Idle Thoughts

[sutomcat]

Considered about this game. Pitt has gotten their season back on track with a renewed commitment to power football. Our defense looks like it is fairly well suited to stopping spread type offenses but has been suspectible to power running, even with a bigger DL, presumably because of the undersized linebackers and safeties.

They are surely going to test our run defense. I hope we are able to answer that test. Of course, when they pass, they have 2 excellent WRs and we are again missing our best cover corner. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Pitt scores less than 25 or 30 points.

So there is pressure on the offense to score a lot of points to keep the team in the game. Given the extra week to prepare, I am wondering what DM has done with the extra time, will will be different with the offense. Maybe nothing, just a renewed focus on execution.

With 2 (hopefully) solid OTs, will DM be tempted to also go with a power type attack and try and overpower the Panthers?

With the biggest weakness pass blocking on the OL addressed, will he open it up and throw the ball all over the field? The return of Flemming and improved health of Lemon and Stevens might also encourage this, as well as the fact that Pitt has a frosh CB and just lost their 3rd CB for the season due to injury. Since SU routinely runs sets with 3 WRs, that injury could be a big factor in the game.

Or will DM take advantage of the extra time to install some Wildcat plays where we see Broyld pull up from a toss sweep and throw the ball long, or do other plays like that against the established book that says when Broyld is in the game he will get the ball on a running play 90% of the time?

I don't know what we are going to see but I suspect that whatever direction DM goes is going to play a big role in determining what happens the rest of this season, and possibly what happens with DM's coaching career long term.

This is a big game, a really big week for the program. I hope they are ready to play. And like Bees has said, I hope the fans come out for the game. Doesn't matter if you agree with the coach, his philosophies, the direction of the program, the view of the chancellor or AD, whatever, if you can possibly come to the game, please do so. And bring people with you if you can.

We are going to need every advantage we can get to pull off a win.

WAR DAMN OTTO!

 

[SmilinBob]

My biggest fear is Pitt ramming the ball down the D's throat/play action to wide open guys and running time off the clock so our offense can't get into any sort of groove. My other is that no one shows up or if they do they see a little failure early and get angry and stop making noise.

I'd love a loud and large crowd not giving up and screaming until the final horn blows. This is something we actually can control. GO ORANGE!

 

[FAL]

Bringing my ugly brother in law who drinks all my beer at the house. At least at the Dome he occasionally buys me one.

Could not agree more that this is one B-I-G game. Win and there is hope; lose and the season ends in the dumpster. Gotta pull out all the stops tomorrow night.

Just do it, guys!

 

[OrangeinBoston]

Considered about this game. Pitt has gotten their season back on track with a renewed commitment to power football. Our defense looks like it is fairly well suited to stopping spread type offenses but has been suspectible to power running, even with a bigger DL, presumably because of the undersized linebackers and safeties.

They are surely going to test our run defense. I hope we are able to answer that test. Of course, when they pass, they have 2 excellent WRs and we are again missing our best cover corner. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Pitt scores less than 25 or 30 points.

So there is pressure on the offense to score a lot of points to keep the team in the game. Given the extra week to prepare, I am wondering what DM has done with the extra time, will will be different with the offense. Maybe nothing, just a renewed focus on execution.

With 2 (hopefully) solid OTs, will DM be tempted to also go with a power type attack and try and overpower the Panthers?

With the biggest weakness pass blocking on the OL addressed, will he open it up and throw the ball all over the field? The return of Flemming and improved health of Lemon and Stevens might also encourage this, as well as the fact that Pitt has a frosh CB and just lost their 3rd CB for the season due to injury. Since SU routinely runs sets with 3 WRs, that injury could be a big factor in the game.

Or will DM take advantage of the extra time to install some Wildcat plays where we see Broyld pull up from a toss sweep and throw the ball long, or do other plays like that against the established book that says when Broyld is in the game he will get the ball on a running play 90% of the time?

I don't know what we are going to see but I suspect that whatever direction DM goes is going to play a big role in determining what happens the rest of this season, and possibly what happens with DM's coaching career long term.

This is a big game, a really big week for the program. I hope they are ready to play. And like Bees has said, I hope the fans come out for the game. Doesn't matter if you agree with the coach, his philosophies, the direction of the program, the view of the chancellor or AD, whatever, if you can possibly come to the game, please do so. And bring people with you if you can.

We are going to need every advantage we can get to pull off a win.

WAR DAMN OTTO!

As I've been saying for weeks now, it's as much Shafer as it is HCDM. If SU can't stop Pitt's running game, they're toast.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Frosh CB and down a CB you'd think we're going to get after it on the perimeter.

Broyld, Stevens, or Gulley in the slot vs a wekeaned nickel set sounds great. Also with Pugh back and Hickey on the right side Nassib should have some more time. Can we finally see Nassib use a pump fake with Lemon or Sales on a pump and go?

