and the team’s doctors.
“If we can’t get him at full strength, then we need someone else or other people to pick up for his weaknesses,” Babers said.
Megan Thompson | Digital Design Director
The head coach said that in order to get back to the three-pronged offense that Syracuse had during its first six games of the season, it needs to return to showcasing Tucker, Gadsden and a healthy Shrader that can pass and scramble with similar success.
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After dominating larger offensive linemen in a Prep School league, Kevon Darton walked on at Syracuse.
Kevon Darton was overlooked because he didn’t pass the ‘eye test’ (DO; Alandt)
Most coaches took one look at Kevon Darton’s 5-foot-11 frame and passed. He barely scraped his way to an initial offer from Massachusetts. Boston College had already said no, and UConn, who was in the midst of a 1-11 season, was out of the question for Darton.
“I’d have to sit him down and say, ‘well, they want you, but you’re gonna walk on,’” Worcester Academy (Massachusetts) head coach Tony Johnson said. “If I’m gonna walk on, I want to go Division-I,” Darton responded.
Johnson sent out tape. He had a wingspan of someone who was 6-foot-2, and his low center of gravity, combined with a quick jump off the ball impressed former Syracuse defensive coordinator Brian Ward. Johnson also pointed out that Darton was facing linemen who went on to play at Stanford, Penn State and Michigan.
“He’s just killing these kids,” Johnson said.
Ward, who was looking for preferred walk-ons to offer at Syracuse, said the Orange would take Darton. He finally earned a scholarship in August after redshirting his freshman year and participating in all 12 games last season. When Terry Lockett went down in Syracuse’s win against Virginia, Darton was sprung into the starting role.
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The ACC bowl pool is nearly full, with SU among a cluster of 6-win teams (PS; $; Mink)
The ACC bowl pool is filling up, with up to 10 teams eligible for selection and Miami (Fla.) the lone school that can still qualify for the postseason (sorry, Georgia Tech, but you’re not beating North Carolina and Georgia to make it).
Pittsburgh joined the club this week, becoming the seventh ACC school with six or seven wins with two weeks left in the regular season. Notre Dame can also jump into the league’s bowl pool with its partial conference membership.
With enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the ACC’s allotment of games, SU will have a home this postseason. It would have to decline a bowl invitation not to play a 13th game, and that’s a bad look for the institution.
The cluster of teams with a similar number of wins adds to the importance of a strong finish to help jockey for a better bowl destination. An 8-4 record would stick out compared to a 7-5 or 6-6 mark and give SU a case for a warm-weather, Tier I bowl.
Still, it’s been 10 years since the school last played in the Pinstripe Bowl. It has never played in the recently created Fenway Bowl. Those Northeast-based games could be enticed by a regional anchor to help sell tickets.
See where bowl prognosticators project the Orange to play this postseason.
ESPN.com
Kyle Bonagura
Bowl: Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Opponent: Memphis
Where: Fenway Park in Boston
When: Dec. 17; 11 a.m.; ESPN
Mark Schlabach
Bowl: Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Opponent: Cincinnati
Where: Fenway Park in Boston
When: Dec. 17; 11 a.m.; ESPN
Jerry Palm (CBS Sports)
Bowl: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Opponent: Buffalo
Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
When: Dec. 23; 6:30 p.m.; ESPN
Brett McMurphy
Bowl: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Opponent: Coastal Carolina
Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
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Syracuse Football Played So Badly, They Ruined Senior Day (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Matt Bonaparte and Owen Valentine break down a frustrating fourth straight loss from the Syracuse Football team to drop to 6-4 on the season. What is the outlook on the rest of the season? How did the game impact Senior Day? Does a bowl game still matter? All that and more on your Monday episode of Locked On Syracuse.
Jordan Travis played 'exceptional' against Syracuse, Mike Norvell says (on3.com; Gillenwater)
Jordan Travis is wrapping up an overall career year with Florida State. The redshirt junior has been fantastic for the Seminoles in 2022 with improvements in several areas of his game. That was evident again in FSU’s most recent win against Syracuse as Mike Norvell described Travis’ play as nothing short of extraordinary.
Norvell heaped praise on his QB1 during his press conference on Monday. He says, for him, he was equally proud of Travis’ preparation for their 38-3 win over the Orange as he was the way Travis actually played in the game.
“Jordan played an exceptional game. He prepared at an exceptional level to prepare to put himself in that position,” said Norvell.
Travis put up 155 passing yards and three touchdowns on a career-high 91.3% completion rate against the Orange. He also rushed for a touchdown in the game as well. It earned him an early spot on the bench in favor of Tate Rodemaker to see some snaps. With Travis on the sideline, it allowed him to show off yet another ability of his that Norvell appreciates so much.
“When you see Jordan, what I love is he’s still so active and coaching. He’s engaged and he’s there working. He’s just such a great young man,” said Norvell. “He is a leader within this team. And it’s not only when he’s out there on the field but, even whenever his work has been done, he’s still trying to make an impact. I love his approach.”
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Syracuse football: what’s college football saying about the Orange after week 11? (TNIAAM; Wall)
Each week, we’ll take a look at what other college football media sites are saying about the Syracuse Orange. After four straight losses, probably not a lot of good things.
ESPN
In this week’s SP+ rankings Syracuse drops nine spots to 67th with the offense 76th while the defense ranks 40th. The Orange are ranked between Appalachian State and Louisiana. This week’s opponent, Wake Forest ranks 39th with their offense 11th and defense 92nd.
