sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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SU News
Analysis: 3 Things We Learned About the Orange From Training Camp (PS; Mink)
Syracuse opens its 2014 season next week against Villanova on Friday night inside the Carrier Dome.
The team started taking a harder look at the Wildcats on film earlier this week, as sure a signal as any that the season will soon get underway.
Head coach Scott Shafer's team is one of just two in the ACC's Atlantic Division returning its starting quarterback (Florida State's Heisman winner, Jameis Winston, is the other) from last year and brings back veteran players at every position on the field.
The team has stated its goal of at least eight victories this fall. And with Week 3 of camp coming to a close and game week soon approaching, it's the perfect time to look back on preseason practice and extract the main takeaways heading into the season.
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Why the Orange Will Finish 8-4 (TNIAAM; McClusky)
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Five wins for Syracuse in 2014, or maybe six, seven, eight, or how about nine victories? Who knows what this fall will bring for the Orange. Well, check that, there is one fairly respected source who has a little bit of insight we should all be listening to when it comes to projections.
"The goal is to get better each season. That's why we start off by saying we want to win eight games. Ultimately, we want to win an ACC championship, and that's the goal and we want to do that with kids graduating. That's where the bar set is right now."
The words of Syracuse Orange head coach Scott Shafer speaking on ESPN 97.7's "Upon Further Review." Another honest admission from an all-too-rare-honest coach. Sure, that was from April and it was Shafer essentially laying the groundwork for fans: Expect a little better each year until we reach the mountaintop. Seven wins last year should mean eight this year and hopefully nine the following, and on and on. Not exactly a classic prediction and certainly not too controversial.
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SU OT Sean Hickey Named First Team All-ACC by ESPN (PS; Carlson)
Syracuse is receiving more respect from ACC media members in its second ACC season than the Orange did in its first.
The latest sign came Thursday, when Syracuse left tackle Sean Hickey was included in ESPN's All-ACC preseason team. Last year, no Syracuse player was mentioned among the league's top players at their positions before the season began and no player was named All-ACC first team after it ended.
"Hickey is going into his third season as a starter and has developed into one of the best tackles in the league," ESPN's Andrea Adelson wrote. "He also may be the strongest player in the ACC, too."
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4 Syracuse Players Named to 2015 Senior Bowl Watch List (PS; Mink)
Four Syracuse football seniors were named to the 2015 Senior Bowl watch list.
Left tackle Sean Hickey, running back Prince-Tyson Gulley, linebacker Dyshawn Davis and defensive end Rob Welsh are among the more than 350 players on the list.
The Senior Bowl is one of the most well-known postseason all-star games for NFL draft hopefuls. The game features 110 players divided up on North and South squads. A player not on the list can still be added during the season and be invited to the 2015 game, held Jan. 24 in Mobile, Ala.
Hickey is one of Syracuse's best draft prospects and recently got approved for an insurance policy through the NCAA for total disability or loss of draft value.
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ACC
Ashton Broyld (1) Will Try and Lead Syracuse to Another Upset Win Over the Cardinals
Possible Upsets in ACC Regular Season Play Include Louisville at Syracuse (PS; Stevens)
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North Carolina at Clemson, Sept. 27: Does Clemson exhale at this point, knowing Georgia and Florida State are in its rear-view mirror this season? Are the Tigers in for a dip after steep losses after last year? And is this North Carolina bunch not only the class of the Coastal Division, but a top-15 caliber team?
It's doubtful the first two are true, and this will probably be the first ranked team the Tar Heels face (though an East Carolina bunch with wins over South Carolina and Virginia Tech would have the goods to crack the national polls). If Clemson is losing between its Florida State and South Carolina games, this would be the time it would happen.
Louisville at Syracuse, Oct. 3: This isn't Louisville's first ACC game. And it's not the Cardinals' first conference road game, either. In fact, they'll reach the midpoint of their league schedule that night, while Syracuse will be playing its conference opener.
The shortened week for a Friday night game affects both teams, but this also figures to be one of the biggest crowds of the season at the Carrier Dome. If Syracuse is going to beat one of Notre Dame, Louisville, Florida State or Clemson in a 29-day span, this is the most logical candidate of the bunch.
