SWC75
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Coach Babers’s show this year show will be Thursday nights at 7PM except when the game is not on a Saturday.
I’ll be summarizing the comments directly related to the team and the next game (late) on the night of the broadcast and anything else interesting the next day, (if there is anything else that seems interesting). I’ll have a “first hour” and a “second hour” question.
They are doing the show on Zoom, not at any local restaurant.
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: Home | Free Internet Radio | 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: https://twitter.com/CuseIMG
#AskDino or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website):
Submit a Question! - 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) or Comments
First, coach, I did some math. You said that when you were a player you were timed in from 4.45-4.55 in the 40 yard dash. Let’s split the difference and say 4.50. We know Jawhar Jordan has been timed in 4.37. 40 yards ais 1,440 inches. If you divide 4.37 by 4.50 and multiply that times 1,440 inches, you’d have finished 1,398 inches. So you would have finished 42 inches, or 3.5 feet or 1.2 yards behind Jawhar. That’s still pretty fast. What I don’t know is how you led the 1983 Rainbows in rushing with only 295 yards?
My Errol Flynn movie reference for the week is another one about being caught behind enemy lines and fighting your way out so you can come back to fight again another day, Objective: Burma
For my main question I will ask about the situation at the end of the Boston College game. When you are down by 10 points in the final minute and you’ve moved into the other team’s territory, what do the analytics say about whether you should go for the touchdown first so you only need to kick a field goal if you can get the ball back or kick the field goal as soon as you can save time to get the ball back and to score a touchdown, maybe on a Hail Mary, at the end?
(Note: This week’s and next week’s show will be on Wednesday.)
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 Park noted that Friday’s game would be the only game on national TV that night and thus a big stage for the team and the players, with many recruits watching. Dino hopes that “people will look at the records, then look at how we play.” (I hope they like it.) Matt noted that both teams are starved for victories: SU beat Georgia Tech in their third game while Louisville beat Western Kentucky in their opener and Florida State four weeks ago.
They talked about how SU has handled the CoVid 19 epidemic: we’ve been able to play every game, (although one was delayed a bit), while games have been cancelled all over the country. Dino said that they had passed a second range of tests this week, although when he left at the end of the show, Matt noted that he was “still awaiting one test result and good luck, I hope we haven’t jinxed it.” Of SU’s compliance, Dino said that his players had had fait h, “belief without evidence” in what they were doing. “You could count on the fingers of one hand the players who have not done everything we asked of them. Those cases were early and we ‘rebooted’ their thinking. They’ve been exceptional ever since.”
The Louisville roster has had a lot of turnover for various reasons, including Covid 19. The latest change is that their star running back, Javian Hawkins, has opted out and will submit his name to the NFL draft. Another key player, Tutu Atwell, “probably the fastest player on the field when he’s healthy and even hurt he could out-run most of them”, is listed as ‘doubtful’ for the game. They still have quarterback Micale Cunningham, who while no Lamar Jackson, “can run and can beat you with his arm. He’s elusive- defenders think they’ve got him and all they wind up with is those black rubber pellets and he can throw deep.”
Cunningham has also thrown 9 interceptions. And that’s been Louisville’s problem: they are -12 in turnovers this year. They’ve had more turnovers than their opponent in every game. Matt contrasted that with Syracuse: we were +11 through the first five games, (but never took adventage of it), and are
-8 since, (and the other team has taken advantage of it). Dino: “Sometimes you swing for singles, sometimes for homes runs and if you do that, you are going to strike out a lot. We’ve lost two big turnover creators, (Andre Cisco and Trill Williams) and are waiting for the young guys to get older.”
Matt noted that “Louisville is getting back some starters on defense.” Dino: “They run extremely well side to side. They have a big guy in the middle but otherwise aren’t large. They love to see the side of the runner’s helmet. They won’t let you run downhill. They want to force you to throw the ball on every snap. But you have to stay balanced. When they get the ball they want to run it to eat up the clock.”
Matt noted that most of Sean Tucker’s runs have been right up the middle or slightly to the right. Dino: “he’s built low to the ground and is so strong he has no problem running between the tackles but has the speed to get around the corner.
I called in my comments and questions. Dino liked my math, although he correct his speed range: it was 4.48-4.52 but the result of the computations is the same. He pointed out that he might not get there as fast as Jawhar Jordan but he got there with a lot more momentum being a bigger man. The story of how he led the team in rushing with only 295 yards goes like this: he tore his ACL before his senior year and was scheduled for an operation. But just before the season, his knee stabilized. “That can happen sometimes. Hines Ward played his whole career at Georgia and in the pros without an ACL.” He realized that he probably could play and wound up playing on it and wound up playing 5-6 games. meanwhile they’d used several tailbacks and had a new young Offensive coordinator named June Jones who installed the run and shoot and Dino was just asked to block, run screen and draw plays and be one of two backs at the goal line. But he still gained more yards than the other backs they used and their quarterback, (who actually carried the ball more than anyone else).