The Football Power Index has Syracuse down 11 spots to 46th between Arkansas and Kentucky. The FPI still predicts that the Orange will reach 7 wins this season. Wake Forest is 35th in FPI this week.
Syracuse.com
This week the Orange drop three to 9th in the weekly ACC rankings in between Pitt and Miami. Wake is 7th this week.
CBS Sports
In the CBS Sports power rankings Syracuse is down five spots this week and now sits 39th between Purdue and Kansas. Wake Forest is 32th this week.
The Athletic
The Orange drop eight spots this week to 43rd in The Athletic’s Top 131 Power Rankings placing them in between Duke and Oklahoma this week. Wake Forest is ranked 39th this week.
ACC Week Eleven Scores
Pitt 37 Virginia 7
Virginia Tech 7 Duke 24
Louisville 16 Clemson 31
Miami 35 Georgia Tech 14
Boston College 21 NC State 20
North Carolina 36 Wake Forest 34
Florida State 38 Syracuse 3
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WATCH: FSU Coordinators meet with media, discuss Syracuse win ahead of Louisiana (tomahawknation.com; Mire)
The Florida State Seminoles are rolling, coming off back-to-back blow wins over the Maimi Hurricanes and the Syracuse Orange, and the win last Saturday closed out conference play with a winning record. They earned the No. 20 spot in the CFP rankings and will host the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns this weekend at 12:00 p.m.
Offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, and special teams coach John Papuchis met with the media today to discuss the Syracuse win, along with a couple of individual stand-out performances.
“First thing I want to do is offer prayers and condolences for what's going on at Virginia. You know it's a sad deal and a reminder of how precious life is. I know there are no words that can express any comfort or help but just to acknowledge that we’re praying for those families and everybody involved in that situation.”
There were plenty of standouts from last Saturday; when asked about who received the Punisher Award, he said,
“If you watch the film Mycah Pittman shows up still. He’s a bulldog out there. He loves contact. He loves physicality. Pokey Wilson on that play in the end zone; we ran the zone, and he got him one. Maurice Smith has done a fantastic job of, you know, we changed up a lot of things from the looks they presented, a lot of challenges with twist. We changed the cadence, there was a lot we did that went into it that Mo had to control, and I thought he did a really good job of handling the middle and taking care of business in that aspect.”
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FSU Football | Mike Norvell reflects on Syracuse, calls performances dominant but can be better #FSU (youtube; video)
Florida State Football head coach Mike Norvell praises the play of the defense, QB Jordan Travis, feels team has room for improvement
WATCH: Mike Norvell talks Syracuse win, finishing conference play strong at Monday presser (tomahawknation.com; Mire)
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell met with the media on Monday to discuss last Saturday’s blowout win over the Syracuse Orange and to look ahead to Louisiana this inside Doak Campbell Stadium this Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
The Seminoles moved up three spots in the college football rankings to take the No. 20 spot and look to finish the season strong with a win this weekend before taking on the Florida Gators the following Friday.
It was announced Monday morning that a tragic shooting at the University of Virginia left three students dead. Coach Norvell started his press conference off by expressing condolences from himself and the entire FSU program.
“Just want to start off today with the news that happened up at the University of Virginia; just our thoughts and prayers are with that whole community and coach Elliot, the football program. It’s all the lives and families that have been tragically affected by the terrible event that has occurred, and I just want to express our remorse for the families and the whole community there at Virginia. “
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ACC News
VT Recruiting Rx - how are they doing? (RX; HM)
As far back as 2013 we could see VT losing its grip on in-state recruiting, so we provided an 8-point Rx (it's what we do). How are the Hokies doing? It's time to do a little evaluation...
original post: Rx: Local Recruiting
Grade: 50/100 ()
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Bowl Tracker 2022 Nov 14 (RX; HM)
Clinched ACC Championship Game Berth, Bowl:
Clemson (9-1)
N. Carolina (9-1)
Duke (7-3)
Florida State (7-3)
Louisville (6-4)
Syracuse (6-4)
Wake Forest (6-4)
Pitt (6-4)
Remaining games: at Clemson, Pitt (should've beaten Middle Tennessee when you had the chance!)
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NC State football's Dave Doeren still angry about pass interference penalty against Boston College (fayobserver.com; Thompson)
NC State football coach Dave Doeren doubled down on his frustrations Monday after a late pass interference call against Boston College led to the Eagles’ game-winning touchdown on Saturday night.
Trailing 20-14 with 18 seconds left, the Eagles had a fourth-down pass over the middle to tight end George Takacs knocked away by linebacker Drake Thomas. A moment of celebration at Carter-Finley Stadium was quickly quieted as flags for pass interference flew in, putting Boston College at the Wolfpack’s 2-yard line with 14 seconds remaining in the game.
“I thought Drake made a fantastic play,” Doeren said after the loss. “I thought it was a bang-bang play to win the game. I don’t know how you throw that flag. But there were other plays, other calls, we could have made.”
BC quarterback Emmett Morehead hit Joe Griffin for a two-yard touchdown pass on the next play and the Eagles escaped with a 21-20 win, ending NC State’s 16-game home win streak and knocking the Wolfpack (7-3, 3-3 ACC) out of the AP Top 25 for the first time this season.
“Everything we did led us to one play to win and we made the play. Right? We did. You guys all saw it,” Doeren said Monday. “We don't get the luxury of hitting rewind and having to do over.”
