Week 3 of season reminiscing -- 2001 | Syracusefan.com

Week 3 of season reminiscing -- 2001

Eric15

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Season started out a little shaky with disappointing performances against GT and Tenn, but then we hit our stride winning 8 in a row, led by arguably the best player in college football that year Dwight Freeney. The Auburn game was one of the more special days in Dome history right after 9/11. East Carolina was an exciting comeback led by Troy Nunes after RJ went down. The Virginia Tech win signified that we were officially for real. I personally went to every home game and then the game at Pitt which was our first and only win at Heinz Field.

Did anyone here attend?
-the game at Tennessee? What was Neyland like?
-the win at #5 Va Tech?
-the Insight.com blowout against K State?

Capture.JPG
 
My freshman year of college. Skipped a mandatory orientation event to watch the Kickoff Classic on a little 17" TV in my dorm.

Not gonna lie, after Tennessee the following week I was in full "here we go again" mode that I really didn't snap out of until the Jamel Riddle punt return game at Tech.
 
Season started out a little shaky with disappointing performances against GT and Tenn, but then we hit our stride winning 8 in a row, led by arguably the best player in college football that year Dwight Freeney. The Auburn game was one of the more special days in Dome history right after 9/11. East Carolina was an exciting comeback led by Troy Nunes after RJ went down. The Virginia Tech win signified that we were officially for real. I personally went to every home game and then the game at Pitt which was our first and only win at Heinz Field.

Did anyone here attend?
-the game at Tennessee? What was Neyland like?
-the win at #5 Va Tech?
-the Insight.com blowout against K State?

View attachment 164309
I thought Dwight Freeney had the best year I have ever seen from a Syracuse defensive player in 2001. He dominated games, teams game planned for him, and did everything they could to take him out of games but he still found a way to make huge plays and influence the output each week. I find it hard to believe anyone else deserved the Heisman over him.

The most memorable game to me was the Auburn game. We had a big crowd. Security was stepped up. Patriotism was high. I think more people sang the national anthem that night than in any home game at Syracuse I have ever attended. It had been a long time since we played, and everyone was hungry to get a big win.

The AD staff did a great job honoring the many who died on 9/11. It was very emotional, the crowd was very loud and the team played a tremendous game.
 
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I skipped over to the last 2 minutes to watch the game clinching safety. Glorious.

I had no memory of what an excellent punt that was under pressure. They've got ten on the line, all we want to do is get the ball away, and he basically drops the ball at their four. Awesome.
 
This season had me thinking that we were “back” after a slight two season down period.
 
Was it the ECU game where one of the referees dropped like a rock mid field from heart attack?

Yes. If I remember correctly some fan booed him and said something to the effect of “hurry up!” Between that and the booing of Nunes when he took the field, it was just not the Carrier Dome’s finest hour.
 
I had no memory of what an excellent punt that was under pressure. They've got ten on the line, all we want to do is get the ball away, and he basically drops the ball at their four. Awesome.

Beating them with soul-crushing special teams plays was poetic.

Mac & P were the original purveyors of "Beamerball" while VaTech was out clubbing baby seals to achieve national recognition.

It always ticked me off how they usurped our throne of big special teams plays.

Beamer can go eat a lollipop stick.
 
Season started out a little shaky with disappointing performances against GT and Tenn, but then we hit our stride winning 8 in a row, led by arguably the best player in college football that year Dwight Freeney. The Auburn game was one of the more special days in Dome history right after 9/11. East Carolina was an exciting comeback led by Troy Nunes after RJ went down. The Virginia Tech win signified that we were officially for real. I personally went to every home game and then the game at Pitt which was our first and only win at Heinz Field.

Did anyone here attend?
-the game at Tennessee? What was Neyland like?
-the win at #5 Va Tech?
-the Insight.com blowout against K State?

View attachment 164309
I will forever remember that season for the post that our talent was 3 TDs better than Miami's right before they waxed us 59-0. That poster has not posted in a long time and, despite our differences, I hope he is ok and enjoying his grand kids...

Of course, P got the blame.

Looking back, that Miami team was one of the best of all time.

Other than against Miami, Freeney was unstoppable that year. McKinnie stoned him all day that day and Dorsey had all day to throw and just picked us apart.

In retrospect, really hard to believe that it would be our last double-digit win season for almost two decades.

And to show how spoiled we all were as SU football fans at that time, I remember not being terribly impressed with that season despite being 10-3.

Fast forward to 2018 and that same 10-3 record is to be celebrated like the resurrection...
 
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Yes. If I remember correctly some fan booed him and said something to the effect of “hurry up!” Between that and the booing of Nunes when he took the field, it was just not the Carrier Dome’s finest hour.
You could hear a pin drop in the dome when the medical staff was attending to him. Scary time
 
And to answer one of your original questions, I attended the Tennessee game and that’s my favorite SU road trip hands down. I recommend everyone hit up a game day in Knoxville. It’s the best.
 
That was my second year with season tickets. Freeney made that a fun season. I went to the spring game earlier that year and got him to autograph a football along with a bunch of other guys.

As fun as it was, it was bittersweet for me as well. My friend, who was 25, died during what was supposed to be a routine surgery to replace a wire on his internal difibrillator the monday before the VaTech game. I had hung out with him the night before the surgery and we had plans for him to come over to my place that weekend for the game. He had been married for just over a year and was also my brother-in-law's best friend going back to elementary school. I can't help but think about him when recalling that year.
 
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9/11 season.

Tough one.

Went to Ga Tech, should’ve gone to Tennessee, then the world changed.

Went to @Rutgers, then BC @ the Dome.

Remember watching auburn on tv which I had a ticket for, but didn’t go up..and that big W made me want to go to the BC game... which I ws doing annually back then.

But I was still not ready to really let go of shlit and had a hard time having fun throwing the aforementioned food at Lil Joe. Still a good time though. Remember sneaking a lot of beer to the board ‘tech guy’ at the time. It was some 17 or 18 year old HS kid named Rob. Is he still here?
 
I remember feeling encouraged that we battled GT but frustrated by our inability to throw the ball downfield. Tenn, we hung around for awhile too.

I was 100% in the “start RJ”’camp going back to the 2000 season. I remember being baffled how he could lead us to the Auburn win and then come ECU Nunes is starting...which got heavily booed at the Dome. Bad moment that would’ve been avoided if anyone knew that RJ was banged up.

RJ didn’t turn the ball over, was a tough runner, and at least had the arm strength to occasionally successfully throw over the top to Morant.

I went to ECU and BC.

I went into VT thinking we might get blown out, and then after that Riddle return completely flipped to knowing we would win. What a big play. Defense was awesome that game. I remember that highly touted freshman RB (Kevin Jones, I think?) had a big fumble.

BC game was a lot of fun.

Freeney was trancedent that season. Loved Clifton Smith too.
 
Yes. If I remember correctly some fan booed him and said something to the effect of “hurry up!” Between that and the booing of Nunes when he took the field, it was just not the Carrier Dome’s finest hour.

I remember people yelling “hurry up” to medical staff who seemed to be taking their sweet time getting out there.
 

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