Last year vs this year

[kcsu]

When you compare last years team to this years it becomes crystal clear that last years team was significantly more talented than this year.
Starting with the foundation of each team the O and D lines.
Last year we had two talented and experienced tackles. Our tackles this year including Serva are not even close to that level.
In Dinos O the Rbs make the calls. Strick was exceptional at this and based on his NFL camp performance more talented than we as fans gave him credit for. Custis was a physical presence at WR that we dont have anyone to replace and Rave Dog was more physically gifted than Hackett.
On D Slayton was a mountain in the middle. Josh Black is weight room strong but he is undersized for the position and is a grade or 2 less than Chris.
Specials are still strong but the coverage units are not as good as we have not replaced Custis or Shy.
Finally Eric was a generational player. He was special, not only a game changer but more importantly a program changer. He was the heart and soul of the team both on and off the field.
Last years team had amazing leadership. Eric, Strick, Cody, Martin, Slayton, and yes our two LBs were all Senior leaders.
This years team is a work in progress. Tommy is an excellent passer much better than Eric but he isnt in Erics league at this point as a QB or team leader. Potential yes but he isnt even close yet.
The facts as i see them are simple. We have a team that is less talented in critical positions. Namely the offensive line, QB, WR, Coverage Units, and DT. All other units are basically even although i could argue that CB is improved.
Leadership is significantly decreased and again you dont just loose one of the best players and leaders to ever wear Orange and not take a step back.
At this point i still expect a solid year. 8 wins and a nice bowl game. Next year we should be better IF Dino can shore up the interior DL with some game ready Jucos or Transfers.
Last point we desperately need to land a QB and hopefully a dual threat. SU is rarely going to have A level Olines and a mobile QB helps.
Lets hope that the Oline gels by the second half of the season and that TD continues to improve over time. 7 8 9 wins was a dream a few years ago so keep the faith. Climbing a mountain isnt easy.

 

[FloridaFan]

We were all fools for thinking devito could step in and lose no beats transferring to dungey. But to expect him to have the same level of leadership as senior dungey is unfair to devito. We lose 2 OL. One being the grad transfer. We should be able to have a starting OL nailed down pretty early into camp and run with that for consistency

 

[kcsu]

We were all fools for thinking devito could step in and lose no beats transferring to dungey. But to expect him to have the same level of leadership as senior dungey is unfair to devito. We lose 2 OL. One being the grad transfer. We should be able to have a starting OL nailed down pretty early into camp and run with that for consistency

Agreed. Its obvious something was and is seriously wrong with the Oline. During the Spring they played Red with the ones at Tackle. Tisdale played inside and out. Serva LT RT and Center. Heckel at two positions. Adams at RG and LG... More choices than a Greek Diner. I get the flexability thing but there is no way an Oline player can ever expect to play well playing musical chairs all camp.
From day 1 i would have had Alexander at RT Kept Adams at his position. Our downfall is actually the center position. Even when healthy Heckel is average at best.

 

[newmexicuse]

Agreed. Its obvious something was and is seriously wrong with the Oline. During the Spring they played Red with the ones at Tackle. Tisdale played inside and out. Serva LT RT and Center. Heckel at two positions. Adams at RG and LG... More choices than a Greek Diner. I get the flexability thing but there is no way an Oline player can ever expect to play well playing musical chairs all camp.
From day 1 i would have had Alexander at RT Kept Adams at his position. Our downfall is actually the center position. Even when healthy Heckel is average at best.

I would not say the o line is great, but was it really that much better last year? Eric’s mobility hid a lot. Eric was an absolute warrior and a winner. He could create and execute. Tommy has a golden arm, but as of now he simply cannot create, especially on third down. He seems to have too much tendency when pressured to roll right and he seems to have both recognition and accuracy issues when on the move. The recognition will come with time, but will the accuracy? He will never make big third down plays with his legs. The formula to beat tommy is to overload pressure from the left force him to roll right and overload the d backfield on the right. Unless our line can hold up well enough from left pressure we will have problems.

Overall, I think our o is not as good as last season, but will be ok, but OMG, what I saw on d is absolutely ominous.

