SWC75
Bored Historian
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THE OFFENSE
Then:
“Everybody has enormous respect for Eric Dungey. … On his positive plays, (eliminating the 91 sacks), he’s run for 1,719 yards and 20TDs in 268 carries, an average of 6.4 yard per carry. When he does throw he’s completed 560 of 868 passes (64.5%) for 6,472 yards, (11.6 per completion and 7.5 per attempt) for40 TDs and 21 interceptions. He’s the kind of dual threat quarterback that has always killed us and we’ve got him on our side. He’s one of the best returning QBs in the country.
Beyond that, he’s an inspirational player because of his personality, (he seems to combine being a nice guy with a fiery competitor), and fearless playing style. His impact on the team seems to go beyond just the offense: the whole team sags when he isn’t in there, which is why SU fans hope and pray that he can complete the season this year.
He’s not a perfect quarterback. I don’t think he has NFL arm strength or accuracy. He’s a very good college quarterback, (which is all we need him to be). Our offense is predicated on throwing constantly to the sidelines and Eric just doesn’t throw that pass well. He tends to throw it to the inside of the receiver, where the defender can get at it, rather than to the outside, where only his receiver is likely to get his hands on it.
The new back-up, Tommy DeVito does have an NFL arm and accuracy, as testified by anyone who has seen him in practice. I think he’s much more the type of quarterback Dino loves: a guy who will stay in the pocket and pick apart the defense. Coming out of high school, ESPN ranked him 8th among the nation’s pocket passer prospects. He was very impressive in the post-season all-star games: Under Armour, Nike Elite and 7 on 7. He’s considered out best QB recruit since Donovan McNabb.”
Now: Dungey completed the season and avoided the big interceptions that had marred his junior season, although he had the same number (9). But he was still 50% a runner and 50% a passer, he ran for 754 yards, (949 if you exclude sacks) on 184 carries and 15 scores and passed for 2,868 yards and 18 TDs in 226 attempts. He was 38th in the country in passing yards and tied for 54th in touchdowns. The leader was Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins with 4,831 and 50. Maybe Garoppolo numbers are possible at this level. But Eric Dungey wasn’t the guy to achieve them. What you did get from Eric is that second running back in the backfield. His 754 net yards was 12th among the country’s QBs, (improbably, the leader was UCONN’s David Pindell with 1,139. But the only quarterback who scored more touchdowns was Army’s Kelvin Hopkins with 17. Of course, Army runs the wishbone. Dungey’s total offense of 3,622 yards was 21st in the country and he accounted for 33TDs. It was an impressive career but he didn’t accumulate Heisman type numbers and he’s not really a pro prospect without a positon change.
As to his inspirational qualities they are certainly there. Our record when he wasn’t in the game is mixed. He was dynamite in the first half of the opener against Western Michigan, driving us to a 34-7 lead before giving way to Tommy DeVito, who seemed overwhelmed as Broncos closed to 34-28. Dungey came back in and rallied us to a 55-42 win. But DeVito saved us in the North Carolina game when Dungey was ineffective, (a week after he had a shaky game vs. Pittsburgh). He did it more with talent than inspiration: the looping 42 yard bomb that Tommy dropped into the arms of Nykiem Johnson in that game got the team and the crowd out of the doldrums. He then three two TD passes in overtime to win it and people were calling for the DeVito Era to begin immediately. But he had no magic after Dungey went down against Notre Dame: neither did Dungey before he got hurt. The Irish were just too much for us that day.
DeVito’s overall stats were underwhelming: 44 for 87 (50.6%) for 525 yards 4TDs and 3 interceptions. He’s said to be faster than Dungey and is nearly as big, (6-2 211) but he gained only 62 positive yards and was thrown for losses of 79 yards on sacks, so he’s unlikely to be that second running back Dungey was. If he proves to be a big success next year, he’s the one who might someday put up the Garoppolo numbers. It was also thought that he might have to fight off another talented prospect, Chance Amie, a dual threat QB from Texas who redshirted. But Amie has decided to transfer for undisclosed reasons. That leaves the positon ot DeVito, backed up by Clayton Welch, a junior college transfer who walked on and Rex Culpepper, once thought to be Dungey’s heir apparent but who switched to tight end because he seemed unlikely to beat out DeVito and Amie. There may be some more recruiting done in this area.
Then:
“Dontae Strickland in his three years here, the last two as a starter, has averaged 3.9, 3.5 and 3.8 yards per carry. And those numbers have described him perfectly: a solid guy who does the best he can with the talent and opportunities he’s been given… I’d rate him mediocre at best in the three major qualities I want to see in a runner: power, moves and speed. He probably rates above average in blocking, calling out the blocking schemes, leadership, etc. That’s why he’s been out there…Strickland and Neal should be better just as part of the maturation process and an improved offensive line can make average backs seem above average, or maybe show us that they weren’t really average backs at all.
