sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
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Left my house at 5:40 AM to head to East Hartford. It is an easy drive to the Rent; you take interstates the whole way, one turn south from I-90 to I-91 near Springfield and another west from I-91 to I-84. Ride a couple of exits on I-84 and you are there. I made it in 3 hours 29 minutes both ways, and stopped for gas on the way and a burger on the way back.
There are things I like and dislike about going to a game at the Rent.
It is, by far, the easiest ride of any of our common opponents from Syracuse. Parking is relatively cheap, relatively close to the stadium and it is easy to get from there back to the interstates and home. The stadium, while really spartan, has good sightlines and the open concourse and wide aisle make moving around easy and comfortable. While they don't have stainless steel urinal technology, they have enough bathrooms so that you don't have to wait long when nature calls.
The UConn fans were less profane and hateful this trip, even with the news we will be leaving the conference soon. Of course, everything is relative. Our fans chanting 'UConn blows' and 'You have no future' weren't very classy either. Was impressed with the ability to drink alcohol displayed by both groups of fans. The best putdown of the day was a chant of "Let's Go Orange, We Have Power" the SU faithful took up at some point during the game.
Don't know if they showed it on TV but at some point early in the game, Jonathan The Albino Sled Dog came over to the area where Otto and the SU cheerleaders were, in front of the SU fan section, and issued an informal dance competition challenge. That albino canine can dance his furry butt off. He had a ton of moves, even moving into a breakdance at one time. When finished, he would gesture with his paws he was done, and issue a challenge for Otto to try and match him. Otto was absolutely pathetic as a dancer, wriggly his little blue arms around and looking extraordinarily lame each time it was his turn to dance. His final answer was to take his arms in and spin his orange bottom around, which he did in a spazzy and awkward fashion. No one asked me, but it might be a good idea if the person playing Otto had some kind of dancing or athletic skill. Pathetic dorkiness was not cutting it today. Not that this was a big issue in the grand scheme...
They put the SU fans and cheerleaders on the side of the stadium in the shade, which on a cold and fairly windy day was not a good thing. The SU cheerleaders were muy mucho, electing not to wear sweat suits, going bare legged all game long, while the UConn cheerleaders, basking in the sun all game long, wore their sweat suits all game long. Weak Huskies. Very weak.
The UConn band, which appears to be substantially larger than the SUMB, played the SU fight song near the start of the game. A few other bands do this as well. Classy move and something I wish the SUMB would start doing. The UConn band had 17 tubas, so from a sousaphone marching band perspective, they are far more ACC ready than we are. BTW, they sounded good. They have made a ton of improvement from the first UConn band I heard some 5 or 6 years ago. So props to them.
I am not a fan of the food at the Rent, mostly because it is so generic and mainstream. Overpriced adequate to low quality staples of stadium food. Didn't see anything interesting or appetizing on their menus. I believe they had turkey drumsticks back 4 years ago. If they did and they stopped selling them, shame on MSG, UConn and the entire state of Connecticut.
While I like the sightlines at the Rent, and the wide aisles and open concourse, I really dislike the lack of scoreboards. Really a spartan facility. They have the score, the time remaining, the TOs, down and distance on the big (quite small actually) scoreboard behind the open concourse. That is it...one place to get all the crucial info.
Lots of annoying interruptions during the game where they let some young girl (a student?) interview people about mundane things (a member of the women's volleyball team on a coming match, members of the Husky Youth fan club, etc). She doesn't speak well and the interviews were really amateurish. They also have this young kid they call Johnny Entertainment (or something lame like that) that they constantly put on the mic. He is a lame DJ that thinks he is cool. Just embarrassing. All the UConn fans around us hate him.
The last thing I don't like about going to games at the Rent is the atmosphere inside and outside the stadium. Inside the Rent, there isn't much intensity. UConn fans are a tame and docile bunch. Rarely made any noise. No ability to do organized chants (they tried and failed repeatedly though). They don't make noise when they should and don't react like knowledgeable fans to plays in a football game. You have to walk before you can run. UConn fans still have a lot to learn about football.
In addition, The Rent is in the middle of nowhere. I really like it when the stadium is on campus and you can get a feel for the campus, the school buildings and what the school is like. The only things around the Rent are empty fields and some cheap, low end motels. With roofing problems.
Last thing about the Rent. It looks really weird right now. The endzones are really funky looking...they dip down and have pieces missing. Looks like someone forgot to finish it. I assume this is because they have left spaces to add on in the event demand for tickets every increases. On this day, more seats were not needed. I would guess there were about 36-37K in the stands.
