Louisville Postgame Discussion Thread

[phil77]

The back 2 back false starts at the end of the half after Tucker went down could have been a killer. Defense responded well.

 

[721Comstock]

I loved how Shrader used Tucker in the flat to freeze the secondary more than a couple times.

Including on the dagger final TD.

Tuck went out wide left, dragged the DB to the inside corner of the end zone.
He was in no-man’s land, since he couldn’t leave Tuck open, but couldn’t react to Garrett scampering in for the score.

IF he reacts sooner to GS, then it’s an easy toss to Sean for the TD.

Heads we win.
Tails you lose.

 

[capeorange]

The Gadsden TD reminded me of that old Pasqualoni staple, the TE Throwback.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Franz69]

 

[IthacaMatt]

The back 2 back false starts at the end of the half after Tucker went down could have been a killer. Defense responded well.

Oh, man, you should have seen Coach Anae on the sidelines! He's a tall imposing dude, and he was giving some of those guys a stone cold glare. Everybody was trying not to make eye contact with him. LOL

 

[tptcuse]

The Gadsden TD reminded me of that old Pasqualoni staple, the TE Throwback.

They tried running down the middle once or twice in that series. My wife, who literally just learned what first downs were at the game yesterday, said, “Can’t they just throw it to a guy over there?” about the corner where Gadsen caught the TD.

 

[Shenexon]

 

[texascpa]

Oh, man, you should have seen Coach Anae on the sidelines! He's a tall imposing dude, and he was giving some of those guys a stone cold glare. Everybody was trying not to make eye contact with him. LOL

I learned three things about Anae during the game - He was on Olineman in college, he's 6'6"! and he was a model during his playing days. lol. Honestly, I thought he was less than 6' tall based on vids and interviews he's given.

 

[Shenexon]

 

[gocraz4dasu]

What a game that was! I enjoyed almost every moment of it. To take the lead and never even allow the game to become tied again, is a huge accomplishment for this team. It really gives me a lot of hope for what can be accomplished by this team this season.

Random Observations:

1. Shrader looked really composed last night, whereas last year he had a number of moments where he felt erratic. You can never count him out during a play but he made great decisions last night. He had, what, maybe 7 incompletions and it felt like 5 were due to drops or the receiver not holding on. If he plays like that for most of the season, we are going to be a tough beat moving forward. Even the small plays, like when he avoided a sack by making a make-shift shovel pass work so we had a no gain instead pays dividends.
2. Tucker is a certified stud. We all know this but we need to ensure the rest of the nation takes notice because he deserves it. Having an OC understand that passing him the ball in space so he is 1-on-1 against a LB/DB is a hallelujah moment.
3. Receivers were inconsistent but Cooper and Gadsden looked pretty good. Watching Alford's drop was unfortunate. We need Alford to develop into a threat so we can compete with the bigger teams on our schedule. Elmore going down hurts and I'm assuming he is out for the year, but we may learn Monday what his prognosis is.
4. Some of the false starts did not feel like false starts. There were obviously some that were undoubtedly false starts but I was missing some of them. We need Vetterello to be better this season. Bergeron played wonderfully, as expected.
5. The DL stepped up. That is a pretty large Louisville OL and they held their own. Lockett had a real nice tackle for no gain on a run that stood out to me. Linton looked fantastic and his sack, forced fumble, and recovery was a thing of beauty. Listening to the commentators think he was just some buried guy on the depth chart and not an experience player who had an injury (with some Dino depth chart tricks) was making me laugh and also annoying me. Simmons got quite a bit of run in the second half. Okechukwu's spin into the sack was nice to see. They played how they needed to and we didn't have any major injuries here so it was a successful night. They got some pressure and held their own.
6. First and foremost, losing Thompson really hurts (non-contact injuries are almost always bad). He was honestly impressing me more than anyone on defense in the first half. His ability to penetrate and cause havoc is going to be sorely missed. He looked like an NFL talent and the play where he came through for a TFL for about -4 yards was a thing of beauty. McDonald came in and played really well considering and his INT was a great play. McDonald looks and feels like a tight end, especially on his return. Wax played fantastically and was all over the place. His goal line stand was awesome to see. Mikel Jones backed up his (improperly cut) quote on Cunningham. He was all over the field and I loved that 4th quarter strip sack to put a bow on things. I saw Leon Lowery get some run but nothing of note stands out, positive or negative, which isn't a bad thing. The LBs played much better in coverage than they were getting credit for during the game. Cunningham really didn't have a lot of options.
7. The DBS played well. It felt awesome to not dread our safety play this year and they largely did their job. Jahad Carter had some fierce tackles in the first half that helped set the tone. Duce Chestnut had a fairly quiet game, which is good for a corner. Garrett Williams is a bonafide NFL talent and he will go pro after this year, barring something unforeseen. We should enjoy him while we have him! I know he wants to get those INT numbers up so him making that play on the ball in the end zone just shows his range and gets him one of the coveted INTs. NFL scouts take notice of a play like that. GW made that happen and solidified our lead. Barron made a strong tackle in the second half but otherwise he wasn't mentioned much. I'm sure Oliver was happy to go up against his old team and get some run.
8. Our special teams were a genuine positive! I almost can't believe it after the disaster it was last year. Szmyt looked strong on his FG and XPs. Our coverage units were almost flawless outside of the offsides. The punts were all average to good, with a number going inside the 20. Trebor Pena had a strong punt return that we unfortunately squandered with penalties on offense. The specials units not allowing any room for Louisville to get something positive going was a huge benefit and can't be ignored. Very good first game for the new hire!
9. I thought Anae called a pretty good game but there's room for improvement. But it was a breath of fresh air after Sterling Gilbert last year. I genuinely think Gilbert (and specials) squandered an 8 win team last year after today. Seeing Cooper utilized over the middle was truly a sight for sore eyes. I wonder how much of Shrader's progress is due to Beck and/or due to having a functioning offense with a year under his belt. I imagine it's quite a bit of both but it's nice to have an actual QB coach.
10. Tony White is a great coach who I imagine will either receive consideration of a G5 head coaching job, or potentially a Brinks truck backed up to his bank account for a DC job at one of the big boys. I'd love to keep him but he is making his presence felt. The defensive unit is well coached and gave maximum effort. Defense can be a stress for so many teams (it certainly will for UNC this year) but I genuinely enjoy watching White's defenses. Swag Daddy has amassed quite a bit of talent on the back end for all the fans to enjoy watching this year.
11. Frustrating Malik Cunningham was lovely to see after how he's carved us up for the better part of almost a decade.
12. I wish we still had Jawar Jordan but we largely kept him in check. Louisville's starting runningback (the transfer from Tennessee) looked like a real player.
13. Louisville took so many cheap shots and dirty plays. Frustrating to see and it makes them a team that I can't root for (even though it may benefit the ACC).