Moe Neal came here as a slightly built guy, (5-11 169), with great speed. Most saw him as a hybrid runner-receiver who might transition into a full-time receiver and a dynamic kick returner. In two years, he’s rushed the ball 160 times, caught 14 passes and never returned a kick… there was never really much of an effort given to put Moe “on an island” with a defender…His straight-ahead speed enabled him to have an occasional burst into the secondary but not many of those bursts wound up in the end zone. He’s scored four touchdowns in two years and one of them was on a pass. He had enough bursts to average 5.3 yards per carry each of his first two years but that hasn’t been 5.3 yards in each carry. It’s been 20, 30, 40 yard bursts mixed in with a lot of plays that went nowhere.
He’s now bulked up to 191, which might enable him to take the pounding of a feature back. But it also might cost him some of his greatest asset: speed. His has been mostly a straight-line speed, which is why those bursts rarely scored. I’d rate him average on moves and below average on power.
Meanwhile we’ve got three guys in the pipeline I would rate above average in power, moves and speed, (as Fredericks was). We know one will not play this year, Abdul Adams, because he’s an undergrad transfer from Oklahoma and has to sit out this year. Let’s take a quick look at Adams, who most SU fans still have in the back of their minds, where he’s been since we heard he was transferring here. In two years at Oklahoma he carried the ball 112 times for 825 yards, (7.4 per carry). He rushed for only one touchdown but it was a spectacular one, (99 yards) He averaged 15 yards a carry in that game and 9.2 for the season.
But the positon will not be wide open, even if we are not Oklahoma. Neal will be back for his senior year and Markenzie Pierre will be back for his junior year. His season last year was hardly as spectacular as Adams but he did show promise at times and his playing time did decrease after an early mistake. He had 46 yards in 9 carries (5.1) in the opener vs. Central Connecticut but after a fumble early in the Central Michigan game we saw less of him and heard Babers complain that “you have to hold onto to the ball to win”. And here comes Jarveon Howard, a freshman from Mississippi... he looks just as good as Pierre and maybe a bit faster. The completion for who will share the spot, (I assume) with Neal next year should be fabulous. Adams, Pierre and Howard are all of a similar size, (5-11 209, 5-11 217 and 5-10 209) and I think they are similar players…I think they are all better than what we’ve had the last couple of years. They may have to wait for their turn but their turn should be exciting.”
Now:
Strickland had a solid senior year 588 yards at a 4.99 average and 6 TDs. As I said in the preview, I think it was a combination of him being better than he was ever allowed to show, improving from that base and finally getting a good line in front of him. Having a quarterback who was a major running threats surely helped as well. Neal had a big junior year with 869 (5.6) and 5TDs. He showed the strength to run between the tackles and still had the burst necessary to make some really big runs. He should be primed for a huge senior year. Howard was used primarily in short yardage and goal line situations but had an impressive average (4.6). He gained 315 yards and scored 7 TDs. Adams was allowed to play in the bowl game and did not put up big numbers, (8 carries for 19 yards), but scored two impressive touchdowns, climbing over a prone defender for one and rendering one prone to score the other. Pierre only got into 4 games and had 35 yards in 8 carries and no scores. They totaled 1,826 yards and 18TDs. But that’s only 140 yards rushing a game and next year they will basically be the entire running game with the defense able to focus on them, since only one guy will be in the game at a time. Hopefully, DeVito’s passing will open things up for them.
Then:
“They call it a “spread”. The idea is to spread the defense out so you can exploit the holes that develop when they try to cover everyone and everywhere. We’ve had a clear #1 guy and when he’s covered, we dump it off to the clear #2 guy. The other guys have gotten their balls when both were covered or one of them was temporarily on the sidelines. We also focused entirely on the sidelines, even though that’s not Dungey’s best throw and it hardly spread the defense to keep throwing to one side of the field. It almost reminded me of the George DeLeone days, when we’d run the near-side option over and over again. At least that had the point of dragging the defense to one side of the field so we could hit them with the occasional big play to the other side. I’ve seen very little of that these last two years.
What I’d like to see this year is to have 4-5 receivers with 50-60 catches and maybe a couple more with 30-40. And use the whole field, not just the sideline. I recall Ryan Nassib throwing over the middle to Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales in 2012 and really carving up the defense. I also recall the opposing quarterbacks carving us up over the middle, too. Make them cover everyone and the whole field and hit them in the gaps that develop.
A key to this could be Ravian Pierce, a big time JUCO recruit last year who had an up-and-down season. If he develops into a major threat, that could re-focus our attack towards the middle of the field. You rarely see a tight end thrown to at the sideline. Pierce had 29 catches for 263 yards (9.1) and 4 scores.
He’s the second leading returning receiver. The leading returnee is Devin Butler… He’s got good size (6-3 194). He just hasn’t been consistent or dynamic…There’s no returning pure receiver with 10+ catches who averaged that number of yards per catch.
Jamal Custis came here advertised as a player of exceptional size, (6-5 213) and speed, which was reported at one time as 4.3 in the 40 yard dash: I later heard that that was a mistake but Custis is still reputed to be fast for his size. Unfortunately he’s been held back by injuries and perhaps difficulty catching the ball or understanding the offense. The other end of the scale is 5-8 170 Sean Riley, a water-sprite who is better known as a kick-returner. His most memorable moment last year was an awful drop in the end zone vs. LSU that could have made a big difference in that game. He just looks so small and fragile out there, like a gust of wind could knock him down. He does use his quickness to find an opening from time to time…But he really doesn’t have climax speed…(he’s) never yet scored a touchdown for us. Maybe this year.