The Wolfpack scored 14 points on their opening two drives against BC but were held to six points the rest of the way. The offense committed four turnovers in the second half as true freshman quarterback MJ Morris struggled in his second career start.
“He’ll be better as he moves forward,” Doeren said Saturday. “These kinds of mistakes are going to happen with a young quarterback.”
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Locked On ACC- Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast: ACC FOOTBALL: UVA Football Loses 3 Players (Davis, Chandler, Perry) to Gun Violence on Apple Podcasts (apple.com; podcast; Locked on the ACC)
Tragedy strikes the Charlottesville community as 3 players, Devin Chandler, D'Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. were killed over the weekend by former football player Chris Jones by gun violence. Kenton Gibbs of @Locked On Wolfpack joins the show to talk GBU Tuesday, College Basketball & more.
College football rankings: North Carolina joins top 10, Kentucky plummets in CBS Sports 131 (cbssports.com; Patterson)
We've entered the home stretch of the college football schedule with just two weeks remaining in the 2022 regular season and plenty left to be determined on the conference championship and College Football Playoff front. But in this week's updated CBS Sports 131, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team as determined by experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports, one of the notable moves at the top of the rankings comes from a team that's already punched its ticket to conference championship weekend.
North Carolina moved up five spots in the CBS Sports 131, checking in at No. 10 after its thrilling win at Wake Forest on Saturday. The victory clinched the ACC Coastal title for coach Mack Brown and the Tar Heels, who will face off against Clemson in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 3. The Tigers clinched the Atlantic title on Saturday with a win against Louisville, and also saw a bump in this week's CBS Sports 131, moving up three spots to No. 9. With both teams boasting 9-1 records, the chances of crashing the CFP are not squashed, but both teams would need some help from other top teams taking losses.
Top-tier teams taking losses is not uncommon at this stage of the season, and Week 11 provided plenty of room for some adjustments in the top of the rankings. Oregon, Ole Miss and UCLA were all in the top 11 of last week's rankings but fell outside of that zone after taking their second losses of the season over the weekend.
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ACC Football: Week 12 ACC Power Rankings - Sports Illustrated Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets News, Analysis and More (SI; Caudell)
The ACC Championship is now set. With North Carolina taking down Wake Forest on Saturday night, the game on December 4th in Charlotte will be between Clemson and North Carolina. Both teams are still theoretically in the playoff conversation and there could be a lot on the line in that game in a few weeks.
Elsewhere around the ACC, Florida State kept dominating by blowing out Syracuse, NC State was shocked by Boston College, Duke overcame a slow start to beat Virginia Tech, and Miami went on the road and beat Georgia Tech.
So how did the power rankings shake up after week 11?
14. Virginia Tech (2-8, L vs Duke, 24-7)- Last week: 13
Things keep getting worse for the Hokies. Virginia Tech played hard on Saturday against Duke, but the offense is still among the worst in the country. A 2-10 debut season for Brent Pry is possible with Liberty coming up on Saturday and a win against 3-7 Virginia is far from a guarantee.
13. Virginia (3-7, L vs Pittsburgh 37-7)- Last week: 11
Virginia's season was perfectly summarized in the first two plays of the game against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Quarterback Brennan Armstrong threw two pick-sixes on his first two pass attempts of the game and after being one of the most prolific players in college football in 2021, has turned into a shell of himself. Pittsburgh dominated Virginia and with that loss, Virginia will not go to a bowl game. It has been a terrible first season for Tony Elliott in Charlottesville.
12. Boston College (3-7, W vs NC State 21-20)- Last week 14
Give credit where it was due, Boston College went on the road and beat a top-20 team and it is rather amazing considering all of the injuries that the Eagles have suffered this year. The Eagles will have to try and do the same thing again this week as they go on the road and face Notre Dame on Saturday.
11. Georgia Tech (4-6, L vs Miami 35-14)- Last week: 10
It was a tough day for Georgia Tech on Saturday, in more ways than one. First, freshman quarterback Zach Pyron was knocked out of the game and it was later revealed that he will miss the rest of the season. Georgia Tech also lost the game 35-14 and a bowl game is going to be nearly impossible. The coaching search is going to be the most important topic of conversation at Georgia Tech for now.
10. Miami (5-5, W vs Georgia Tech 35-14)- Last Week: 12
It was not perfect, but Miami got a win on the road and freshman quarterback Jacurri Brown showed flashes of promise for Miami. Brown totaled nearly 100 yards rushing to go with over 100 yards passing and the Miami run game did pretty well against the Yellow Jackets. Miami will have to beat either Clemson or Pittsburgh to get to a bowl game in year one under Mario Cristobal.
9. Syracuse (6-4, L vs Florida State 38-3)- Last week: 9
Syracuse has completely fallen apart after their 6-0 start and while a lot of it can be blamed on injuries, Syracuse just looked lifeless against the Seminoles and it is fair to question how this team will finish at Wake Forest and Boston College.
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ESPN analysts talk Clemson-Louisville, ACC title game matchup (theclemsoninsider.com; Oliver)
Will Shipley’s highlight-reel 25-yard touchdown run during 10th-ranked Clemson’s 31-16 win over Louisville on Saturday at Death Valley came in at No. 4 in the top plays on ESPN’s College Football Final show.
The sophomore running back hurdled a defender at the 10-yard line, and then sliced through two other defenders after he landed on his way to the end zone, giving the Tigers a 24-7 lead less than five minutes into the third quarter.
