SWC75
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The coach’s show is on TK99, (FM 99.5) in the Syracuse area and can also be heard through Orange All-Access on the SU Athletic website. It’s 8PM Thursdays- or two days before each game, when they are not on Saturday. They have a link to their “Radio Mailbox” for submitting E-Mail questions on the SU Athletic website. You also can call in questions at 1-888-740-2873 or locally at 315-424-8599.
In past years it took sometimes weeks for a podcast to turn up on the SU athletics website, so I tried to do a virtual transcript of the show. This year I missed the first show and the pod cast was available the next day at this site:
http://www.suathletics.com/podcasts.aspx
This year I’ll start out by just summarizing the main points and referring people to the pod cast to listen to the whole thing. If the podcast starts appearing later- such as after the next game, I’ll go back to doing more of a transcript.
My Questions/Comments
“Coach, last week we talked about comparative scores. I like these two scores: #1 ranked LSU 47 West Virginia 21, Syracuse 49 West Virginia 23. The question is: will this game just be a peak in a roller-coaster season, or, having seen what they are capable of, will these players realize how good they can be and what it takes to perform at that level and will they continue that effort and focus and perform at that level or near it from here on in? What can the coaching staff do to help them remain at the “next level” now that they’ve achieved it?”
HCDM
The talked about the Schwartzwalder Trophy and Coach again said it’s something special not only for football purposes but because Ben defended his country, was an outstanding citizen and had an impact on so many lives. Before the game Doug told the team “When you came back into this locker room after the game, this trophy will be sitting in the center of it”. And it was.
I called in my question about sustaining this level of play. Coach said he spoke to the team about that. He asked them “Who are we? Are we the team that had to rally from 15 points down against Wake Forest and win in overtime? Are we the team that had to bat down a pass to beat Rhode Island? Are we the team that played well early against USC and then lost by three touchdowns? Are we the team that gave away the Rutgers game? Are we the team that needed a last second field goal to beat Tulane? Or are we the team that beat West Virginia by the same margin #1 LSU did?” He told them that “We have to execute 10 out of 10 plays, not 9 out of 10 plays. We have to have the same type of enthusiasm and just as much energy this week as last. We have to manage success as well as we managed failure. don’t forget what got you to this point.” The primary themes have been “managing attitude and expectations“.
Matt Park noted the success the team had had on the road last year. Coach said that there are a lot of distractions at home you don’t get on the road. People are always asking for tickets and things. When he leaves for a road game all that happens is that his wife says “I’ll see you when you get back.” Matt asked if going on the road after this big win might actually help the team focus more on this game. Coach said that was possible. “I experienced this as a player. When you have a big win everybody wants to congratulate you. And it’s human nature to accept all the congratulations. But you‘ve got to stay focused on the next game.“
Matt asked if the memory of what happened last year- a big win over South Florida, a bad performance vs. Pittsburgh, big wins over West Virginia and Cincinnati followed by a loss to Louisville, would help the team now. Coach that 55 players on the squad have been here only 1-2 years and probably 30% of last year’s travel squad is on this team. “With each team you have to build a foundation. Senior leadership is important, though. But, as a coach, you have to be careful about stressing the negative too much. Everybody knows what we want to be - a team that plays well in all three phases and is competitive every week. I’m not big on yelling and screaming. That doesn’t get it done.”
Matt described the West Virginia game as “A methodical match between preparation and execution.” Doug said “People look at the big plays but I look at the third down catch by Alec lemon and the way the pass rush and coverage supported each other. The rush meant that the defensive backs had to cover receivers for a smaller period of time while the defensive backs gave the linemen and linebackers more time to get to the quarterback.
Matt talked about the “monster game” Chandler Jones had had, specifically mentioning the one-armed tackle of the quarterback. He was the Big East Defensive Player of the Week. Coach said that he was “very rusty” when he came back and the extra week really helped him”. But he also wanted people to understand that Chandler’s big plays were made possible by his teammates who closed off all routes of escape and prevented the ball from being thrown down the field. It’s a team sport and no play is made in a vacuum.
An E-Mailer asked about so many players cramping up in the West Virginia game. Doug said that when it’s hot, the team focuses on hydration but sometimes when it’s cooler they think the change in temperature makes it unnecessary to hydrate but they found out differently. There will definitely be an extra effort to keep hydrated at Louisville. (I heard on the radio today that they are excepting and 80 degree temperature for the game.)
Coach said it was great to get a big win at home because the local fans last year really couldn’t enjoy the season we had because all the big wins were on the road. He also likes the way people associated in the program in the past were reconnecting with it.
Matt mentioned that the West Virginia game presents a great opportunity to recruit tight ends because we went to them so much in that game, (4TDs). Coach said “We’ve almost done with this class. We are just waiting to hear from a couple of kids. We are already working on the 2013 class. Everything is helping us: conference realignment, winning on TV, etc.”