On to UCONN. It looks like UCONN played decently against a terrible team. I'm hoping that Tucker feasts for a big day. I don't think their defense has anyone at his level, as long as he is healthy.

GO CUSE!

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Shenexon]

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Yeah, Tucker catching passes + Shrader's running ability is going to stress defenses.

 

[SWC75]

Can someone give me the run down of Derek McDonald? Hopefully Thompson bounces back, but his injury didn’t look great. Any info on McDonald would be appreciated.

Seemed like he settled in after a few plays.

From my preview:

"Derek McDonald is a Georgian who was rated #1,453/77 as a tight end but got into two games last year as a linebacker and that’s where he’s stayed. Nunes: “With the starting LBs set in stone and many other underclassmen on the roster, McDonald will have to fight for consistent playing time. He could rotate in as needed but this is still probably a development year.” They note: “He’s doubling as a broadcast & digital journalism student.”

 

[Ozone!]

A great opening win; dominating Louisville! Some tough player losses and definite work needed on reducing penalties and finding players to fill those that may be lost for the season or large portions of it!

D was strong and dominated The Cardinals! The new Offense should be fun to watch! Sean Tucker is a tough guy! Shrader is the best QB since Eric!

Hopefully we don’t have to endure that broadcasting team for any more games!

Once again, The ACC refs sucked; doing there very best to give the game to Louisville.

Gotta love Lee Corso and the pregame so called experts were all wrong and didn’t have the stones to admit it post-game!

 

[Trueblue25]

For about the last 20 years, most SU football games have filled me with a mixture of nausea and dread. Strangely calm and cool last night, despite the 87 penalties, dropped passes, crappy refs, etc. A new era...

Isn’t it scary how one good win makes up for a years worth of pain and suffering?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[ECE '76]

Somebody said it in the game discussion but I will reiterate and stress what they said:

A LOT.

Of recruits. In that dome tonight.

SU hosted 2 players committed to SEC schools. Good night to show them...

SEC Commits Naquil Betrand, Will Norman Visiting Syracuse For Louisville Game

Texas A&M offensive line commit Naquil Betrand and Florida defensive line commit Will Norman are on campus for the visit. They will be in attendance Saturday night when the Orange faces the Cardinals to kick off the 2022 season.

 

[Trueblue25]

Lmao watch Mikel Jones on McDonald’s interception.

We all need to appreciate Jones while he’s here. Have never seen a better teammate.

 

[ECE '76]

How much of this performance was because the game was at 8 o'clock at night? Will they play this way for a noon game? Will the crowd be this amped at noon?

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Lmao watch Mikel Jones on McDonald’s interception.

We all need to appreciate Jones while he’s here. Have never seen a better teammate.

I used to work with G. Williams's sister and we'd occasionally talk Syracuse football. She told me the team loves Mikel Jones and he's a great leader that they rally around.

 

[Dinkyspond]

This^^^. When you want to create Heisman buzz, you want him to get those hundred yard games. Hopefully he can run rabid over UConn next week and get those yards.

Is it worth it if he got hurt and missed games or the rest of the season? We skewered Shafer for playing Dungey in a Louisville blowout, Eric got hurt and we kissed goodbye any possibility of going bowling that year

It's so nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the games tonight and tomorrow night knowing that our business is taken care of.

It's like winning your game in the NCAAs and then watching the rest of the day and next day games with the satisfaction knowing you've advanced.

 

[Trueblue25]

How much of this performance was because the game was at 8 o'clock at night? Will they play this way for a noon game? Will the crowd be this amped at noon?

The crowd was loud, drunk and out for blood so I think there’s validity in what you’re saying.

Win at Uconn and we’ll get a legit crowd

 

[Chris02M]

The crowd was loud, drunk and out for blood so I think there’s validity in what you’re saying.

Win at Uconn and we’ll get a legit crowd

with the game at noon in 2 weeks at least the students can stay for the entire game vs going to party at halftime to 3rd quarter

 

[MikeSU02]

I know I’m biased as all get out, but does anyone get the sense that we’re going to be a fun team for neutral fans to root for?

Shrader is like a southern Dungey. Tucker as a silent assassin. Mikel Jones and his Ultimate Warrior-esque arm bands. Garrett Williams / Duce combo.

From my preview:

"Derek McDonald is a Georgian who was rated #1,453/77 as a tight end but got into two games last year as a linebacker and that’s where he’s stayed. Nunes: “With the starting LBs set in stone and many other underclassmen on the roster, McDonald will have to fight for consistent playing time. He could rotate in as needed but this is still probably a development year.” They note: “He’s doubling as a broadcast & digital journalism student.”

Thanks SWC75