sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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SU News
How much faster was first-team offense in scrimmage? (PS; Bailey)
Syracuse pushing its offensive tempo has been a topic of discussion ever since offensive coordinator George McDonald told Sports Illustrated that he wants the Orange to go "full-bore fast" in early February.
As part of the program's effort to speed things up, Syracuse has altered its play-calling system and continued to adapt its training program to fit the scheme.
And at the Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday, media and fans alike got their best look at the product thus far.
...
Syracuse WR Sean Avant's attention to technique is biggest reason for his move up the depth chart (PS; Mink)
Twice a week in between the grind of summer workouts, Sean Avant and a few of his teammates would take a 10-minute drive to East Syracuse Reservoir, hop in a boat and go fishing.
Josh Kirkland, the farmboy from Kansas who looks the part of an outdoorsman, "thinks he's the master" of fishing, but there was one day when nobody caught anything. Avant caught eight.
"It takes patience," Avant said, "but it's fun."
...
How much faster was Syracuse football's first-team offense in the Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday (PS; Bailey)?
Syracuse pushing its offensive tempo has been a topic of discussion ever since offensive coordinator George McDonald told Sports Illustrated that he wants the Orange to go "full-bore fast" in early February.
As part of the program's effort to speed things up, Syracuse has altered its play-calling system and continued to adapt its training program to fit the scheme.
And at the Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday, media and fans alike got their best look at the product thus far.
Here's a quick breakdown of just how fast the SU offense moved based on five drives from the first-team offense (note: data is unofficial).
...
Syracuse football QB Terrel Hunt's deep ball was sharp and 6 other observations from the Fan Fest scrimmage (PS; Mink and Bailey)
Here are seven key takeaways from Syracuse's Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday:
Terrel Hunt's deep ball looked sharp
This was clear from the very first play when Hunt connected with Jarrod West for a 30-yard gain down the right sideline. The two hooked up twice more on similar plays, picking on transitioning cornerback Corey Winfield each time.
The only downfield toss that could have been better was a fly to Ashton Broyld on the right side. The throw was caught, but it was slightly behind Broyld. He likely would have scored with a better toss.
But other than that, his longer throws didn't hover and he did not throw into traffic once (though to be fair, he mostly faced the second-team defense).
Hunt looked sharp on his intermediate passes as well. He threw his first touchdown on an out route to Ben Lewis, who beat freshman safety Rodney Williams in coverage.
After the score, the offense turned around and drove the defense right back down the field. Hunt finished off the drive again, hitting redshirt freshman wide receiver Sean Avant in the left side of the end zone.
...
A look at how the Syracuse football backup quarterbacks played in the Fan Fest scrimmage (PS; Bailey)
Terrel Hunt has the starting quarterback job locked up heading into this season, but the backup spot is still up for grabs. The three current candidates got a chance to compete during the Fan Fest scrimmage on qqq Terrel Hunt's job as starting quarterback this season safe, syracuse.com paid close attention to the backup signal callers in SU's Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday.
Here's our quick assessment of how AJ Long, Mitch Kimble and Austin Wilson played:
AJ Long
Long was the first backup to see action after Hunt, and the only backup to see action for quite some time. He alternated possessions with Hunt twice before Kimble and Wilson were mixed in following Hunt's third stint.
Possession I:
6-for-9 overall
5-for-6 on short passes (~0-8 yards)
1-for-2 on intermediate passes (~8-15 yards)
0-for-1 on deep passes (~15-plus yards)
Long connected with running backs Ervin Philips and Prince-Tyson Gulley in the flat on two of his first three throws. But he had his second past batted down emphatically by blitzing cornerback Brandon Reddish and took back-to-back sacks (QBs were touched down) from defensive end Micah Robinson and outside linebacker Cameron Lynch. On the second sack, Long escaped the pocket out to the left, but couldn't get the pass off to an open Adonis Ameen-Moore before being tagged.
...
Syracuse football fans react to team scrimmage during Fan Fest (video; PS; Mink)
Syracuse ran through about 73 plays during Saturday's scrimmage at Fan Fest.
Here are some quick impressions on how the team looked from a few fans in attendance.
