OttoinGrotto
2023-24 Iggy Award Most 3 Pointers Made
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- Aug 26, 2011
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For the first time in a long time there's a convergence between our enthusiasm as fans for what the upcoming season holds, and the national perception and expectation of what we can accomplish as a program this year. My hope is we're a wire to wire Top 25 team, and conclude the bowl season with 9 or more wins.
My optimism aside, program building and sustaining success are fragile processes. The more I think about the upcoming season, the more the following questions come to mind. The more of these questions that we resolve well, the better the season I believe we can have.
1. How different is the offense without Dungey's rushing yards?
We've only ever seen a Babers offense at Syracuse that included the threat of Eric Dungey's instinctual running, with last season being Dungey's most successful on the ground amassing 750 yards and 15 rushing TDs. Dungey's running ability was a blessing and a curse, because while he did move the ball, it also subject him to a lot of hits. I think we're all agreed that DeVito brings a different skill set to the QB position, and many of us will sleep easier if he's not taken down as often as Dungey was.
So what happens? DeVito will almost certainly account for at least some rushing yardage, and it's not difficult to envision some of Dungey's production spread around the running backs on the roster. How does the complexion of the offense change though? Teams had to really account for Dungey's ability to tuck and run. We did see DeVito get buried now and again last season without posing that same threat. On the other hand, reports are that Dungey may have been a bit quick to tote it and options for downfield passing existed in the offense that he gave up on too quickly. Dungey also never seemed to have much zip on screens and other passes to the side, and it's likely those quick hitters from DeVito become a much more frequent and effective part of the attack.
2. Is Cavanaugh the coach we think he is?
Not many coaches are entered into the cult, but Cavanaugh is one of them. The offensive line looked to improve significantly last season, but this season that positional unit appears to be one of the question marks. Cavanaugh came to us with a great resume coaching successful lines and players at the highest level of college football, and did nothing in year one to cast any doubt on his skill as a coach.
That said, he benefited from a high level grad transfer and a bevy of returning players with a lot of snaps under their belts. This season, the composition of the line simply has more unknowns. While the staff as a whole appears to have recruited and developed at a high level, there's a good chance the consistency of the line will depend to some extent on Cavanaugh's expertise. Is he as good as we hope?
3. Can the play of the young guys match their accolades?
Either one of the Andres had an unprecedented season, but having two relative unknowns earn All-American honors immediately is completely unheard of. DeVito is the most decorated incoming QB we've seen since McNabb, and Taj Harris very quietly set freshmen records for our program as a wideout.
Are each of these players able to build on the accolades? Kickers are hard to predict, and it's possible our offense produced an abnormal number of FG attempts and somewhat flukily made good. Cisco's 7 interceptions showed he can be at the right place at the right time and finish the play, but he is also player that has been burnt, sometimes takes angles that remove him from a play, and isn't exactly a thumper when it comes to tackling. There's room to grow. When I think back on DeVito's production as a backup, I feel much more positive about how he played than the stats suggest. If he's the big-time elite QB we believe, watch out, that record book is gonna be on fire. Re: Harris, what's the true ceiling? Given the freshman production, he now projects to be the statistically most productive WR in school history. Is he really that guy?
4. Can everything go according to plan for the second year in a row?
The formula is pretty simple to explain - outrun the other team so they wear out over the game, put up so many points your opponent has to do unnatural things to try to keep up, and use a high pressure, chaotic defense to force turnovers. All along, have special teams shine when called upon.
It's not the easiest formula to execute, and yet last season we did. We rarely trailed in any game, forced turnovers and big plays defensively, and simply wore other teams down. Really, it was a thing of beauty. As much as we could control most of those things, we did.
Those aren't all easy things to control. How big a threat is regression to the mean?
My optimism aside, program building and sustaining success are fragile processes. The more I think about the upcoming season, the more the following questions come to mind. The more of these questions that we resolve well, the better the season I believe we can have.
1. How different is the offense without Dungey's rushing yards?
We've only ever seen a Babers offense at Syracuse that included the threat of Eric Dungey's instinctual running, with last season being Dungey's most successful on the ground amassing 750 yards and 15 rushing TDs. Dungey's running ability was a blessing and a curse, because while he did move the ball, it also subject him to a lot of hits. I think we're all agreed that DeVito brings a different skill set to the QB position, and many of us will sleep easier if he's not taken down as often as Dungey was.
So what happens? DeVito will almost certainly account for at least some rushing yardage, and it's not difficult to envision some of Dungey's production spread around the running backs on the roster. How does the complexion of the offense change though? Teams had to really account for Dungey's ability to tuck and run. We did see DeVito get buried now and again last season without posing that same threat. On the other hand, reports are that Dungey may have been a bit quick to tote it and options for downfield passing existed in the offense that he gave up on too quickly. Dungey also never seemed to have much zip on screens and other passes to the side, and it's likely those quick hitters from DeVito become a much more frequent and effective part of the attack.
2. Is Cavanaugh the coach we think he is?
Not many coaches are entered into the cult, but Cavanaugh is one of them. The offensive line looked to improve significantly last season, but this season that positional unit appears to be one of the question marks. Cavanaugh came to us with a great resume coaching successful lines and players at the highest level of college football, and did nothing in year one to cast any doubt on his skill as a coach.
That said, he benefited from a high level grad transfer and a bevy of returning players with a lot of snaps under their belts. This season, the composition of the line simply has more unknowns. While the staff as a whole appears to have recruited and developed at a high level, there's a good chance the consistency of the line will depend to some extent on Cavanaugh's expertise. Is he as good as we hope?
3. Can the play of the young guys match their accolades?
Either one of the Andres had an unprecedented season, but having two relative unknowns earn All-American honors immediately is completely unheard of. DeVito is the most decorated incoming QB we've seen since McNabb, and Taj Harris very quietly set freshmen records for our program as a wideout.
Are each of these players able to build on the accolades? Kickers are hard to predict, and it's possible our offense produced an abnormal number of FG attempts and somewhat flukily made good. Cisco's 7 interceptions showed he can be at the right place at the right time and finish the play, but he is also player that has been burnt, sometimes takes angles that remove him from a play, and isn't exactly a thumper when it comes to tackling. There's room to grow. When I think back on DeVito's production as a backup, I feel much more positive about how he played than the stats suggest. If he's the big-time elite QB we believe, watch out, that record book is gonna be on fire. Re: Harris, what's the true ceiling? Given the freshman production, he now projects to be the statistically most productive WR in school history. Is he really that guy?
4. Can everything go according to plan for the second year in a row?
The formula is pretty simple to explain - outrun the other team so they wear out over the game, put up so many points your opponent has to do unnatural things to try to keep up, and use a high pressure, chaotic defense to force turnovers. All along, have special teams shine when called upon.
It's not the easiest formula to execute, and yet last season we did. We rarely trailed in any game, forced turnovers and big plays defensively, and simply wore other teams down. Really, it was a thing of beauty. As much as we could control most of those things, we did.
Those aren't all easy things to control. How big a threat is regression to the mean?
