sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to 'Black Cow' Root Beer Float Day!
The first root beer float - so the story goes - was served on August 19th, 1893, by Frank J. Wisner, owner of Cripple Creek Brewing, in Cripple Creek, Colorado. He called his creation the "Black Cow Mountain," and it soon became a hit with the kiddos, who began referring to the tasty treat as simply, the "Black Cow."
Nowadays, a root beer float means different things to different folks. For some, it's not a root beer float unless you use plain vanilla ice cream dolloped into your root beer. Others put a little spin on things: plopping some chocolate ice cream into their root beer and calling it a "chocolate cow" or a "brown cow." Still others insist it's only a "brown cow" or a "black cow" if you use regular cola and ice cream. Then there's folks in places such as northeastern Wisconsin, who only call it a "black cow" if the root beer and ice cream are all mixed together, instead of leaving the ice cream floating on top. And would you believe, there's also a such thing as a "purple cow?" Yup, a "purple cow," created when you put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a mug of purple grape soda.
But what do you call a black-and-white cow in a hot pink bikini, floating in a giant mug of root beer and melting vanilla ice cream?
Blissfully content
SU News
Orange Practice at Fort Drum (wwnytv.com)
The Syracuse University football team is undergoing its annual rite of August with a visit to Fort Drum.
Watch the video for Rob Krone's report as the Orangemen practice on the first day of a four-day stay.
Make-or-Break Position Battle: Syracuse (espn; Shanker)
We're breaking down the biggest fall-camp position battles in the ACC for each team. Here's a look at Syracuse.
Position battle: Cornerback
Julian Whighamstarted all 11 games in which he played in a season ago, but the senior was listed as a co-starter on the preseason depth chart with redshirt freshman Cordell Hudson. Hudson stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 175 pounds.
Impact: There are several question marks in the secondary, and the Orange's preseason depth chart includes three positions with co-starters listed.
With teams leaning on the pass more than ever, cornerback has become a premium position. A program usually cannot afford to be weak at cornerback with the game evolving to the offense's advantage.
The good news is the Orange don't play many teams with dynamic passing attacks in 2015. Back-to-back games at Clemson and NC State in November will present problems, as will a late October date with Pittsburgh.
Prediction: Hudson ultimately might win the job once the season starts, but Whigham's experience should give him the leg up going into September's season opener. He'll have to earn the starting job each week from there on out, though.
2015 Opponent Preview: BC Eagles (thejuice; Cheng)
PLENTY OF CHANGE: The word ‘new’ should be the mantra of the 2015 BC college season. As in, a new offensive coordinator. A new quarterback. And a completely reloaded offensive line. Former offensive coordinator Ryan Day joined the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff in the offseason, and his replacement, Todd Fitch, has plenty of work in front of him. The first will be getting sophomore quarterback Darius Wade comfortable. Wade threw just eight passes last year, but figures to be more accurate than his predecessor, Tyler Murphy. But the major talk on Chestnut Hill will be how Fitch will rework the offensive line, with five new starters, only one of which (Harris Williams) with any experience.
» Related: Previewing SU’s game against NC State
SCOUTING THE EAGLES: Steve Addazio has strung together two consecutive bowl seasons based on a punishing, downhill running game, and an equally punishing, ironclad defense. Both of those characteristics will still be a heavy part of this year’s team. The Eagles have plenty of options in the backfield, headlined by Jon Hilliman, who in his freshman year rushed for 860 yards and 13 touchdowns. He will be the lead in a committee that will also include Marcus Outlow and Myles Willis. BC’s goal will still be to approach the 254.7 per game on the ground from last year, which landed the Eagles 14th in the country. But perhaps the best feature of the team will be the Eagles’ front seven, where the Eagles return five starters. This is a unit that finished second in the NCAA last year, holding opponents under 95 rushing yards per game.
PREDICTION: Another bowl season appears to be in the future for BC, which is impressive considering Addazio inherited a 2-10 team when he stepped on campus. The defense should keep them in most games. The question is if the offense can hold its end of the bargain. It probably will against the Orange. BOSTON COLLEGE 17, SYRACUSE 14.
ACC Related
Pat Amara
Make-or-Break Position Battle: Pittsburgh (espn; Fortuna)
Position battle: Boundary safety
The candidates: Redshirt junior Jevonte Pitts is the elder statesman of a position battle that includes sophomore Pat Amara and freshmanJordan Whitehead.
The impact: It is no secret that first-year head coach Pat Narduzzi's job will be to instill the same kind of toughness and discipline in the Panthers' defense as he did in Michigan State's the past eight years. The Spartans were consistently among the nation's best with Narduzzi at coordinator. The specialty of Narduzzi's coordinator at Pitt, Josh Conklin, is the secondary, where the only real spot without a set-in-stone starter looks like the boundary safety position.
Pitts may not have the pedigree -- he has played in just 14 games, mostly on special teams, with one tackle for loss to his name -- but Conklin has raved about the physical and mental shape he has brought to camp so far. Amara missed most of the spring with a personal medical issue, but he notched two starts last year as a rookie, tallying 18 tackles, including one for loss, along with one pick and a pass breakup. Then there is Whitehead, the ESPN300 signee who was one of the most coveted players in Pennsylvania, and whom the staff has gone out of its way to mention so far in camp.
Prediction: Can Whitehead rise up the depth chart in just a few weeks? It is possible, although unlikely. The freshman is sure to have a role in some capacity this season, but the starting job is likely a two-man battle for now. Here's guessing Pitts holds off Amara, who had a bit of a gap to close upon his return this month. Regardless, expect all three to see time.
