Louisville vs. Syracuse Preview

[Sheriff50]

Hey guys! I came over here for last year's football game to share my game preview and review and figured I would do the same thing again this season. I was going to make the trip, but I've had a last minute thing that will prevent me from going...first game I will miss for UofL all season in person.

Anyway I just wanted to share and get some discussion going on the game...any feedback is appreciated.

Louisville/Syracuse Preview

 

[Chip]

Good preview.

No worries about missing the game. If you say, for sake of argument and math, there are 200,000 Louisville fans in the world, we're used to 199,960 of them not making the trip to the Carrier Dome.

 

[Sheriff50]

Chip...thanks.

The Cardinal fan base is fairly small. Limited to just a few counties in Kentucky. But they usually do travel pretty well to bowls and early away games. Basketball opens Sunday so that will take a good percentage of fans out of the travel equation for sure. I have tickets, but won't be able to use them unless I can give them to someone who is going up or unload them on StubHub.

 

[SUinNYC]

Nice post. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Sheriff50]

Nice post. Thanks for sharing.

Glad you enjoyed it. Wish the Syracuse series would continue!

 

[Orangello]

Thanks for the write up. I did not realize your kick off coverage was so bad (25yp).

 

[JoeSU]

I'll be interested to see what adjustments we make this year to deal with the UL pressure (screen passes, quick crossing routes, etc.). When is the last time anyone saw a draw play?

 

[Sheriff50]

Orangello, it's been bad all year. Lots of 40 yard starts, and then Temple finally broke one. It's been a point of emphasis this week.

JoeSU, I kept wondering what Syracuse would do last year to stop all the pressure but they didn't make many adjustments at all. I was shocked

 

[SUinNYC]

JoeSU, I kept wondering what Syracuse would do last year to stop all the pressure but they didn't make many adjustments at all. I was shocked

Ryan is much better against the blitz this year than he was last year, but I don't think he's had the kind of pressure that he'll face from Louisville yet.

The bad news for SU is that he tends to cough up the ball when pressured.

 

[Orangello]

Orangello, it's been bad all year. Lots of 40 yard starts, and then Temple finally broke one. It's been a point of emphasis this week.

Kick off returns have been a sore spot with us as well all year but there is a feeling that we are due to break one. Look for Kobena and Morgan to handle the duties this Sat. They are both very fast. Kobena of course fumbled the kick off last week against Cincy.

I am very interested to see how well our O Line plays against your defensive front. As others have mentioned, Nassib tends to get happy feet when he feels the pocket start to collapse and bad things usually follow. Having said that I think the staff has been pushing him t run more in those stiuations rather than just taking the sack. He surprised me a bit in this respect last week.

 

[qdawgg]

I don't have the feeling that we are due to break one, other than the fact that at some point in time every team will eventually break one.

 

[Sheriff50]

SUinNYC: I hope you are doing OK post-Sandy... one quick note, Louisville hasn't been playing the same type of defense in 2012 as they did in 2012. It's a conscious shift from last year the Cards didn't have the offense to get behind so the coaches dialed up the tightest pressure ever. This year it's entirely different, it's been much more of a 'don't give up the big play' defense. It's been frustrating because Cards fans have prided themselves in the sub-300 yard game since Charlie Strong's arrival, and that really hasn't happened much this season....but the Cards have been winning. UofL's offense is MUCH better than any version the Big East has seen since 2007 and the defense has done enough to win. I'd really like to see the Cards pressure Nassib like last year and see if they can get the same results, I just don't think they will.

Orangello: If Syracuse is going to break a kickoff it will be against the Cards. Our special teams coach hinted in practice that he has found the 'fix', but this has been a problem since Game 1 for UofL and yet to be solved. A lot of starters on defense have volunteered to do their part so maybe it's personnel, but I'll believe it when I see it. I just want them to kick it out of the endzone.

As for the O-line vs. D-Line. DE Lorenzo Mauldin is likely to be OUT and he is a terror at end. BJ Dubose was suspended vs. Temple, but he isn't really an end that is going to constantly cause problems. Getting to Nassib will be DE Marcus Smith and DT Roy Philon. Both players really do a nice job causing problems along with Deiontrez Mount...but if Dubose and Mauldin don't play that will really affect 4th quarter depth.

 

[Chip]

Chip...thanks.

The Cardinal fan base is fairly small. Limited to just a few counties in Kentucky. But they usually do travel pretty well to bowls and early away games. Basketball opens Sunday so that will take a good percentage of fans out of the travel equation for sure. I have tickets, but won't be able to use them unless I can give them to someone who is going up or unload them on StubHub.

We don't travel so well ourselves (unless it's a basketball game), so just throwing a few stones from my wonderfully decorated glass house.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[orangenirvana]

Nice, thorough preview. Couple comments...