So there are some good and bad things going to East Hartford, but all told, I like making this trip. It was my third time there. If it is the last time we play here again, I will miss it...it was convenient to get to and I think, down the road, we might have developed a nice rivalry with the Huskies.
Let's talk about the weather. It was sunny and cool. I think the temperature got up to the high 40s. Some wind, not too bad. Had a couple of light coats and shirts on and was fine. On the way to East Hartford, saw some snow here and there in Massachusetts and CT but not much. Talked to a number of people still without power. They are not happy. I was delayed a little getting to the game by the high numbers of National Grid trucks driving to Connecticut from CNY and upstate NY. I think that they compromised about 80 % of the traffic I saw on my way to the game. Hope those guys can help these people get back to a normal life soon.
The tailgate was a good one. CuseBarney and Cuseguy set things up and prepared a ton of high quality food, aided by JeremyCuse, TexanMark and a host of others. Breakfast sandwiches, Irish bangers, Asian pork, Hoffman dogs, lots of desserts, lots of chips, lots of beer, including Shiner Bock, the official beer of Syracusefan.com (unless Yuenling is still sponsoring us as well).
My guess is that we had 40 or 45 people all told at the tailgate. Some stopped by for a while, some stayed the whole time. Sorry I missed CTO, CherieOrange and PurpleJimLurker after the game. I was too disappointed to talk much about the game at that time.
Regarding the game, I don't have a lot to say. Nassib might have had the strangest game any SU QB has ever had. I thought he had a miserable first half. His worst half ever since he was named the starter. And then in the 2nd half, I thought he came back, was a different player and played very well. I don't know what is going on with him. The often heavy pass rush and all the hits he has taken appear to have taken a toll on him. I hope we get 2nd half Good Ryan the rest of the season.
Thought UConn blitzed a lot and played some man coverage but mixed things up some with pass coverages. Played more zone than other teams recently, as I thought they might. It for the most part was not effective, though the way Ryan threw the first half, any coverage would have been fine. We hurt them passing a lot more in the 2nd half. They did a really bad job covering the naked boot rollaway plays we have used so often this season, rarely getting someone in Ryan's face or having contain, though we went to the well with this play one time too many, when the UConn LB timed his cut for the ball perfectly and beat Lemon to the ball on that fateful sideline pass that ended up being the key play of the game. Alec played a great ball but I wish he came back for that one throw...got a little greedy, tried to get an extra yard or two and Ryan's throw was not quite strong enough to get by Moore? for UConn. Damn.
The play calling in the first half was not great. UConn was playing 8 in the box and daring us to throw and we were somewhat reluctant early. That might have been because of some of the early throws Nassib made. I still can't believe he throw those picks like he did. Did they slip from his hand? Was he hit by a blot of lightning as he released the ball? Was any explanation provided?
We also got burned by going to the well a couple of times too many with reverses (Provo? Really? Honestly?) and Graham (whoa, were they waiting on that or what?). Even with the weird calls, our continuing struggles at RB, etc. I say that except on the long passes, our WRs were open today consistently, and if Ryan was throwing the way he normally does (and did in the 2nd play) we would have put up 35 or 40 points today.
The defense again came out flat, looked not ready to play early, then settled in and played very well for a long stretch. We didn't get beat long all game for the first time in recent memory but we hurt by some throws over the middle, mostly to the TE, and a few throws to the sidelines. We pretty happy with the job done on McCombs. The thing that really killed us with McCummings and all he did was run QB draws. Almost all the time we had him locked up for a short gain but we were awful tackling that kid. Really disappointing to lose like that. I had flashbacks to the Temple game where Walter Washington did similar things to us, in a game that ultimately and ironically led to Coach P getting fired at Syracuse. We were hurt some by McCombs early but Shafer made some adjustments and things got shored up. But there was no adjustment for McCummings. And that was a key factor in the game as well.
The other factor that really hurt SU was the kickoff situation. UConn had a guy who consistently got long high kickoffs, the way a D1 team should always kick off. And they consistently had excellent coverage. We had awful kickoffs and awful coverage. Also had rotten KO returns and some more penalites on special teams again. I bet we started drives an average of 25 or 30 yards further away than UConn did on average today. This is a recurring problem that has to be addressed. I am not blaming Ross Krautman, who played hurt today, largely because the staff is overusing him in practices. Hope this gets addressed for next year. Of all the factors that led to this loss, I think this one might have been the most important.
This loss hurts a lot. We had the lead and control of the game in the second half, got sloppy and lost. No disrespect to UConn but in my opinion, we lost to a team we should not have lost to. Not something I am used to in the DM era, a very similar situation to the RU game and a trend I am not enjoying seeing developing.