1983 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Stats | College Football at Sports-Reference.com
He’d seen “Objective Burma”. “I like those old war movies”. I told him I do too, better than new wars.
As to my question about late-game strategy, Dino said that he loves numbers and likes analytics but “you have to look at what you’ve got on offense and what they have on defense. If you are facing Clemson, Notre Dame and Alabama, you probably aren’t going to get the ball back.” (By which I assume he meant on defense so you’ll need a onside-kick). “You also have to think about your field goal kicker. We are blessed, (with Andre Szmyt). He can make long kicks.” (None of this really explained why it’s better to go for the touchdown first. If it’s hard to move the ball against the other team and hard to stop them, I would think you’d want to go for the field goal, then the onside kick and have a chance for multiple Hail Mary’s. I guess he thought BC was easier to score on and easier to stop?)
Matt pressed him analytics, saying that Tim Lester, (Scott Shafer’s OC and now the coach at Western Michigan), carries a binder around with him on analytics for every situation. Dino: I love numbers but if I’m on Michael Jordan’s team and I’m open from 8 feet and I see him at the top of the key, the analytics might say I should shoot the ball but he’s Michael Jordan and I’m not.” Matt mentioned the World Series. Dino is a baseball fan and he took the moment to express his dismay that Kevin Cash took out Blake Snell, who was so dominant in Game 6, just because of a pitch count. “Would LeBron James or James Harden have a shot count?” of course, pitching a baseball is a bit different than shooting a basketball in what it does to your arm. Dino took a moment to wish Elijah Hughes good luck in the draft.
John in Baltimore, (he and I seme to be the only ones calling the show this year), hopes that this season will be a springboard to a big year next year. He wants to see the last two games used to see what the younger players, (at least the ones we aren’t already playing) can do. He’d like to see more of Damien Alford, Justin Barron, JaVonte Williams and even Ed Hendrix. He wants those bigger receivers in there. he also wishes we would use quick passes over the middle to cut down on the pass rush and give the offensive line a break.
Dino, as he often does, answered the second question first, (it’s fresher in his mind). “We want to protect our young quarterback so we have the running backs, who would normally be catching those passes in, blocking for him.” (Running backS? And what about the tight ends?) “The running backs are checking the linebackers. If they don’t come, he can go out for a pass. He also has to check the linemen and block anyone who gets past them. With a mobile quarterback, you want to release a guy and let the linebacker cover him.” (I assume in a pattern that would lead him away from the quarterback).
“There are positives and negatives to a mobile quarterback. In five years here only once have I had the same starting quarterback at the start and at the end of a season. And that was 2018, when we won 10 games. it gives you a fantastic chance to win.” John pointed out that pocket quarterbacks can get injured, too. Dino: “It’s a dangerous game. In fact, it was a mobile quarterback, (Eric Dungey) who failed to finish the season his first two years and a pocket quarterback, (Tommy DeVito), who failed to finish it these last two years.
On the subject of receivers, “it’s different with a young quarterback. You don’t want a whole bunch of young, like we have on defense. We have a lot of things we want to see the young players do. It’s like a Christmas stocking. You don’t want to open it early. You have to take your time and be patient. Some of our young guys have an unbelievable catch radius but we can also have reads misinterpreted. We want our young players to have a chance for success but was also want to have a chance to win the game. One thing I love about our offense is that it’s easy to learn. The signals can be like a foreign language but the concepts are simple. But we didn’t have spring ball or a normal August.”
Chip West came on. He coaches the cornerbacks. (MIcale) “Cunningham is obviously capable and he ahs a really talented receiving corps. He ahs a live arm and loves the play-action pass. Tutu, (Atwell) is a home run player. Dez Fitzpatrick is a bigger player, (6-2 204 vs. 5-10 153) but he’s averaging 20 yards per catch, (19.0 to only 12.5 for Atwell).“ Matt noted that Louisville leads the country in 50 yard scoring plays. (I think we did at one time, early on- it was all we were getting.)
He asked about Garrett Williams and Iffy Melifonwu. West discussed them separately but said the same thing about each: They “have worked on (their) technique all spring and summer and it’s paying off. (They study the game, always looking at films.” Spoken like a coach who told his players to work on their techniques all spring and summer and to get into the film room to study the game. He finally combined them to say “They get it. They understand”. That’s what counts.
