So, does Marrone "take the bait" this week?

[GoSU96]

He discussed in a couple of places that as they were game planning for USF they were very tempted to go back to the throw early, throw often but held off and stuck with the balanced approach.

Just my opinion, but I think they are better off trying to get this game into the high 30's/40's shootout and put pressure on Lego to make pressure throws in the 4th.

If you make this a QB battle, I like SU's chances.

One thing they need to do is make #51 play in space instead of letting him come down hill on run defense.

 

[orangenirvana]

They need to be aggressive and throw it all over the field from the first snap. Like you said, score in the 40's and make Munchie match it.

 

[007]

He discussed in a couple of places that as they were game planning for USF they were very tempted to go back to the throw early, throw often but held off and stuck with the balanced approach.

Just my opinion, but I think they are better off trying to get this game into the high 30's/40's shootout and put pressure on Lego to make pressure throws in the 4th.

If you make this a QB battle, I like SU's chances.

One thing they need to do is make #51 play in space instead of letting him come down hill on run defense.

I tend to agree that the winner is going to need to score in the high 30s in this game. But, I also think that we are going to see more of the "same" balance on O - power running game with Smith to open up the passing game for Nassib. This seems to be the best formula for consistent success given the givens.

On D, I think we will see SU load the box and run blitz to take away Cinn run game and then go after Munchie on 3rd down. This will expose the secondary to big plays, but I think/hope the emphasis this week will go back to trying to stop the run and then take your chances with ML having a big game through the air..

 

[sufandu]

Does throw it early and often automatically equal scoring in the 40's? We've seen where Nassib seems to play tight early in games. Throwing a lot early could just as easily mean fast 3 and outs. I prefer a balanced approach. I don't know what Cincinnati's weakness on defense is, but if we are a truly balanced offense we should be able to exploit it.

 

[Halfmooncuse]

Open it up from get go. DMs conservative offense takes 15 to 20 plays to get the the red zone if a fumble penalty or loss doesn't stop it and at best results in a fg. Nassib throws a great 10 to 20 yard pass and s hurry up strategy helps this better than running. Don't put Nassib in a blitz situation or its happy feet and disaster. Too many times NW Minn USf we wait till we are down do bad to open it up and it worked only in one

 

[Nick44]

It's more than that. They need to throw early not only to score but to loosen up the top 20 run defense that UC has. That will ALLOW them to go to a balanced attack.

 

[All4SU]

So with SU's run defense, doesn't Cincy have to throw to "loosen" use up? And therefore, doesn't our forcing them to throw play right into their hands?

 

[Doctor44]

The problem is Jerome smith is the superior running option, but is an oaf when it comes to catching the ball outta the back field. With Tyson gulley we loose running yards but get a dump off guy. When you have to switch them out, it hurts the flow of the hurry up offense

 

[upperdeck]

when did smith become an OAF catching the ball, yeah he has dropped a couple but he has also made several nice catch and runs this year. he hasn't had all that many chances

 

[Moontan]

he hasn't had all that many chances

Not too surprising when you consider how the first one went. Fortunately, he's been doing real well since then.

Next year's RB situation should be very solid... something that's important when there's a new QB behind center.

 

[wfschrec]

It's more than that. They need to throw early not only to score but to loosen up the top 20 run defense that UC has. That will ALLOW them to go to a balanced attack.

I'm trying to figure out how people don't see the smoke and mirrors that is the UC run defense ... did you see what Fluellen did to them? Hell Graham went for over 100 ... SU would probably have a top 20 run defense if they played UC's schedule. Fordham, Miami (OH), Toledo (who beat them) and Delaware State ... 4 stat stuffer games ... break down the numbers and most teams (even a bad Va Tech team who have struggled running the ball) average between 4-5 yards a carry against them. Frankly other than LVille have they even played a team with an OL as good as ours? Pitt's is awful, Va Tech ... awful .. and the others aren't even worth mentioning.

 

[Pyle]

Nassib has not been much of a 1st half QB this year, kind of like Stafford and the Lions.

 

[sutomcat]

I'm trying to figure out how people don't see the smoke and mirrors that is the UC run defense ... did you see what Fluellen did to them? Hell Graham went for over 100 ... SU would probably have a top 20 run defense if they played UC's schedule. Fordham, Miami (OH), Toledo (who beat them) and Delaware State ... 4 stat stuffer games ... break down the numbers and most teams (even a bad Va Tech team who have struggled running the ball) average between 4-5 yards a carry against them. Frankly other than LVille have they even played a team with an OL as good as ours? Pitt's is awful, Va Tech ... awful .. and the others aren't even worth mentioning.