The USF game is now a must win game. I hope the team comes out ready to play. On offense, on defense and yes, on special teams as well.
There are things I like and dislike about going to a game at the Rent.
It is, by far, the easiest ride of any of our common opponents from Syracuse. Parking is relatively cheap, relatively close to the stadium and it is easy to get from there back to the interstates and home. The stadium, while really spartan, has good sightlines and the open concourse and wide aisle make moving around easy and comfortable. While they don't have stainless steel urinal technology, they have enough bathrooms so that you don't have to wait long when nature calls.
The UConn fans were less profane and hateful this trip, even with the news we will be leaving the conference soon. Of course, everything is relative. Our fans chanting 'UConn blows' and 'You have no future' weren't very classy either. Was impressed with the ability to drink alcohol displayed by both groups of fans. The best putdown of the day was a chant of "Let's Go Orange, We Have Power" the SU faithful took up at some point during the game.
Don't know if they showed it on TV but at some point early in the game, Jonathan The Albino Sled Dog came over to the area where Otto and the SU cheerleaders were, in front of the SU fan section, and issued an informal dance competition challenge. That albino canine can dance his furry butt off. He had a ton of moves, even moving into a breakdance at one time. When finished, he would gesture with his paws he was done, and issue a challenge for Otto to try and match him. Otto was absolutely pathetic as a dancer, wriggly his little blue arms around and looking extraordinarily lame each time it was his turn to dance. His final answer was to take his arms in and spin his orange bottom around, which he did in a spazzy and awkward fashion. No one asked me, but it might be a good idea if the person playing Otto had some kind of dancing or athletic skill. Pathetic dorkiness was not cutting it today. Not that this was a big issue in the grand scheme...
They put the SU fans and cheerleaders on the side of the stadium in the shade, which on a cold and fairly windy day was not a good thing. The SU cheerleaders were muy mucho, electing not to wear sweat suits, going bare legged all game long, while the UConn cheerleaders, basking in the sun all game long, wore their sweat suits all game long. Weak Huskies. Very weak.
The UConn band, which appears to be substantially larger than the SUMB, played the SU fight song near the start of the game. A few other bands do this as well. Classy move and something I wish the SUMB would start doing. The UConn band had 17 tubas, so from a sousaphone marching band perspective, they are far more ACC ready than we are. BTW, they sounded good. They have made a ton of improvement from the first UConn band I heard some 5 or 6 years ago. So props to them.
I am not a fan of the food at the Rent, mostly because it is so generic and mainstream. Overpriced adequate to low quality staples of stadium food. Didn't see anything interesting or appetizing on their menus. I believe they had turkey drumsticks back 4 years ago. If they did and they stopped selling them, shame on MSG, UConn and the entire state of Connecticut.
While I like the sightlines at the Rent, and the wide aisles and open concourse, I really dislike the lack of scoreboards. Really a spartan facility. They have the score, the time remaining, the TOs, down and distance on the big (quite small actually) scoreboard behind the open concourse. That is it...one place to get all the crucial info.
Lots of annoying interruptions during the game where they let some young girl (a student?) interview people about mundane things (a member of the women's volleyball team on a coming match, members of the Husky Youth fan club, etc). She doesn't speak well and the interviews were really amateurish. They also have this young kid they call Johnny Entertainment (or something lame like that) that they constantly put on the mic. He is a lame DJ that thinks he is cool. Just embarrassing. All the UConn fans around us hate him.
The last thing I don't like about going to games at the Rent is the atmosphere inside and outside the stadium. Inside the Rent, there isn't much intensity. UConn fans are a tame and docile bunch. Rarely made any noise. No ability to do organized chants (they tried and failed repeatedly though). They don't make noise when they should and don't react like knowledgeable fans to plays in a football game. You have to walk before you can run. UConn fans still have a lot to learn about football.
In addition, The Rent is in the middle of nowhere. I really like it when the stadium is on campus and you can get a feel for the campus, the school buildings and what the school is like. The only things around the Rent are empty fields and some cheap, low end motels. With roofing problems.
Last thing about the Rent. It looks really weird right now. The endzones are really funky looking...they dip down and have pieces missing. Looks like someone forgot to finish it. I assume this is because they have left spaces to add on in the event demand for tickets every increases. On this day, more seats were not needed. I would guess there were about 36-37K in the stands.
So there are some good and bad things going to East Hartford, but all told, I like making this trip. It was my third time there. If it is the last time we play here again, I will miss it...it was convenient to get to and I think, down the road, we might have developed a nice rivalry with the Huskies.
