sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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SU News
Ron 'Sugar Bear' Thompson Will See Significant Time at DT Despite Weighing Only 255 Pounds (PS; Carlson)
Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer took some convincing.
When defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough and defensive line coach Tim Daoust came to an unlikely conclusion from their daily defensive line diagnosis, the head coach asked for proof.
Bullough and Daoust popped in the video tape from SU's training camp and there it was. Ron Thompson, despite weighing 255 pounds, could be the team's second-best option at defensive tackle opposite Eric Crume.
"Chuck and I had already talked about it," Daoust said. "We talked about it at a staff meeting and Scott was like, 'Really?' Then he watched the film."
Daoust has said since the spring that he wants to find a way to play his best four defensive linemen together as often as possible. On Tuesday night he announced that group included Crume and three defensive ends -- Ron Thompson, Micah Robinson and Robbie Welsh.
...
Scott Shafer Will Broadcast His Weekly Show From Destiny USA (PS; Carlson)
Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer is taking his radio show to a much larger venue for his second year leading the Orange.
Instead of Red Robin restaurant, the show will be located at Destiny USA this season, linking two of the primary institutions that the city of Syracuse is known for. Shafer's hour-long show will be held on the first floor of the Canyon area of the mall.
The Syracuse athletic department announced the show's location in a news release on Tuesday.
...
Syracuse Has Sold More Than 35K of Tickets for Villanova (PS; Carlson)
Syracuse has sold more than 35,000 tickets to its season-opening football game on Friday and hopes to sell substantially more by opening kickoff.
Joe Giansante, the athletic department's chief of communications, said the school is pleased with how ticket sales have progressed for Friday night's home opener against Villanova.
While Giansante makes it his policy not to provide exact numbers for ticket sales, he said that the Orange has already beaten its total number of tickets sold for last year's home opener against Wagner.
"We're way ahead of where we were with Wagner last year," Giansante said. "We're excited about the reaction. We've, for sure, sold more than 35,000. We're hoping for significantly more than that."
...
Austin Wilson Wins Backup QB Job with Excellent Training Camp Performance (PS; Bailey)
Redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Wilson will be the backup quarterback entering the season for Syracuse, SU quarterbacks coach Tim Lester said on Tuesday.
Wilson beat out redshirt freshman Mitch Kimble, who entered camp as the No. 2 quarterback on the pre-training camp depth chart, and true freshman AJ Long, who wasin position to win the job before shoulder irritation slowed his progress.
"He could always throw the ball, that's one of his strengths," Lester said of Wilson. "And mentally, as he got more reps, he started making better and better decisions. His numbers were the best, and they were all pretty close, but he showed the most as far as being able to make decisions. His feet got better and he did what he needed to do."
Wilson will serve as the main backup to Terrel Hunt when SU opens its season against Villanova on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. However, Lester and head coach Scott Shafer have maintained that the competition will be ongoing through the season. And with a bye week coming up after the game against the Wildcats, Kimble and Long won't have to wait too much longer before seeing significant team reps in practice again.
...
Scott Shafer on Terrel Hunt: 'I Don't Want Him Thinking He Has to Win the Games for Us' (PS; Mink)
Terrel Hunt's most redeeming quality as a first-year starter last season was his magnetism. He commanded the offense in a way transfer quarterback Drew Allen never did and was repeatedly praised for a competitive nature that rubbed off on the rest of the offense, a resilient style that lifted him to be the face of the team.
But there are new expectations for the redshirt junior entering the 2014 season. The on-the-fly learning that comes with most first-year quarterbacks in a new offense is over. The next phase of his progression begins Friday night in the season opener against Villanova, and head coach Scott Shafer laid out what that entails for Hunt in Year 2.
"He has to take advantage of the progress he's made, throw the ball to the people that are open and not try to force things down the field," Shafer said on his weekly teleconference Tuesday afternoon.
...
Scott Shafer Says Villanova is the Best FCS Opponent to Face SU in a While. Is This Correct? (PS; Mink)
...
Will Friday night be another close call? Or will Syracuse sleep easy heading into its bye week?
Year/Team/Ranking/Final record
2014, Villanova: Preseason No. 12
2013, Wagner: Unranked all year, finished 3-8.
2012, Stony Brook: Preseason No. 17, No. 17 when it faced Syracuse, peaked at No. 6, finished regular season at No. 10, finished 10-3.
2011, Rhode Island: Unranked all year, finished 3-8.
2010, Maine: Unranked all year (via '11 CAA media guide), finished 4-7.
