Maybe this is how you become a good program again...

[A Clockwork Orange]

Not a good team (judged yearly) but a good program (judged over the course of many years). I've never been an SU fan when they were in the process of building a good program. I started watching in '89, so they were good, and then they were bad.

Maybe it happens in fits and starts, back and forth -- every game feeling like this completely different animal. I'm not sure if this is the road that leads back to being a successful program, but I like that they finally took a serious punch to the gut, came back, got down and still came back to win. That's what the folks of the 10th Mountain Division do daily -- maybe those pre-season drills started kicking in. One thing's for sure, this team doesn't quit. Not against the opponent on the field, and not on one another. That's got to count for something right?

We're all incredible sideline QB's. We love and hate this team passionately, sometimes one play to another. In the end though hopefully we're all celebrating this one though, because damn it, this IS our team. Fact of the matter is, I can't tell whether this team is good or bad, whether it's unlucky or not well coached. In eight games, the only thing I do know is that they don't quit, and that's a good thing.

The thing that got me with this game is that it felt like they were learning to win. The UConn game was easy, you don't show character when you control a game start to finish. You show character when you get slobber-knockered, get up off the ground and give just as good as you get. This team showed some of that against Northwestern. Losing games like that doesn't let you know in your own mind that you can battle it out and come away victorious though; you actually need to win.

I think even Marrone was buying into the snake bit thing earlier this year. Fact is, you make your own luck. There have definitely been some crazy bounces, and bizzare plays. Plays we couldn't overcome. Plays that we all (fans, players and coaches I'm sure) look back on and say "what the ?" What it comes down to though, is that good teams overcome those plays. They pick themselves up, and run, pass and tackle better than the other team. That's what this team did last night. They played awful on defense, and made special teams errors and then came back and put it all together.

I'm not sure what this all means, but this game felt different. It felt like this team finally said "screw this, we're winning this game." That's important somehow. That means something. You can't do that when you don't trust the guy in charge, and when you don't trust your teammates. You can't do that if you don't believe that you can overcome everything for the win.

So is this the way you build a good program? I'm not sure, maybe some of the older folks can chime in on that. What I do know is that this damn football team has sucked me back in again. At halftime I said to my wife "well basketball season is right around the corner." Well, football season is HERE, and going into November I'm all in on this team and this program again. Damn it, I'm all in.

They could lose 40-0 to Cincy next week, and all of this will be moot. But I don't think they will, not after last night and not after this year. This team may fail to execute, but they never fail to show up for all 40 minutes. Hopefully that's what helps build a good program -- it's definitely helping to build a good team.

 

[SmilinBob]

Good teams do what they did the past few weeks...defense wins game vs Pitt and offense wins vs USF and specials makes some plays. No blame game...no excuses just continue to battle to the end and that end after the 12th game...then you see your collection of scars and find out if you move on but not until that 12th game is over.

 

[Shenexon]

Not a good team (judged yearly) but a good program (judged over the course of many years). I've never been an SU fan when they were in the process of building a good program. I started watching in '89, so they were good, and then they were bad.

Maybe it happens in fits and starts, back and forth -- every game feeling like this completely different animal. I'm not sure if this is the road that leads back to being a successful program, but I like that they finally took a serious punch to the gut, came back, got down and still came back to win. That's what the folks of the 10th Mountain Division do daily -- maybe those pre-season drills started kicking in. One thing's for sure, this team doesn't quit. Not against the opponent on the field, and not on one another. That's got to count for something right?

We're all incredible sideline QB's. We love and hate this team passionately, sometimes one play to another. In the end though hopefully we're all celebrating this one though, because damn it, this IS our team. Fact of the matter is, I can't tell whether this team is good or bad, whether it's unlucky or not well coached. In eight games, the only thing I do know is that they don't quit, and that's a good thing.

The thing that got me with this game is that it felt like they were learning to win. The UConn game was easy, you don't show character when you control a game start to finish. You show character when you get slobber-knockered, get up off the ground and give just as good as you get. This team showed some of that against Northwestern. Losing games like that doesn't let you know in your own mind that you can battle it out and come away victorious though; you actually need to win.