You make some good points. UC is probably not as good against the run as their stats indicate but the stats show they are a lot more vulnerable against the pass than the run, and I think that is worth noting.

Lets just look at Louisville and look at what happened there. They appear to be roughly comparable to us on offense and Stewart didn't play against them.

Here is what happened in the UL-UC game:

Louisville had 37 rushing attempts for 108 net yards and went 24-41 passing for 416 net yards

The loss of Stewart really hurts their pass rush. Doesn't look like it has hurt their ability to defend the run much. I definitely want to do a mix of running and passing Satruday but I think it would be a mistake to try and use a power rushing attack against these guys. Spread the field, run enough to keep them honest but take advantage of the problems they have with their secondary and DL pass rush.

 

[Chip]

He discussed in a couple of places that as they were game planning for USF they were very tempted to go back to the throw early, throw often but held off and stuck with the balanced approach.

Just my opinion, but I think they are better off trying to get this game into the high 30's/40's shootout and put pressure on Lego to make pressure throws in the 4th.

If you make this a QB battle, I like SU's chances.

One thing they need to do is make #51 play in space instead of letting him come down hill on run defense.

I think we keep doing what we've been doing. Establishing the run early is fine, then let the game dictate what you do. We are fortunate to be running and passing well, so we can adapt if need be.

One thing about Munchie, he got into a 4th quarter shootout with VT and he made all the big throws. So even though he's slumping now, he can do it. Let's just hope for now that we can make the slump continue. Jones won't unleash any of that unless he absolutely has to. I'm sure he'll try to go over the top early, but other than that, Cincy is going to run quite a bit, using both QB and RB to do it.

 

[wfschrec]

You make some good points. UC is probably not as good against the run as their stats indicate but the stats show they are a lot more vulnerable against the pass than the run, and I think that is worth noting.

Lets just look at Louisville and look at what happened there. They appear to be roughly comparable to us on offense and Stewart didn't play against them.

Here is what happened in the UL-UC game:

Louisville had 37 rushing attempts for 108 net yards and went 24-41 passing for 416 net yards

The loss of Stewart really hurts their pass rush. Doesn't look like it has hurt their ability to defend the run much. I definitely want to do a mix of running and passing Satruday but I think it would be a mistake to try and use a power rushing attack against these guys. Spread the field, run enough to keep them honest but take advantage of the problems they have with their secondary and DL pass rush.

Louisville isn't tailor made to gash you with the run anyway ... 128 against USF, 156 against Pitt ... so they weren't too far from their norm ... but they throw the ball very well ... the thing that does impress me about Cincy is that LVille had a +2 turnover margin and barely made it out with the W ... Cincy is good no doubt but I think their defensive statistics are a bi-product of schedule as much as the scheme and talent. Louisville's offense is pretty much 60% pass, 40% run give or take some percentage points so there is that to consider. As an aside Bridgewater lit them up for over 400 in the air ... so they took what Cincy gave them.

 

[wfschrec]

Nassib has not been much of a 1st half QB this year, kind of like Stafford and the Lions.

Nassib's splits are mind boggling ...

 

[sutomcat]

Louisville isn't tailor made to gash you with the run anyway ... 128 against USF, 156 against Pitt ... so they weren't too far from their norm ... but they throw the ball very well ... the thing that does impress me about Cincy is that LVille had a +2 turnover margin and barely made it out with the W ... Cincy is good no doubt but I think their defensive statistics are a bi-product of schedule as much as the scheme and talent. Louisville's offense is pretty much 60% pass, 40% run give or take some percentage points so there is that to consider. As an aside Bridgewater lit them up for over 400 in the air ... so they took what Cincy gave them.

UC is a solid team. We are going to have to play really well to win this one, and as in the UL-UC game, turnovers are going to be a big key. I believe Bridgewater did not do very well passing the ball in the first half but had an incredible second half, when UC just got ripped up by the UL WRs.

Don't think the Bearcat defense has a lot of depth and is suspectible to getting worn down. Our scheme tends to wear down defenses (and as others have noted, Nassib consistently does much better throwing in the 2nd half), so I think it is likely that Syracuse will score a lot more points in the second half than the first half.

If SU is close at halftime, they have a great chance to win. If they can get the lead and force UC to pass, it would be awesome.