Why Rutgers Will Win | Syracusefan.com

Why Rutgers Will Win

SWC75

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- Aside from the recruiting rivalry and what people think of Greg Schiano the biggest reason SU fans resent Rutgers is that they got good and we got bad and for a few years the programs exchanged places in the standings. Their success was a symbol of our decline, as well as a partial cause of it. Now that we are coming back, we want to things: Syracuse to be what Syracuse used to be and Rutgers to be what Rutgers used to be. But part 2 of that isn’t going to happen, at least not anytime soon. Rutgers still has a strong program and arguably more talent on it’s roster than we do. They are as angry about losing to us two years in a row as we were about losing to them for four years in a row before that and want to do to us exactly what we did to them in 2009.

- They are likely also pissed that we got the ACC gig and they didn’t. (Just like every other league opponent except Pittsburgh.)

- Last year they were crippled by a backwards offensive concept so Schiano brought in the highly respect Frank Cignetti, whose Pittsburgh offense have been taking us apart, to redesign their offense. They already have the running game we have been search for and in Mohammed Sanu they’ve got another in their series to top receiving talents.

- They apply a lot of defensive pressure to force turnovers. Without Chandler Jones, we apply very little. Nassib is better than Dodd but Dodd may be sitting there in the pocket the way Tanner Price and Matt Barkley did while Ryan will have to demonstrate his ability to throw on the run again.

- There have been 9 turnovers in four SU games, 4 by us, 5 by the opposition. That’s an incredibly low number and you get the feeling that the dam is going to burst in one direction or the other and it will determine the results of a game. Rutgers has only 3 turnovers but has forced 13. That gives you an indication of which direction the turnovers are most likely to flow. Rutgers has two defensive touchdowns this year. We last had one five years ago. Rutgers also has a punt block and a forced fumble on a punt return. Why can’t we do that?

- Nassib is having a great year but our offense is not carrying the young defense in way we’d hoped and with that defense beset with key injuries and “things not progressing as fast as we’d hoped”, (Marrone’s comment on his show), we are very vulnerable there. The defense that last year kept us in the USF, West Virginia and Rutgers games so we could pull them out at the end is simply not there.

- Marrone wants to “establish the run” but with whom? Bailey is more of a change of pace guy to a power back but our power backs are Jerome Smith, who has one carry for zero yards and Adonis Ameen Moore, who ahs no carries. Prince Tyson Gulley, a Bailey clone, may be out, perhaps for the season. Nassib is at his best when he’s passing on nearly every play in the no-huddle and can get a rhythm. When he has to wait until third down to pass, he’s much less effective. And those Rutgers pass rushers will be waiting for him.

- SU, like the Bills, has done some great things late in games to pull them out. But why do we wait until then to do great things?
 
My first thought was that Rutgers would be motivated to beat us as an outgoing kick in the butt. However, I think SU may be more motivated to leave the BE showing strength. The Pitt game gives me hope from that standpoint. Poor outings against Iowa & ND, then a dominating win over USF. Good omen for SU tomorrow...
 

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