So which team do we see. | Syracusefan.com

So which team do we see.

GoSU96

Living Legend
Joined
Aug 17, 2011
Messages
20,396
Like
38,407
Through 9 games last year statistically this team was as good as any SU team in 20 yrs

They averaged 29.4pts, 415 yds pg, 6.09 ypp, on offense, 22.5pts, 316.7 ypg, 4.7ypp on defense.

If the season had ended there it would have been the third most points per game and the best yds per play. It would have been the 3rd best pts per game allowed, 2nd best yds per game and yds per play after the 2010 team.

It would have been the only team to average over 6yds per play and less than 5 allowed. 2nd best point and yds per game differential, best yds per play differential by 2x over the 2010 team. The record didn’t reflect it, but the team was playing really well.

Problem was the season had three more games and it was a total system collapse. It was a Gergian level of horrible, on steroids.

Offense - 11.3 pts per game, 214 yds, 3.9 ypp. Defense 37.7 pts, 371yds, 6.2ypp. Negative differential of 26.4 pts, 157.3, and 2.3 ypp. The team reverted to being non competitive. That reflects a degraded roster that was dealing with lack of faith with some of the staff.

I think those first 9 games is why there is a reason to be optimistic, it reflects what this roster, when healthy, is capable of. It’s the profile of a top 20 team. The next step is to getting more points out of that production and more key stops on defense. Do that, marginal improvement on specials, this could be a team that matches ‘01, 12, and 18. The schedule is tough, but not ridiculous. 8-4 is achievable.
 
lost in the losing season is that many teams greats seasons are ridden on some close games and things going their way. Rutgers loss is something you dont even see once a yr the way we controlled that game. FSU took a few late plays going against us and we r 5-0 playing Wake and could easily have won that to be 6-0 and then big MO might have carried us past CLemson/VT and we are looking at 8-0. 4-4 without any team playing better than us. We were an 8-9 win team on the of play and some teams win 10 with the right breaks.
 
And let's not forget some of the poor coaching decisions. Just because the outcome does not work out does not mean it was the wrong one, but we had moments where the decision was bad and it didn't work. With little margin for error in tight games, that was magnified.
 
lost in the losing season is that many teams greats seasons are ridden on some close games and things going their way. Rutgers loss is something you dont even see once a yr the way we controlled that game. FSU took a few late plays going against us and we r 5-0 playing Wake and could easily have won that to be 6-0 and then big MO might have carried us past CLemson/VT and we are looking at 8-0. 4-4 without any team playing better than us. We were an 8-9 win team on the of play and some teams win 10 with the right breaks.
Does anyone want to look at the other side of the ledger? In the Liberty game we stopped a NFL dual threat qb 4 times inside the 5 yard line. Then got a strip sack fumble recovery at the end of the game to preserve a win. In the VT game, any experienced db basically tackles Alford, and says take the 1st down and 15 yards, thus ending the game. Those are basically 2 Lake Placid level miracle wins. Even if we get one, or even two, of the close losses, that basically puts us back at 4 or 5 wins. That's right where last year's team deserved to be.
 
we did have two razor thin wins vs Liberty and Va Tech that could have gone the other way too. The Rutgers game is the game that killed us. They suck, but our gameplan sucked and Devito was a stiff as usual. If GS had started and if Gilbert wasn't so dumb to where Tucker ended up with the same amount of carries as he had against Albany(13), we win that game and go bowling. The schedule and the QBs we face this year are pretty daunting. However, if we can throw a forward pass, if our DL doesn't get mauled and we can actually kick and punt like SU kickers and punters always have been able to, we will be a 7-8 win team
 
Last edited:
Does anyone want to look at the other side of the ledger? In the Liberty game we stopped a NFL dual threat qb 4 times inside the 5 yard line. Then got a strip sack fumble recovery at the end of the game to preserve a win. In the VT game, any experienced db basically tackles Alford, and says take the 1st down and 15 yards, thus ending the game. Those are basically 2 Lake Placid level miracle wins. Even if we get one, or even two, of the close losses, that basically puts us back at 4 or 5 wins. That's right where last year's team deserved to be.

Yeah I know I’ve beaten this drum in the past but too many times have I seen the “we were a couple breaks away” posts over the last ten years and though it’s a tired cliche you are what your record says you are.
 
Does anyone want to look at the other side of the ledger? In the Liberty game we stopped a NFL dual threat qb 4 times inside the 5 yard line. Then got a strip sack fumble recovery at the end of the game to preserve a win. In the VT game, any experienced db basically tackles Alford, and says take the 1st down and 15 yards, thus ending the game. Those are basically 2 Lake Placid level miracle wins. Even if we get one, or even two, of the close losses, that basically puts us back at 4 or 5 wins. That's right where last year's team deserved to be.
but that is also saying the plays at the end of the game are all that matters.

Rutgers clearly the better team

Liberty pretty even game.