2010, Colgate: Preseason No. 22, appears to have finished year unranked, finished 7-4.
2009, Maine: Preseason No. 19, unranked when it faced Syracuse, finished regular season unranked (via '10 CAA media guide), finished 5-6.
2008, Northeastern: Unranked all year (via '09 CAA media guide), finished 2-10.
2002, Rhode Island: Unranked all year, finished season 3-9.
SU-Villanova May Be on TV But For a Limited Audience (PS; Axe)
Condolences to Brent for the loss of his father...
The Syracuse University football 2014 football home opener against Villanova may still make it on TV Friday, but only for certain cable TV customers.
As of this writing, the game is not scheduled to be on television. The SU-Villanova game is slated for ESPN3, which is ESPN's online channel, and the "WatchESPN" app.
Sources have told syracuse.com ESPN will make a decision soon on whether to place the game on an extended tier as part of the "ESPN GamePlan" package.
In Syracuse, the extended tier of channels that the SU game may end up on is located in the 392-399 range on Time Warner Cable.
...
Recruiting
Top SU DT Target Jamal Milan of Chicago Has Orange in Top 5 (PS; Bailey)
Al Raby (Chicago, Ill.) High School defensive tackle Jamal Milan has Syracuse in his top five schools, he said in a text message late Tuesday night.
Milan also listed Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa State and Indiana and said that all of the schools are even at this point. He said that he plans on making a decision midway through his senior season, which begins Friday.
Milan took an unofficial visit to SU in mid-June and met with Syracuse defensive line coach Tim Daoust. He also chatted with a handful of defensive linemen and fellow Chicago native sophomore tight end Kendall Moore. Milan said that he receives mail from the Orange daily.
Listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 288 pounds by At their request, this network is being blocked from this site., Milan also holds offers from Maryland, Northern Illinois, Illinois State, Miami (OH), New Mexico and Western Michigan, among others.
...
NJ CB Daivon Ellison Says He is '100 Committed' to Syracuse (PS; Bailey)
Don Bosco (Ramsey, N.J.) Preparatory High School cornerback Daivon Ellison said he is "100 percent" committed to the Orange, in a text interview on Tuesday.
"My family, coaches and I all felt Syracuse was the best fit for me," Ellison said.
Ellison, who announced his commitment on Twitter on Monday night, becomes the fourth cornerback in the Class of 2015, joining 2014 holdover Lamar Dawson, Gerald Robinson and Andrew Spence. He is also the third New Jersey product, joining running back Dontae Strickland and safety Daiquan Kelly.
Ellison said Strickland and Kelly played a key role in recruiting him.
"Those guys would send me a text all the time talking up Cuse and letting me know what we can bring to the program," Ellison said.
...
ACC Coverage
ACC Football Preview: Game by Game Predictions for all 14 Programs (SU Forecast to go 6-6; Ps; Stevens)
...
A team-by-team projection for the entire ACC football season, which gets underway this week.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
1. Florida State
Projected record: 12-0, 8-0 ACC
Projected wins: vs. Oklahoma State, The Citadel, Clemson, at N.C. State, Wake Forest, at Syracuse, Notre Dame, at Louisville, Virginia, at Miami, Boston College, Florida
Projected losses: None
Breakdown: The nonconference schedule is tougher, but Florida and Notre Dame come to Tallahassee and Oklahoma State has to sort out a lot after some significant losses. No one in the ACC played the Seminoles closer than two touchdowns last season, and while Florida State can't expect nearly everything to go its way again, it would be surprising if it lost in the regular season. On the scale of massive upsets, it wouldn't be quite so stunning as Florida State's 1995 loss to Virginia, but it would still provide a jolt.
2. Clemson
Projected record: 9-3, 7-1 ACC
...
Jamison Crowder Set an ACC Record with 108 Catches Last Season
ACC Fantasy Football Draft: A Lot of Guesswork But Some Gems Landed in Late Rounds (Part I; PS; Stevens)
FIRST ROUND
1. Team 1: Jamison Crowder (WR-Duke)
2. Stevens: Duke Johnson (RB-Miami)
3. Team 2: Kevin Parks (RB-Virginia)
4. Team 3: Rashad Greene (WR-Florida State)
5. Team 4: Will Gardner (QB-Louisville)
6. Team 5: Prince-Tyson Gulley (RB-Syracuse)
7. Team 6: D.J. Howard (RB-Clemson)
8. Team 7: Myles Willis (RB-Boston College)
Despite the point-per-reception incentive, there was still a run on running backs, including three with limited (if any) lead back experience. … With so few sure things, the first four selections were fairly predictable. Crowder and Greene are especially valuable because of the format, while Parks helps both on the ground and in the passing game.
