SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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- We win these type of games. Ben Schwartzwalder was 2-5 in bowl games but that’s when there wasn’t any bowl games between mediocre teams. Ben went to the Orange bowl twice, the Cotton Bowl twice, the Sugar Bowl and the Gator and Liberty Bowls. He was playing top teams in major bowl games. We are 12-4-1 in bowls since then, precisely because we’ve got to play in games like this one between teams, that by traditional bowl standards, are mediocre. In that stretch we are 1-2-1 in the Sugar, Fiesta and Orange bowls. We are 11-2 in the Independence, Hall of Fame, Peach, Aloha, Gator, Liberty, Music City, Insight.com, Champs Sports and Pinstripe bowls.
- We’ve got some stats over them, too. We pass the ball better, (181-142) and defend the run better (138-154). We defend third downs better (32% to 36%).
- Their non-conference schedule: UNLV, New Mexico State, Western Illinois and San Jose State. If that had been our non-conference schedule, we’d be 8-4 and have the numbers over them. We played Florida State. They didn’t play Ohio State. And I don’t think Penn State and Northwestern were the same teams when Minnesota played them that they were when we played them. Also, we didn’t have the same quarterback.
- And I don’t think Terrel Hunt is the same quarterback he was when he first took over the position. He put up big numbers against bad teams, then faded in the ACC schedule. But things started to make sense for him late in the year. He also got some new receivers in there late in the year, younger but faster and more talented guys than the ones he had been throwing to. I hope to see a lot of Cornelius, Esteem and Funderburke today, even with West back. I could see a game like the first Pinstripe bowl where an SU offense that had struggled all year suddenly exploded for 36 points to win the game. This may be less the last game for this year’s team and more the first game for next year’s team.
- Minnesota’s numbers are very similar to that of Boston College: a strong running team with a limited passing attack. There is was all one guy, a guy who had rushed for over 2000 yards. He got 29 yards in 9 carries. Actually, he got 26 yards in one carry and 3 yards in the other 8. So we can defend the run. We are good if you come right at us. We had trouble with Georgia Tech because they made us wait for them to get to us. Florida State had too much talent for anybody to handle. Northwestern and Clemson burned us through the air before we reconstructed our pass defense. But we can handle what Minnesota does. We are a different team than the one that played most of those games this year. Are they?
- We gave away last year’s game and have a roster full of guys who remember that. Not tonight.
6-6 with 1 to do
LET’S GO ORANGE!
- We’ve got some stats over them, too. We pass the ball better, (181-142) and defend the run better (138-154). We defend third downs better (32% to 36%).
- Their non-conference schedule: UNLV, New Mexico State, Western Illinois and San Jose State. If that had been our non-conference schedule, we’d be 8-4 and have the numbers over them. We played Florida State. They didn’t play Ohio State. And I don’t think Penn State and Northwestern were the same teams when Minnesota played them that they were when we played them. Also, we didn’t have the same quarterback.
- And I don’t think Terrel Hunt is the same quarterback he was when he first took over the position. He put up big numbers against bad teams, then faded in the ACC schedule. But things started to make sense for him late in the year. He also got some new receivers in there late in the year, younger but faster and more talented guys than the ones he had been throwing to. I hope to see a lot of Cornelius, Esteem and Funderburke today, even with West back. I could see a game like the first Pinstripe bowl where an SU offense that had struggled all year suddenly exploded for 36 points to win the game. This may be less the last game for this year’s team and more the first game for next year’s team.
- Minnesota’s numbers are very similar to that of Boston College: a strong running team with a limited passing attack. There is was all one guy, a guy who had rushed for over 2000 yards. He got 29 yards in 9 carries. Actually, he got 26 yards in one carry and 3 yards in the other 8. So we can defend the run. We are good if you come right at us. We had trouble with Georgia Tech because they made us wait for them to get to us. Florida State had too much talent for anybody to handle. Northwestern and Clemson burned us through the air before we reconstructed our pass defense. But we can handle what Minnesota does. We are a different team than the one that played most of those games this year. Are they?
- We gave away last year’s game and have a roster full of guys who remember that. Not tonight.
6-6 with 1 to do
LET’S GO ORANGE!
