SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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- The play that symbolized this game- and where the Syracuse football program is right now- was Jerome Smith’s sweep on second and inches in front of the goal line. He tried to turn the corner and couldn’t. The first two losses at least had some encouraging signs in them that suggested we might be able to win a lot of future games. (No, that doesn’t make them “moral victories”. They weren’t “jumbo shrimp”, either.) Last night’s game was just like 50 or more games we’ve seen over the last dozen seasons. We were still “in it” on the scoreboard but out of it on the field. You knew we weren’t going to win- and that we weren’t going to win many more if we continue to play like this.
- I just watched Doug Marrone’s press conference on the SU Athletics website. No coach is going to be auditioning for “Dancing With the Stars” after a loss but Doug seemed almost resigned to the situation. His answers came with a shoulder shrug. He looked like there was just nothing left in his bag of tricks to get his players to play the game the way they should. I’m not into “binocular psychology” but on the sidelines at the end of the game he looked more dyspeptic than defiant. He seemed to be bowing to the inevitable long before the game mercifully ended. I still want him to succeed- starting over again with a new coach could be disastrous when we are moving into the ACC. But going into the ACC on a long losing streak would be a disaster, too. Is there anyone left on the board who is certain that Doug is “the guy”? If you ask yourself “Is this a well-coached team?”, what answer do you give?
- Forget Stony Brook. We have an 8 game losing streak vs. FBS teams. I decided to look at some key stats from those eight games, beginning with the Louisville game last year: yards gained, penalties, turnovers and third down conversions. We’ve actually outgained those eight teams by an average of 391-371 yards per game. We’ve averaged 8 penalties for 70 yards. They’ve averaged 7.5 penalties for 64 yards. We’ve actually converted third downs better, 53 of 125 ((42.4%) vs. 40 of 102 (39.2%). The one area we’ve come up short in is turnovers: 19 to 10. But that’s only 2 to 1 per game, not really that decisive. We were 13-2 in the Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Minnesota games. What about the five other games? It’s not the “What” that has counted. It’s the “When”. We make our mistakes at the wrong times, particularly at the beginning of games or in the red zone). We don’t take advantage of all of our opportunities. Our defense weakens at critical times. As a result we’ve been outscored in these games 161-266 (20-33) and are 0-8. This team just doesn’t know how to win.
- We still are not getting those “explosive plays” Marrone said his staff was spending the off-season trying to find. We still need 10 or 12 or 14 plays to score. That gives us 10 or 12 or 14 chances to make mistakes and we usually do.
- The first 15 offensive plays of the game are scripted by the Syracuse coaching staff. MY problem is that I don’t know if I am watching an action-adventure film or a romantic comedy. Why are we running the ball on third an long? Or sending Jerome Smith, a old-fashioned fullback type, on a sweep on second and inches from the goal? Or not throwing to our best receiver, Marcus Sales, until late in the fourth quarter, (his first catch that counted came with exactly a minute left). Marrone said that they put a safety on him and that took him out of the game. “Anyone can take a player out of a game.” Is it that easy? I could accept defeat better if what we were trying to do made sense to me.
- We had 3 kick-off returns for 34 yards. That’s 11.3 yards per return. We had 2 punt returns, (of 5) for 3 yards. That’s 1.5 yards per return. Our return men were immediately greeted by 4-5 Minnesota tacklers upon securing the ball, with 4-5 Syracuse “blockers” jogging after them. It’s a major segment of the game we get absolutely nothing out of. Why kick for a touchback when you can tackle us at the 15?
- I keep saying, “Why don’t we come out gunning?” We did and the result was an interception. It was a “tipped pass” but it was also thrown behind the receiver and too strong. I’m beginning to think the reason we don’t go right to the passing game at the beginning is because Nassib needs to calm down and get into the flow of the game first. We don’t do what we do later in the game because Nassib just isn’t ready to do that yet.
- I get sick of seeing Nassib slide into third base when there is still yardage to be gained on the play. It not only costs us yards but it looks wimpy. I can deal with the second if we could only get the first. At least we didn’t see any more of the fake to the running back and plunge up the middle that left Ryan wresting with linebackers. Marrone has said that he has “full confidence” in Charley Loeb if Nassib comes out of the gamer. When Ryan slides, it sure doesn’t look like it.
- That slant pass over the middle seems open every time we try it- short or long. I sure wish we’d go to it more. Nassib seems much more accurate when throwing over the middle. I think he sees that part of the field better.
- The defense played well, as usual, but weakened at a critical point, as usual. That 87 yard drive to open the second half gave them control of the game. Then there was the winning drive by Northwestern, the 80 yard reverse by Woods of USC, the four guys failing to tackle the Trojan tight end, the “push” tackle vs. Stony brook, etc. etc.
- Chris Gedney has a colorful way of expressing himself. He keeps talking about SU players being “beaten across the face”. Tonight, he kept talking about “Holding your water”, by which he meant not moving before the ball is snapped. Most of our penalties were for 5 yards and those, in a way are the ones that hurt the most. They not only disrupt the offense and make it more difficult to retain possession of the ball and take advantage of the no-huddle look but they are the most avoidable of penalties. Just hold your water.