...
ACC Fantasy Football Draft: A Lot of Guesswork But Some Gems Landed in Late Rounds (Part II; PS; Stevens)
...
TENTH ROUND
73. Team 7: Keeper slot (for Terrel Hunt, QB-Syracuse)
74. Team 6: Keeper slot (for Tyler Boyd, WR-Pittsburgh)
75. Team 5: Tony Creecy (RB-N.C. State)
76. Team 4: Matt Dayes (RB-N.C. State)
77. Team 3: Issac Blakeney (WR-Duke)
78. Team 2: Gerald Christian (WR-Louisville)
79. Stevens: C.J. Davidson (RB-Clemson)
80. Team 1: DeVante Parker (WR-Louisville)
Two keepers, two N.C. State running backs and two Louisville receivers go off the board here. ... Parker would have been a top-five pick were it not for a foot injury expected to keep him out 6-8 weeks. If he returns as an effective player, this will be a quality pick. If not, it was worth a flier on one of the league's top talents.
...
Former Players
Donovan McNabb Takes the Ice Bucket Challenge (PS; Axe)
Former Syracuse University quarterback Donovan McNabb has joined many former and current SU athletes and coaches and completed the Ice Bucket Challenge to benefit ALS.
McNabb called out the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles (who won the NFC Championship), Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon and former NFL linebacker Takeo Spikes to complete the challenge.
McNabb joins former Syracuse University basketball star Carmelo Anthony, SU football head coach Scott Shafer, former SU head coach and current Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone and several others who have completed the challenge.
...
Jerome Smith, Macky MacPherson Are Cut; Bully Richie Incognito May Get Another Chance (PS; Poliquin)
The conversation, conducted in some airport eatery out there on the NBA road during a different life, wafts with more than a little resonance even now.
There sat Gene Shue, the head coach of the then-San Diego Clippers, his hand wrapped around a beer while waiting for his flight, pondering the question before him: Why had he peppered his roster with so many rogues, so many eccentrics, so many ne'er-do-wells?
...
Ron 'Sugar Bear' Thompson Will See Significant Time at DT Despite Weighing Only 255 Pounds (PS; Carlson)
Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer took some convincing.
When defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough and defensive line coach Tim Daoust came to an unlikely conclusion from their daily defensive line diagnosis, the head coach asked for proof.
Bullough and Daoust popped in the video tape from SU's training camp and there it was. Ron Thompson, despite weighing 255 pounds, could be the team's second-best option at defensive tackle opposite Eric Crume.
"Chuck and I had already talked about it," Daoust said. "We talked about it at a staff meeting and Scott was like, 'Really?' Then he watched the film."
Daoust has said since the spring that he wants to find a way to play his best four defensive linemen together as often as possible. On Tuesday night he announced that group included Crume and three defensive ends -- Ron Thompson, Micah Robinson and Robbie Welsh.
...
Scott Shafer Will Broadcast His Weekly Show From Destiny USA (PS; Carlson)
Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer is taking his radio show to a much larger venue for his second year leading the Orange.
Instead of Red Robin restaurant, the show will be located at Destiny USA this season, linking two of the primary institutions that the city of Syracuse is known for. Shafer's hour-long show will be held on the first floor of the Canyon area of the mall.
The Syracuse athletic department announced the show's location in a news release on Tuesday.
...
Syracuse Has Sold More Than 35K of Tickets for Villanova (PS; Carlson)
Syracuse has sold more than 35,000 tickets to its season-opening football game on Friday and hopes to sell substantially more by opening kickoff.
Joe Giansante, the athletic department's chief of communications, said the school is pleased with how ticket sales have progressed for Friday night's home opener against Villanova.
While Giansante makes it his policy not to provide exact numbers for ticket sales, he said that the Orange has already beaten its total number of tickets sold for last year's home opener against Wagner.
"We're way ahead of where we were with Wagner last year," Giansante said. "We're excited about the reaction. We've, for sure, sold more than 35,000. We're hoping for significantly more than that."
...
Austin Wilson Wins Backup QB Job with Excellent Training Camp Performance (PS; Bailey)
Redshirt freshman quarterback Austin Wilson will be the backup quarterback entering the season for Syracuse, SU quarterbacks coach Tim Lester said on Tuesday.