1. Sharpe has had a solid Sr. season, but in no way is he our best player on defense. That title would go to our safety Shamarko Thomas (former Louisville commitment). Sharpe is a longshot to be drafted next April. ShamWow should be picked up somewhere in the mid-to-late rounds.

2. You may be the only person in the country who would call SU's linebackers "exceptional" and wide receivers "outstanding."

3. In four years, I've yet to see Nassib "burn teams" with his legs. Good QB, cannon for an arm, strong as an ox and tough as nails. But athleticism isn't his thang.

 

[orangenirvana]

one quick note, Louisville hasn't been playing the same type of defense in 2012 as they did in 2012. It's a conscious shift from last year the Cards didn't have the offense to get behind so the coaches dialed up the tightest pressure ever. This year it's entirely different, it's been much more of a 'don't give up the big play' defense. It's been frustrating because Cards fans have prided themselves in the sub-300 yard game since Charlie Strong's arrival, and that really hasn't happened much this season....but the Cards have been winning.

I'd really like to see the Cards pressure Nassib like last year and see if they can get the same results, I just don't think they will.

I'm happy to hear (read) this. UL dominated Syracuse last season due to a balls-to-the-wall pressure gameplan. Nassib and this offense have historically struggled against defenses like that, although Nassib has slightly improved in that area (pressure awareness, extending plays) this season.

That said, I'm sure Strong and his DC will completely change things up for this game - blitz Nassib all day, tell the corners to play tight man D, and the Cards will probably execute perfectly despite their youth because Strong is that good.

 

[Chip]

Nice, thorough preview. Couple comments...

1. Sharpe has had a solid Sr. season, but in no way is he our best player on defense. That title would go to our safety Shamarko Thomas (former Louisville commitment). Sharpe is a longshot to be drafted next April. ShamWow should be picked up somewhere in the mid-to-late rounds.

2. You may be the only person in the country who would call SU's linebackers "exceptional" and wide receivers "outstanding."

3. In four years, I've yet to see Nassib "burn teams" with his legs. Good QB, cannon for an arm, strong as an ox and tough as nails. But athleticism isn't his thang.

Sharpe did most of his damage in one game. Lucky for us, this is his first return to the venue of that game. Let's hope for a repeat.

I would call our LBs fast enough but undersized. I would call our WRs solid.

And yeah, Nassib can get us a first down on a 3rd and 4 with his legs if he sells the spread option fake to the RB. But he's not going to go much further than that 4 yards. He looked faster to me in the Pinstripe Bowl when we finally let him run, than he has this year.

If Louisville dials up the pressure this week, I think we'll be ok. RB will be the key. The improved OL can hold their own against the blitz, RBs have to do their job in protection. And we have to be able to run the ball as we have the past few weeks, so they can't just tee off. I think the WRs and an improving Wales can get open as hot reads against the blitz.

 

[JrodCuse]

Hi Sheriff! I hope your being at the games is the reason Lville is 9-0 and they will be 0-1 at the games you aren't present.

 

[Sheriff50]

OrangeNirvana: I really like the WRs and LBs the Orange have....maybe that's just me from the outside looking in. And with Nassib's legs, I hope I didn't turn him into Munchie Legaux or anything, but teams don't generally account for them so sometimes he'll sneak out of the pocket for a few yards here and there. I'm really hoping they bring back the high-pressure Defense, but they have only dialed that up situationally in 2012.

JrodCuse: Yes I am sure! I'm superstitious as anyone and the one thing present at every UofL game was me and rain (except for FCS Missouri State) and neither will be there on Saturday.

 

[SUinNYC]

SUinNYC: I hope you are doing OK post-Sandy...

Thanks for the kind wishes. My family was very fortunate. We had to relocate for a few days and have some water as a result of the storm. But not everyone was so lucky.

Good luck on Saturday.

 

[Sheriff50]

Thanks for the kind wishes. My family was very fortunate. We had to relocate for a few days and have some water as a result of the storm. But not everyone was so lucky.

Good luck on Saturday.

That's great to hear! Good luck to you guys too...definitely wish the series would continue. Always had good interactions with Orange fans.

 

[Crusty]

Welcome - enjoy the game.

 

[FAL]

Chip...thanks.

The Cardinal fan base is fairly small. Limited to just a few counties in Kentucky. But they usually do travel pretty well to bowls and early away games. Basketball opens Sunday so that will take a good percentage of fans out of the travel equation for sure. I have tickets, but won't be able to use them unless I can give them to someone who is going up or unload them on StubHub.

Hey Sheriff--

Hope one of those counties you mention is Hardin! Your posts bring back fond memories of the couple of years I spent at Fort Knox. Always enjoyed travelling up the "Dixie Die-Way" to spend time in Louisville. Great city, great people--what's not to like? Burgoo and bourbon, baby!

PS: Hope SU kicks the snot out of the Cards.