“Split it! Right through the blaster, touchdown,” ESPN analyst and former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said on College Football Final.
Clemson (9-1, 7-0 ACC) went on to finish off the win, improving to 8-0 all-time against the Cardinals and clinching the ACC Atlantic Division outright with the victory.
Louisville (6-4, 3-4) had only 88 rushing yards through three quarters but finished with 150 on the ground for the game.
One of Louisville’s two touchdowns in the game came on a Tiyon Evans run that got the Cardinals on the scoreboard with 14:17 left in the first half, making the score 10-7.
“You don’t see Clemson’s defense give up this kind of big running yards like they did against Louisville,” ESPN analyst Joey Galloway said, “but Louisville stayed in it with the run game.”
Before the end of the first half, DJ Uiagalelei led Clemson 80 yards in a drive that ate up 3:57 of game time. A 4-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Williams put Clemson up 17-7 at the half.
Clemson’s starting quarterback also ran for a 11-yard score on the Tigers’ opening possession and finished with 223 total yards and two touchdowns. Uiagalelei went 19-of-27 passing for 185 yards, adding 32 yards on 15 carries.
“They tried to play in his comfort zone, letting him run the ball some and take some pressure off him,” Mullen said of Uiagalelei.
After its final two home games against Miami and South Carolina, Clemson will head to Charlotte for a matchup with North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 3 (8 p.m., ABC).
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Playoff fates of Pac-12, ACC headline college football overreactions for Week 11 (usatoday.com; Timanus)
College football’s Week 11 results provided plenty of fodder for analysis – not to mention overanalysis, hyperanalysis, psychoanalysis, and any other type of analysis you want to throw in there.
The immediate reactions can be somewhat over the top, so a day or so might be needed to reflect and reassess. That’s the sort of perspective we try to provide in this space.
Speaking of analysis, we’ll use one of our top five in this edition of Overreaction Monday to address a pet peeve that is becoming all too pervasive on broadcasts. We’ll follow with our usual weekly snapshot of the state of affairs in the sport.
The Trojans, at least, have a path. They must get to 12-1 by winning next week’s head-to-head showdown with UCLA to secure a spot in the conference championship game, pick up another Top 25 win the following week against Notre Dame, then win the league title against most likely the Utah-Oregon winner. It’s a tough closing stretch, and even that wouldn’t guarantee USC a place in the top four, as the Trojans will likely be in a scramble with several other one-loss teams.
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Other
In this December 2019 file photo, morning commuters make their way through downtown Syracuse after an overnight snowstorm. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com
See how much snow you’ll get in Upstate NY’s first widespread snowfall of the year (map) (PS; Coin)
That dusting of lake effect snow overnight was just enough to make us scramble for the snow shovels. Good thing, because we might need them this week.
More snow is on the way Tuesday night into Wednesday, and it will cover a much bigger area than did the narrow bands that blew through Sunday.
“This will be the first widespread winter weather this season and will likely have impacts on the Wednesday morning commute,” the National Weather Service said in a hazardous weather outlook. Temperatures are likely to rise into the 40s on Wednesday, so roads will be clear by the evening drive home, the weather service said.
Nearly all of Upstate will see at least an inch of snow, and 6 inches or more could fall at higher elevations, especially on Tug Hill and southwestern New York. (See the interactive map below for the forecast at your house.)
This snow will come courtesy of a low pressure system off the Atlantic Coast that will help pull in cold air from the west. As that system moves away, more cold air will blow in Wednesday afternoon, generating some lake effect snow that will fall in narrow bands.
The lake effect snow that fell Sunday and this morning was, as lake effect usually is, spotty. The highest totals reported by the weather service was 4.5 inches, in the Cattaraugus County town of Kennedy. Through midnight, just 0.4 inches had fallen at Hancock International Airport, the official measuring station for Syracuse.
Lake effect snow could be with us on and off through the weekend, the weather service said.
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Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, but for those who come up with ideas, take risks, and start businesses. National Entrepreneurs' Day recognizes, celebrates, and honors entrepreneurs, particularly those in the United States, for all the hard work they do. It was created in 2010 by David Hauser and Siamak Taghaddos—co-founders of Grasshopper, "the entrepreneur's phone system"—and Amir Tehrani, an entrepreneur and co-founder of The Legacy Foundation.
SU News
Dino Babers talks offensive strengths, November depth in weekly press conference (DO; Alandt)
Syracuse head coach Dino Babers led off his weekly press conference by sending his thoughts and prayers to the University of Virginia and its football team.
On Sunday night, three UVA football players were shot and killed, while two other students were injured. Babers said that there were coaches in Syracuse’s locker room that are familiar with the UVA players that were taking phone calls about the situation. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterback coach Jason Beck spent the last six seasons at Virginia.
Then, he went back to reflect on Saturday’s 38-3 loss to Florida State, Syracuse’s worst loss of the season and its fourth straight on the year. Though he said that Anae will still be in charge of calling plays — he called six-straight perfect games — the team went into “deep meetings” over the last two days to discuss what went on during Saturday’s loss.
“We’re all disappointed about what happened on Saturday,” Babers said. “That’s not a direct reflection on what we’ve represented this year.”