I think even Marrone was buying into the snake bit thing earlier this year. Fact is, you make your own luck. There have definitely been some crazy bounces, and bizzare plays. Plays we couldn't overcome. Plays that we all (fans, players and coaches I'm sure) look back on and say "what the ?" What it comes down to though, is that good teams overcome those plays. They pick themselves up, and run, pass and tackle better than the other team. That's what this team did last night. They played awful on defense, and made special teams errors and then came back and put it all together.

I'm not sure what this all means, but this game felt different. It felt like this team finally said "screw this, we're winning this game." That's important somehow. That means something. You can't do that when you don't trust the guy in charge, and when you don't trust your teammates. You can't do that if you don't believe that you can overcome everything for the win.

So is this the way you build a good program? I'm not sure, maybe some of the older folks can chime in on that. What I do know is that this damn football team has sucked me back in again. At halftime I said to my wife "well basketball season is right around the corner." Well, football season is HERE, and going into November I'm all in on this team and this program again. Damn it, I'm all in.

They could lose 40-0 to Cincy next week, and all of this will be moot. But I don't think they will, not after last night and not after this year. This team may fail to execute, but they never fail to show up for all 40 minutes. Hopefully that's what helps build a good program -- it's definitely helping to build a good team.

Superb post...

 

['72 Orange]

This will hopefully be a defining win for this team - a win that builds character and gives them the confidence that if they play "their game" no deficit is insurmountable. As one of the "older folk" on this board, I can confirm that re-building the SU program from the depths takes time. In this age of instant gratification, many fans like to point to other programs who catch lightening in a bottle with a sexy HC hire and rebound in a couple of years and complain why cant we do it? That has not been the blue print for SU. This last year has been frustrating and often times painful to watch. It has shaken the faith of all of us have in this program and HC, but if Doug can continue to steer the ship in the right direction, we will be rewarded with a team we can be proud of.

If we do lose 40-0 next week to Cincy, my faith will again be tested but if this team believes enough in themselves to rebound from adversity why should I not believe on them? I will never give up on this team!

 

[SoBristol]

I don't know that one terrific comeback, led by carryover seniors, is a mark of a successful program. It shows this particular team, in this particular season, has plenty of heart and enough talent to stay relevant in November. Credit to Sales, Lemon & Nassib for leading the way.

Building a successful program is about upgrading recruiting. That is what Coach Mac was doing in those early years, while the team was breaking even on the field.

Doug has work to do to upgrade his recruiting (number of commits lagging rivals at this stage). He needed to have some wins, some sense the program is actually rebuilding, some excitement and positive energy. He has that now, and in a position where another upset or two will create real buzz. Then, we will see how the 2013 class comes together.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Are you suggesting we turned the corner?

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[Noexcuse]

I see some similarities with the "turned the corner" team of 1986. That team started with 4 straight close losses (including a frustrating loss to Rutgers) then had a blow out win against Missouri followed by a blow out loss to Penn State. People were ready to ride Mac out on a rail (the Sack Mac Pack). But somehow that team pulled it together and won 4 of its last 5 and giving us some hope and a glimpse of what 1987 might be like.

 

[domedog]

Are you suggesting we turned the corner?

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Only time will tell for sure, but this has been a better team than the record indicated, and this game could truly be the game we look back on down the road and say, "this is when things really got going".

 

[SWC75]

I lived through the MacPherson build-up and am writing about the early Schwartzwalder era and there were certainly many ups and downs in both. That could be happening again but I wish our play wasn't so inconsistent and ragged as it has been over the last couple of seasons. This year could actually have been a breakthrough year. We came into yesterday's game 33rd in the country in yards gained but only 81st in scoring and 109th in turnover margin. We were 26th in total defense and 24th rushing defense and gave up 552 yards, 369 on the ground to a team that ahd been averaging 401 and 156.

It's easier to deal with an obvious physical limtiation which could be cured by better recruiting. But when your feet are full of holes and you don't know if you are getting better at something or not, you wonder what road we are really going down.