SWC75
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Every Thursday night of the football season at 7PM, Head Coach Scott Shafer does a call0in show with Matt Park on TK99, (99.5 FM) in Syracuse. To submit a question during the show, you can call 1-888-746-2873 or, locally 315-424-8599. You can send a question to Matt Park via Twitter at Matt Park 1. You can also send one in ahead of time with this link:
http://suathletics.syr.edu/sb_output.aspx?form=4
MY QUESTION
“Coach, everybody is very impressed with Terrel Hunt’s performance but we realize it was against the Northwestern reserves and an FCS team. Looking at the film, did you see a lot of things working against those teams that wouldn’t work against a first string or BCS team, or do you expect him to continue to perform well against better teams. Alsop, how much difference does it make that we seem committed to the pass when Drew Allen is in there but become more of a running team when Terrel enters the game and use it to set up the pass. Maybe that’s just the best way for this team to go, regardless of who is quarterback? “
COACH SHAFER
They started with a tribute to Rob Edson. “A great man with a great family and beautiful children. It was a beautiful day.” (For a funeral.)
Regarding the Wagner game, “We talked to the players about playing a lower division team. We didn’t handle that as well in past years as we’d like to. It was fun to see so many new faces, not just Terrel, making plays.”
I called in my question. “It’s hard to forecast how a game will go. You have to have a plan and you have to adjust to the elements. The first few plays are scripted out. We wanted to take some shots downfield and loosen them up, then go with the run game. So you are comparing the early series to the 3-4-5 series. It wasn’t just because Terrel came in. They have some similarities but each guy has different abilities. Terrel can move the chains with his feet, extend plays and keep the tempo going. “ (I didn’t get the impression we were “taking shots downfield” when Allen was in there for the first three series).
Matt Park asked if the other players seemed to elevate their play when Terrel was in there, “or at least get into a better rhythm”. HCSS: “We started with a successful running play and that got us going. The quarterback kids like the most is the one who is playing the best. Kids play hard for the program, for the Orange. “
Matt said that before the season most people thought the ground game was the strength of the team and that Jerome Smith and Prince-Tyson Gulley were one of the best running combinations in America. HCSS: “It’s gotten progressively better. We lost the #18 pick in the NFL draft, Justin Pugh, and Zach Chibane was pretty good, too. That’s the left side of our line. And we lost Lou Alexander on the right side. The two areas of the team that require the most cohesion are the offensive line and the secondary Until they are clicking it doesn’t matter how good the backs are. Things started to get better vs. Northwestern after the horrible start. Five kids have to learn to act as one. “
Seth from Fayetteville congratulated the coach on his first win and wished him many more. He noted that Clemson and NC State are playing tonight and how much advance scouting is done during the season. “None during the season. It’s mostly in the spring when we will go over the coaches and returning players for the various teams. He later mentioned that so some teams are unique, most notably Georgia Tech with their triple option. “You don’t tell the players but we spend a certain time in practice working on defensing the triple option.” He called it the “Georgia Tech period.” Overall, “You focus one game at a time. I know it’s a cliché but when you don’t focus on the next game, that’s when you get kicked in the rump.”
“Jim” called in to ask what the coach’s biggest concern about Tulane is. “Ryan Grant is a really good wide receiver. They got to him 75% of the time when it’s third and pong and 44% on third down over all.”
Matthew in red Robin asked about pre-gram rituals. Coach went right into coach speak, saying “We look for a cyclical plan that is consistent from one week to the next.” (Don’t we all?). Matt asked about superstitions. Coach really isn’t into that but he recalled a coach at Northern Illinois who believe it was lucky to find a penny. Coach Shafer used to plant pennies in front of his parking space until he caught on.
A caller asked about how the coach handles the emotions of Drew Allen who came here to start, had this one year to show the pros what he could do and now finds himself back on the bench. Coach noted that he, himself had been a quarterback and suffered through four surgeries and a reconstruction on his ankle. “My door is open. You can come 2-3 times a day if you want. I’m going to be wrong sometimes. You have to take on the challenges of life and they will make you stronger. One of the players I am proudest of is Charley Loeb. I told him that he wouldn’t get as many reps this summer and he just asked me how he could help the team- special teams, etc. I’d like my son Wolfgang to grow up to be like Charley Loeb. “
They talked about some of the new players. Coach went out to watch a JUCO game that had two linebackers in it everybody was interested in. He saw Josh Kirkland making more plays than those two guys combined did and asked the JUCO coach who was after him. “He was too small and he’d never been out of Kansas”. Luke Arciniega “also has an interesting story. He got a concussion at Nevada. It was misdiagnosed. He just wanted an opportunity to play. Both are high character guys and good students.