Wilson beat out redshirt freshman Mitch Kimble, who entered camp as the No. 2 quarterback on the pre-training camp depth chart, and true freshman AJ Long, who wasin position to win the job before shoulder irritation slowed his progress.
"He could always throw the ball, that's one of his strengths," Lester said of Wilson. "And mentally, as he got more reps, he started making better and better decisions. His numbers were the best, and they were all pretty close, but he showed the most as far as being able to make decisions. His feet got better and he did what he needed to do."
Wilson will serve as the main backup to Terrel Hunt when SU opens its season against Villanova on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. However, Lester and head coach Scott Shafer have maintained that the competition will be ongoing through the season. And with a bye week coming up after the game against the Wildcats, Kimble and Long won't have to wait too much longer before seeing significant team reps in practice again.
...
Scott Shafer on Terrel Hunt: 'I Don't Want Him Thinking He Has to Win the Games for Us' (PS; Mink)
Terrel Hunt's most redeeming quality as a first-year starter last season was his magnetism. He commanded the offense in a way transfer quarterback Drew Allen never did and was repeatedly praised for a competitive nature that rubbed off on the rest of the offense, a resilient style that lifted him to be the face of the team.
But there are new expectations for the redshirt junior entering the 2014 season. The on-the-fly learning that comes with most first-year quarterbacks in a new offense is over. The next phase of his progression begins Friday night in the season opener against Villanova, and head coach Scott Shafer laid out what that entails for Hunt in Year 2.
"He has to take advantage of the progress he's made, throw the ball to the people that are open and not try to force things down the field," Shafer said on his weekly teleconference Tuesday afternoon.
...
Scott Shafer Says Villanova is the Best FCS Opponent to Face SU in a While. Is This Correct? (PS; Mink)
...
Will Friday night be another close call? Or will Syracuse sleep easy heading into its bye week?
Year/Team/Ranking/Final record
2014, Villanova: Preseason No. 12
2013, Wagner: Unranked all year, finished 3-8.
2012, Stony Brook: Preseason No. 17, No. 17 when it faced Syracuse, peaked at No. 6, finished regular season at No. 10, finished 10-3.
2011, Rhode Island: Unranked all year, finished 3-8.
2010, Maine: Unranked all year (via '11 CAA media guide), finished 4-7.
2010, Colgate: Preseason No. 22, appears to have finished year unranked, finished 7-4.
2009, Maine: Preseason No. 19, unranked when it faced Syracuse, finished regular season unranked (via '10 CAA media guide), finished 5-6.
2008, Northeastern: Unranked all year (via '09 CAA media guide), finished 2-10.
2002, Rhode Island: Unranked all year, finished season 3-9.
SU-Villanova May Be on TV But For a Limited Audience (PS; Axe)
Condolences to Brent for the loss of his father...
The Syracuse University football 2014 football home opener against Villanova may still make it on TV Friday, but only for certain cable TV customers.
As of this writing, the game is not scheduled to be on television. The SU-Villanova game is slated for ESPN3, which is ESPN's online channel, and the "WatchESPN" app.
Sources have told syracuse.com ESPN will make a decision soon on whether to place the game on an extended tier as part of the "ESPN GamePlan" package.
In Syracuse, the extended tier of channels that the SU game may end up on is located in the 392-399 range on Time Warner Cable.
...
Recruiting
Top SU DT Target Jamal Milan of Chicago Has Orange in Top 5 (PS; Bailey)
Al Raby (Chicago, Ill.) High School defensive tackle Jamal Milan has Syracuse in his top five schools, he said in a text message late Tuesday night.
Milan also listed Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa State and Indiana and said that all of the schools are even at this point. He said that he plans on making a decision midway through his senior season, which begins Friday.
Milan took an unofficial visit to SU in mid-June and met with Syracuse defensive line coach Tim Daoust. He also chatted with a handful of defensive linemen and fellow Chicago native sophomore tight end Kendall Moore. Milan said that he receives mail from the Orange daily.
Listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 288 pounds by At their request, this network is being blocked from this site., Milan also holds offers from Maryland, Northern Illinois, Illinois State, Miami (OH), New Mexico and Western Michigan, among others.
...
NJ CB Daivon Ellison Says He is '100 Committed' to Syracuse (PS; Bailey)
Don Bosco (Ramsey, N.J.) Preparatory High School cornerback Daivon Ellison said he is "100 percent" committed to the Orange, in a text interview on Tuesday.
"My family, coaches and I all felt Syracuse was the best fit for me," Ellison said.