Here are some takeaways from Babers’ press conference:
Getting back to the strengths
Garrett Shrader said after the loss to the Seminoles that the Orange need to get back to a sweet spot between the things they have done well and their strengths at the moment. To Babers, this meant Sean Tucker and Oronde Gadsden II. Tucker hasn’t run for over 100 yards and has only scored three touchdowns since his record-breaking game against Wagner. Gadsden, who quickly emerged at the beginning of the season as Syracuse’s new No. 1 receiving option, has one catch for 29 yards over the last two games.Babers said that having Shrader at full strength is going to help the Orange, and he didn’t rule out the possibility of Shrader returning to 100% before the end of the regular season. He chalked up the answer to a medical decision between he and the team’s doctors.
“If we can’t get him at full strength, then we need someone else or other people to pick up for his weaknesses,” Babers said.
Megan Thompson | Digital Design Director
The head coach said that in order to get back to the three-pronged offense that Syracuse had during its first six games of the season, it needs to return to showcasing Tucker, Gadsden and a healthy Shrader that can pass and scramble with similar success.
(Not really) grading Shrader in first game back
Shrader went a game-and-a-half on the sidelines between the losses to Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, but he returned as the starter against Florida State. Babers didn’t touch on how he thought Shrader did, despite the quarterback going 6-for-16 for 65 yards and netting -2 rushing yards. The biggest thing now for Babers is ensuring that after two straight games without a touchdown, the offense sticks together....
After dominating larger offensive linemen in a Prep School league, Kevon Darton walked on at Syracuse.
Kevon Darton was overlooked because he didn’t pass the ‘eye test’ (DO; Alandt)
Most coaches took one look at Kevon Darton’s 5-foot-11 frame and passed. He barely scraped his way to an initial offer from Massachusetts. Boston College had already said no, and UConn, who was in the midst of a 1-11 season, was out of the question for Darton.
“I’d have to sit him down and say, ‘well, they want you, but you’re gonna walk on,’” Worcester Academy (Massachusetts) head coach Tony Johnson said. “If I’m gonna walk on, I want to go Division-I,” Darton responded.
Johnson sent out tape. He had a wingspan of someone who was 6-foot-2, and his low center of gravity, combined with a quick jump off the ball impressed former Syracuse defensive coordinator Brian Ward. Johnson also pointed out that Darton was facing linemen who went on to play at Stanford, Penn State and Michigan.
“He’s just killing these kids,” Johnson said.
Ward, who was looking for preferred walk-ons to offer at Syracuse, said the Orange would take Darton. He finally earned a scholarship in August after redshirting his freshman year and participating in all 12 games last season. When Terry Lockett went down in Syracuse’s win against Virginia, Darton was sprung into the starting role.
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The ACC bowl pool is nearly full, with SU among a cluster of 6-win teams (PS; $; Mink)
The ACC bowl pool is filling up, with up to 10 teams eligible for selection and Miami (Fla.) the lone school that can still qualify for the postseason (sorry, Georgia Tech, but you’re not beating North Carolina and Georgia to make it).
Pittsburgh joined the club this week, becoming the seventh ACC school with six or seven wins with two weeks left in the regular season. Notre Dame can also jump into the league’s bowl pool with its partial conference membership.
With enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the ACC’s allotment of games, SU will have a home this postseason. It would have to decline a bowl invitation not to play a 13th game, and that’s a bad look for the institution.
The cluster of teams with a similar number of wins adds to the importance of a strong finish to help jockey for a better bowl destination. An 8-4 record would stick out compared to a 7-5 or 6-6 mark and give SU a case for a warm-weather, Tier I bowl.
Still, it’s been 10 years since the school last played in the Pinstripe Bowl. It has never played in the recently created Fenway Bowl. Those Northeast-based games could be enticed by a regional anchor to help sell tickets.
See where bowl prognosticators project the Orange to play this postseason.
ESPN.com
Kyle Bonagura
Bowl: Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Opponent: Memphis
Where: Fenway Park in Boston
When: Dec. 17; 11 a.m.; ESPN
Mark Schlabach
Bowl: Wasabi Fenway Bowl
Opponent: Cincinnati
Where: Fenway Park in Boston
When: Dec. 17; 11 a.m.; ESPN
Jerry Palm (CBS Sports)
Bowl: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Opponent: Buffalo
Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
When: Dec. 23; 6:30 p.m.; ESPN
Brett McMurphy
Bowl: Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Opponent: Coastal Carolina
Where: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida
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Syracuse Football Played So Badly, They Ruined Senior Day (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Matt Bonaparte and Owen Valentine break down a frustrating fourth straight loss from the Syracuse Football team to drop to 6-4 on the season. What is the outlook on the rest of the season? How did the game impact Senior Day? Does a bowl game still matter? All that and more on your Monday episode of Locked On Syracuse.
Jordan Travis played 'exceptional' against Syracuse, Mike Norvell says (on3.com; Gillenwater)
Jordan Travis is wrapping up an overall career year with Florida State. The redshirt junior has been fantastic for the Seminoles in 2022 with improvements in several areas of his game. That was evident again in FSU’s most recent win against Syracuse as Mike Norvell described Travis’ play as nothing short of extraordinary.
Norvell heaped praise on his QB1 during his press conference on Monday. He says, for him, he was equally proud of Travis’ preparation for their 38-3 win over the Orange as he was the way Travis actually played in the game.
“Jordan played an exceptional game. He prepared at an exceptional level to prepare to put himself in that position,” said Norvell.
Travis put up 155 passing yards and three touchdowns on a career-high 91.3% completion rate against the Orange. He also rushed for a touchdown in the game as well. It earned him an early spot on the bench in favor of Tate Rodemaker to see some snaps. With Travis on the sideline, it allowed him to show off yet another ability of his that Norvell appreciates so much.
