SWC75
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Coach Babers’s Show will be at the new Marriott Syracuse, (the former Hotel Syracuse). The first show will be Wednesday night at 7PM because the game is Friday, (the show will normally be two days before the next game). They will be in Shaughnessy’s Irish Pub, which can be accessed from the street.
This article contains the schedule:
New Home for AmeriCU Dino Babers Show
You can also listen to the show live each week on the Syracuse IMG Sports Network and Cuse.com. Wednesday's show will be on 99.1 FM and 97.7 FM, as well. The show will regularly air on 99.5FM (Syracuse) 99.1 FM (Utica) and 1200 AM.”
You can also get it on: Listen to The Alan Nathan Show on WGVA on TuneIn
There hasn’t been any change in the phone numbers, which last year were 315-424-8599 (local) or 1-888-746-2873. You can call to ask questions or submit them via Twitter at: #AskDino hashtag on Twitter
Or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website):
Syracuse University Athletics
You can (or could last year, anyway), listen to a podcast of the show, probably the next day, at: Search results for babers | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn
I’ve been asked to continue doing the summaries, even by people who listen to the podcasts. I may focus on the major points, rather than trying to record everything.
My Question(s)
“Coach, you said in a prior show that you like to avoid tendencies, unless you are trying to use them to set up the opposition for something. Our passing attack seems to be almost entirely to the sideline. The center of the field is wide open. When do we attack it?“
The Show
(I sometimes re-arrange the comments so that statements made on the same subject are reported together, even if they came at different points of the show.)
Matt said that last Saturday’s game “didn’t go as planned” and that the coach has “now had to change course for Central Michigan”. Coach Babers lamented that “We had so many missed opportunities and unforced errors in that game.” Matt noted that CMU coach John Bonamego said that “There was a lot of football left on that field.” Dino: “It was a perfect storm for the other team, Everything that had to go their way for them to win went their wat, including on the last drive.
Matt asked if the players had a chip on their shoulder when they went into Sunday film study. DB: It was not so much their attitude when they came in but that they knew what they did wrong when they left.” Matt asked if Dino’s Bowling Green teams had played Central Michigan in his two years there. They did not. However their defensive line coach was with Dino for a year at Eastern Illinois.
The subject of the hit on Eric Dungey two years ago “Is a topic I didn’t touch. This is more about Syracuse than it is about Central Michigan.”
Liam from Pompey beat me to the first call. He called MTS “a tough loss” and just asked for comment about that and wondered how we were going to stop CMU’s quarterback, Cooper Rush and when our offense will click. It was explained to him that Mr. Rush has graduated and that Shane Morris is now their quarterback. DB: Shane quarterbacked Michigan to a win over Notre Dame. He’s big with a strong left arm and can ‘touch’ the whole field. But he doesn’t run as well as (Brent Stockstill) the MTS QB. They had “two dynamic running backs and are better than MTS”.
I called in my question. DB: “The horizontal game is attached to our running game. We want to stretch the defense horizontally and vertically. But we need balls to be caught to get the linebackers to move out of the box to tackle the wide receivers. That will create openings for the running game and allow us to throw the ball over the middle.” So Saturday he said it was the pressure that prevented us from throwing over the middle. Now it’s the drops. It’s probably both – at least).
Matt noted that Steve Ismael leads the nation in receptions. Receptions Per Game | FBS Football Statistics - NCAA.com
He also said that we were 26th in plays that gained at least 10 yard but 98th in plays that gained 20+ yards. (We’ve had three plays that gained 30+ yards There are three teams that are in double figures and Oklahoma State has had three plays that went 70+)
cfbstats.com - 2017 National Team Leaders
Coach said it’s about “style of play and the players. We need yards after catch. We need people who can shake and run by people or line up wide and run by people as Amba did last year.”
What positives has the coach seen in practice? DB: “We are improving. I think Central Michigan is better. We have to have immense growth, not just between games 1 &2 but also between games 2 & 3.” Matt noted that Coach Bonamego had said that college teams don’t get pre-season games and can’t simulate to contact of games in practice. CMU had to go to overtime to beat Rhode Island at home in their first game, (30-27), and then they gained 500+ yards in beating Kansas at Kansas, (45-27). (Come to think of it, Middle Tennessee also improved form week #1 to #2, losing at home to Vanderbilt 6-28 and then beating us 30-23 in the Dome. Why can’t we improve from week #1 to #2?)
Their top receiver, Corey Willis, is injured and won’t be playing in this game. But “they play 3-4 wideouts so that they will have veteran back-ups”.
They talked about how the MAC is “sort of Big Ten Junior” because they have players with Big Ten talent but who are a little smaller or a step slower than Big ten players. But they play with a chip on their shoulder, wanting to show they should have bene recruited by the Big Ten. The conference has sent many players to the NFL, including the Steeler’s combination of Ben Rothlesburger, (Miami) and Antonio Brown, who went to CMU. “They are not as quick as Middle Tennessee but more physical. “
They talked about the “Grove formation” with the three backs behind the quarterback. “It produced what we hoped. They didn’t make fantastic adjustments to it.”