 

[cuse10]

For all of the talk about the offensive line, Devito had time back there yesterday. The level of concern I have for them isn't comparable to that of the linebackers. They're the most important position defensively because they have to recognize what's happening on the other side of the ball and call it out so that the team can adjust. You have an inexperienced group playing QB of the defense and it was glaring against a G5 team. The missed assignments and blown tackles were jaw dropping. Andre Cisco should never lead a team in tackling. His nine tackles puts on full display the inability of the linebackers to do their job.

*Speaking of the offensive line, what happened to Qadir White? Wasn't he supposed to be highly touted coming out of high school? He hasn't been able to sniff the starting job.

 

[kcsu]

So far we have yet to see any of Dinos recruits make a significant contribution on either line. Center is woefully thin. My hope is that this group matures quickly because Tommy needs a clean pocket as he doesn't have the ability to create with his legs.

 

[CousCuse]

For all of the talk about the offensive line, Devito had time back there yesterday. The level of concern I have for them isn't comparable to that of the linebackers. They're the most important position defensively because they have to recognize what's happening on the other side of the ball and call it out so that the team can adjust. You have an inexperienced group playing QB of the defense and it was glaring against a G5 team. The missed assignments and blown tackles were jaw dropping. Andre Cisco should never lead a team in tackling. His nine tackles puts on full display the inability of the linebackers to do their job.

*Speaking of the offensive line, what happened to Qadir White? Wasn't he supposed to be highly touted coming out of high school? He hasn't been able to sniff the starting job.

At some point the defensive co-coordinators ability to coach at this level might be questioned. The defensive play has been shaky for his tenure and last year cost the team the Pitt game and arguably the Clemson game.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

So far we have yet to see any of Dinos recruits make a significant contribution on either line.

Uh... what? That's not accurate at all.

 

[cuse10]

At some point the defensive co-coordinators ability to coach at this level might be questioned. The defensive play has been shaky for his tenure and last year cost the team the Pitt game and arguably the Clemson game.

Clemson was a depth issue. Couldn't cycle fresh legs into the game. Clemson saw that kept the ground game going. Pitt was just a team that wasn't focused. Both games were winnable, but it was easier to get over the Clemson loss. There was an 80 (?) yard passing touchdown where the covering corner (may have been Scoop) didn't bother to put a hand on the receiver. It was poor execution all day.

 

[longislandcuse]

Recruiting.

Until Dino recruits better, we’ll have the 1 out of every 4 years where we are Top 25, a down year, and 2 out of 4 years where we battle for 6-8 wins.

Or, he can dive into the transfer portal every year and go back to the equalizer...the dual threat QB.

Trying to run a pocket passing offense on the P5 level with 3 star linemen you don’t seem to be developing well and skill position guys who rank at the middle/bottom of our conference isnt a winning strategy.

 

[kcsu]

Uh... what? That's not accurate at all.

Please name them.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Please name them.

Servais, Ruff, Black, Williams, Heckel, Coleman, Robinson, Kingsley, Berry, bunch of others.

 

[kcsu]

Servais, Ruff, Black, Williams, Heckel, Coleman, Robinson, Kingsley, Berry, bunch of others.

Thx i thought that many of these guys were recruited by Shaf

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Thx i thought that many of these guys were recruited by Shaf

That's part of what makes such a horrible performance so frustrating.

These guys, it's all Babers team at this point.

 

[Marty's Hero]

Recruiting.

Until Dino recruits better, we’ll have the 1 out of every 4 years where we are Top 25, a down year, and 2 out of 4 years where we battle for 6-8 wins.

Or, he can dive into the transfer portal every year and go back to the equalizer...the dual threat QB.

Trying to run a pocket passing offense on the P5 level with 3 star linemen you don’t seem to be developing well and skill position guys who rank at the middle/bottom of our conference isnt a winning strategy.

I agree with you, but how does our program deal with the structural issue of always fighting away recruiting battles? Check out this data, hope I pasted correctly.

Where CFB players come from: 9 maps and charts

How geography shapes the sport from coast to coast.

www.google.com