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Message: [QUOTE="PASyrFan, post: 726501, member: 2243"] Even though I live in PA, I grew up in Syracuse & bleed orange. I think this will be a very entertaining game, perhaps the best game of the weekend. O'Brien is an excellent coach both as an X's & O's guy, and as a recruiter. It's amazing how well he continues to recruit, even with the sanctions. But that's just PSU. If O'Brien stays longterm, PSU will contend for National Championships. Like Marrone though, I still think O'Brien is a better fit for the NFL. Should Penn State continue to improve, the NFL will make him offers he may not be able to refuse. If he survives the sanction period, he may be at PSU for many, many years. Back to Syracuse. The Orange D will play with crazy intensity, and will scheme to create chaos & turnovers. Our DL has potential, but our DE's won't apply enough pressure unless they develop quickly. Our LBers are very good & our secondary is deep. Shafer, our new HC, has a great defensive mind. The question to be answered is what kind of HC he'll be. When Marrone left, he took 7 of our 9 coaches. I love Shafer's intensity, and he may very well end up being a better overall HC than Marrone was. Marrone, no doubt turned this Program around, but he didn't like to recruit, and it showed. That's exactly why he's in the NFL now. Expect SU to recruit better under Shafer. Our offense was firing on all cylinders late last year. Had Marrone stayed, I would love to see what this unit would look like this year, even without Nassib. Our OC is a young guy, coming here with a reputation as a solid recruiter. That remains to be seen. Also, no one really knows what kind of an X's & O's guy he'll be. SU's OL has potential, but is inexperienced at certain positions. Our QB battle pits a big armed transfer from Oklahoma, who can spin the rock against a smaller, more agile guy, who has a better knowledge of the system. Expect to see both guys. Our RB's are very good, and we have excellent depth at this position. If PSU doesn't stop the run, they will be in trouble. Our WR's are average, so are our TE's. Syracuse will come out flying all over the field on D & pounding the ball on O. This game will come down to how well the young PSU QB's react to that chaos. O'Brien will be prepared to counter, but it still comes down to execution. If their QB's stay poised, there are always big plays available against an attacking D. If they don't, expect some turnovers that PSU may not be able to overcome. Really, really good game. I would have LOVED to see these two teams play each other late last year!! [/QUOTE]

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