On Dungey’s running: “He’s 220 pounds and might be our fastest back. We are sensitive to the hits but he likes to have the ball in his hands. We can protect him better in a designed running play. (In practice) he’s been ‘locked in’. He needs to have a game like his first game.” (It occurs to me that of the plays where Dungey was injured I think they were all sacks or scrambles.)
Matt noted that Coach Babers had said that his passes too often went to the wrong person or were dropped. He assumes he didn’t mean the interception. He didn’t. Babers praised the defender for making a great catch and said “1,000 times I want the ball to be snapped when the other team is offsides. We will get some bad calls but we’ll get far more positive plays.” About Dungey throwing to the wrong receivers: “We make calls to all spots and he has to make sure the ball dispenses.”
He also said we need to “get Ervin Phillips in space. He has a lot of motion going sideways. I’d rather see him get the ball passed to him in the air.” (By I presume he meant downfield. It sounds as if much of the limitations on our offense was due to Dungey’s decision-making and execution of plays.)
They talked about Louisville’s schedule. They played North Carolina last week and Clemson this week. Then they get a breather with Kent State and Murray State. Coach said that they want to play ACC games early when they are fully healthy. He pointed out that “The ACC hasn’t seen Antwan Cordy play in two years.” Then they give themselves a breather before taking on the rest of the schedule.
Coach feels we are in “the toughest divsio9n in football”, with 2 of the last four national champions and several #1 draft picks. Matt noted a listing of the top players in the country and “We play 6 of the top 13”. Dino: “Aren’t we lucky?”
They then introduced Reno Ferri, (no relation to Diamond) our tight ends coach, who has a “shiny new toy” in Ravian Pierce. Babers noted that he has a history of using the tight end. Jeff Lepak was a third team All-American at the FCS level. Now we not only have Pierce but Chris Elmore and Aaron Hackett, whose nickname is “the Menace from Venice”. (Venice, Florida – which could describe much of the state right now).
Ferri said he wants to “put the best receivers on the field at the same time, regardless of positon. The Grove formation has a fullback, a tight end and a tailback with two wide receivers. Chris Elmore was a fullback and defensive tackle in high school. He’s a good runner and very coachable.”
He said the young tight ends have “come along way. They are dealing with so many new things in their lives: classes, study tables, etc. We want to get them living the right way.”
He tells the players to never get too high or too low: just concentrate on the next play.” Good advice.
This article contains the schedule:
New Home for AmeriCU Dino Babers Show
You can also listen to the show live each week on the Syracuse IMG Sports Network and Cuse.com. Wednesday's show will be on 99.1 FM and 97.7 FM, as well. The show will regularly air on 99.5FM (Syracuse) 99.1 FM (Utica) and 1200 AM.”
You can also get it on: Listen to The Alan Nathan Show on WGVA on TuneIn
There hasn’t been any change in the phone numbers, which last year were 315-424-8599 (local) or 1-888-746-2873. You can call to ask questions or submit them via Twitter at: #AskDino hashtag on Twitter
Or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website):
Syracuse University Athletics
You can (or could last year, anyway), listen to a podcast of the show, probably the next day, at: Search results for babers | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn
I’ve been asked to continue doing the summaries, even by people who listen to the podcasts. I may focus on the major points, rather than trying to record everything.
My Question(s)
“Coach, you said in a prior show that you like to avoid tendencies, unless you are trying to use them to set up the opposition for something. Our passing attack seems to be almost entirely to the sideline. The center of the field is wide open. When do we attack it?“
The Show
(I sometimes re-arrange the comments so that statements made on the same subject are reported together, even if they came at different points of the show.)
Matt said that last Saturday’s game “didn’t go as planned” and that the coach has “now had to change course for Central Michigan”. Coach Babers lamented that “We had so many missed opportunities and unforced errors in that game.” Matt noted that CMU coach John Bonamego said that “There was a lot of football left on that field.” Dino: “It was a perfect storm for the other team, Everything that had to go their way for them to win went their wat, including on the last drive.
Matt asked if the players had a chip on their shoulder when they went into Sunday film study. DB: It was not so much their attitude when they came in but that they knew what they did wrong when they left.” Matt asked if Dino’s Bowling Green teams had played Central Michigan in his two years there. They did not. However their defensive line coach was with Dino for a year at Eastern Illinois.
The subject of the hit on Eric Dungey two years ago “Is a topic I didn’t touch. This is more about Syracuse than it is about Central Michigan.”
