My Take

[tep624]

Did it cross your mind that maybe usc finally played close to their A game? I thought USC played 10x better than they have all season. Conversley if Syracuse played this same game against rhode island they would have won by 60 points. I thought syracuse played pretty well today for what they are/have. USC's speed was unbelievable they played great.

Couldn't agree more. I was there and basically the gist of your post is what I thought most of the game. Outside of the fumble and stupid unsportsmanlike penalties, I don't see SU playing much better than the team did today. We needed USC to come out flat and stay flat in order to keep the game close and that didn't happen.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Couldn't agree more. I was there and basically the gist of your post is what I thought most of the game. Outside of the fumble and stupid unsportsmanlike penalties, I don't see SU playing much better than the team did today. We needed USC to come out flat and stay flat in order to keep the game close and that didn't happen.

Yep...SC was going to wake up sooner or later. SU played a nice game minus a few dumb and unfortunate plays like you say. They were competitive and gave it their best. BTW, cool you got to experience the Coliseum. It's not the most raucous venue but it has a certain vibe about it and it's just a unique place in college football history. I witnessed lots of games in person there with Polamalu and Carson Palmer when I was in grad school.

 

[cmr27]

At this point, 2-1 was what everyone was hoping for and thought realistic going into the season. There's a lot to play for and the rest of the season will be exciting. Can't ask for much more than that now.

 

[mgurtz79]

A few things caught my mind.

1.) DROPED PASSES. There were at least a few drives that stalled because of dropped passes which is incredibly frustrating. Lemon & Graham particularly needs to stand next to the jugs machine for a while. And in my opinion Graham's speed does not offset his inability to have the ball in his hands. Maybe it is time to see what West, Flemming or Kobena can do.

2.) Run Defense looked like last year again. Last year we would get teams into third and long and unleash the hounds. They did a good job (Bromley and Googins are going to be really good) tonight but that leads me into the next one.

3.) They are not hitting home on the blitz and the corners just are not playing well. The second USC touchdown to Woods was a perfect point. Thomas and a linebacker get picked up and the receiver puts a little juke on and Lyn is no longer even close. The touchdown Reddish gave up I will chalk up to inexperience because he barely touched the receiver and the guy just ran past him.

4.) STUPID PENALTIES. I think the refs were fine in their calls but there are way to many personal fouls on this team. Look, late hits, chop blocks and protecting the QB are clearly a point of emphasis the players need to smarten up.

5.) The Defense reminds me of Marrone's 1st year when it just did not seem to come together until the Rutgers game. They might get it right every now and again but they are just a few seconds off. Maybe the Freshman's timing will get better as the year as the season wears along, but I think next year (in theory returning 9 starters) is when they will gell.

 

[shantydaze]

It seemed there were a couple of key moments in the game where we had momentum and were stopped or allowed a USC drive to continue. On the defensive side, these moments seemed to be based on penalties and the big play right after.

I was disappointed with our pass rush though. Whether by design (more players in coverage) or USC's line, it seemed like Barkley had way too much time to sit in the pocket and find an open receiver. We were not able to force him into making bad decisions.

 

[chakka3421]

We needed the perfect game to win - no stupid penalties, no bad calls by refs, no dropped passes, etc. But I'm glad we played better than last 2 games - still our OLine needs to play better if we are going to win and go bowling. I'm still predicting no better than a 7-5 season.

 

[RoysRunts]

Chibane has been a culprit in Bad Blocking and penalities the last 3 Games.

 

[OrangeZone]

Simply put; even with their down-numbers they are fishing in a different pool than we have yet.
We are definitely improved in the speed area and yet we have yet to field receivers of the type SC puts on the field. Given time, Coach Marrone and staff will have those types of talents in Orange.

​

 

[tep624]

Yep...SC was going to wake up sooner or later. SU played a nice game minus a few dumb and unfortunate plays like you say. They were competitive and gave it their best. BTW, cool you got to experience the Coliseum. It's not the most raucous venue but it has a certain vibe about it and it's just a unique place in college football history. I witnessed lots of games in person there with Polamalu and Carson Palmer when I was in grad school.

Oh definitely, the Coliseum was a great experience. I sat in a sea of cardinal and yellow and everyone was very gracious and friendly. It almost feels like a time capsule to the 60's or what I imagine that era to be like attending a college FB game. Great experience.

 

[GardenOrange]

Secondary play has to improve or we will have a tough time with many of our remaining opponents. DBs were broke down and looked confused time and time again. It is understandable, but not good enough.

 

[Cuse2010]

Much too kind of an assessment. But perhaps I was expecting too much from the coaches and players to do to 'SC what was done to us last week.

Still feels like for all this sense of discipline around the program, there are a number of stupid things that happen on the executional level. That said, I did not expect a win, but very much hoped for a tighter ball game. And agree that Raupers and Kobena just went so far backwards from what they've showed in the Dome thus far.

Beat the Mud Hens.

Hope not they are a baseball team...lets beat the Rockets instead

 

[DezisOrange]

Game for me was as expected so I am not angry at all. Just the opposite. For years now we've had to lean on our defense heavily (too heavily) because our offense lagged behind. This season the offense was to help the younger D for once. The first two games, the offense had me spooked a little. This game I saw our offense get going against a team with the talent and resources that we may never have. And our D line...much better than expected. Goggins lived in their backfield. And the crazy thing was we had missed opportunities in abundance on both sides of the ball. For this game against this talent, for me B+ - A-. Remeber this, Their are no other USC's on the schedule. We don't have too take a backseat to anyone left on the schedule. 5-1 start still possible. 8 win season (dare i hope even better) still in play. Wouldn't it be great to sneak in a BE championship and then leave? That would be crazy.