 

[kcsu]

Pitt is built on two things. Running the ball and stopping the run. We need to come out in a fast tempo and throw the ball all over the field. I would hope that we would put constant pressure on Pitt from the first snap. I expect us to throw the ball 40 times this game. If Doug for some strange reason attempts to play their game and tries to establish the run we are going to get killed. He has to get a lead and force Pitt to the air. We cannot win this game if we try to slug it out with them.

 

[CIL]

I have been to a couple Pitt games this year. They have some talent, but this Pitt team is not nearly as good a the one that finished in the top of the Big East a few years back.

This will be an interesting game. Pitt wants to run the ball to set up the pass. They are a big team, but not a fast team. I believe we will be able have a lot of success moving the ball on them. If we are able to get pressure on Sunseri, we will be okay.

If we do not, it could be a difficult day for the defense.

 

[Opus]

I have fallen into the pre-game habit of thinking, "Ok, what will Syracuse do in this game to shoot itself in the foot." Well ya know what, I am not doing that this week. Syracuse will play turnover free, dumb penalty free, red zone efficient offensive football this game dang it! (Ok if I repeat that enough times, I might start to believe it)

Being serious, I think those are 3 areas that if addressed will go hand in hand with solving most of the teams problems. Now if we can only do something about those lower body injuries...

 

[MikeSU02]

Considered about this game. Pitt has gotten their season back on track with a renewed commitment to power football. Our defense looks like it is fairly well suited to stopping spread type offenses but has been suspectible to power running, even with a bigger DL, presumably because of the undersized linebackers and safeties.

They are surely going to test our run defense. I hope we are able to answer that test. Of course, when they pass, they have 2 excellent WRs and we are again missing our best cover corner. It is hard to imagine a scenario where Pitt scores less than 25 or 30 points.

So there is pressure on the offense to score a lot of points to keep the team in the game. Given the extra week to prepare, I am wondering what DM has done with the extra time, will will be different with the offense. Maybe nothing, just a renewed focus on execution.

With 2 (hopefully) solid OTs, will DM be tempted to also go with a power type attack and try and overpower the Panthers?

With the biggest weakness pass blocking on the OL addressed, will he open it up and throw the ball all over the field? The return of Flemming and improved health of Lemon and Stevens might also encourage this, as well as the fact that Pitt has a frosh CB and just lost their 3rd CB for the season due to injury. Since SU routinely runs sets with 3 WRs, that injury could be a big factor in the game.

Or will DM take advantage of the extra time to install some Wildcat plays where we see Broyld pull up from a toss sweep and throw the ball long, or do other plays like that against the established book that says when Broyld is in the game he will get the ball on a running play 90% of the time?

I don't know what we are going to see but I suspect that whatever direction DM goes is going to play a big role in determining what happens the rest of this season, and possibly what happens with DM's coaching career long term.

This is a big game, a really big week for the program. I hope they are ready to play. And like Bees has said, I hope the fans come out for the game. Doesn't matter if you agree with the coach, his philosophies, the direction of the program, the view of the chancellor or AD, whatever, if you can possibly come to the game, please do so. And bring people with you if you can.

We are going to need every advantage we can get to pull off a win.

WAR DAMN OTTO!

All I want to see is us execute and not turn the ball over.

I know we aren't an elite team, but let's play with some pride and not give the game away.

We win this one, we can still hang our hat on doing well in the BE.

 

[IthacaMatt]

As I've been saying for weeks now, it's as much Shafer as it is HCDM. If SU can't stop Pitt's running game, they're toast.

Yep, this is a huge game for the program. I fear a terrible fan turnout, flat atmosphere in the Dome, and even with 2 weeks to prepare, Marrone and Hackett won't do anything differently on offense than they have since week 1.

 

[JeremyCuse]

I have been to a couple Pitt games this year. They have some talent, but this Pitt team is not nearly as good a the one that finished in the top of the Big East a few years back.

This will be an interesting game. Pitt wants to run the ball to set up the pass. They are a big team, but not a fast team. I believe we will be able have a lot of success moving the ball on them. If we are able to get pressure on Sunseri, we will be okay.

If we do not, it could be a difficult day for the defense.

I think your spot on regarding getting pressure on Sunseri. If you hit him he will get rattled and go into a shell. Shafer needs to blitz early and often as our D line simply cant get any pressure via the front four. If we allow him to sit back he is going to kill us.

 

[dollarbill44]

I think this is another game that will come down to turnovers. This is a team we should be able to beat, but I am not confident we can win the TO battle.

 

[SmilinBob]

I think your spot on regarding getting pressure on Sunseri. If you hit him he will get rattled and go into a shell. Shafer needs to blitz early and often as our D line simply cant get any pressure via the front four. If we allow him to sit back he is going to kill us.

But SU has to blitz and get pressure also depending on how well Sunseri reads the D he might be able to dump quick to the blitz hole to a big guy. If SU can either get quick good pressure or have somebody on d read the spot where Sunseri is going to dump his quick safe routes this could be a who's better at countering.

 

[SoBristol]

Sure, Big Game -- and then Big Month of October. Each of these October games is Big, but this one is up next, its a rivalry game, major TV, we need to break a long string of Ls against real teams.

SU fanbase is flat as a pancake, but why this flat? (OK, I know why.)

