SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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- We were due for a game where we really laid on somebody. We have an offense than can move the ball and a young fast defense that seems to be getting better with each game. We weren’t getting beat as much as we were finding ways to lose games. If we could have a game where we didn’t turn the ball over, weren’t too damaged by penalties and gave Ryan Nassib good protection, somebody was gonna pay. Sorry UCONN. You were just in the way.
- Credit Marrone and Hackett for recognizing they could run on the Huskies, whose big defensive numbers were accumulated against a weak schedule. By running on them and forcing them to expect it, it cut down on their pass rush, especially #48, Trevado Williams. (Nassib was never sacked in the game.) Marrone also pointed out that they had used the “Stack” formation to occupy Connecticut’s corners, whom he said were the best they’d seen all year and liberate Alec Lemon for those big plays over the middle.
- It was also interesting to see the chess game between the veteran Syracuse defensive coordinator, Scott Shafer, and the veteran Connecticut defensive coordinator, George DeLeone. Shafer brought the house, play after play and the Huskies seemed overwhelmed early. But DeLeone put some extra protection in the backfield and his fewer receivers found some success going one-on-one with the limited number of SU defenders. He also pulled off the good-old tight-end throwback for a touchdown. But Shafer made some adjustments that closed those things down without having to let up on the pressure and the Huskies got nothing in the second half as the game became a rout.
- Huge comeback games for Alec Lemon, who looked like the Alec Lemon we saw last year and Ross Krautman, who looked like the Ross Krautman we saw two years ago.
- Ryan Nassib to Mackey MacPherson: THANK YOU! On consecutive plays you knocked down a tipped pass and then leaped over a guy to recover my fumble, thus keeping my- and our turnovers at the goose-egg level.
- The difference between Ritchie Desir and Ritchie, errr….Stephen Rene is simply that Desir sees a punt return as an offensive play and Rene just looks at it as a change of possession. When you consider what punt returns have done to us this season and our need to start winning games, it needs to be an offensive play.
- Our third down efficiency, which was and excellent 28 of 53 (53%) in the first three games, (and which allowed up to retain the ball, get off 87 plays a game and wear down the other team’s defense while keeping their offense off the field), but then declined to a mediocre 14 of 42, (33%), in the next three games, (and, as a result, got off 67 plays a game), made a comeback with 8 for 15 (back to 53%). It’s an important stat for anyone, but a really key one for this team.
- Nassib, with the defense put back on their heels by the running game and with good protect when he passed, averaged 17.9 yards per completion and 12.6 per attempt. Coming into the game, he was at 11.8 and 7.6. We not only threw the ball downfield but we also threw it to the middle of the field, where Nassib is at his best.
- Beckett Wales is becoming more of a force in these games. Now if we only had the tight-end throw-back.
- Jerome Smith had a huge game with 113 yards on only 19 carries, (7 yards a pop). He’s a great “downhill” runner. He needs to avoid going east-west. It’s not his game. (And he still hasn’t scored this year in 97 carries at 5.0 yards a crack. Go figure.)
- But the big-time talent is Ashton Broyld. He’s bigger than Smith and has more moves and speed than Gulley. He showed more in that first 11 yard burst than the other two did in the whole game- a game where they played well. He’s still learning- Marrone is not ready to praise him yet and pointed out he missed some openings. But he’s gong to be something special for us in the future- hopefully the near future. And it won’t be as a quarterback.
- That re-invented offensive line of Pugh, Chibane, MacPherson, (does anyone complain about him any more?), Foy-Trudo and Hickey seems to be coming into their own. They dominated the heralded Connecticut line on both rushes and passes.
- Ray Graham has averaged 5.7 yards per carry for his career. He got 57 yards on 24 carries (2.4) vs. us. Jawan Jamison had gained at least 110 yards in every game this season until he got 64 in 28 carries against us. Lyle McCombs was a 1151 yard runner last year. He gained 16 yards in 12 carriers against us. That’s three great backs, 64 carries and 137 yards, (2.1 a shot) in three games. Next?
- Nick Williams was one of those dangerous kick returners that give SU fans nightmares but he only had two kick-off returns for a total of 33 yards and no punt return yards. Credit the coverage but also credit the kickers: Ryan Norton and Jonathan Fisher. We have 9 touchbacks in the previous five season, (61 games), before Norton took over the kick-off duty and we have 17 this year in 7 games.
- We’ve now out-gained our opposition by an average of 124 yards per game, up from 100 when I did my post on that subject. Going into this weekend only 17 teams had done better than that and, of the 12 undefeated teams, only Alabama and Oregon had done better than that. More importantly, none of our remaining opponents are doing as well. If we take of the ball, we can beat all of them. All of them.
