Why Syracuse Will Win | Syracusefan.com

Why Syracuse Will Win

SWC75

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- Because this is the fourth game of the second year!
using-a-crystal-ball-281x300.jpg


- How scared should we be of a team that just lost 7-37 to a team that was 6-7 last year?


- We “haven’t played anybody” but they beat a 1-3 BYU team and Chattanooga before taking that 30 point drubbing. Big deal.


- They are going to play atomic football- Go right at ‘em on offense. But we are 10th in the country in rushing defense with 84 yards a game and Chris Slayton is playing like an all-American.


- We are no better than even or probably worse than LSU at every positon but one. I’d take our quarterback over theirs. The question is, can Eric Dungey not just perform well but elevate his team, the way a great quarterback does?


- Two years ago we played LSU without Dungey. Trying to stop Leonard Fournette was like trying to stay on a rodeo bull. But we only lost a very competitive game 24-34. Both teams were 3-0 going into that game, (as they both expected to be this year) and it looked like a game between 3-0 teams. They stumbled after that and we feel apart but I was watching a game between two good teams. Are they better than they were then? Are we worse? I don’t think so. If Zach Mahoney could pass for 3TDs and run for 40 yards vs. LSU, Can’t Dungey do at least as well? Per a website named after the amount of All-Purpose Yards Dean Riley had last week: “The Tigers played a dual-threat quarterback last week in Nick Fitzgerald and struggled in defending the run or pass with 88 yards on the ground, 180 through the air, and four total touchdowns. The Tigers will face another guy this week capable of making plays with his arm and feet in Syracuse’s Eric Dungey.”


- One reason we did so well against LSU compared to other top teams we played that year is that they do come right at you. You don’t need to roam the field looking for them. They didn’t look to put us in space against them. it reduces the impact of their team speed and makes it easier to defend against them, (even if it still wasn’t easy). It’s the teams that make us cover 50 by 50 that cause us the biggest problems. LSU thinks they are so superior they don’t have to do anything fancy. We need to make sure they are wrong.


- Then there’s our games with Auburn in the early 2000’s. We beat a 7-5 Auburn team 31-14 in the Dome behind Dwight Freeney in 2001. But that was a 10-3 Syracuse team, (thanks to Dwight). But the next year we were 1-2 on our way to a 4-8 season and went to Auburn to take on what would be a 9-4 War Eagle team. We shocked them by jumping out to a 17-0 lead before R.J. Anderson started throwing the ball to the other team. We wound up losing in overtime, 34-37. That was a tough SEC venue, too. Are we a worse team than we were in 2002? Is LSU better than a 9-4 Auburn team? What if we jumped on the Tigers 17-0 a week after they lost 7-37? Would their spirits sag?


- When southern teams play northern teams there’s always the issue of the northern team wilting in the heat. But we are a well-conditioned team and this last week has gotten us used to the heat. If we can move the chains and get our tempo going, the southern team may be the one wilting in the heat.


- Danny Etling was no world-beater last week and Brian Ward seems to have morphed into Scott Shafer, bringing the pressure whenever he can instead of relying on the front four to do it themselves. We wonder how Eric Dungey will perform under pressure. We need to ask how Danny Etling will perform under pressure. Per Riley’s All Purpose Yards: “Orgeron said that Etling did not make the correct run or pass calls in some critical situations when he got up to the line based on what the defense was in.”


- LSU is very proud of their record of not running the ball over yet this year. Pride goweth before the fall. We are 14th in the country in turnovers forced with 7. About half of that will do.


- Maybe we’re a Portia!



2-1 with 9+ to go!


LET’S GO ORANGE!!!
 
I love these. Both sides. Look forward to reading these every week. Been reading for a while, just wanted to say thanks!
 

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