As with the quarterback and running back units, there’s some interesting young talent coming up behind the experienced players, although with the receivers their openings for getting playing time are going to be more numerous. One guy who isn’t going to get a shot is Trishton Jackson, who like Abdul Adams, is a highly recruited, (4 stars) transfer from a school whose success we envy, (Michigan State). He is a talented athlete who wants to play with Jim Boeheim’s basketball team a as walk-on….A lot of people are excited about Russell Thompson-Bishop (RTB) who at 6-1 215 had good size and a lot of strength to fight his way open. He also has excellent speed, as reflected in his averages per catch in high school: overall: 133 receptions for 2,768 yards (20.8 avg.) and 35 touchdowns. He also played basketball and led the state of Connecticut in blocked shots with 4.6. Did I say he was 6-1? He looks like the sort of guy quarterbacks love to throw to- a guy who can go up and get it in a crowd and make the QB look good. He’s also the ideal guy to target over the middle.
Johnson and Johnson are a key part of any team – they make band aids. We have Johnson & Johnson and Johnson. Last year we had Nykeim Johnson, who played, and Sharod Johnson who didn’t – he reshirted. They are now joined by Kevin Johnson Jr.- the son of the Kevin Johnson who played for us in the 1990’s and had a distinguished career as a pass receiver and kick returner. All three are smallish: Nykeim is Riley-size at 5-8 167, Sharod 5-11 174 and Kevin Jr. 5-11 but a solid 190. All of them should provide plenty of elusiveness and speed. Nykeim…looks like a speedier version of Riley who can make difficult catches. We didn’t get to see Sharod Johnson last year but he was the 74th best wide receiver in his class, nationally. He’s from Miami, so you know he faced top-level completion…He looks like a good possession receiver who also has the ability to get past people and make the big play. Kevin Johnson, Jr. played for “The Hun” school in New Jersey, (do they teach them to conquer and pillage?) and caught 32 passes for 795 yards (24.8!) and seven touchdowns. He then transferred to IMG in Miami, (the sort of place that collects top prospects) where he “mostly played on special teams” per Nunesmagician.com….
It looks like he runs routes really well and has the strength to fight off defenders. With so many Johnson’s, he’s considered a “redshirt” candidate but that new redshirt rule, (they can play up to 4 games), we may see him this year anyway, probably, as at IMG, on special teams. But with his pedigree, he may be a key receiver for us in the future.
Cameron Jordan made the two deep behind Devin Butler as a redshirt freshman. He’s from Long Island and is another big target at 6-3 202. He got three starts from most of the services. “As a senior captain, tallied 22 receptions for 614 yards (27.9!) and 11 touchdowns…Cam seems like the guy you’d like to throw the deep bomb to several times a game. Taj Harris is a three star wide receiver prospect out of New Jersey, another good area, (usually way better than New York). “As a sophomore, caught 51 passes for 1,101 yards and 13. Ed Hendrix is another newcomer people are excited about. He’s another tall receiver at 6-3. “Caught 68 passes for 1,535 yards (22.6 avg.) and 24 touchdowns in three seasons for the Warriors, including 27 receptions for 585 yards (21.7 avg.) and 14 touchdowns as a senior captain.”
He looks like a tall target that a quarterback would look for when he needs a completion. Anthony Queeley is a three star recruit from Florida. “ Caught 73 passes for 1,063 yards (14.6 avg.) and seven touchdowns as a junior … As a senior captain in 2017, made 77 receptions for 1,197 yards (15.5 avg.) and 13 TDs” Nunes: “Put up exactly the type of numbers we’d like to see more of at SU.”
Now:
Ravian Pierce never became the big weapon we’d hoped for although he did well as a blocker and a goal line threat: Dino Babers just doesn’t use tight ends as major weapons. Butler continued to disappoint, catching only 14 balls for 126 yards and no scores. He was displaced by Harris, who became the #1 option by the end of the season with 40 catches for 465 yards and 3 scores. Custis finally had a productive year after hardly playing his first three seasons. In fact he led the team with 906 yards on only 51 catches, (17.8) and 6TDs. He made some great catches and showed some great moves but the whole was still less than the sum of its parts. There were catches that should have been made and some routes that could have bene better run. He’s got the measurables for an NFL wide-out but inconsistency may hold him back. Etta Tawo and Ismael were better but they aren’t playing in the NFL.
I totally changed my view of Sean Riley. He’s become a tough 100% football player who can take hits and break tackles without losing his speed and elusiveness. He led the team with 64 receptions for 756 yards and 3 scores. He was also the #2 punt returner in the country with 16.4 yards per return and one TD. He’ll be back next year, to be joined by a tidal wave of young talent.