- I just watched Doug Marrone’s press conference on the SU Athletics website. No coach is going to be auditioning for “Dancing With the Stars” after a loss but Doug seemed almost resigned to the situation. His answers came with a shoulder shrug. He looked like there was just nothing left in his bag of tricks to get his players to play the game the way they should. I’m not into “binocular psychology” but on the sidelines at the end of the game he looked more dyspeptic than defiant. He seemed to be bowing to the inevitable long before the game mercifully ended. I still want him to succeed- starting over again with a new coach could be disastrous when we are moving into the ACC. But going into the ACC on a long losing streak would be a disaster, too. Is there anyone left on the board who is certain that Doug is “the guy”? If you ask yourself “Is this a well-coached team?”, what answer do you give?
- Forget Stony Brook. We have an 8 game losing streak vs. FBS teams. I decided to look at some key stats from those eight games, beginning with the Louisville game last year: yards gained, penalties, turnovers and third down conversions. We’ve actually outgained those eight teams by an average of 391-371 yards per game. We’ve averaged 8 penalties for 70 yards. They’ve averaged 7.5 penalties for 64 yards. We’ve actually converted third downs better, 53 of 125 ((42.4%) vs. 40 of 102 (39.2%). The one area we’ve come up short in is turnovers: 19 to 10. But that’s only 2 to 1 per game, not really that decisive. We were 13-2 in the Pittsburgh, Northwestern and Minnesota games. What about the five other games? It’s not the “What” that has counted. It’s the “When”. We make our mistakes at the wrong times, particularly at the beginning of games or in the red zone). We don’t take advantage of all of our opportunities. Our defense weakens at critical times. As a result we’ve been outscored in these games 161-266 (20-33) and are 0-8. This team just doesn’t know how to win.
- We still are not getting those “explosive plays” Marrone said his staff was spending the off-season trying to find. We still need 10 or 12 or 14 plays to score. That gives us 10 or 12 or 14 chances to make mistakes and we usually do.
- The first 15 offensive plays of the game are scripted by the Syracuse coaching staff. MY problem is that I don’t know if I am watching an action-adventure film or a romantic comedy. Why are we running the ball on third an long? Or sending Jerome Smith, a old-fashioned fullback type, on a sweep on second and inches from the goal? Or not throwing to our best receiver, Marcus Sales, until late in the fourth quarter, (his first catch that counted came with exactly a minute left). Marrone said that they put a safety on him and that took him out of the game. “Anyone can take a player out of a game.” Is it that easy? I could accept defeat better if what we were trying to do made sense to me.
- We had 3 kick-off returns for 34 yards. That’s 11.3 yards per return. We had 2 punt returns, (of 5) for 3 yards. That’s 1.5 yards per return. Our return men were immediately greeted by 4-5 Minnesota tacklers upon securing the ball, with 4-5 Syracuse “blockers” jogging after them. It’s a major segment of the game we get absolutely nothing out of. Why kick for a touchback when you can tackle us at the 15?
- I keep saying, “Why don’t we come out gunning?” We did and the result was an interception. It was a “tipped pass” but it was also thrown behind the receiver and too strong. I’m beginning to think the reason we don’t go right to the passing game at the beginning is because Nassib needs to calm down and get into the flow of the game first. We don’t do what we do later in the game because Nassib just isn’t ready to do that yet.
- I get sick of seeing Nassib slide into third base when there is still yardage to be gained on the play. It not only costs us yards but it looks wimpy. I can deal with the second if we could only get the first. At least we didn’t see any more of the fake to the running back and plunge up the middle that left Ryan wresting with linebackers. Marrone has said that he has “full confidence” in Charley Loeb if Nassib comes out of the gamer. When Ryan slides, it sure doesn’t look like it.
- That slant pass over the middle seems open every time we try it- short or long. I sure wish we’d go to it more. Nassib seems much more accurate when throwing over the middle. I think he sees that part of the field better.
- The defense played well, as usual, but weakened at a critical point, as usual. That 87 yard drive to open the second half gave them control of the game. Then there was the winning drive by Northwestern, the 80 yard reverse by Woods of USC, the four guys failing to tackle the Trojan tight end, the “push” tackle vs. Stony brook, etc. etc.
- Chris Gedney has a colorful way of expressing himself. He keeps talking about SU players being “beaten across the face”. Tonight, he kept talking about “Holding your water”, by which he meant not moving before the ball is snapped. Most of our penalties were for 5 yards and those, in a way are the ones that hurt the most. They not only disrupt the offense and make it more difficult to retain possession of the ball and take advantage of the no-huddle look but they are the most avoidable of penalties. Just hold your water.
I'm trying to uinderstand the Defense played well? In 3rd and long Situations the Corners are 7-8 Yds off the ball on mediocre receivers. INCREDULOUS