Another E-mailer asked if he had considered pulling the starters at the end of the game. Coach laughed and said he had hadn’t much experience with that and he needs to do a better job of managing that. There was no talk in the pre-game preparation about what to do if we got a big lead. Actually we are playing many young players as it is. He noted how several young players have developed, including Sam Rogers, the snapper and Jonathan Fisher the punter. “We’ve got to develop the younger players on the team but not jeopardize winning the game.”
Coach said that fan support made a big difference in the game. “They jumped offsides on third down because they couldn’t hear the signals. When I hear that teams are playing music at their practice to simulate crowd noise, I know that their degree of focus on the game isn’t what it should be.”
Matt brought up Dorian Graham and how he is becoming a force with two pass receptions for touchdowns vs. Tulane and the 98 yard kick off return vs. West Virginia, which was a huge play in the game. Coach also noted that he’s been “outstanding as a gunner” on kicks, although they are pulling him off the kick-off coverage team because he’s being used more and more as a receiver. “People keep talking about ’stretching’ the defense’ but it’s not just about speed- it’s about getting off man coverage at the line of scrimmage and Dorian can do that.”
Coach said Louisville will be the best defensive team we’ve played yet this season. “They are very physical. It’s like in baseball. If you have a weakness like not hitting the curveball, they will throw you nothing but curves. We have to get better coming off of man coverage.” Offensively, they have Jeremy Wright, “who will be their next superstar running back. He runs fast and very low to the ground. I looked at the film because everybody was talking about him and I saw their other backs and they are good, too. Their quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, was the 6th best quarterback coming out of high school last year. He can make all the throws- fades, crossing routes. And he can make plays with his feet. They have that 6-8 tight end, Josh Chichester and the outside guys have blazing speed.” Matt asked how we defend a 6-8 receiver? “You can’t make Keon Lyn taller.” Coach: “There’s a lot of things you can do: you can win at the line, use your body well, have proper arm placement. But a 6-8 guy is quite an advantage in the red zone.” Matt asked what the key to the game would be. “We need our special teams to make something happen.”
The Coach said that, “the conference is wide open- everybody’s in it. The next 2-3 weeks are important to set yourself up in the race.” He noted the terrible injuries Pitt had suffered in their win over Connecticut - three key players out for the season. “it’s about which team is the healthiest.” Matt noted that if we were in the ACC, we’d be competing to go to a conference championship. Doug said he recalled that situation from when he was in the SEC. “There’s less pressure. You feel you could slip up and still have a chance to win it. In this conference, there’s more pressure to play well every week.”
Two programming notes: Next week’s show will be on at the normal time, Thursday at 8PM but the following week, since it’s another Friday game, the show will be on Wednesday, 11/9 at 8PM. The first Jim Boeheim Show of the year will be the following day, Thursday, 11/10. I assume they will retain the two hour format of the last two years and the show will be on at 7PM.
In past years it took sometimes weeks for a podcast to turn up on the SU athletics website, so I tried to do a virtual transcript of the show. This year I missed the first show and the pod cast was available the next day at this site:
http://www.suathletics.com/podcasts.aspx
This year I’ll start out by just summarizing the main points and referring people to the pod cast to listen to the whole thing. If the podcast starts appearing later- such as after the next game, I’ll go back to doing more of a transcript.
My Questions/Comments
“Coach, last week we talked about comparative scores. I like these two scores: #1 ranked LSU 47 West Virginia 21, Syracuse 49 West Virginia 23. The question is: will this game just be a peak in a roller-coaster season, or, having seen what they are capable of, will these players realize how good they can be and what it takes to perform at that level and will they continue that effort and focus and perform at that level or near it from here on in? What can the coaching staff do to help them remain at the “next level” now that they’ve achieved it?”
HCDM
The talked about the Schwartzwalder Trophy and Coach again said it’s something special not only for football purposes but because Ben defended his country, was an outstanding citizen and had an impact on so many lives. Before the game Doug told the team “When you came back into this locker room after the game, this trophy will be sitting in the center of it”. And it was.
I called in my question about sustaining this level of play. Coach said he spoke to the team about that. He asked them “Who are we? Are we the team that had to rally from 15 points down against Wake Forest and win in overtime? Are we the team that had to bat down a pass to beat Rhode Island? Are we the team that played well early against USC and then lost by three touchdowns? Are we the team that gave away the Rutgers game? Are we the team that needed a last second field goal to beat Tulane? Or are we the team that beat West Virginia by the same margin #1 LSU did?” He told them that “We have to execute 10 out of 10 plays, not 9 out of 10 plays. We have to have the same type of enthusiasm and just as much energy this week as last. We have to manage success as well as we managed failure. don’t forget what got you to this point.” The primary themes have been “managing attitude and expectations“.