Hanging ten is Harris, who showed everything you’d want to see in a wide-out. He gets open, has good size and hands and can make moves after the catch. Jackson, like Adams, was allowed to play in the bowl game and caught a TD pass. Hendrix, who was thought to be the best of the freshmen before he got hurt, was red-shirted, as were Thompson-Bishop, Queeley and Kevin Johnson who didn’t play at all. Cam Jordan played in 12 games but never caught a pass. Nykeim Johnson, who had played as a true freshman, was the team’s third leading receiver with 41 catches for 565 yards and 4 TDs. Sharod played a lot less and had 7 catches for 97 yard s and no scores. The completion among these young talents should be tremendous in the spring and next August. DeVito should have a very talented receiver corps to throw to, one that will maximize his chances for success.
Babers said he prefers to have an obvious #1 receiver they can throw to, like Etta Tawo or Ismael. This year, because nobody was good enough to fulfill that role, we got the “spread” I’d prefer: 64 to Riley, 51 to Custis, 41 to N. Johnson and 40 Harris. We may have the same thing next year because we have so many talented receivers.
Then:
“Last year’s team had a very young line that grew up as the season progressed. They took on the greatest defensive line in the country – Clemson’s- just look at all the magazine covers- and won. They did that without the player who was supposed to be their best player, Aaron Roberts, who had a season ending injury before the season had even begun. He’s back and now we have Koda Martin, Coach Baber’s son-in-law, who transferred here for his senior season after starting for Texas A&M. This promises to be the best offensive line we’ve had since Doug Marrone left six years ago.
Roberts doesn’t lack for confidence: “"We've tasted greatness," Roberts said. "Once you taste that, we feel like we can beat any team -- we don't care who it is... If you beat Clemson, you know what you can do. We can win the national championship. I don't care; I'll say it. We want to go to a bowl game, but I want more than a bowl game. I'm trying to really shock the country. That's what we've been talking about as an offense." Nunes says: “Roberts has bulked up (up almost 30 lbs from this time last year) and will be an anchor on the Syracuse Orange offensive line. His presence will go a long way toward protecting the quarterback, allowing to more traditional quick drop-backs, and hopefully open up a more straight-forward run game.”
Syracuse.com describes Martin as “the marquee addition to the offensive line this season…The projected starting line up in the pre-season chart consists of Martin, a right tackle who has started 14 games at this level and played in 20 more; right guard Evan Adams who has started 21 games and played in 3 others; center Airon Servais, who started 12 games as a freshman last year, left guard Roberts, who has started 12 games and played in 3 more and left tackle Cody Conway, who has started 20 games and played in 7 more. That’s a combined service of 79 starts and 18 other appearances. They average 6-6, (in fact, they are all 6-6, save for Roberts who is 6-4), and 302 pounds per man. That’s actually pretty average size these days, maybe a bit less. But I don’t like 320 pound linemen who should be 300: the saying is “git thar firstest with the moistest”. Getting there first is the important part. If you do that, you’d have the ‘mostest’.
Their back-ups are RT Mike Clark, who has played in 2 games, RG Colin Byrne, who has played in 15, C Keaton Darnley, who has played in 18, LG Sam Heckel who started 12 games as a freshman last year in place of Roberts and LT Patrick Davis, who has played in 8 games. That’s 12 starts and 43 other appearances. These guys average 6-4, 297. Heckle also played center last year behind Servais and could again if Airon was injured. Servais actually came here as a tackle and was going to play there this year with Heckel as the center until Martin arrived. Most of these players can play multiple positons, adding to the depth.
Also on the two deep, even though he’s listed as the third left guard, (behind Roberts and Heckel: the spot that would seem to closed up the tightest) is 6-5 327 Dakota Davis, who redshirted last year. He is, as they say a “beast”: Syracuse.com calls him “a road grader who teammates say sometimes run-blocks defensive players 25 yards downfield”. He told his hometown newspaper: “It’s fun to pancake people and break other people’s will play after play.” That might be a reason why they couldn’t leave him off the two deep. Another potential “beast” is true freshman Qadir White, a 4 star prospect out of the Bronx. 247sports rate shim the 15th best offensive lineman in his class. At 6-7 334, he could make a difference in any line. Andrejas Duerig has played in every game the last two seasons on special teams. That will probably continue to be his role this season with all the people ahead of him. The same is true for walk-on Austin Chandler. Carlos Vettorello is a 3 star true freshman who could see some action under the new redshirt rule. Wil Froumy has the same resume.
Babers: “"I think we've got a base of seven or eight guys who really get it, how physical the game is in the trenches and the way they need to throw their weight around," Babers said at the ACC Kickoff. “Those guys are the elephants and they need to act like elephants, and I think they will."
Now:
Well, we didn’t win the national championship but we did nearly beat Clemson again and won a good bowl game, so Robert’s determined optimism did not go to waste. The line held up well, except for the Notre Dame game, when they couldn’t keep the Irish out of the back field. They had trouble opening hole in the Clemson wall but so did Alabama. I thought Martin would be the best player on the line but he seemed to be the one helping the quarterback up after a sack more than the others. Servias drew more and more praise as the season went along. Heckle proved the most versatile. We will lose three starters from this line but I like everything I hear about Dakota Davis and Qadir White. They could be the mainstays of an even stronger line along with Servias, Heckel and Adams.
