JeremyCuse
Renowned lacrosse analyst
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Its been mentioned that with Wagner as the opponent there is nothing to learn Saturday. In some cases that might be true but I think there is actually a lot for us to learn here. Here are a few things I will be looking for:
1. A convincing win. If there is one thing that irked me more then anything during Marrone's tenure it was our performance against 1AA's. Twice we trailed at halftime and three times the game was still either close or somehow in doubt in the 4th quarter. I dont need a Gt 70-0 over Elon type score but a 52-10 or 45-6 or 56-17 score would really be a nice change of pace. There is nothing more frustrating then a dog fight with a 1AA team. For a change I would like Syracuse to come out and impose its will and by halftime we can all sit back and watch some of the younger guys get some PT.
2. Don't get cute early. I know we all want to see Estime, Funderburk, Moore, Lewis, Macfarlane, Morris and the rest of the young O really get some PT this game and show what they got. But lets establish a lead before we start trying everyone of Mcdonald's 800 plays. The first few drives should be Smith, Broyld, West, Moore/Wales and Clark putting in work and putting points on the board. Again I want to see Syracuse come out and take the ball if they win the toss and put 7 on the board. Set the tone from the kick that Wagner is in for a long game.
3. A dominating Defensive performance. Lost in the disaster that has been the offense for the most part has been the fact that our Defense has been mediocore so far and was downright brutal against NW. The secondary was lit up like times square on new years last week and the linebacker core was embarrased especially Cam Lynch who looked like we pulled him out of the stands. Wagner has a great RB and a solid O line, that is pretty much there entire offense. Theres no reason we shouldnt be able to put 8 in the box and force them to have to throw, which is not there strong suit. There QB can run so this will be a chance for the front 7 to redeem themselves a bit. If the LB's struggle get Arcinega and Kirkland in there, those guys were flying around last week.
4. Blitzing and Pass rush - I am anxious to see if the D changes up its blitz packages after last week. While we certainly weren't shy about blitzing against NW, most our blitzes were not only telegraphed and easily picked up by NW, they for the most part came no where close to reaching the QB. Whether we need to delay our blitzes, bring more off the edges or secondary we definitely need to mix things up, I have never seen a team blitz so often yet never reach the QB. I also want to see more of Thompson and Trejo if he is not going to redshirt this year. At this point I dont think he has played so maybe he is going to take a shirt, probably not the worst of ideas.
5. Prepared for tricky - Another hallmark of our recent 1AA games has been the fact that we have looked unprepared when these teams throw the kitchen sink at us. Be it fake punts, onside kicks, trick plays etc. I think Maine converted like 3 fake punts a few years ago plus a double pass, it was ridiculous. I hope Coach Schafer has the D and special teams prepared for anything and everything.
6. Drew Allen - With this being his third game and a game finally against and inferior opponent I want to see much more out of Drew. I want to see him read his progression, pump fake, check in and out of plays etc. I dont think I have seen him pump fake the entire year, this woudl be a good game to start.
7. Big play ability - With guys like Estime, Kobena, Broyld etc we should look to take some shots down the field. I am not goign to pretend to know the inner workings of Wagners secondary but I find it hard to believe they have 3 secondary defenders who can cover all three of those guys at once. I want to see at least 2-3 shots taken down the field, especially if Wagner crowds the box which I expect them to.
8. See #1. A convincing win. No excuses, we should be able to pound this team. No multiple turnovers in the first half, no Wagner long touch down runs, no offensive 3 and outs for SU. By midway through the second quarter, this game should not be in doubt.
1. A convincing win. If there is one thing that irked me more then anything during Marrone's tenure it was our performance against 1AA's. Twice we trailed at halftime and three times the game was still either close or somehow in doubt in the 4th quarter. I dont need a Gt 70-0 over Elon type score but a 52-10 or 45-6 or 56-17 score would really be a nice change of pace. There is nothing more frustrating then a dog fight with a 1AA team. For a change I would like Syracuse to come out and impose its will and by halftime we can all sit back and watch some of the younger guys get some PT.
2. Don't get cute early. I know we all want to see Estime, Funderburk, Moore, Lewis, Macfarlane, Morris and the rest of the young O really get some PT this game and show what they got. But lets establish a lead before we start trying everyone of Mcdonald's 800 plays. The first few drives should be Smith, Broyld, West, Moore/Wales and Clark putting in work and putting points on the board. Again I want to see Syracuse come out and take the ball if they win the toss and put 7 on the board. Set the tone from the kick that Wagner is in for a long game.
3. A dominating Defensive performance. Lost in the disaster that has been the offense for the most part has been the fact that our Defense has been mediocore so far and was downright brutal against NW. The secondary was lit up like times square on new years last week and the linebacker core was embarrased especially Cam Lynch who looked like we pulled him out of the stands. Wagner has a great RB and a solid O line, that is pretty much there entire offense. Theres no reason we shouldnt be able to put 8 in the box and force them to have to throw, which is not there strong suit. There QB can run so this will be a chance for the front 7 to redeem themselves a bit. If the LB's struggle get Arcinega and Kirkland in there, those guys were flying around last week.
4. Blitzing and Pass rush - I am anxious to see if the D changes up its blitz packages after last week. While we certainly weren't shy about blitzing against NW, most our blitzes were not only telegraphed and easily picked up by NW, they for the most part came no where close to reaching the QB. Whether we need to delay our blitzes, bring more off the edges or secondary we definitely need to mix things up, I have never seen a team blitz so often yet never reach the QB. I also want to see more of Thompson and Trejo if he is not going to redshirt this year. At this point I dont think he has played so maybe he is going to take a shirt, probably not the worst of ideas.
5. Prepared for tricky - Another hallmark of our recent 1AA games has been the fact that we have looked unprepared when these teams throw the kitchen sink at us. Be it fake punts, onside kicks, trick plays etc. I think Maine converted like 3 fake punts a few years ago plus a double pass, it was ridiculous. I hope Coach Schafer has the D and special teams prepared for anything and everything.
6. Drew Allen - With this being his third game and a game finally against and inferior opponent I want to see much more out of Drew. I want to see him read his progression, pump fake, check in and out of plays etc. I dont think I have seen him pump fake the entire year, this woudl be a good game to start.
7. Big play ability - With guys like Estime, Kobena, Broyld etc we should look to take some shots down the field. I am not goign to pretend to know the inner workings of Wagners secondary but I find it hard to believe they have 3 secondary defenders who can cover all three of those guys at once. I want to see at least 2-3 shots taken down the field, especially if Wagner crowds the box which I expect them to.
8. See #1. A convincing win. No excuses, we should be able to pound this team. No multiple turnovers in the first half, no Wagner long touch down runs, no offensive 3 and outs for SU. By midway through the second quarter, this game should not be in doubt.