Matt Park noted the success the team had had on the road last year. Coach said that there are a lot of distractions at home you don’t get on the road. People are always asking for tickets and things. When he leaves for a road game all that happens is that his wife says “I’ll see you when you get back.” Matt asked if going on the road after this big win might actually help the team focus more on this game. Coach said that was possible. “I experienced this as a player. When you have a big win everybody wants to congratulate you. And it’s human nature to accept all the congratulations. But you‘ve got to stay focused on the next game.“
Matt asked if the memory of what happened last year- a big win over South Florida, a bad performance vs. Pittsburgh, big wins over West Virginia and Cincinnati followed by a loss to Louisville, would help the team now. Coach that 55 players on the squad have been here only 1-2 years and probably 30% of last year’s travel squad is on this team. “With each team you have to build a foundation. Senior leadership is important, though. But, as a coach, you have to be careful about stressing the negative too much. Everybody knows what we want to be - a team that plays well in all three phases and is competitive every week. I’m not big on yelling and screaming. That doesn’t get it done.”
Matt described the West Virginia game as “A methodical match between preparation and execution.” Doug said “People look at the big plays but I look at the third down catch by Alec lemon and the way the pass rush and coverage supported each other. The rush meant that the defensive backs had to cover receivers for a smaller period of time while the defensive backs gave the linemen and linebackers more time to get to the quarterback.
Matt talked about the “monster game” Chandler Jones had had, specifically mentioning the one-armed tackle of the quarterback. He was the Big East Defensive Player of the Week. Coach said that he was “very rusty” when he came back and the extra week really helped him”. But he also wanted people to understand that Chandler’s big plays were made possible by his teammates who closed off all routes of escape and prevented the ball from being thrown down the field. It’s a team sport and no play is made in a vacuum.
An E-Mailer asked about so many players cramping up in the West Virginia game. Doug said that when it’s hot, the team focuses on hydration but sometimes when it’s cooler they think the change in temperature makes it unnecessary to hydrate but they found out differently. There will definitely be an extra effort to keep hydrated at Louisville. (I heard on the radio today that they are excepting and 80 degree temperature for the game.)
Coach said it was great to get a big win at home because the local fans last year really couldn’t enjoy the season we had because all the big wins were on the road. He also likes the way people associated in the program in the past were reconnecting with it.
Matt mentioned that the West Virginia game presents a great opportunity to recruit tight ends because we went to them so much in that game, (4TDs). Coach said “We’ve almost done with this class. We are just waiting to hear from a couple of kids. We are already working on the 2013 class. Everything is helping us: conference realignment, winning on TV, etc.”
Another E-mailer asked if he had considered pulling the starters at the end of the game. Coach laughed and said he had hadn’t much experience with that and he needs to do a better job of managing that. There was no talk in the pre-game preparation about what to do if we got a big lead. Actually we are playing many young players as it is. He noted how several young players have developed, including Sam Rogers, the snapper and Jonathan Fisher the punter. “We’ve got to develop the younger players on the team but not jeopardize winning the game.”
Coach said that fan support made a big difference in the game. “They jumped offsides on third down because they couldn’t hear the signals. When I hear that teams are playing music at their practice to simulate crowd noise, I know that their degree of focus on the game isn’t what it should be.”
Matt brought up Dorian Graham and how he is becoming a force with two pass receptions for touchdowns vs. Tulane and the 98 yard kick off return vs. West Virginia, which was a huge play in the game. Coach also noted that he’s been “outstanding as a gunner” on kicks, although they are pulling him off the kick-off coverage team because he’s being used more and more as a receiver. “People keep talking about ’stretching’ the defense’ but it’s not just about speed- it’s about getting off man coverage at the line of scrimmage and Dorian can do that.”
Coach said Louisville will be the best defensive team we’ve played yet this season. “They are very physical. It’s like in baseball. If you have a weakness like not hitting the curveball, they will throw you nothing but curves. We have to get better coming off of man coverage.” Offensively, they have Jeremy Wright, “who will be their next superstar running back. He runs fast and very low to the ground. I looked at the film because everybody was talking about him and I saw their other backs and they are good, too. Their quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, was the 6th best quarterback coming out of high school last year. He can make all the throws- fades, crossing routes. And he can make plays with his feet. They have that 6-8 tight end, Josh Chichester and the outside guys have blazing speed.” Matt asked how we defend a 6-8 receiver? “You can’t make Keon Lyn taller.” Coach: “There’s a lot of things you can do: you can win at the line, use your body well, have proper arm placement. But a 6-8 guy is quite an advantage in the red zone.” Matt asked what the key to the game would be. “We need our special teams to make something happen.”
The Coach said that, “the conference is wide open- everybody’s in it. The next 2-3 weeks are important to set yourself up in the race.” He noted the terrible injuries Pitt had suffered in their win over Connecticut - three key players out for the season. “it’s about which team is the healthiest.” Matt noted that if we were in the ACC, we’d be competing to go to a conference championship. Doug said he recalled that situation from when he was in the SEC. “There’s less pressure. You feel you could slip up and still have a chance to win it. In this conference, there’s more pressure to play well every week.”
Two programming notes: Next week’s show will be on at the normal time, Thursday at 8PM but the following week, since it’s another Friday game, the show will be on Wednesday, 11/9 at 8PM. The first Jim Boeheim Show of the year will be the following day, Thursday, 11/10. I assume they will retain the two hour format of the last two years and the show will be on at 7PM.