“When you see Jordan, what I love is he’s still so active and coaching. He’s engaged and he’s there working. He’s just such a great young man,” said Norvell. “He is a leader within this team. And it’s not only when he’s out there on the field but, even whenever his work has been done, he’s still trying to make an impact. I love his approach.”
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Syracuse football: what’s college football saying about the Orange after week 11? (TNIAAM; Wall)
Each week, we’ll take a look at what other college football media sites are saying about the Syracuse Orange. After four straight losses, probably not a lot of good things.
ESPN
In this week’s SP+ rankings Syracuse drops nine spots to 67th with the offense 76th while the defense ranks 40th. The Orange are ranked between Appalachian State and Louisiana. This week’s opponent, Wake Forest ranks 39th with their offense 11th and defense 92nd.
The Football Power Index has Syracuse down 11 spots to 46th between Arkansas and Kentucky. The FPI still predicts that the Orange will reach 7 wins this season. Wake Forest is 35th in FPI this week.
Syracuse.com
This week the Orange drop three to 9th in the weekly ACC rankings in between Pitt and Miami. Wake is 7th this week.
CBS Sports
In the CBS Sports power rankings Syracuse is down five spots this week and now sits 39th between Purdue and Kansas. Wake Forest is 32th this week.
The Athletic
The Orange drop eight spots this week to 43rd in The Athletic’s Top 131 Power Rankings placing them in between Duke and Oklahoma this week. Wake Forest is ranked 39th this week.
ACC Week Eleven Scores
Pitt 37 Virginia 7
Virginia Tech 7 Duke 24
Louisville 16 Clemson 31
Miami 35 Georgia Tech 14
Boston College 21 NC State 20
North Carolina 36 Wake Forest 34
Florida State 38 Syracuse 3
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WATCH: FSU Coordinators meet with media, discuss Syracuse win ahead of Louisiana (tomahawknation.com; Mire)
The Florida State Seminoles are rolling, coming off back-to-back blow wins over the Maimi Hurricanes and the Syracuse Orange, and the win last Saturday closed out conference play with a winning record. They earned the No. 20 spot in the CFP rankings and will host the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns this weekend at 12:00 p.m.
Offensive coordinator Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller, and special teams coach John Papuchis met with the media today to discuss the Syracuse win, along with a couple of individual stand-out performances.
Alex Atkins
After a tragic shooting in Virginia that left three students dead on Monday, Atkins offered his condolences to the families and friends of those who were lost.“First thing I want to do is offer prayers and condolences for what's going on at Virginia. You know it's a sad deal and a reminder of how precious life is. I know there are no words that can express any comfort or help but just to acknowledge that we’re praying for those families and everybody involved in that situation.”
There were plenty of standouts from last Saturday; when asked about who received the Punisher Award, he said,
“If you watch the film Mycah Pittman shows up still. He’s a bulldog out there. He loves contact. He loves physicality. Pokey Wilson on that play in the end zone; we ran the zone, and he got him one. Maurice Smith has done a fantastic job of, you know, we changed up a lot of things from the looks they presented, a lot of challenges with twist. We changed the cadence, there was a lot we did that went into it that Mo had to control, and I thought he did a really good job of handling the middle and taking care of business in that aspect.”
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FSU Football | Mike Norvell reflects on Syracuse, calls performances dominant but can be better #FSU (youtube; video)
Florida State Football head coach Mike Norvell praises the play of the defense, QB Jordan Travis, feels team has room for improvement
WATCH: Mike Norvell talks Syracuse win, finishing conference play strong at Monday presser (tomahawknation.com; Mire)
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell met with the media on Monday to discuss last Saturday’s blowout win over the Syracuse Orange and to look ahead to Louisiana this inside Doak Campbell Stadium this Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
The Seminoles moved up three spots in the college football rankings to take the No. 20 spot and look to finish the season strong with a win this weekend before taking on the Florida Gators the following Friday.
It was announced Monday morning that a tragic shooting at the University of Virginia left three students dead. Coach Norvell started his press conference off by expressing condolences from himself and the entire FSU program.
“Just want to start off today with the news that happened up at the University of Virginia; just our thoughts and prayers are with that whole community and coach Elliot, the football program. It’s all the lives and families that have been tragically affected by the terrible event that has occurred, and I just want to express our remorse for the families and the whole community there at Virginia. “
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ACC News
VT Recruiting Rx - how are they doing? (RX; HM)
VT Recruiting Rx - how are they doing?
As far back as 2013 we could see VT losing its grip on in-state recruiting, so we provided an 8-point Rx (it's what we do). How are the Hokies doing? It's time to do a little evaluation...
original post: Rx: Local Recruiting
Grade: 50/100 ()
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Bowl Tracker 2022 Nov 14 (RX; HM)
Bowl Tracker 2022 Nov 14
Clinched ACC Championship Game Berth, Bowl:
Clemson (9-1)
N. Carolina (9-1)
Already Bowl-eligible:
NC State (7-3)Duke (7-3)
Florida State (7-3)
Louisville (6-4)
Syracuse (6-4)
Wake Forest (6-4)
Pitt (6-4)
Needs one more win to become bowl-eligible:
Miami (5-5)Remaining games: at Clemson, Pitt (should've beaten Middle Tennessee when you had the chance!)