Then:
“Everybody has enormous respect for Eric Dungey. … On his positive plays, (eliminating the 91 sacks), he’s run for 1,719 yards and 20TDs in 268 carries, an average of 6.4 yard per carry. When he does throw he’s completed 560 of 868 passes (64.5%) for 6,472 yards, (11.6 per completion and 7.5 per attempt) for40 TDs and 21 interceptions. He’s the kind of dual threat quarterback that has always killed us and we’ve got him on our side. He’s one of the best returning QBs in the country.
Beyond that, he’s an inspirational player because of his personality, (he seems to combine being a nice guy with a fiery competitor), and fearless playing style. His impact on the team seems to go beyond just the offense: the whole team sags when he isn’t in there, which is why SU fans hope and pray that he can complete the season this year.
He’s not a perfect quarterback. I don’t think he has NFL arm strength or accuracy. He’s a very good college quarterback, (which is all we need him to be). Our offense is predicated on throwing constantly to the sidelines and Eric just doesn’t throw that pass well. He tends to throw it to the inside of the receiver, where the defender can get at it, rather than to the outside, where only his receiver is likely to get his hands on it.
The new back-up, Tommy DeVito does have an NFL arm and accuracy, as testified by anyone who has seen him in practice. I think he’s much more the type of quarterback Dino loves: a guy who will stay in the pocket and pick apart the defense. Coming out of high school, ESPN ranked him 8th among the nation’s pocket passer prospects. He was very impressive in the post-season all-star games: Under Armour, Nike Elite and 7 on 7. He’s considered out best QB recruit since Donovan McNabb.”
Now: Dungey completed the season and avoided the big interceptions that had marred his junior season, although he had the same number (9). But he was still 50% a runner and 50% a passer, he ran for 754 yards, (949 if you exclude sacks) on 184 carries and 15 scores and passed for 2,868 yards and 18 TDs in 226 attempts. He was 38th in the country in passing yards and tied for 54th in touchdowns. The leader was Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins with 4,831 and 50. Maybe Garoppolo numbers are possible at this level. But Eric Dungey wasn’t the guy to achieve them. What you did get from Eric is that second running back in the backfield. His 754 net yards was 12th among the country’s QBs, (improbably, the leader was UCONN’s David Pindell with 1,139. But the only quarterback who scored more touchdowns was Army’s Kelvin Hopkins with 17. Of course, Army runs the wishbone. Dungey’s total offense of 3,622 yards was 21st in the country and he accounted for 33TDs. It was an impressive career but he didn’t accumulate Heisman type numbers and he’s not really a pro prospect without a positon change.
As to his inspirational qualities they are certainly there. Our record when he wasn’t in the game is mixed. He was dynamite in the first half of the opener against Western Michigan, driving us to a 34-7 lead before giving way to Tommy DeVito, who seemed overwhelmed as Broncos closed to 34-28. Dungey came back in and rallied us to a 55-42 win. But DeVito saved us in the North Carolina game when Dungey was ineffective, (a week after he had a shaky game vs. Pittsburgh). He did it more with talent than inspiration: the looping 42 yard bomb that Tommy dropped into the arms of Nykiem Johnson in that game got the team and the crowd out of the doldrums. He then three two TD passes in overtime to win it and people were calling for the DeVito Era to begin immediately. But he had no magic after Dungey went down against Notre Dame: neither did Dungey before he got hurt. The Irish were just too much for us that day.
DeVito’s overall stats were underwhelming: 44 for 87 (50.6%) for 525 yards 4TDs and 3 interceptions. He’s said to be faster than Dungey and is nearly as big, (6-2 211) but he gained only 62 positive yards and was thrown for losses of 79 yards on sacks, so he’s unlikely to be that second running back Dungey was. If he proves to be a big success next year, he’s the one who might someday put up the Garoppolo numbers. It was also thought that he might have to fight off another talented prospect, Chance Amie, a dual threat QB from Texas who redshirted. But Amie has decided to transfer for undisclosed reasons. That leaves the positon ot DeVito, backed up by Clayton Welch, a junior college transfer who walked on and Rex Culpepper, once thought to be Dungey’s heir apparent but who switched to tight end because he seemed unlikely to beat out DeVito and Amie. There may be some more recruiting done in this area.
Then:
“Dontae Strickland in his three years here, the last two as a starter, has averaged 3.9, 3.5 and 3.8 yards per carry. And those numbers have described him perfectly: a solid guy who does the best he can with the talent and opportunities he’s been given… I’d rate him mediocre at best in the three major qualities I want to see in a runner: power, moves and speed. He probably rates above average in blocking, calling out the blocking schemes, leadership, etc. That’s why he’s been out there…Strickland and Neal should be better just as part of the maturation process and an improved offensive line can make average backs seem above average, or maybe show us that they weren’t really average backs at all.