Liam from Pompey beat me to the first call. He called MTS “a tough loss” and just asked for comment about that and wondered how we were going to stop CMU’s quarterback, Cooper Rush and when our offense will click. It was explained to him that Mr. Rush has graduated and that Shane Morris is now their quarterback. DB: Shane quarterbacked Michigan to a win over Notre Dame. He’s big with a strong left arm and can ‘touch’ the whole field. But he doesn’t run as well as (Brent Stockstill) the MTS QB. They had “two dynamic running backs and are better than MTS”.
I called in my question. DB: “The horizontal game is attached to our running game. We want to stretch the defense horizontally and vertically. But we need balls to be caught to get the linebackers to move out of the box to tackle the wide receivers. That will create openings for the running game and allow us to throw the ball over the middle.” So Saturday he said it was the pressure that prevented us from throwing over the middle. Now it’s the drops. It’s probably both – at least).
Matt noted that Steve Ismael leads the nation in receptions. Receptions Per Game | FBS Football Statistics - NCAA.com
He also said that we were 26th in plays that gained at least 10 yard but 98th in plays that gained 20+ yards. (We’ve had three plays that gained 30+ yards There are three teams that are in double figures and Oklahoma State has had three plays that went 70+)
cfbstats.com - 2017 National Team Leaders
Coach said it’s about “style of play and the players. We need yards after catch. We need people who can shake and run by people or line up wide and run by people as Amba did last year.”
What positives has the coach seen in practice? DB: “We are improving. I think Central Michigan is better. We have to have immense growth, not just between games 1 &2 but also between games 2 & 3.” Matt noted that Coach Bonamego had said that college teams don’t get pre-season games and can’t simulate to contact of games in practice. CMU had to go to overtime to beat Rhode Island at home in their first game, (30-27), and then they gained 500+ yards in beating Kansas at Kansas, (45-27). (Come to think of it, Middle Tennessee also improved form week #1 to #2, losing at home to Vanderbilt 6-28 and then beating us 30-23 in the Dome. Why can’t we improve from week #1 to #2?)
Their top receiver, Corey Willis, is injured and won’t be playing in this game. But “they play 3-4 wideouts so that they will have veteran back-ups”.
They talked about how the MAC is “sort of Big Ten Junior” because they have players with Big Ten talent but who are a little smaller or a step slower than Big ten players. But they play with a chip on their shoulder, wanting to show they should have bene recruited by the Big Ten. The conference has sent many players to the NFL, including the Steeler’s combination of Ben Rothlesburger, (Miami) and Antonio Brown, who went to CMU. “They are not as quick as Middle Tennessee but more physical. “
They talked about the “Grove formation” with the three backs behind the quarterback. “It produced what we hoped. They didn’t make fantastic adjustments to it.”
On Dungey’s running: “He’s 220 pounds and might be our fastest back. We are sensitive to the hits but he likes to have the ball in his hands. We can protect him better in a designed running play. (In practice) he’s been ‘locked in’. He needs to have a game like his first game.” (It occurs to me that of the plays where Dungey was injured I think they were all sacks or scrambles.)
Matt noted that Coach Babers had said that his passes too often went to the wrong person or were dropped. He assumes he didn’t mean the interception. He didn’t. Babers praised the defender for making a great catch and said “1,000 times I want the ball to be snapped when the other team is offsides. We will get some bad calls but we’ll get far more positive plays.” About Dungey throwing to the wrong receivers: “We make calls to all spots and he has to make sure the ball dispenses.”
He also said we need to “get Ervin Phillips in space. He has a lot of motion going sideways. I’d rather see him get the ball passed to him in the air.” (By I presume he meant downfield. It sounds as if much of the limitations on our offense was due to Dungey’s decision-making and execution of plays.)
They talked about Louisville’s schedule. They played North Carolina last week and Clemson this week. Then they get a breather with Kent State and Murray State. Coach said that they want to play ACC games early when they are fully healthy. He pointed out that “The ACC hasn’t seen Antwan Cordy play in two years.” Then they give themselves a breather before taking on the rest of the schedule.
Coach feels we are in “the toughest divsio9n in football”, with 2 of the last four national champions and several #1 draft picks. Matt noted a listing of the top players in the country and “We play 6 of the top 13”. Dino: “Aren’t we lucky?”
They then introduced Reno Ferri, (no relation to Diamond) our tight ends coach, who has a “shiny new toy” in Ravian Pierce. Babers noted that he has a history of using the tight end. Jeff Lepak was a third team All-American at the FCS level. Now we not only have Pierce but Chris Elmore and Aaron Hackett, whose nickname is “the Menace from Venice”. (Venice, Florida – which could describe much of the state right now).
Ferri said he wants to “put the best receivers on the field at the same time, regardless of positon. The Grove formation has a fullback, a tight end and a tailback with two wide receivers. Chris Elmore was a fullback and defensive tackle in high school. He’s a good runner and very coachable.”
He said the young tight ends have “come along way. They are dealing with so many new things in their lives: classes, study tables, etc. We want to get them living the right way.”
He tells the players to never get too high or too low: just concentrate on the next play.” Good advice.