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NC State football's Dave Doeren still angry about pass interference penalty against Boston College (fayobserver.com; Thompson)
NC State football coach Dave Doeren doubled down on his frustrations Monday after a late pass interference call against Boston College led to the Eagles’ game-winning touchdown on Saturday night.
Trailing 20-14 with 18 seconds left, the Eagles had a fourth-down pass over the middle to tight end George Takacs knocked away by linebacker Drake Thomas. A moment of celebration at Carter-Finley Stadium was quickly quieted as flags for pass interference flew in, putting Boston College at the Wolfpack’s 2-yard line with 14 seconds remaining in the game.
“I thought Drake made a fantastic play,” Doeren said after the loss. “I thought it was a bang-bang play to win the game. I don’t know how you throw that flag. But there were other plays, other calls, we could have made.”
BC quarterback Emmett Morehead hit Joe Griffin for a two-yard touchdown pass on the next play and the Eagles escaped with a 21-20 win, ending NC State’s 16-game home win streak and knocking the Wolfpack (7-3, 3-3 ACC) out of the AP Top 25 for the first time this season.
“Everything we did led us to one play to win and we made the play. Right? We did. You guys all saw it,” Doeren said Monday. “We don't get the luxury of hitting rewind and having to do over.”
The Wolfpack scored 14 points on their opening two drives against BC but were held to six points the rest of the way. The offense committed four turnovers in the second half as true freshman quarterback MJ Morris struggled in his second career start.
“He’ll be better as he moves forward,” Doeren said Saturday. “These kinds of mistakes are going to happen with a young quarterback.”
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Locked On ACC- Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast: ACC FOOTBALL: UVA Football Loses 3 Players (Davis, Chandler, Perry) to Gun Violence on Apple Podcasts (apple.com; podcast; Locked on the ACC)
Tragedy strikes the Charlottesville community as 3 players, Devin Chandler, D'Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. were killed over the weekend by former football player Chris Jones by gun violence. Kenton Gibbs of @Locked On Wolfpack joins the show to talk GBU Tuesday, College Basketball & more.
College football rankings: North Carolina joins top 10, Kentucky plummets in CBS Sports 131 (cbssports.com; Patterson)
We've entered the home stretch of the college football schedule with just two weeks remaining in the 2022 regular season and plenty left to be determined on the conference championship and College Football Playoff front. But in this week's updated CBS Sports 131, our comprehensive ranking of every FBS team as determined by experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports, one of the notable moves at the top of the rankings comes from a team that's already punched its ticket to conference championship weekend.
North Carolina moved up five spots in the CBS Sports 131, checking in at No. 10 after its thrilling win at Wake Forest on Saturday. The victory clinched the ACC Coastal title for coach Mack Brown and the Tar Heels, who will face off against Clemson in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 3. The Tigers clinched the Atlantic title on Saturday with a win against Louisville, and also saw a bump in this week's CBS Sports 131, moving up three spots to No. 9. With both teams boasting 9-1 records, the chances of crashing the CFP are not squashed, but both teams would need some help from other top teams taking losses.
Top-tier teams taking losses is not uncommon at this stage of the season, and Week 11 provided plenty of room for some adjustments in the top of the rankings. Oregon, Ole Miss and UCLA were all in the top 11 of last week's rankings but fell outside of that zone after taking their second losses of the season over the weekend.
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ACC Football: Week 12 ACC Power Rankings - Sports Illustrated Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets News, Analysis and More (SI; Caudell)
The ACC Championship is now set. With North Carolina taking down Wake Forest on Saturday night, the game on December 4th in Charlotte will be between Clemson and North Carolina. Both teams are still theoretically in the playoff conversation and there could be a lot on the line in that game in a few weeks.
Elsewhere around the ACC, Florida State kept dominating by blowing out Syracuse, NC State was shocked by Boston College, Duke overcame a slow start to beat Virginia Tech, and Miami went on the road and beat Georgia Tech.
So how did the power rankings shake up after week 11?
14. Virginia Tech (2-8, L vs Duke, 24-7)- Last week: 13
Things keep getting worse for the Hokies. Virginia Tech played hard on Saturday against Duke, but the offense is still among the worst in the country. A 2-10 debut season for Brent Pry is possible with Liberty coming up on Saturday and a win against 3-7 Virginia is far from a guarantee.
13. Virginia (3-7, L vs Pittsburgh 37-7)- Last week: 11
Virginia's season was perfectly summarized in the first two plays of the game against Pittsburgh on Saturday. Quarterback Brennan Armstrong threw two pick-sixes on his first two pass attempts of the game and after being one of the most prolific players in college football in 2021, has turned into a shell of himself. Pittsburgh dominated Virginia and with that loss, Virginia will not go to a bowl game. It has been a terrible first season for Tony Elliott in Charlottesville.
12. Boston College (3-7, W vs NC State 21-20)- Last week 14
Give credit where it was due, Boston College went on the road and beat a top-20 team and it is rather amazing considering all of the injuries that the Eagles have suffered this year. The Eagles will have to try and do the same thing again this week as they go on the road and face Notre Dame on Saturday.
11. Georgia Tech (4-6, L vs Miami 35-14)- Last week: 10
It was a tough day for Georgia Tech on Saturday, in more ways than one. First, freshman quarterback Zach Pyron was knocked out of the game and it was later revealed that he will miss the rest of the season. Georgia Tech also lost the game 35-14 and a bowl game is going to be nearly impossible. The coaching search is going to be the most important topic of conversation at Georgia Tech for now.