Moe Neal came here as a slightly built guy, (5-11 169), with great speed. Most saw him as a hybrid runner-receiver who might transition into a full-time receiver and a dynamic kick returner. In two years, he’s rushed the ball 160 times, caught 14 passes and never returned a kick… there was never really much of an effort given to put Moe “on an island” with a defender…His straight-ahead speed enabled him to have an occasional burst into the secondary but not many of those bursts wound up in the end zone. He’s scored four touchdowns in two years and one of them was on a pass. He had enough bursts to average 5.3 yards per carry each of his first two years but that hasn’t been 5.3 yards in each carry. It’s been 20, 30, 40 yard bursts mixed in with a lot of plays that went nowhere.
He’s now bulked up to 191, which might enable him to take the pounding of a feature back. But it also might cost him some of his greatest asset: speed. His has been mostly a straight-line speed, which is why those bursts rarely scored. I’d rate him average on moves and below average on power.
Meanwhile we’ve got three guys in the pipeline I would rate above average in power, moves and speed, (as Fredericks was). We know one will not play this year, Abdul Adams, because he’s an undergrad transfer from Oklahoma and has to sit out this year. Let’s take a quick look at Adams, who most SU fans still have in the back of their minds, where he’s been since we heard he was transferring here. In two years at Oklahoma he carried the ball 112 times for 825 yards, (7.4 per carry). He rushed for only one touchdown but it was a spectacular one, (99 yards) He averaged 15 yards a carry in that game and 9.2 for the season.
But the positon will not be wide open, even if we are not Oklahoma. Neal will be back for his senior year and Markenzie Pierre will be back for his junior year. His season last year was hardly as spectacular as Adams but he did show promise at times and his playing time did decrease after an early mistake. He had 46 yards in 9 carries (5.1) in the opener vs. Central Connecticut but after a fumble early in the Central Michigan game we saw less of him and heard Babers complain that “you have to hold onto to the ball to win”. And here comes Jarveon Howard, a freshman from Mississippi... he looks just as good as Pierre and maybe a bit faster. The completion for who will share the spot, (I assume) with Neal next year should be fabulous. Adams, Pierre and Howard are all of a similar size, (5-11 209, 5-11 217 and 5-10 209) and I think they are similar players…I think they are all better than what we’ve had the last couple of years. They may have to wait for their turn but their turn should be exciting.”
Now:
Strickland had a solid senior year 588 yards at a 4.99 average and 6 TDs. As I said in the preview, I think it was a combination of him being better than he was ever allowed to show, improving from that base and finally getting a good line in front of him. Having a quarterback who was a major running threats surely helped as well. Neal had a big junior year with 869 (5.6) and 5TDs. He showed the strength to run between the tackles and still had the burst necessary to make some really big runs. He should be primed for a huge senior year. Howard was used primarily in short yardage and goal line situations but had an impressive average (4.6). He gained 315 yards and scored 7 TDs. Adams was allowed to play in the bowl game and did not put up big numbers, (8 carries for 19 yards), but scored two impressive touchdowns, climbing over a prone defender for one and rendering one prone to score the other. Pierre only got into 4 games and had 35 yards in 8 carries and no scores. They totaled 1,826 yards and 18TDs. But that’s only 140 yards rushing a game and next year they will basically be the entire running game with the defense able to focus on them, since only one guy will be in the game at a time. Hopefully, DeVito’s passing will open things up for them.
Then:
“They call it a “spread”. The idea is to spread the defense out so you can exploit the holes that develop when they try to cover everyone and everywhere. We’ve had a clear #1 guy and when he’s covered, we dump it off to the clear #2 guy. The other guys have gotten their balls when both were covered or one of them was temporarily on the sidelines. We also focused entirely on the sidelines, even though that’s not Dungey’s best throw and it hardly spread the defense to keep throwing to one side of the field. It almost reminded me of the George DeLeone days, when we’d run the near-side option over and over again. At least that had the point of dragging the defense to one side of the field so we could hit them with the occasional big play to the other side. I’ve seen very little of that these last two years.
What I’d like to see this year is to have 4-5 receivers with 50-60 catches and maybe a couple more with 30-40. And use the whole field, not just the sideline. I recall Ryan Nassib throwing over the middle to Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales in 2012 and really carving up the defense. I also recall the opposing quarterbacks carving us up over the middle, too. Make them cover everyone and the whole field and hit them in the gaps that develop.
A key to this could be Ravian Pierce, a big time JUCO recruit last year who had an up-and-down season. If he develops into a major threat, that could re-focus our attack towards the middle of the field. You rarely see a tight end thrown to at the sideline. Pierce had 29 catches for 263 yards (9.1) and 4 scores.
He’s the second leading returning receiver. The leading returnee is Devin Butler… He’s got good size (6-3 194). He just hasn’t been consistent or dynamic…There’s no returning pure receiver with 10+ catches who averaged that number of yards per catch.
Jamal Custis came here advertised as a player of exceptional size, (6-5 213) and speed, which was reported at one time as 4.3 in the 40 yard dash: I later heard that that was a mistake but Custis is still reputed to be fast for his size. Unfortunately he’s been held back by injuries and perhaps difficulty catching the ball or understanding the offense. The other end of the scale is 5-8 170 Sean Riley, a water-sprite who is better known as a kick-returner. His most memorable moment last year was an awful drop in the end zone vs. LSU that could have made a big difference in that game. He just looks so small and fragile out there, like a gust of wind could knock him down. He does use his quickness to find an opening from time to time…But he really doesn’t have climax speed…(he’s) never yet scored a touchdown for us. Maybe this year.