I’ll be summarizing the comments directly related to the team and the next game (late) on the night of the broadcast and anything else interesting the next day, (if there is anything else that seems interesting). I’ll have a “first hour” and a “second hour” question.
They are doing the show on Zoom, not at any local restaurant.
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: Home | Free Internet Radio | 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: https://twitter.com/CuseIMG
#AskDino or through Cuse.com, (the SU Athletic website):
Submit a Question! - 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) or Comments
First, coach, I did some math. You said that when you were a player you were timed in from 4.45-4.55 in the 40 yard dash. Let’s split the difference and say 4.50. We know Jawhar Jordan has been timed in 4.37. 40 yards ais 1,440 inches. If you divide 4.37 by 4.50 and multiply that times 1,440 inches, you’d have finished 1,398 inches. So you would have finished 42 inches, or 3.5 feet or 1.2 yards behind Jawhar. That’s still pretty fast. What I don’t know is how you led the 1983 Rainbows in rushing with only 295 yards?
My Errol Flynn movie reference for the week is another one about being caught behind enemy lines and fighting your way out so you can come back to fight again another day, Objective: Burma
For my main question I will ask about the situation at the end of the Boston College game. When you are down by 10 points in the final minute and you’ve moved into the other team’s territory, what do the analytics say about whether you should go for the touchdown first so you only need to kick a field goal if you can get the ball back or kick the field goal as soon as you can save time to get the ball back and to score a touchdown, maybe on a Hail Mary, at the end?
(Note: This week’s and next week’s show will be on Wednesday.)
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 Park noted that Friday’s game would be the only game on national TV that night and thus a big stage for the team and the players, with many recruits watching. Dino hopes that “people will look at the records, then look at how we play.” (I hope they like it.) Matt noted that both teams are starved for victories: SU beat Georgia Tech in their third game while Louisville beat Western Kentucky in their opener and Florida State four weeks ago.
They talked about how SU has handled the CoVid 19 epidemic: we’ve been able to play every game, (although one was delayed a bit), while games have been cancelled all over the country. Dino said that they had passed a second range of tests this week, although when he left at the end of the show, Matt noted that he was “still awaiting one test result and good luck, I hope we haven’t jinxed it.” Of SU’s compliance, Dino said that his players had had fait h, “belief without evidence” in what they were doing. “You could count on the fingers of one hand the players who have not done everything we asked of them. Those cases were early and we ‘rebooted’ their thinking. They’ve been exceptional ever since.”
The Louisville roster has had a lot of turnover for various reasons, including Covid 19. The latest change is that their star running back, Javian Hawkins, has opted out and will submit his name to the NFL draft. Another key player, Tutu Atwell, “probably the fastest player on the field when he’s healthy and even hurt he could out-run most of them”, is listed as ‘doubtful’ for the game. They still have quarterback Micale Cunningham, who while no Lamar Jackson, “can run and can beat you with his arm. He’s elusive- defenders think they’ve got him and all they wind up with is those black rubber pellets and he can throw deep.”
Cunningham has also thrown 9 interceptions. And that’s been Louisville’s problem: they are -12 in turnovers this year. They’ve had more turnovers than their opponent in every game. Matt contrasted that with Syracuse: we were +11 through the first five games, (but never took adventage of it), and are
-8 since, (and the other team has taken advantage of it). Dino: “Sometimes you swing for singles, sometimes for homes runs and if you do that, you are going to strike out a lot. We’ve lost two big turnover creators, (Andre Cisco and Trill Williams) and are waiting for the young guys to get older.”
Matt noted that “Louisville is getting back some starters on defense.” Dino: “They run extremely well side to side. They have a big guy in the middle but otherwise aren’t large. They love to see the side of the runner’s helmet. They won’t let you run downhill. They want to force you to throw the ball on every snap. But you have to stay balanced. When they get the ball they want to run it to eat up the clock.”
Matt noted that most of Sean Tucker’s runs have been right up the middle or slightly to the right. Dino: “he’s built low to the ground and is so strong he has no problem running between the tackles but has the speed to get around the corner.
I called in my comments and questions. Dino liked my math, although he correct his speed range: it was 4.48-4.52 but the result of the computations is the same. He pointed out that he might not get there as fast as Jawhar Jordan but he got there with a lot more momentum being a bigger man. The story of how he led the team in rushing with only 295 yards goes like this: he tore his ACL before his senior year and was scheduled for an operation. But just before the season, his knee stabilized. “That can happen sometimes. Hines Ward played his whole career at Georgia and in the pros without an ACL.” He realized that he probably could play and wound up playing on it and wound up playing 5-6 games. meanwhile they’d used several tailbacks and had a new young Offensive coordinator named June Jones who installed the run and shoot and Dino was just asked to block, run screen and draw plays and be one of two backs at the goal line. But he still gained more yards than the other backs they used and their quarterback, (who actually carried the ball more than anyone else).