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Al Golden Has to Face AAC Power Cincinnati Bearcats
Six Dangerous Non-Conference Games Against Non-P5 Foes for ACC Schools (PS; Stevens)
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Colorado State at Boston College, Sept. 27: How good Boston College will be is anyone's guess, though the Eagles earned some benefit of the doubt after winning seven games last season with most of the same players who went 2-10 the year before.
Nonetheless, Steve Addazio's bunch didn't have a large margin for error last year, and it won't this year, either. Colorado State does have to travel, but faces UC Davis and enjoys a bye in the two weeks prior to visiting Chestnut Hill. The Rams should be ready to make things interesting.
Cincinnati at Miami, Oct. 11: Cincinnati should be one of the top teams in the American, and figures to flirt with a 10-win season. That's pretty standard for the Bearcats these days; they have five 10-win seasons plus 2013's 9-4 mark to show for the last seven years.
Meanwhile, Miami will be wrapping up a difficult seven-week stretch to open the season, with games against Nebraska, Duke and Georgia Tech immediately preceding Cincinnati's visit. Don't bank on a blowout in this one.
...
College Football
Alabama WR Amari Cooper is an AA Candidate
2014 Preview: Offensive Playmakers to Watch This Season (PS; Laney)
...
Wide receivers
1. Amari Cooper, Alabama (45 rec., 736 yards, 4 TDs in 2013)
Cooper is your prototype NFL prospect, with the size (6-foot-1, 210 pounds), speed and ball skills to be a star at the next level. The down side? The 2013 numbers above just don't impress much.
Now a junior, most expect Cooper to return to the 1,000-yard, double-digit touchdown form of his freshman season and if he does, he'll likely be the first receiver off the board in the NFL draft. Much will depend on quarterback play for Bama in the post-AJ McCarron era.
2. Nelson Agholor, USC (56 rec., 918 yards, 8 TDs in 2013)
Improved quarterback play could boost Agholor's production, but he's already one of the more feared receivers in the country. If Cody Kessler progresses into an elite quarterback, Agholor's production could skyrocket.
...
Analysis: 3 Things We Learned About the Orange From Training Camp (PS; Mink)
Syracuse opens its 2014 season next week against Villanova on Friday night inside the Carrier Dome.
The team started taking a harder look at the Wildcats on film earlier this week, as sure a signal as any that the season will soon get underway.
Head coach Scott Shafer's team is one of just two in the ACC's Atlantic Division returning its starting quarterback (Florida State's Heisman winner, Jameis Winston, is the other) from last year and brings back veteran players at every position on the field.
The team has stated its goal of at least eight victories this fall. And with Week 3 of camp coming to a close and game week soon approaching, it's the perfect time to look back on preseason practice and extract the main takeaways heading into the season.
...
Why the Orange Will Finish 8-4 (TNIAAM; McClusky)
...
Five wins for Syracuse in 2014, or maybe six, seven, eight, or how about nine victories? Who knows what this fall will bring for the Orange. Well, check that, there is one fairly respected source who has a little bit of insight we should all be listening to when it comes to projections.
"The goal is to get better each season. That's why we start off by saying we want to win eight games. Ultimately, we want to win an ACC championship, and that's the goal and we want to do that with kids graduating. That's where the bar set is right now."
The words of Syracuse Orange head coach Scott Shafer speaking on ESPN 97.7's "Upon Further Review." Another honest admission from an all-too-rare-honest coach. Sure, that was from April and it was Shafer essentially laying the groundwork for fans: Expect a little better each year until we reach the mountaintop. Seven wins last year should mean eight this year and hopefully nine the following, and on and on. Not exactly a classic prediction and certainly not too controversial.
...
SU OT Sean Hickey Named First Team All-ACC by ESPN (PS; Carlson)
Syracuse is receiving more respect from ACC media members in its second ACC season than the Orange did in its first.
The latest sign came Thursday, when Syracuse left tackle Sean Hickey was included in ESPN's All-ACC preseason team. Last year, no Syracuse player was mentioned among the league's top players at their positions before the season began and no player was named All-ACC first team after it ended.