As with the quarterback and running back units, there’s some interesting young talent coming up behind the experienced players, although with the receivers their openings for getting playing time are going to be more numerous. One guy who isn’t going to get a shot is Trishton Jackson, who like Abdul Adams, is a highly recruited, (4 stars) transfer from a school whose success we envy, (Michigan State). He is a talented athlete who wants to play with Jim Boeheim’s basketball team a as walk-on….A lot of people are excited about Russell Thompson-Bishop (RTB) who at 6-1 215 had good size and a lot of strength to fight his way open. He also has excellent speed, as reflected in his averages per catch in high school: overall: 133 receptions for 2,768 yards (20.8 avg.) and 35 touchdowns. He also played basketball and led the state of Connecticut in blocked shots with 4.6. Did I say he was 6-1? He looks like the sort of guy quarterbacks love to throw to- a guy who can go up and get it in a crowd and make the QB look good. He’s also the ideal guy to target over the middle.
Johnson and Johnson are a key part of any team – they make band aids. We have Johnson & Johnson and Johnson. Last year we had Nykeim Johnson, who played, and Sharod Johnson who didn’t – he reshirted. They are now joined by Kevin Johnson Jr.- the son of the Kevin Johnson who played for us in the 1990’s and had a distinguished career as a pass receiver and kick returner. All three are smallish: Nykeim is Riley-size at 5-8 167, Sharod 5-11 174 and Kevin Jr. 5-11 but a solid 190. All of them should provide plenty of elusiveness and speed. Nykeim…looks like a speedier version of Riley who can make difficult catches. We didn’t get to see Sharod Johnson last year but he was the 74th best wide receiver in his class, nationally. He’s from Miami, so you know he faced top-level completion…He looks like a good possession receiver who also has the ability to get past people and make the big play. Kevin Johnson, Jr. played for “The Hun” school in New Jersey, (do they teach them to conquer and pillage?) and caught 32 passes for 795 yards (24.8!) and seven touchdowns. He then transferred to IMG in Miami, (the sort of place that collects top prospects) where he “mostly played on special teams” per Nunesmagician.com….
It looks like he runs routes really well and has the strength to fight off defenders. With so many Johnson’s, he’s considered a “redshirt” candidate but that new redshirt rule, (they can play up to 4 games), we may see him this year anyway, probably, as at IMG, on special teams. But with his pedigree, he may be a key receiver for us in the future.
Cameron Jordan made the two deep behind Devin Butler as a redshirt freshman. He’s from Long Island and is another big target at 6-3 202. He got three starts from most of the services. “As a senior captain, tallied 22 receptions for 614 yards (27.9!) and 11 touchdowns…Cam seems like the guy you’d like to throw the deep bomb to several times a game. Taj Harris is a three star wide receiver prospect out of New Jersey, another good area, (usually way better than New York). “As a sophomore, caught 51 passes for 1,101 yards and 13. Ed Hendrix is another newcomer people are excited about. He’s another tall receiver at 6-3. “Caught 68 passes for 1,535 yards (22.6 avg.) and 24 touchdowns in three seasons for the Warriors, including 27 receptions for 585 yards (21.7 avg.) and 14 touchdowns as a senior captain.”
He looks like a tall target that a quarterback would look for when he needs a completion. Anthony Queeley is a three star recruit from Florida. “ Caught 73 passes for 1,063 yards (14.6 avg.) and seven touchdowns as a junior … As a senior captain in 2017, made 77 receptions for 1,197 yards (15.5 avg.) and 13 TDs” Nunes: “Put up exactly the type of numbers we’d like to see more of at SU.”
Now:
Ravian Pierce never became the big weapon we’d hoped for although he did well as a blocker and a goal line threat: Dino Babers just doesn’t use tight ends as major weapons. Butler continued to disappoint, catching only 14 balls for 126 yards and no scores. He was displaced by Harris, who became the #1 option by the end of the season with 40 catches for 465 yards and 3 scores. Custis finally had a productive year after hardly playing his first three seasons. In fact he led the team with 906 yards on only 51 catches, (17.8) and 6TDs. He made some great catches and showed some great moves but the whole was still less than the sum of its parts. There were catches that should have been made and some routes that could have bene better run. He’s got the measurables for an NFL wide-out but inconsistency may hold him back. Etta Tawo and Ismael were better but they aren’t playing in the NFL.
I totally changed my view of Sean Riley. He’s become a tough 100% football player who can take hits and break tackles without losing his speed and elusiveness. He led the team with 64 receptions for 756 yards and 3 scores. He was also the #2 punt returner in the country with 16.4 yards per return and one TD. He’ll be back next year, to be joined by a tidal wave of young talent.