They discussed Tulane, which has a couple of players with interesting backgrounds. One of them, of course is Nick Montana, Joe’s son. Coach said he came from a football family but he can’t imagine what it was like to be Joe Montana’s son? “I idolized him. I tried to look like him, to drop back and pass like him. I met him once and shook hands and couldn’t believe I’d met Joe Montana! And now I can’t believe I’m game planning for his son. He has his Dad’s quick feet.”
The other “legacy” player is Nico Marley, who is Reggae singer Bob Marley’s grandson. In this case having his father’s skills may not help him as much as in Nick’s case. Nico is small- listed at 5-8 180, (Coach said they always add an inch and about 10 pounds). “He runs around good. They cover him up so he’s not covering gaps and taking on linemen.”
A bigger concern is the turnovers Tulane forces. They are +5 on the year, tied for 8th in the country, (forcing 11- 5 fumbles and 6 picks, losing 6). We have now broken even, (7-7) and are tied for 64th.
Coach talked about our snappers and said that “the freshman” had his troubles, snapping two to the left and one was a grounder.” Looking at the roster I don’t see freshman snapper. He said that Sam Rogers had done a good job coming back from that one bad one he had.
Then he praised Tulane kicker Cairo Santo Jr. “The ball explodes off his foot”. They have a chart where they put the ball where his winds up, (I assume he meant kickoffs), and they’d never seen anything like it. He’s also hit 25 straight field goals. He’s a first team All-American. He won the Groza award last year and will be favored to win it again this year. The problem is, he may not be here. His father was a stunt pilot in Brazil and died in an accident. Coach Shafer “there’s no guarantee” he’ll make it to Syracuse for the game. Tulane is also missing their middle linebacker, who has been suspended.
Richard in Clay asked about covering the pass to the sideline. “We mix-up coverages with our press or off coverages. A lot depends on what happened on first down. 9 of 10 defense give up the flat. If we are in our cover 2, we can hard joint the flats but that’s not real sound vs. the run unless you have a dominant front four. Our philosophy is to stop the run, make then throw and then pressure the quarterback.”
They will have a show next week after the Tulane game and previewing Clemson but no show the week after that,( presumably because the coach will be out recruiting).
http://suathletics.syr.edu/sb_output.aspx?form=4
MY QUESTION
“Coach, everybody is very impressed with Terrel Hunt’s performance but we realize it was against the Northwestern reserves and an FCS team. Looking at the film, did you see a lot of things working against those teams that wouldn’t work against a first string or BCS team, or do you expect him to continue to perform well against better teams. Alsop, how much difference does it make that we seem committed to the pass when Drew Allen is in there but become more of a running team when Terrel enters the game and use it to set up the pass. Maybe that’s just the best way for this team to go, regardless of who is quarterback? “
COACH SHAFER
They started with a tribute to Rob Edson. “A great man with a great family and beautiful children. It was a beautiful day.” (For a funeral.)
Regarding the Wagner game, “We talked to the players about playing a lower division team. We didn’t handle that as well in past years as we’d like to. It was fun to see so many new faces, not just Terrel, making plays.”
I called in my question. “It’s hard to forecast how a game will go. You have to have a plan and you have to adjust to the elements. The first few plays are scripted out. We wanted to take some shots downfield and loosen them up, then go with the run game. So you are comparing the early series to the 3-4-5 series. It wasn’t just because Terrel came in. They have some similarities but each guy has different abilities. Terrel can move the chains with his feet, extend plays and keep the tempo going. “ (I didn’t get the impression we were “taking shots downfield” when Allen was in there for the first three series).
