sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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SU News
SU Defense More Comfortable and Productive in Year 2 Under Chuck Bullough (PS; Bailey)
The text messages came flooding into Chuck Bullough's phone.
"He broke the arm," many of them read.
The messages came from the Syracuse defensive coordinator's players shortly after Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril hammered down on Peyton Manning's arm mid-pass in the second quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII back in February. Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith intercepted the ball and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown.
It was a turning point for the unit one year into its new system.
"I thought, 'OK, they're really starting to get it,'" Bullough said.
In Year 1 of Bullough's system, Syracuse ranked 54th in total defense and 65th in scoring defense against FBS opponents. Big plays gashed the unit routinely as missed assignments and miscommunications became common topics in postgame interviews.
...
The Quiet Corner (PS; Klinger)
Brandon Reddish murmurs his jokes. If he has an observation about the team that he wants to share, he’ll tell his good friend, Syracuse nose tackle Eric Crume, to say it. He says he doesn’t really like to yell, much less talk.
But in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York he’s known as “Bam.”
Behind a childish face and a mouth that rarely opens, the 5-foot-10 Reddish leads a much-improved SU secondary. The senior also leads the Orange (3-5, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) in interceptions with two and his open-field tackling has stood out among a set of defensive backs that are routinely targeted by bubble screens.
After battling through injury for much of last season, the soft-spoken cornerback is a recovered player with extra hours that used to be spent in treatment. Now, he has time to help teammates study film, quiz them as they do and comfort upset teammates.
“He’s aware of everybody on the team and how their personalities are,” SU defensive said coordinator Chuck Bullough.
...
Scott Shafer Reflects on Past Experience with Doeren, Former Co-Workers Now with NC State State (DO; D'Abbraccio)
When Syracuse hosts North Carolina State at 3 p.m. Saturday, it’ll be a reunion of sorts for SU head coach Scott Shafer.
Dave Doeren, the Wolfpack’s head coach, held the same title from 2011-12 at Northern Illinois, which is “near and dear” to Shafer’s heart. He was the defensive coordinator there 1996-2003. Doeren’s coaching staff at N.C. State includes a number of Shafer’s former coworkers and players.
“I’ve got all the respect in the world for Dave,” Shafer said during the Atlantic Coast Conference coaches’ teleconference Wednesday morning. “So the familiar side of things, it’s like brothers playing brothers, to be honest with you.”
The Wolfpack’s offensive coordinator is Matt Canada — who Shafer, as a graduate assistant at Indiana, hired to be a student assistant. He later coached with Shafer at NIU. Shafer interviewed Mike Uremovich, NCSU’s offensive line coach, to be a video coordinator at Northern Illinois. Clayton White, N.C. State’s safeties coach and co-special teams coordinator, was Shafer’s secondary coach at Western Michigan and Stanford.
...
Doeren Previews NC State Matchup Against Syracuse and AJ Long (DO; D'Abbraccio)
North Carolina State is the second team in three weeks to face Syracuse coming off a bye.
It didn’t do Wake Forest any favors on Oct. 18, but Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren feels optimistic about how his team used the off time to heal up, mentally and physically. N.C. State (4-4, 0-4 Atlantic Coast) will look to snap its four-game losing streak when it travels to the Carrier Dome for a 3 p.m. meeting with the Orange (3-5, 1-3) on Saturday.
“Excited about the opportunity to go to Syracuse,” Doeren said during the ACC coaches’ teleconference on Wednesday, “play a football team that plays really hard and forces a lot of turnovers, protects the football, doesn’t beat themselves. It’s going to be a physical football game.”
N.C. State’s four-game skid began with a 56-41 shootout loss at home to then-No. 1 Florida State on Sept. 27, followed by a 41-0 loss at Clemson and a pair of two-score losses to Boston College and Louisville.
...
SU Football Season a Mixed Bag of Tricks and Treats (sujuiceonline.com; Auger)
Perhaps it’s fitting that Halloween is a mere two days away since this season to date has been a bag of tricks and treats, on and off the field, for the Orange. So while pondering Scott Shafer’s costume choice (obviously something #hardnosed), let’s dig through Syracuse’s loot sack after eight games.