We played the tougher schedule. We have an offense that moves the ball and is ready to put it together. We have a few talented underclassmen who can get better week to week. We have experienced seniors in key roles. Teams with good OTs tend to win games and now (finally) we do. We have some soft spots (front 7 on D not as tough as we would like), so does Pitt in other areas. Time for Marrone & team to earn respect and I believe they will.

 

[TexanMark]

Bad news: Parents Weekend crowds are stupid and usually bail early

 

[Upstate]

Frosh CB and down a CB you'd think we're going to get after it on the perimeter.

Broyld, Stevens, or Gulley in the slot vs a wekeaned nickel set sounds great. Also with Pugh back and Hickey on the right side Nassib should have some more time. Can we finally see Nassib use a pump fake with Lemon or Sales on a pump and go?

The improved OL should definitely give Nassib time for a pump-n-go.

 

[Chip]

Bad news: Parents Weekend crowds are stupid and usually bail early

Stupid? Interesting choice of words.

Game starts at 7, hour earlier than the typical weeknight game, so that should help them stick around assuming this is nothing like the Pitt game from 2 years ago.

 

[Scooch]

Bad news: Parents Weekend crowds are stupid and usually bail early

Who cares though. If there are 5,000 more bodies in the Dome than there would be otherwise that's what matters at this point.

If we come out no-huddle and score some points they'll cheer.

 

[qdawgg]

If Broyld throws even one pass in this game it would mean a huge change in philosophy for Marrone. Everything we have seen from HCDM is about trying to limit mistakes and TO's, not that that has happened but that is the philosophy going into every game. This year we've seen the offense actually resemble what we thought it could/would look like 3 years ago or so. But with Broyld losing the ball last week in addition to all of the other TO's and how desperately the team needs a win; I just can't see Broyld throwing the ball.

As I said in my first sentence; if he does even attempt 1 pass I think it would show a huge change in HCDM's temperament. I think if Broyld even plays a more significant role in the game, even without a pass, it would show a huge change in temperament. Personally for me, with or without Broyld it will be interesting to see how the offense looks. This is a huge game for HCDM and there is a ton of pressure on him; I believe in the past he's gotten even more conservative in many of these situations. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

 

[upperdeck]

not sure how many examples of 7pm parents weekend games we have to decide how early the parents bail.. when its a early sat game , they often have dinner plans to go to. but for a friday game how many are going to go some place at 9-10 oclock to eat dinner? most dont go out for the party scene.. for the kids the game is done way before its time to go out. if SU is in the game the crowd should be ok. get down 2-3 scores like we always seem to do and it will be empty by half.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

If Broyld throws even one pass in this game it would mean a huge change in philosophy for Marrone. Everything we have seen from HCDM is about trying to limit mistakes and TO's, not that that has happened but that is the philosophy going into every game. This year we've seen the offense actually resemble what we thought it could/would look like 3 years ago or so. But with Broyld losing the ball last week in addition to all of the other TO's and how desperately the team needs a win; I just can't see Broyld throwing the ball.

That's a good point.

 

[BlackKnight76]

That's a good point.

Eh, for his conservative play calling in years past, he has been known to throw a trick play in fairly frequently. We've had Antwan Bailey throw multiple passes, Lemon threw a touchdown last year, the flea flickers...I doubt that we're afraid to have Broyld throw, and I hope we do soon.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Eh, for his conservative play calling in years past, he has been known to throw a trick play in fairly frequently. We've had Antwan Bailey throw multiple passes, Lemon threw a touchdown last year, the flea flickers...I doubt that we're afraid to have Broyld throw, and I hope we do soon.

Should have elaborated - meant to say that I thought it was a good point that Broyld's fumble probably makes it less likely that he'll be given the green light to throw a pass.

 

[BlackKnight76]

Should have elaborated - meant to say that I thought it was a good point that Broyld's fumble probably makes it less likely that he'll be given the green light to throw a pass.

Ah, I could see that. I hope that's not the case though.

 

[Chip]

If Broyld throws even one pass in this game it would mean a huge change in philosophy for Marrone. Everything we have seen from HCDM is about trying to limit mistakes and TO's, not that that has happened but that is the philosophy going into every game. This year we've seen the offense actually resemble what we thought it could/would look like 3 years ago or so. But with Broyld losing the ball last week in addition to all of the other TO's and how desperately the team needs a win; I just can't see Broyld throwing the ball.

As I said in my first sentence; if he does even attempt 1 pass I think it would show a huge change in HCDM's temperament. I think if Broyld even plays a more significant role in the game, even without a pass, it would show a huge change in temperament. Personally for me, with or without Broyld it will be interesting to see how the offense looks. This is a huge game for HCDM and there is a ton of pressure on him; I believe in the past he's gotten even more conservative in many of these situations. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

I think the direction to Broyld would be pretty clear. It's a run-pass option. If the entire defense sells out on the run and the WR is running all alone, you can throw it. If not, pull it down and run it.

I don't think he's going to have Broyld trying to complete a pass with any potential of a defender within 10 yards of the receiver.