Vt. I am confused by what you say. Were down 2. we scored with 19 to go.. even if the DB just tackles Alford at the 10 we had plenty of time to just kick a game winning FG. we were only 10-15 yds away from a fg as it was which is one reason the deep ball was open.

I dont see either as a miracle win.

if our Kicker kicks like 3 yrs ago we probably win 3-4 more games last yr.
 
but that is also saying the plays at the end of the game are all that matters.

Rutgers clearly the better team

Liberty pretty even game.

Vt. I am confused by what you say. Were down 2. we scored with 19 to go.. even if the DB just tackles Alford at the 10 we had plenty of time to just kick a game winning FG. we were only 10-15 yds away from a fg as it was which is one reason the deep ball was open.

I dont see either as a miracle win.

if our Kicker kicks like 3 yrs ago we probably win 3-4 more games last yr.
Will have to check. Thought we needed a TD to win.

Edit: I'm saying an experienced defender tackles Alford as soon as he passes him, before the catch. Would have been 1st @ 30yard line, 20seconds to go, after a PI penalty. College doesn't give you spot foul mark. So yeah, not game over, but not a sure thing for us either.
 
Last edited:
All the games were maddening in different ways:

FSU: Wax pulls up to avoid penalty but let's Travis stay in bounds and scramble another 30 yards to setup the FG.

Wake: Botched 2-pt conversion.

Clemson: Not going for it on 4th and short.

I think having Anae and Beck will help Dino a lot.
 
I told my family this week that I thought ‘cuse was going to have a good football season. They literally all laughed and told me I say that every year.
I’m already dreading the ride home at midnight after the Louisville game* with an suv full of my family and friends laughing at me because I put my entire being into Syracuse football (again)

*In the extremely small chance it doesn’t go our way
 
All the games were maddening in different ways:

FSU: Wax pulls up to avoid penalty but let's Travis stay in bounds and scramble another 30 yards to setup the FG.

Wake: Botched 2-pt conversion.

Clemson: Not going for it on 4th and short.

I think having Anae and Beck will help Dino a lot.
Yeah, officiating in the FSU game was just as bad as Rutgers. Wax pulled up because of the BS calls earlier in that game. I can't stand ACC refs.
 
We see year one of a winning team. SU will put several winning seasons together. The team has depth, has solid and some elite players. The coaching staff is very good and can coach up kids better than most. We are watching history as it is made...

No Orange colored glasses: 7-5 plus a bowl win
With Orange colored glasses: 15-0, Shutting out Miami in the ACCCG, allowing Bama 10 points in the semifinal, and stomping tOSU in the final, so much that the B1G boots the Buckeyes for shaming the conference and Rutgers on general principle, placing PSU and UMD on notice.
 
Does anyone want to look at the other side of the ledger? In the Liberty game we stopped a NFL dual threat qb 4 times inside the 5 yard line. Then got a strip sack fumble recovery at the end of the game to preserve a win. In the VT game, any experienced db basically tackles Alford, and says take the 1st down and 15 yards, thus ending the game. Those are basically 2 Lake Placid level miracle wins. Even if we get one, or even two, of the close losses, that basically puts us back at 4 or 5 wins. That's right where last year's team deserved to be.
It’s right to see them all in the same bucket, but wrong to come to the conclusion you did. Some teams win a whole string of close games and some lose all of them. It’s really hard to pinpoint why.

For me, I see them as proof we were into something and have room to grow into a team that is better than “competitive with everyone” … maybe even a “should win vs x” team
 
Through 9 games last year statistically this team was as good as any SU team in 20 yrs

They averaged 29.4pts, 415 yds pg, 6.09 ypp, on offense, 22.5pts, 316.7 ypg, 4.7ypp on defense.

If the season had ended there it would have been the third most points per game and the best yds per play. It would have been the 3rd best pts per game allowed, 2nd best yds per game and yds per play after the 2010 team.

It would have been the only team to average over 6yds per play and less than 5 allowed. 2nd best point and yds per game differential, best yds per play differential by 2x over the 2010 team. The record didn’t reflect it, but the team was playing really well.

Problem was the season had three more games and it was a total system collapse. It was a Gergian level of horrible, on steroids.

Offense - 11.3 pts per game, 214 yds, 3.9 ypp. Defense 37.7 pts, 371yds, 6.2ypp. Negative differential of 26.4 pts, 157.3, and 2.3 ypp. The team reverted to being non competitive. That reflects a degraded roster that was dealing with lack of faith with some of the staff.

I think those first 9 games is why there is a reason to be optimistic, it reflects what this roster, when healthy, is capable of. It’s the profile of a top 20 team. The next step is to getting more points out of that production and more key stops on defense. Do that, marginal improvement on specials, this could be a team that matches ‘01, 12, and 18. The schedule is tough, but not ridiculous. 8-4 is achievable.
Bump
 

Forum statistics

Threads
167,141
Messages
4,682,914
Members
5,901
Latest member
CarlsbergMD

Online statistics

Members online
46
Guests online
966
Total visitors
1,012


Top Bottom