SWC75
Bored Historian
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
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- I checked my E-mail when I got home from the game. Here was a typical question, (this from a cousin in Arizona): “Question: How could Syracuse rush for 370 total yards (7.3 yards/rush average), and rack up 589 total yards, and score only 20 points? Answer: ???”
- Michigan State gained 496 yards and scored 73 points. Georgia gained 547 yards and scored 66 points. North Texas State gained 526 yards and scored 77 points. Temple only gained 351 yards and scored 59 points.
- So what is the answer? Two turnovers are obvious reasons. Terrel Hunt’s lousy passing, (14 of 28) with 4 successes in 15 third or fourth downs were a big reason. Another was field positon. Syracuse had second half drives that started on their 11, their 11, their 5, their 18 and their 11 again. They had six other drives that started at their 25 or closer than that to the goal line. We gained a lot of yards but had a long way to go. Meanwhile Maryland started three drives in Syracuse territory, another from their 41 and another from their 39. They just didn’t have as far to go.
- The Terps were able to get away with a surprisingly conservative second half strategy because the few yards they gained got them to midfield from where they could punt and pin us deep in our own territory. We can gain yards but don’t have an explosive attack so when we have to go 75+ yards it means that we’ve got to run ten or more plays in a row without any mistakes: turnovers, penalties, missed blocks, bad passes, etc. They gambled that we were incapable of this and they won.
- Last week Upperdeck made a post in which he complained about Terrel Hunt’s passing: he overthrows receivers or throws behind them. I disagreed - last week. This week I am in total agreement. With the single exception of the 51 yarder in the second period, which was a wonderful deep throw along the sidelines right into the Jarrod West’s hands, he looked like a blind man throwing darts. He sometimes ignored open receivers and tried to throw into coverage. Several receivers were just breaking open and the ball thrown behind them. He seemed to have regressed as a passer. Hopefully it’s just one bad game. I continue to think that he, like Nassib, he’s better throwing intermediate passes over the middle than sideline or crossing patterns.
- On the interception that was the biggest play of the game, it’s true that it was a timing pattern and the receiver ran the wrong route, (or, at least not the one Hunt expected). But I still felt that Hunt had time to see that the receiver was not there and not deliver the ball. But then I’ve never played QB and don’t know how easy or difficult that is.
- You can lose a lot of games with bad placekicking and we have it. Ryan Norton just doesn’t seem to have it. Cole Murphy hit a 49 yarder so maybe he can get the job done but like Norton, Murphy was our kick-off man. He’s not supposed to be the guy doing this job. Once upon a time the same guy would do all the kicking so I guess it can be done.
- We went to the well once too often with that “rugby punt” scheme. Maryland over-loaded to the opposite side and we didn’t have enough blockers to stop a wave of would be punt-blockers from engulfing Riley Dixon.
- I was very impressed by Maryland’s blocking. On the four yard run by Veil to make it 13-24, every defender on that side was cut down like a scythe. And on the 90 yard screen pass, not only did the quarterback hit a moving target on a clearly forward pass, but the receiver had two blockers out in front who cut their men down. He then split the defenders beyond that and was gone. We gained a lot of yards but I didn’t see any play where our blocking seemed quite as impressive as Maryland’s on those plays.
- Our sideline passes, whether they are “bubble screens” or swing passes or some other plays continue to be poorly executed, with the timing off, the blocking poor, the throws bad and sometimes the catches as well. It is just not our game. We need to play “atomic football”: go right at ’em.
- The play that symbolized the game was the one where Brandon Reddish ran step for step with Marcus Leak, gained inside positon and intercepted a long pass. It was a great defensive play. But Leak, who can bench press 400 pounds, wrestled the ball away from him while both were going down and gained control of it before they hit the ground. That’s what Maryland did. They grabbed the game away from us.
- Michigan State gained 496 yards and scored 73 points. Georgia gained 547 yards and scored 66 points. North Texas State gained 526 yards and scored 77 points. Temple only gained 351 yards and scored 59 points.
- So what is the answer? Two turnovers are obvious reasons. Terrel Hunt’s lousy passing, (14 of 28) with 4 successes in 15 third or fourth downs were a big reason. Another was field positon. Syracuse had second half drives that started on their 11, their 11, their 5, their 18 and their 11 again. They had six other drives that started at their 25 or closer than that to the goal line. We gained a lot of yards but had a long way to go. Meanwhile Maryland started three drives in Syracuse territory, another from their 41 and another from their 39. They just didn’t have as far to go.
- The Terps were able to get away with a surprisingly conservative second half strategy because the few yards they gained got them to midfield from where they could punt and pin us deep in our own territory. We can gain yards but don’t have an explosive attack so when we have to go 75+ yards it means that we’ve got to run ten or more plays in a row without any mistakes: turnovers, penalties, missed blocks, bad passes, etc. They gambled that we were incapable of this and they won.
- Last week Upperdeck made a post in which he complained about Terrel Hunt’s passing: he overthrows receivers or throws behind them. I disagreed - last week. This week I am in total agreement. With the single exception of the 51 yarder in the second period, which was a wonderful deep throw along the sidelines right into the Jarrod West’s hands, he looked like a blind man throwing darts. He sometimes ignored open receivers and tried to throw into coverage. Several receivers were just breaking open and the ball thrown behind them. He seemed to have regressed as a passer. Hopefully it’s just one bad game. I continue to think that he, like Nassib, he’s better throwing intermediate passes over the middle than sideline or crossing patterns.
- On the interception that was the biggest play of the game, it’s true that it was a timing pattern and the receiver ran the wrong route, (or, at least not the one Hunt expected). But I still felt that Hunt had time to see that the receiver was not there and not deliver the ball. But then I’ve never played QB and don’t know how easy or difficult that is.
- You can lose a lot of games with bad placekicking and we have it. Ryan Norton just doesn’t seem to have it. Cole Murphy hit a 49 yarder so maybe he can get the job done but like Norton, Murphy was our kick-off man. He’s not supposed to be the guy doing this job. Once upon a time the same guy would do all the kicking so I guess it can be done.
- We went to the well once too often with that “rugby punt” scheme. Maryland over-loaded to the opposite side and we didn’t have enough blockers to stop a wave of would be punt-blockers from engulfing Riley Dixon.
- I was very impressed by Maryland’s blocking. On the four yard run by Veil to make it 13-24, every defender on that side was cut down like a scythe. And on the 90 yard screen pass, not only did the quarterback hit a moving target on a clearly forward pass, but the receiver had two blockers out in front who cut their men down. He then split the defenders beyond that and was gone. We gained a lot of yards but I didn’t see any play where our blocking seemed quite as impressive as Maryland’s on those plays.
- Our sideline passes, whether they are “bubble screens” or swing passes or some other plays continue to be poorly executed, with the timing off, the blocking poor, the throws bad and sometimes the catches as well. It is just not our game. We need to play “atomic football”: go right at ’em.
- The play that symbolized the game was the one where Brandon Reddish ran step for step with Marcus Leak, gained inside positon and intercepted a long pass. It was a great defensive play. But Leak, who can bench press 400 pounds, wrestled the ball away from him while both were going down and gained control of it before they hit the ground. That’s what Maryland did. They grabbed the game away from us.