Trick:
Every team deals with injuries. Losing your starting quarterback, though, falls under the “game changer” category. Terrel Hunt has been out since enduring a fractured fibula in the loss to Louisville. Hunt is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks making his return to the field this season questionable. His back-up, Austin Wilson, was injured the next week versus Florida State and hasn’t played since. Two of the Orange’s most dynamic pass catchers, Ashton Broyld and Brisly Estime, have both missed time to injury as well thereby hampering a passing attack that has struggled most of the year.
Treat:
With Hunt and Wilson out, enter AJ Long. The true freshman debuted against the Seminoles (no pressure) and held his own as he connected on a pair of touchdowns to fellow frosh receiver, Steve Ishmael. Long helped guide SU to a road win the following week at Wake Forest before coming back to earth in a loss at Clemson against one of the stingiest defenses in the country. Long, Ishmael, and Ervin Philips, another true freshman, have all shown flashes of brilliance at time during the season. Syracuse fans have to feel optimistic about the offense’s future knowing those three are sure to play bigger roles in the years to come. If Long continues to improve, the more immediate question seeking an answer is who will take snaps under center once Hunt is healthy?
...
Recruiting
Sonny Abramson (12)
Saleem Brightwell (6)
Najee Clayton (9)
NJ QB Sonny Abramson, LB Saleem Brightwell Among SU Visitors This Weekend (PS; Bailey)
2015 WR/DB Najee Clayton isn't the only New Jersey prospect visiting Syracuse this weekend. The Orange will also host Clayton's 2015 Paramus (N.J.) Catholic High School linebacker Saleem Brightwell, 2016 Pope John XXIII (Sparta Township, N.J.) Regional High School quarterback Sonny Abramson and 2015 St. Joseph (Montvale, N.J.) Regional High School defensive back Troy Gethers, according to a source.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Brightwell has offers from Syracuse, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Pittsburgh and 10 others, according to 247Sports.com. He is rated three stars by each of the major recruiting services.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Abramson has offers from Syracuse, Colorado, Duke, Iowa, Vanderbilt, Virginia and three others, according to 247Sports.com. Abramson is rated four stars by ESPN.com and 247Sports.com and three stars by At their request, this network is being blocked from this site. and .
SU Defense More Comfortable and Productive in Year 2 Under Chuck Bullough (PS; Bailey)
The text messages came flooding into Chuck Bullough's phone.
"He broke the arm," many of them read.
The messages came from the Syracuse defensive coordinator's players shortly after Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril hammered down on Peyton Manning's arm mid-pass in the second quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII back in February. Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith intercepted the ball and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown.
It was a turning point for the unit one year into its new system.
"I thought, 'OK, they're really starting to get it,'" Bullough said.
In Year 1 of Bullough's system, Syracuse ranked 54th in total defense and 65th in scoring defense against FBS opponents. Big plays gashed the unit routinely as missed assignments and miscommunications became common topics in postgame interviews.
...
The Quiet Corner (PS; Klinger)
Brandon Reddish murmurs his jokes. If he has an observation about the team that he wants to share, he’ll tell his good friend, Syracuse nose tackle Eric Crume, to say it. He says he doesn’t really like to yell, much less talk.
But in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York he’s known as “Bam.”
Behind a childish face and a mouth that rarely opens, the 5-foot-10 Reddish leads a much-improved SU secondary. The senior also leads the Orange (3-5, 1-3 Atlantic Coast) in interceptions with two and his open-field tackling has stood out among a set of defensive backs that are routinely targeted by bubble screens.
After battling through injury for much of last season, the soft-spoken cornerback is a recovered player with extra hours that used to be spent in treatment. Now, he has time to help teammates study film, quiz them as they do and comfort upset teammates.
“He’s aware of everybody on the team and how their personalities are,” SU defensive said coordinator Chuck Bullough.
...
Scott Shafer Reflects on Past Experience with Doeren, Former Co-Workers Now with NC State State (DO; D'Abbraccio)
When Syracuse hosts North Carolina State at 3 p.m. Saturday, it’ll be a reunion of sorts for SU head coach Scott Shafer.
Dave Doeren, the Wolfpack’s head coach, held the same title from 2011-12 at Northern Illinois, which is “near and dear” to Shafer’s heart. He was the defensive coordinator there 1996-2003. Doeren’s coaching staff at N.C. State includes a number of Shafer’s former coworkers and players.