John Gladziszewski of Syracuse
Big takeaway: "I thought Terrel Hunt looked like he was moving the offense pretty fast, which is a good sign to see. The offensive line is big and trim. Steve Ishmael looked good. He had a couple big catches down the field. Always liked Austin Wilson's arm. Thought he has a good deep ball.
"Overall I think the coaches are probably more comfortable this year, and it's a good day to be an Orange."
Concerns: "I think it's gotta be the D-tackle, nose guard. Wide receivers: You got all the names there, but you want to see if anybody can step and be a little bit better than what they have been. I'm just looking to see them strike the ball downfield more, that's the big thing."
...
Syracuse football H-back Brisly Estime suffers sprained ankle in practice Friday (PS; Bailey)
Syracuse, N.Y.— Syracuse sophomore H-back Brisly Estime sprained his ankle in practice on Friday, SU head coach Scott Shafer said after the Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday.
"He was blocking, and he kind of got rolled up on," Shafer said. "We're going to take it nice and easy to get him back. He's had a really good early summer and I just want to get him healthy."
Estime did not attend the scrimmage, instead receiving treatment indoors late Saturday afternoon.
A focal point of the Orange's uptempo offense, Estime is the fastest player on the roster, counting by 40-yard dash times. He is also expected to contribute as a punt and possibly kick returner this season.
As a freshman, Estime finished with 28 receptions for 257 yards and a touchdown. Most memorably, though, he returned a punt 70 yards late in the fourth quarter of the Texas Bowl to set up SU's game-winning drive against Minnesota.
...
Transition to cornerback 'comes easy' for Syracuse football's Corey Winfield
Syracuse, N.Y.— Corey Winfield is known for his leaping ability. His 38-inch vertical jump is tops on the team. He said he's been dunking a basketball since seventh grade.
But stuck in a group of 17 wide receivers, the redshirt freshman's chances of seeing the field on offense this season were slim. That's why Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer brought Winfield into his office before practice on Thursday and told him the staff wanted to move him to cornerback.
"I kind of, not regret it, but I thought, 'Man, I've been playing receiver all my life,'" Winfield said. "It was hard to switch over, but right before practice started, I was happy about it. I just had an open mind about it and was ready to go help the team."
...
How much faster was first-team offense in scrimmage? (PS; Bailey)
Syracuse pushing its offensive tempo has been a topic of discussion ever since offensive coordinator George McDonald told Sports Illustrated that he wants the Orange to go "full-bore fast" in early February.
As part of the program's effort to speed things up, Syracuse has altered its play-calling system and continued to adapt its training program to fit the scheme.
And at the Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday, media and fans alike got their best look at the product thus far.
...
Syracuse WR Sean Avant's attention to technique is biggest reason for his move up the depth chart (PS; Mink)
Twice a week in between the grind of summer workouts, Sean Avant and a few of his teammates would take a 10-minute drive to East Syracuse Reservoir, hop in a boat and go fishing.
Josh Kirkland, the farmboy from Kansas who looks the part of an outdoorsman, "thinks he's the master" of fishing, but there was one day when nobody caught anything. Avant caught eight.
"It takes patience," Avant said, "but it's fun."
...
How much faster was Syracuse football's first-team offense in the Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday (PS; Bailey)?
Syracuse pushing its offensive tempo has been a topic of discussion ever since offensive coordinator George McDonald told Sports Illustrated that he wants the Orange to go "full-bore fast" in early February.
As part of the program's effort to speed things up, Syracuse has altered its play-calling system and continued to adapt its training program to fit the scheme.
And at the Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday, media and fans alike got their best look at the product thus far.
Here's a quick breakdown of just how fast the SU offense moved based on five drives from the first-team offense (note: data is unofficial).
...
Syracuse football QB Terrel Hunt's deep ball was sharp and 6 other observations from the Fan Fest scrimmage (PS; Mink and Bailey)
Here are seven key takeaways from Syracuse's Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday:
Terrel Hunt's deep ball looked sharp
This was clear from the very first play when Hunt connected with Jarrod West for a 30-yard gain down the right sideline. The two hooked up twice more on similar plays, picking on transitioning cornerback Corey Winfield each time.
The only downfield toss that could have been better was a fly to Ashton Broyld on the right side. The throw was caught, but it was slightly behind Broyld. He likely would have scored with a better toss.