1983 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Stats | College Football at Sports-Reference.com
He’d seen “Objective Burma”. “I like those old war movies”. I told him I do too, better than new wars.
As to my question about late-game strategy, Dino said that he loves numbers and likes analytics but “you have to look at what you’ve got on offense and what they have on defense. If you are facing Clemson, Notre Dame and Alabama, you probably aren’t going to get the ball back.” (By which I assume he meant on defense so you’ll need a onside-kick). “You also have to think about your field goal kicker. We are blessed, (with Andre Szmyt). He can make long kicks.” (None of this really explained why it’s better to go for the touchdown first. If it’s hard to move the ball against the other team and hard to stop them, I would think you’d want to go for the field goal, then the onside kick and have a chance for multiple Hail Mary’s. I guess he thought BC was easier to score on and easier to stop?)
Matt pressed him analytics, saying that Tim Lester, (Scott Shafer’s OC and now the coach at Western Michigan), carries a binder around with him on analytics for every situation. Dino: I love numbers but if I’m on Michael Jordan’s team and I’m open from 8 feet and I see him at the top of the key, the analytics might say I should shoot the ball but he’s Michael Jordan and I’m not.” Matt mentioned the World Series. Dino is a baseball fan and he took the moment to express his dismay that Kevin Cash took out Blake Snell, who was so dominant in Game 6, just because of a pitch count. “Would LeBron James or James Harden have a shot count?” of course, pitching a baseball is a bit different than shooting a basketball in what it does to your arm. Dino took a moment to wish Elijah Hughes good luck in the draft.
John in Baltimore, (he and I seme to be the only ones calling the show this year), hopes that this season will be a springboard to a big year next year. He wants to see the last two games used to see what the younger players, (at least the ones we aren’t already playing) can do. He’d like to see more of Damien Alford, Justin Barron, JaVonte Williams and even Ed Hendrix. He wants those bigger receivers in there. he also wishes we would use quick passes over the middle to cut down on the pass rush and give the offensive line a break.
Dino, as he often does, answered the second question first, (it’s fresher in his mind). “We want to protect our young quarterback so we have the running backs, who would normally be catching those passes in, blocking for him.” (Running backS? And what about the tight ends?) “The running backs are checking the linebackers. If they don’t come, he can go out for a pass. He also has to check the linemen and block anyone who gets past them. With a mobile quarterback, you want to release a guy and let the linebacker cover him.” (I assume in a pattern that would lead him away from the quarterback).
“There are positives and negatives to a mobile quarterback. In five years here only once have I had the same starting quarterback at the start and at the end of a season. And that was 2018, when we won 10 games. it gives you a fantastic chance to win.” John pointed out that pocket quarterbacks can get injured, too. Dino: “It’s a dangerous game. In fact, it was a mobile quarterback, (Eric Dungey) who failed to finish the season his first two years and a pocket quarterback, (Tommy DeVito), who failed to finish it these last two years.
On the subject of receivers, “it’s different with a young quarterback. You don’t want a whole bunch of young, like we have on defense. We have a lot of things we want to see the young players do. It’s like a Christmas stocking. You don’t want to open it early. You have to take your time and be patient. Some of our young guys have an unbelievable catch radius but we can also have reads misinterpreted. We want our young players to have a chance for success but was also want to have a chance to win the game. One thing I love about our offense is that it’s easy to learn. The signals can be like a foreign language but the concepts are simple. But we didn’t have spring ball or a normal August.”
Chip West came on. He coaches the cornerbacks. (MIcale) “Cunningham is obviously capable and he ahs a really talented receiving corps. He ahs a live arm and loves the play-action pass. Tutu, (Atwell) is a home run player. Dez Fitzpatrick is a bigger player, (6-2 204 vs. 5-10 153) but he’s averaging 20 yards per catch, (19.0 to only 12.5 for Atwell).“ Matt noted that Louisville leads the country in 50 yard scoring plays. (I think we did at one time, early on- it was all we were getting.)
He asked about Garrett Williams and Iffy Melifonwu. West discussed them separately but said the same thing about each: They “have worked on (their) technique all spring and summer and it’s paying off. (They study the game, always looking at films.” Spoken like a coach who told his players to work on their techniques all spring and summer and to get into the film room to study the game. He finally combined them to say “They get it. They understand”. That’s what counts.