“I’ve got all the respect in the world for Dave,” Shafer said during the Atlantic Coast Conference coaches’ teleconference Wednesday morning. “So the familiar side of things, it’s like brothers playing brothers, to be honest with you.”
The Wolfpack’s offensive coordinator is Matt Canada — who Shafer, as a graduate assistant at Indiana, hired to be a student assistant. He later coached with Shafer at NIU. Shafer interviewed Mike Uremovich, NCSU’s offensive line coach, to be a video coordinator at Northern Illinois. Clayton White, N.C. State’s safeties coach and co-special teams coordinator, was Shafer’s secondary coach at Western Michigan and Stanford.
...
Doeren Previews NC State Matchup Against Syracuse and AJ Long (DO; D'Abbraccio)
North Carolina State is the second team in three weeks to face Syracuse coming off a bye.
It didn’t do Wake Forest any favors on Oct. 18, but Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren feels optimistic about how his team used the off time to heal up, mentally and physically. N.C. State (4-4, 0-4 Atlantic Coast) will look to snap its four-game losing streak when it travels to the Carrier Dome for a 3 p.m. meeting with the Orange (3-5, 1-3) on Saturday.
“Excited about the opportunity to go to Syracuse,” Doeren said during the ACC coaches’ teleconference on Wednesday, “play a football team that plays really hard and forces a lot of turnovers, protects the football, doesn’t beat themselves. It’s going to be a physical football game.”
N.C. State’s four-game skid began with a 56-41 shootout loss at home to then-No. 1 Florida State on Sept. 27, followed by a 41-0 loss at Clemson and a pair of two-score losses to Boston College and Louisville.
...
SU Football Season a Mixed Bag of Tricks and Treats (sujuiceonline.com; Auger)
Perhaps it’s fitting that Halloween is a mere two days away since this season to date has been a bag of tricks and treats, on and off the field, for the Orange. So while pondering Scott Shafer’s costume choice (obviously something #hardnosed), let’s dig through Syracuse’s loot sack after eight games.
Trick:
Every team deals with injuries. Losing your starting quarterback, though, falls under the “game changer” category. Terrel Hunt has been out since enduring a fractured fibula in the loss to Louisville. Hunt is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks making his return to the field this season questionable. His back-up, Austin Wilson, was injured the next week versus Florida State and hasn’t played since. Two of the Orange’s most dynamic pass catchers, Ashton Broyld and Brisly Estime, have both missed time to injury as well thereby hampering a passing attack that has struggled most of the year.
Treat:
With Hunt and Wilson out, enter AJ Long. The true freshman debuted against the Seminoles (no pressure) and held his own as he connected on a pair of touchdowns to fellow frosh receiver, Steve Ishmael. Long helped guide SU to a road win the following week at Wake Forest before coming back to earth in a loss at Clemson against one of the stingiest defenses in the country. Long, Ishmael, and Ervin Philips, another true freshman, have all shown flashes of brilliance at time during the season. Syracuse fans have to feel optimistic about the offense’s future knowing those three are sure to play bigger roles in the years to come. If Long continues to improve, the more immediate question seeking an answer is who will take snaps under center once Hunt is healthy?
...
Recruiting
Sonny Abramson (12)
Saleem Brightwell (6)
Najee Clayton (9)
NJ QB Sonny Abramson, LB Saleem Brightwell Among SU Visitors This Weekend (PS; Bailey)
2015 WR/DB Najee Clayton isn't the only New Jersey prospect visiting Syracuse this weekend. The Orange will also host Clayton's 2015 Paramus (N.J.) Catholic High School linebacker Saleem Brightwell, 2016 Pope John XXIII (Sparta Township, N.J.) Regional High School quarterback Sonny Abramson and 2015 St. Joseph (Montvale, N.J.) Regional High School defensive back Troy Gethers, according to a source.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Brightwell has offers from Syracuse, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Pittsburgh and 10 others, according to 247Sports.com. He is rated three stars by each of the major recruiting services.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Abramson has offers from Syracuse, Colorado, Duke, Iowa, Vanderbilt, Virginia and three others, according to 247Sports.com. Abramson is rated four stars by ESPN.com and 247Sports.com and three stars by At their request, this network is being blocked from this site. and .
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