Hanging ten is Harris, who showed everything you’d want to see in a wide-out. He gets open, has good size and hands and can make moves after the catch. Jackson, like Adams, was allowed to play in the bowl game and caught a TD pass. Hendrix, who was thought to be the best of the freshmen before he got hurt, was red-shirted, as were Thompson-Bishop, Queeley and Kevin Johnson who didn’t play at all. Cam Jordan played in 12 games but never caught a pass. Nykeim Johnson, who had played as a true freshman, was the team’s third leading receiver with 41 catches for 565 yards and 4 TDs. Sharod played a lot less and had 7 catches for 97 yard s and no scores. The completion among these young talents should be tremendous in the spring and next August. DeVito should have a very talented receiver corps to throw to, one that will maximize his chances for success.
Babers said he prefers to have an obvious #1 receiver they can throw to, like Etta Tawo or Ismael. This year, because nobody was good enough to fulfill that role, we got the “spread” I’d prefer: 64 to Riley, 51 to Custis, 41 to N. Johnson and 40 Harris. We may have the same thing next year because we have so many talented receivers.
Then:
“Last year’s team had a very young line that grew up as the season progressed. They took on the greatest defensive line in the country – Clemson’s- just look at all the magazine covers- and won. They did that without the player who was supposed to be their best player, Aaron Roberts, who had a season ending injury before the season had even begun. He’s back and now we have Koda Martin, Coach Baber’s son-in-law, who transferred here for his senior season after starting for Texas A&M. This promises to be the best offensive line we’ve had since Doug Marrone left six years ago.
Roberts doesn’t lack for confidence: “"We've tasted greatness," Roberts said. "Once you taste that, we feel like we can beat any team -- we don't care who it is... If you beat Clemson, you know what you can do. We can win the national championship. I don't care; I'll say it. We want to go to a bowl game, but I want more than a bowl game. I'm trying to really shock the country. That's what we've been talking about as an offense." Nunes says: “Roberts has bulked up (up almost 30 lbs from this time last year) and will be an anchor on the Syracuse Orange offensive line. His presence will go a long way toward protecting the quarterback, allowing to more traditional quick drop-backs, and hopefully open up a more straight-forward run game.”
Syracuse.com describes Martin as “the marquee addition to the offensive line this season…The projected starting line up in the pre-season chart consists of Martin, a right tackle who has started 14 games at this level and played in 20 more; right guard Evan Adams who has started 21 games and played in 3 others; center Airon Servais, who started 12 games as a freshman last year, left guard Roberts, who has started 12 games and played in 3 more and left tackle Cody Conway, who has started 20 games and played in 7 more. That’s a combined service of 79 starts and 18 other appearances. They average 6-6, (in fact, they are all 6-6, save for Roberts who is 6-4), and 302 pounds per man. That’s actually pretty average size these days, maybe a bit less. But I don’t like 320 pound linemen who should be 300: the saying is “git thar firstest with the moistest”. Getting there first is the important part. If you do that, you’d have the ‘mostest’.
Their back-ups are RT Mike Clark, who has played in 2 games, RG Colin Byrne, who has played in 15, C Keaton Darnley, who has played in 18, LG Sam Heckel who started 12 games as a freshman last year in place of Roberts and LT Patrick Davis, who has played in 8 games. That’s 12 starts and 43 other appearances. These guys average 6-4, 297. Heckle also played center last year behind Servais and could again if Airon was injured. Servais actually came here as a tackle and was going to play there this year with Heckel as the center until Martin arrived. Most of these players can play multiple positons, adding to the depth.
Also on the two deep, even though he’s listed as the third left guard, (behind Roberts and Heckel: the spot that would seem to closed up the tightest) is 6-5 327 Dakota Davis, who redshirted last year. He is, as they say a “beast”: Syracuse.com calls him “a road grader who teammates say sometimes run-blocks defensive players 25 yards downfield”. He told his hometown newspaper: “It’s fun to pancake people and break other people’s will play after play.” That might be a reason why they couldn’t leave him off the two deep. Another potential “beast” is true freshman Qadir White, a 4 star prospect out of the Bronx. 247sports rate shim the 15th best offensive lineman in his class. At 6-7 334, he could make a difference in any line. Andrejas Duerig has played in every game the last two seasons on special teams. That will probably continue to be his role this season with all the people ahead of him. The same is true for walk-on Austin Chandler. Carlos Vettorello is a 3 star true freshman who could see some action under the new redshirt rule. Wil Froumy has the same resume.
Babers: “"I think we've got a base of seven or eight guys who really get it, how physical the game is in the trenches and the way they need to throw their weight around," Babers said at the ACC Kickoff. “Those guys are the elephants and they need to act like elephants, and I think they will."
Now:
Well, we didn’t win the national championship but we did nearly beat Clemson again and won a good bowl game, so Robert’s determined optimism did not go to waste. The line held up well, except for the Notre Dame game, when they couldn’t keep the Irish out of the back field. They had trouble opening hole in the Clemson wall but so did Alabama. I thought Martin would be the best player on the line but he seemed to be the one helping the quarterback up after a sack more than the others. Servias drew more and more praise as the season went along. Heckle proved the most versatile. We will lose three starters from this line but I like everything I hear about Dakota Davis and Qadir White. They could be the mainstays of an even stronger line along with Servias, Heckel and Adams.