3-4 with 5 more
LET’S GO ORANGE!!!
- Credit Marrone and Hackett for recognizing they could run on the Huskies, whose big defensive numbers were accumulated against a weak schedule. By running on them and forcing them to expect it, it cut down on their pass rush, especially #48, Trevado Williams. (Nassib was never sacked in the game.) Marrone also pointed out that they had used the “Stack” formation to occupy Connecticut’s corners, whom he said were the best they’d seen all year and liberate Alec Lemon for those big plays over the middle.
- It was also interesting to see the chess game between the veteran Syracuse defensive coordinator, Scott Shafer, and the veteran Connecticut defensive coordinator, George DeLeone. Shafer brought the house, play after play and the Huskies seemed overwhelmed early. But DeLeone put some extra protection in the backfield and his fewer receivers found some success going one-on-one with the limited number of SU defenders. He also pulled off the good-old tight-end throwback for a touchdown. But Shafer made some adjustments that closed those things down without having to let up on the pressure and the Huskies got nothing in the second half as the game became a rout.
- Huge comeback games for Alec Lemon, who looked like the Alec Lemon we saw last year and Ross Krautman, who looked like the Ross Krautman we saw two years ago.
- Ryan Nassib to Mackey MacPherson: THANK YOU! On consecutive plays you knocked down a tipped pass and then leaped over a guy to recover my fumble, thus keeping my- and our turnovers at the goose-egg level.
- The difference between Ritchie Desir and Ritchie, errr….Stephen Rene is simply that Desir sees a punt return as an offensive play and Rene just looks at it as a change of possession. When you consider what punt returns have done to us this season and our need to start winning games, it needs to be an offensive play.
- Our third down efficiency, which was and excellent 28 of 53 (53%) in the first three games, (and which allowed up to retain the ball, get off 87 plays a game and wear down the other team’s defense while keeping their offense off the field), but then declined to a mediocre 14 of 42, (33%), in the next three games, (and, as a result, got off 67 plays a game), made a comeback with 8 for 15 (back to 53%). It’s an important stat for anyone, but a really key one for this team.
- Nassib, with the defense put back on their heels by the running game and with good protect when he passed, averaged 17.9 yards per completion and 12.6 per attempt. Coming into the game, he was at 11.8 and 7.6. We not only threw the ball downfield but we also threw it to the middle of the field, where Nassib is at his best.
- Beckett Wales is becoming more of a force in these games. Now if we only had the tight-end throw-back.
- Jerome Smith had a huge game with 113 yards on only 19 carries, (7 yards a pop). He’s a great “downhill” runner. He needs to avoid going east-west. It’s not his game. (And he still hasn’t scored this year in 97 carries at 5.0 yards a crack. Go figure.)
- But the big-time talent is Ashton Broyld. He’s bigger than Smith and has more moves and speed than Gulley. He showed more in that first 11 yard burst than the other two did in the whole game- a game where they played well. He’s still learning- Marrone is not ready to praise him yet and pointed out he missed some openings. But he’s gong to be something special for us in the future- hopefully the near future. And it won’t be as a quarterback.
- That re-invented offensive line of Pugh, Chibane, MacPherson, (does anyone complain about him any more?), Foy-Trudo and Hickey seems to be coming into their own. They dominated the heralded Connecticut line on both rushes and passes.
- Ray Graham has averaged 5.7 yards per carry for his career. He got 57 yards on 24 carries (2.4) vs. us. Jawan Jamison had gained at least 110 yards in every game this season until he got 64 in 28 carries against us. Lyle McCombs was a 1151 yard runner last year. He gained 16 yards in 12 carriers against us. That’s three great backs, 64 carries and 137 yards, (2.1 a shot) in three games. Next?
- Nick Williams was one of those dangerous kick returners that give SU fans nightmares but he only had two kick-off returns for a total of 33 yards and no punt return yards. Credit the coverage but also credit the kickers: Ryan Norton and Jonathan Fisher. We have 9 touchbacks in the previous five season, (61 games), before Norton took over the kick-off duty and we have 17 this year in 7 games.
- We’ve now out-gained our opposition by an average of 124 yards per game, up from 100 when I did my post on that subject. Going into this weekend only 17 teams had done better than that and, of the 12 undefeated teams, only Alabama and Oregon had done better than that. More importantly, none of our remaining opponents are doing as well. If we take of the ball, we can beat all of them. All of them.
3-4 with 5 more
LET’S GO ORANGE!!!