Let's talk about the weather. It was sunny and cool. I think the temperature got up to the high 40s. Some wind, not too bad. Had a couple of light coats and shirts on and was fine. On the way to East Hartford, saw some snow here and there in Massachusetts and CT but not much. Talked to a number of people still without power. They are not happy. I was delayed a little getting to the game by the high numbers of National Grid trucks driving to Connecticut from CNY and upstate NY. I think that they compromised about 80 % of the traffic I saw on my way to the game. Hope those guys can help these people get back to a normal life soon.
The tailgate was a good one. CuseBarney and Cuseguy set things up and prepared a ton of high quality food, aided by JeremyCuse, TexanMark and a host of others. Breakfast sandwiches, Irish bangers, Asian pork, Hoffman dogs, lots of desserts, lots of chips, lots of beer, including Shiner Bock, the official beer of Syracusefan.com (unless Yuenling is still sponsoring us as well).
My guess is that we had 40 or 45 people all told at the tailgate. Some stopped by for a while, some stayed the whole time. Sorry I missed CTO, CherieOrange and PurpleJimLurker after the game. I was too disappointed to talk much about the game at that time.
Regarding the game, I don't have a lot to say. Nassib might have had the strangest game any SU QB has ever had. I thought he had a miserable first half. His worst half ever since he was named the starter. And then in the 2nd half, I thought he came back, was a different player and played very well. I don't know what is going on with him. The often heavy pass rush and all the hits he has taken appear to have taken a toll on him. I hope we get 2nd half Good Ryan the rest of the season.
Thought UConn blitzed a lot and played some man coverage but mixed things up some with pass coverages. Played more zone than other teams recently, as I thought they might. It for the most part was not effective, though the way Ryan threw the first half, any coverage would have been fine. We hurt them passing a lot more in the 2nd half. They did a really bad job covering the naked boot rollaway plays we have used so often this season, rarely getting someone in Ryan's face or having contain, though we went to the well with this play one time too many, when the UConn LB timed his cut for the ball perfectly and beat Lemon to the ball on that fateful sideline pass that ended up being the key play of the game. Alec played a great ball but I wish he came back for that one throw...got a little greedy, tried to get an extra yard or two and Ryan's throw was not quite strong enough to get by Moore? for UConn. Damn.
The play calling in the first half was not great. UConn was playing 8 in the box and daring us to throw and we were somewhat reluctant early. That might have been because of some of the early throws Nassib made. I still can't believe he throw those picks like he did. Did they slip from his hand? Was he hit by a blot of lightning as he released the ball? Was any explanation provided?
We also got burned by going to the well a couple of times too many with reverses (Provo? Really? Honestly?) and Graham (whoa, were they waiting on that or what?). Even with the weird calls, our continuing struggles at RB, etc. I say that except on the long passes, our WRs were open today consistently, and if Ryan was throwing the way he normally does (and did in the 2nd play) we would have put up 35 or 40 points today.
The defense again came out flat, looked not ready to play early, then settled in and played very well for a long stretch. We didn't get beat long all game for the first time in recent memory but we hurt by some throws over the middle, mostly to the TE, and a few throws to the sidelines. We pretty happy with the job done on McCombs. The thing that really killed us with McCummings and all he did was run QB draws. Almost all the time we had him locked up for a short gain but we were awful tackling that kid. Really disappointing to lose like that. I had flashbacks to the Temple game where Walter Washington did similar things to us, in a game that ultimately and ironically led to Coach P getting fired at Syracuse. We were hurt some by McCombs early but Shafer made some adjustments and things got shored up. But there was no adjustment for McCummings. And that was a key factor in the game as well.
The other factor that really hurt SU was the kickoff situation. UConn had a guy who consistently got long high kickoffs, the way a D1 team should always kick off. And they consistently had excellent coverage. We had awful kickoffs and awful coverage. Also had rotten KO returns and some more penalites on special teams again. I bet we started drives an average of 25 or 30 yards further away than UConn did on average today. This is a recurring problem that has to be addressed. I am not blaming Ross Krautman, who played hurt today, largely because the staff is overusing him in practices. Hope this gets addressed for next year. Of all the factors that led to this loss, I think this one might have been the most important.
This loss hurts a lot. We had the lead and control of the game in the second half, got sloppy and lost. No disrespect to UConn but in my opinion, we lost to a team we should not have lost to. Not something I am used to in the DM era, a very similar situation to the RU game and a trend I am not enjoying seeing developing.
The USF game is now a must win game. I hope the team comes out ready to play. On offense, on defense and yes, on special teams as well.