10. Miami (5-5, W vs Georgia Tech 35-14)- Last Week: 12
It was not perfect, but Miami got a win on the road and freshman quarterback Jacurri Brown showed flashes of promise for Miami. Brown totaled nearly 100 yards rushing to go with over 100 yards passing and the Miami run game did pretty well against the Yellow Jackets. Miami will have to beat either Clemson or Pittsburgh to get to a bowl game in year one under Mario Cristobal.
9. Syracuse (6-4, L vs Florida State 38-3)- Last week: 9
Syracuse has completely fallen apart after their 6-0 start and while a lot of it can be blamed on injuries, Syracuse just looked lifeless against the Seminoles and it is fair to question how this team will finish at Wake Forest and Boston College.
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ESPN analysts talk Clemson-Louisville, ACC title game matchup (theclemsoninsider.com; Oliver)
Will Shipley’s highlight-reel 25-yard touchdown run during 10th-ranked Clemson’s 31-16 win over Louisville on Saturday at Death Valley came in at No. 4 in the top plays on ESPN’s College Football Final show.
The sophomore running back hurdled a defender at the 10-yard line, and then sliced through two other defenders after he landed on his way to the end zone, giving the Tigers a 24-7 lead less than five minutes into the third quarter.
“Split it! Right through the blaster, touchdown,” ESPN analyst and former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen said on College Football Final.
Clemson (9-1, 7-0 ACC) went on to finish off the win, improving to 8-0 all-time against the Cardinals and clinching the ACC Atlantic Division outright with the victory.
Louisville (6-4, 3-4) had only 88 rushing yards through three quarters but finished with 150 on the ground for the game.
One of Louisville’s two touchdowns in the game came on a Tiyon Evans run that got the Cardinals on the scoreboard with 14:17 left in the first half, making the score 10-7.
“You don’t see Clemson’s defense give up this kind of big running yards like they did against Louisville,” ESPN analyst Joey Galloway said, “but Louisville stayed in it with the run game.”
Before the end of the first half, DJ Uiagalelei led Clemson 80 yards in a drive that ate up 3:57 of game time. A 4-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Williams put Clemson up 17-7 at the half.
Clemson’s starting quarterback also ran for a 11-yard score on the Tigers’ opening possession and finished with 223 total yards and two touchdowns. Uiagalelei went 19-of-27 passing for 185 yards, adding 32 yards on 15 carries.
“They tried to play in his comfort zone, letting him run the ball some and take some pressure off him,” Mullen said of Uiagalelei.
After its final two home games against Miami and South Carolina, Clemson will head to Charlotte for a matchup with North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 3 (8 p.m., ABC).
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Playoff fates of Pac-12, ACC headline college football overreactions for Week 11 (usatoday.com; Timanus)
College football’s Week 11 results provided plenty of fodder for analysis – not to mention overanalysis, hyperanalysis, psychoanalysis, and any other type of analysis you want to throw in there.
The immediate reactions can be somewhat over the top, so a day or so might be needed to reflect and reassess. That’s the sort of perspective we try to provide in this space.
Speaking of analysis, we’ll use one of our top five in this edition of Overreaction Monday to address a pet peeve that is becoming all too pervasive on broadcasts. We’ll follow with our usual weekly snapshot of the state of affairs in the sport.
The Pac-12 killed its own playoff hopes
Speaking of Oregon, yes, that loss to Washington and UCLA’s even less forgivable loss to Arizona didn’t do the conference any favors. All the Pac-12’s playoff eggs are now in the basket of Southern California, ironically one of the schools with a foot out the door.The Trojans, at least, have a path. They must get to 12-1 by winning next week’s head-to-head showdown with UCLA to secure a spot in the conference championship game, pick up another Top 25 win the following week against Notre Dame, then win the league title against most likely the Utah-Oregon winner. It’s a tough closing stretch, and even that wouldn’t guarantee USC a place in the top four, as the Trojans will likely be in a scramble with several other one-loss teams.
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Other
In this December 2019 file photo, morning commuters make their way through downtown Syracuse after an overnight snowstorm. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com
See how much snow you’ll get in Upstate NY’s first widespread snowfall of the year (map) (PS; Coin)
That dusting of lake effect snow overnight was just enough to make us scramble for the snow shovels. Good thing, because we might need them this week.
More snow is on the way Tuesday night into Wednesday, and it will cover a much bigger area than did the narrow bands that blew through Sunday.
“This will be the first widespread winter weather this season and will likely have impacts on the Wednesday morning commute,” the National Weather Service said in a hazardous weather outlook. Temperatures are likely to rise into the 40s on Wednesday, so roads will be clear by the evening drive home, the weather service said.
Nearly all of Upstate will see at least an inch of snow, and 6 inches or more could fall at higher elevations, especially on Tug Hill and southwestern New York. (See the interactive map below for the forecast at your house.)
This snow will come courtesy of a low pressure system off the Atlantic Coast that will help pull in cold air from the west. As that system moves away, more cold air will blow in Wednesday afternoon, generating some lake effect snow that will fall in narrow bands.
The lake effect snow that fell Sunday and this morning was, as lake effect usually is, spotty. The highest totals reported by the weather service was 4.5 inches, in the Cattaraugus County town of Kennedy. Through midnight, just 0.4 inches had fallen at Hancock International Airport, the official measuring station for Syracuse.
Lake effect snow could be with us on and off through the weekend, the weather service said.
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