But other than that, his longer throws didn't hover and he did not throw into traffic once (though to be fair, he mostly faced the second-team defense).
Hunt looked sharp on his intermediate passes as well. He threw his first touchdown on an out route to Ben Lewis, who beat freshman safety Rodney Williams in coverage.
After the score, the offense turned around and drove the defense right back down the field. Hunt finished off the drive again, hitting redshirt freshman wide receiver Sean Avant in the left side of the end zone.
...
A look at how the Syracuse football backup quarterbacks played in the Fan Fest scrimmage (PS; Bailey)
Terrel Hunt has the starting quarterback job locked up heading into this season, but the backup spot is still up for grabs. The three current candidates got a chance to compete during the Fan Fest scrimmage on qqq Terrel Hunt's job as starting quarterback this season safe, syracuse.com paid close attention to the backup signal callers in SU's Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday.
Here's our quick assessment of how AJ Long, Mitch Kimble and Austin Wilson played:
AJ Long
Long was the first backup to see action after Hunt, and the only backup to see action for quite some time. He alternated possessions with Hunt twice before Kimble and Wilson were mixed in following Hunt's third stint.
Possession I:
6-for-9 overall
5-for-6 on short passes (~0-8 yards)
1-for-2 on intermediate passes (~8-15 yards)
0-for-1 on deep passes (~15-plus yards)
Long connected with running backs Ervin Philips and Prince-Tyson Gulley in the flat on two of his first three throws. But he had his second past batted down emphatically by blitzing cornerback Brandon Reddish and took back-to-back sacks (QBs were touched down) from defensive end Micah Robinson and outside linebacker Cameron Lynch. On the second sack, Long escaped the pocket out to the left, but couldn't get the pass off to an open Adonis Ameen-Moore before being tagged.
...
Syracuse football fans react to team scrimmage during Fan Fest (video; PS; Mink)
Syracuse ran through about 73 plays during Saturday's scrimmage at Fan Fest.
Here are some quick impressions on how the team looked from a few fans in attendance.
John Gladziszewski of Syracuse
Big takeaway: "I thought Terrel Hunt looked like he was moving the offense pretty fast, which is a good sign to see. The offensive line is big and trim. Steve Ishmael looked good. He had a couple big catches down the field. Always liked Austin Wilson's arm. Thought he has a good deep ball.
"Overall I think the coaches are probably more comfortable this year, and it's a good day to be an Orange."
Concerns: "I think it's gotta be the D-tackle, nose guard. Wide receivers: You got all the names there, but you want to see if anybody can step and be a little bit better than what they have been. I'm just looking to see them strike the ball downfield more, that's the big thing."
...
Syracuse football H-back Brisly Estime suffers sprained ankle in practice Friday (PS; Bailey)
Syracuse, N.Y.— Syracuse sophomore H-back Brisly Estime sprained his ankle in practice on Friday, SU head coach Scott Shafer said after the Fan Fest scrimmage on Saturday.
"He was blocking, and he kind of got rolled up on," Shafer said. "We're going to take it nice and easy to get him back. He's had a really good early summer and I just want to get him healthy."
Estime did not attend the scrimmage, instead receiving treatment indoors late Saturday afternoon.
A focal point of the Orange's uptempo offense, Estime is the fastest player on the roster, counting by 40-yard dash times. He is also expected to contribute as a punt and possibly kick returner this season.
As a freshman, Estime finished with 28 receptions for 257 yards and a touchdown. Most memorably, though, he returned a punt 70 yards late in the fourth quarter of the Texas Bowl to set up SU's game-winning drive against Minnesota.
...
Transition to cornerback 'comes easy' for Syracuse football's Corey Winfield
Syracuse, N.Y.— Corey Winfield is known for his leaping ability. His 38-inch vertical jump is tops on the team. He said he's been dunking a basketball since seventh grade.
But stuck in a group of 17 wide receivers, the redshirt freshman's chances of seeing the field on offense this season were slim. That's why Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer brought Winfield into his office before practice on Thursday and told him the staff wanted to move him to cornerback.
"I kind of, not regret it, but I thought, 'Man, I've been playing receiver all my life,'" Winfield said. "It was hard to switch over, but right before practice started, I was happy about it. I just had an open mind about it and was ready to go help the team."
...