Ellison, who announced his commitment on Twitter on Monday night, becomes the fourth cornerback in the Class of 2015, joining 2014 holdover Lamar Dawson, Gerald Robinson and Andrew Spence. He is also the third New Jersey product, joining running back Dontae Strickland and safety Daiquan Kelly.
Ellison said Strickland and Kelly played a key role in recruiting him.
"Those guys would send me a text all the time talking up Cuse and letting me know what we can bring to the program," Ellison said.
...
ACC Coverage
ACC Football Preview: Game by Game Predictions for all 14 Programs (SU Forecast to go 6-6; Ps; Stevens)
...
A team-by-team projection for the entire ACC football season, which gets underway this week.
ATLANTIC DIVISION
1. Florida State
Projected record: 12-0, 8-0 ACC
Projected wins: vs. Oklahoma State, The Citadel, Clemson, at N.C. State, Wake Forest, at Syracuse, Notre Dame, at Louisville, Virginia, at Miami, Boston College, Florida
Projected losses: None
Breakdown: The nonconference schedule is tougher, but Florida and Notre Dame come to Tallahassee and Oklahoma State has to sort out a lot after some significant losses. No one in the ACC played the Seminoles closer than two touchdowns last season, and while Florida State can't expect nearly everything to go its way again, it would be surprising if it lost in the regular season. On the scale of massive upsets, it wouldn't be quite so stunning as Florida State's 1995 loss to Virginia, but it would still provide a jolt.
2. Clemson
Projected record: 9-3, 7-1 ACC
...
Jamison Crowder Set an ACC Record with 108 Catches Last Season
ACC Fantasy Football Draft: A Lot of Guesswork But Some Gems Landed in Late Rounds (Part I; PS; Stevens)
FIRST ROUND
1. Team 1: Jamison Crowder (WR-Duke)
2. Stevens: Duke Johnson (RB-Miami)
3. Team 2: Kevin Parks (RB-Virginia)
4. Team 3: Rashad Greene (WR-Florida State)
5. Team 4: Will Gardner (QB-Louisville)
6. Team 5: Prince-Tyson Gulley (RB-Syracuse)
7. Team 6: D.J. Howard (RB-Clemson)
8. Team 7: Myles Willis (RB-Boston College)
Despite the point-per-reception incentive, there was still a run on running backs, including three with limited (if any) lead back experience. … With so few sure things, the first four selections were fairly predictable. Crowder and Greene are especially valuable because of the format, while Parks helps both on the ground and in the passing game.
...
ACC Fantasy Football Draft: A Lot of Guesswork But Some Gems Landed in Late Rounds (Part II; PS; Stevens)
...
TENTH ROUND
73. Team 7: Keeper slot (for Terrel Hunt, QB-Syracuse)
74. Team 6: Keeper slot (for Tyler Boyd, WR-Pittsburgh)
75. Team 5: Tony Creecy (RB-N.C. State)
76. Team 4: Matt Dayes (RB-N.C. State)
77. Team 3: Issac Blakeney (WR-Duke)
78. Team 2: Gerald Christian (WR-Louisville)
79. Stevens: C.J. Davidson (RB-Clemson)
80. Team 1: DeVante Parker (WR-Louisville)
Two keepers, two N.C. State running backs and two Louisville receivers go off the board here. ... Parker would have been a top-five pick were it not for a foot injury expected to keep him out 6-8 weeks. If he returns as an effective player, this will be a quality pick. If not, it was worth a flier on one of the league's top talents.
...
Former Players
Donovan McNabb Takes the Ice Bucket Challenge (PS; Axe)
Former Syracuse University quarterback Donovan McNabb has joined many former and current SU athletes and coaches and completed the Ice Bucket Challenge to benefit ALS.
McNabb called out the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles (who won the NFC Championship), Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon and former NFL linebacker Takeo Spikes to complete the challenge.
McNabb joins former Syracuse University basketball star Carmelo Anthony, SU football head coach Scott Shafer, former SU head coach and current Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone and several others who have completed the challenge.
...
Jerome Smith, Macky MacPherson Are Cut; Bully Richie Incognito May Get Another Chance (PS; Poliquin)
The conversation, conducted in some airport eatery out there on the NBA road during a different life, wafts with more than a little resonance even now.
There sat Gene Shue, the head coach of the then-San Diego Clippers, his hand wrapped around a beer while waiting for his flight, pondering the question before him: Why had he peppered his roster with so many rogues, so many eccentrics, so many ne'er-do-wells?
...