Matt Park asked if the other players seemed to elevate their play when Terrel was in there, “or at least get into a better rhythm”. HCSS: “We started with a successful running play and that got us going. The quarterback kids like the most is the one who is playing the best. Kids play hard for the program, for the Orange. “
Matt said that before the season most people thought the ground game was the strength of the team and that Jerome Smith and Prince-Tyson Gulley were one of the best running combinations in America. HCSS: “It’s gotten progressively better. We lost the #18 pick in the NFL draft, Justin Pugh, and Zach Chibane was pretty good, too. That’s the left side of our line. And we lost Lou Alexander on the right side. The two areas of the team that require the most cohesion are the offensive line and the secondary Until they are clicking it doesn’t matter how good the backs are. Things started to get better vs. Northwestern after the horrible start. Five kids have to learn to act as one. “
Seth from Fayetteville congratulated the coach on his first win and wished him many more. He noted that Clemson and NC State are playing tonight and how much advance scouting is done during the season. “None during the season. It’s mostly in the spring when we will go over the coaches and returning players for the various teams. He later mentioned that so some teams are unique, most notably Georgia Tech with their triple option. “You don’t tell the players but we spend a certain time in practice working on defensing the triple option.” He called it the “Georgia Tech period.” Overall, “You focus one game at a time. I know it’s a cliché but when you don’t focus on the next game, that’s when you get kicked in the rump.”
“Jim” called in to ask what the coach’s biggest concern about Tulane is. “Ryan Grant is a really good wide receiver. They got to him 75% of the time when it’s third and pong and 44% on third down over all.”
Matthew in red Robin asked about pre-gram rituals. Coach went right into coach speak, saying “We look for a cyclical plan that is consistent from one week to the next.” (Don’t we all?). Matt asked about superstitions. Coach really isn’t into that but he recalled a coach at Northern Illinois who believe it was lucky to find a penny. Coach Shafer used to plant pennies in front of his parking space until he caught on.
A caller asked about how the coach handles the emotions of Drew Allen who came here to start, had this one year to show the pros what he could do and now finds himself back on the bench. Coach noted that he, himself had been a quarterback and suffered through four surgeries and a reconstruction on his ankle. “My door is open. You can come 2-3 times a day if you want. I’m going to be wrong sometimes. You have to take on the challenges of life and they will make you stronger. One of the players I am proudest of is Charley Loeb. I told him that he wouldn’t get as many reps this summer and he just asked me how he could help the team- special teams, etc. I’d like my son Wolfgang to grow up to be like Charley Loeb. “
They talked about some of the new players. Coach went out to watch a JUCO game that had two linebackers in it everybody was interested in. He saw Josh Kirkland making more plays than those two guys combined did and asked the JUCO coach who was after him. “He was too small and he’d never been out of Kansas”. Luke Arciniega “also has an interesting story. He got a concussion at Nevada. It was misdiagnosed. He just wanted an opportunity to play. Both are high character guys and good students.
They discussed Tulane, which has a couple of players with interesting backgrounds. One of them, of course is Nick Montana, Joe’s son. Coach said he came from a football family but he can’t imagine what it was like to be Joe Montana’s son? “I idolized him. I tried to look like him, to drop back and pass like him. I met him once and shook hands and couldn’t believe I’d met Joe Montana! And now I can’t believe I’m game planning for his son. He has his Dad’s quick feet.”
The other “legacy” player is Nico Marley, who is Reggae singer Bob Marley’s grandson. In this case having his father’s skills may not help him as much as in Nick’s case. Nico is small- listed at 5-8 180, (Coach said they always add an inch and about 10 pounds). “He runs around good. They cover him up so he’s not covering gaps and taking on linemen.”
A bigger concern is the turnovers Tulane forces. They are +5 on the year, tied for 8th in the country, (forcing 11- 5 fumbles and 6 picks, losing 6). We have now broken even, (7-7) and are tied for 64th.
Coach talked about our snappers and said that “the freshman” had his troubles, snapping two to the left and one was a grounder.” Looking at the roster I don’t see freshman snapper. He said that Sam Rogers had done a good job coming back from that one bad one he had.
Then he praised Tulane kicker Cairo Santo Jr. “The ball explodes off his foot”. They have a chart where they put the ball where his winds up, (I assume he meant kickoffs), and they’d never seen anything like it. He’s also hit 25 straight field goals. He’s a first team All-American. He won the Groza award last year and will be favored to win it again this year. The problem is, he may not be here. His father was a stunt pilot in Brazil and died in an accident. Coach Shafer “there’s no guarantee” he’ll make it to Syracuse for the game. Tulane is also missing their middle linebacker, who has been suspended.
Richard in Clay asked about covering the pass to the sideline. “We mix-up coverages with our press or off coverages. A lot depends on what happened on first down. 9 of 10 defense give up the flat. If we are in our cover 2, we can hard joint the flats but that’s not real sound vs. the run unless you have a dominant front four. Our philosophy is to stop the run, make then throw and then pressure the quarterback.”
They will have a show next week after the Tulane game and previewing Clemson but no show the week after that,( presumably because the coach will be out recruiting).