"Hickey is going into his third season as a starter and has developed into one of the best tackles in the league," ESPN's Andrea Adelson wrote. "He also may be the strongest player in the ACC, too."
...
4 Syracuse Players Named to 2015 Senior Bowl Watch List (PS; Mink)
Four Syracuse football seniors were named to the 2015 Senior Bowl watch list.
Left tackle Sean Hickey, running back Prince-Tyson Gulley, linebacker Dyshawn Davis and defensive end Rob Welsh are among the more than 350 players on the list.
The Senior Bowl is one of the most well-known postseason all-star games for NFL draft hopefuls. The game features 110 players divided up on North and South squads. A player not on the list can still be added during the season and be invited to the 2015 game, held Jan. 24 in Mobile, Ala.
Hickey is one of Syracuse's best draft prospects and recently got approved for an insurance policy through the NCAA for total disability or loss of draft value.
...
ACC
Ashton Broyld (1) Will Try and Lead Syracuse to Another Upset Win Over the Cardinals
Possible Upsets in ACC Regular Season Play Include Louisville at Syracuse (PS; Stevens)
...
North Carolina at Clemson, Sept. 27: Does Clemson exhale at this point, knowing Georgia and Florida State are in its rear-view mirror this season? Are the Tigers in for a dip after steep losses after last year? And is this North Carolina bunch not only the class of the Coastal Division, but a top-15 caliber team?
It's doubtful the first two are true, and this will probably be the first ranked team the Tar Heels face (though an East Carolina bunch with wins over South Carolina and Virginia Tech would have the goods to crack the national polls). If Clemson is losing between its Florida State and South Carolina games, this would be the time it would happen.
Louisville at Syracuse, Oct. 3: This isn't Louisville's first ACC game. And it's not the Cardinals' first conference road game, either. In fact, they'll reach the midpoint of their league schedule that night, while Syracuse will be playing its conference opener.
The shortened week for a Friday night game affects both teams, but this also figures to be one of the biggest crowds of the season at the Carrier Dome. If Syracuse is going to beat one of Notre Dame, Louisville, Florida State or Clemson in a 29-day span, this is the most logical candidate of the bunch.
...
Al Golden Has to Face AAC Power Cincinnati Bearcats
Six Dangerous Non-Conference Games Against Non-P5 Foes for ACC Schools (PS; Stevens)
...
Colorado State at Boston College, Sept. 27: How good Boston College will be is anyone's guess, though the Eagles earned some benefit of the doubt after winning seven games last season with most of the same players who went 2-10 the year before.
Nonetheless, Steve Addazio's bunch didn't have a large margin for error last year, and it won't this year, either. Colorado State does have to travel, but faces UC Davis and enjoys a bye in the two weeks prior to visiting Chestnut Hill. The Rams should be ready to make things interesting.
Cincinnati at Miami, Oct. 11: Cincinnati should be one of the top teams in the American, and figures to flirt with a 10-win season. That's pretty standard for the Bearcats these days; they have five 10-win seasons plus 2013's 9-4 mark to show for the last seven years.
Meanwhile, Miami will be wrapping up a difficult seven-week stretch to open the season, with games against Nebraska, Duke and Georgia Tech immediately preceding Cincinnati's visit. Don't bank on a blowout in this one.
...
College Football
Alabama WR Amari Cooper is an AA Candidate
2014 Preview: Offensive Playmakers to Watch This Season (PS; Laney)
...
Wide receivers
1. Amari Cooper, Alabama (45 rec., 736 yards, 4 TDs in 2013)
Cooper is your prototype NFL prospect, with the size (6-foot-1, 210 pounds), speed and ball skills to be a star at the next level. The down side? The 2013 numbers above just don't impress much.
Now a junior, most expect Cooper to return to the 1,000-yard, double-digit touchdown form of his freshman season and if he does, he'll likely be the first receiver off the board in the NFL draft. Much will depend on quarterback play for Bama in the post-AJ McCarron era.
2. Nelson Agholor, USC (56 rec., 918 yards, 8 TDs in 2013)
Improved quarterback play could boost Agholor's production, but he's already one of the more feared receivers in the country. If Cody Kessler progresses into an elite quarterback, Agholor's production could skyrocket.
...
