SWC75
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This season I will once again be charting Syracuse’s games in terms of “winning plays”. I look at the results of each play and decide which team got the minimum they wanted out of the play. Rather than making instinctive judgments, I use a formula:
- On first down, the offensive team wants to get at least a third of the way to a new first down: they will have two more plays before they might have to surrender the ball and if they gain that same amount of yards on each of those two plays, they’ll get the first down. If they don’t make it a third of the way to a new first down, the defense won the play.
- On second down, the offense wants to get at least halfway to a new first down by the same logic.
- On third and fourth down, they want to get the first down.
- Penalties, if added onto a play by the referees, are added on to the results above. If the offense gains 5 yards on first down but there was holding and they lost yardage instead, the defense won the play. If a running back made a 20 yard run on first and ten and the holding was 15 yards downfield, turning it into a 5 yard gain, that’s still a win for the offense. If the defense is penalized and it’s tacked on, again the net result is what is evaluated. The penalties I’ve listed negated the play entirely and are a “loss” for the penalized team and thus a win for their opponent. .
- If a penalty was not tacked onto a play, it’s a lost play for the team being penalized. I'll count them separate from the other plays from scrimmage because I don't know if the intended play before the penalty would have been a run or a pass - so i wouldn't know where to put it in the chart below.
- A turnover is, obviously, a win for the team that wound up with the ball.
- On a kick-off a touchback brings the ball out to the 25 yard line. Teams still seem to be trying to kick the ball into the end zone and avoid a runback if they can, so any kick-off that results in the receiving team starting between their goal line and their 25 is a win for the kicking team. Beyond that, the receiving team wins.
- On a punt, a touchback takes the ball out of the 20. So any punt that results in the other team taking over from their goal line to their 20 is a win for the punting team. If the next change in field position is at least 40 yards, the punting tam has also won the play.
- A successful place kick is, obviously, a win for the kicking team.
- Any play that results in a touchdown is, obviously, a win for that team that scores it.
- A “victory play” where a team accepts a loss just to let the clock run out, is a win for the offensive team.
I will indicate in parenthesis how many yards there were to go to get a new first down, (if other than 10), unless it was for no gain or negative yardage. If it was a touchdown, (“TD)” a scramble/sack (“S”) a victory play (“V”) or involved a penalty (P). I’ll treat a scramble or a sack as a passing play as the Cuse.com play by play now tells you when it’s either of those two. . 1R means first down running plays. 1P means first down passing plays, etc.
When Syracuse had the ball:
KO: CN 25, CN 25, CN 25, CN 25, CN 16, CN 25, CN 7, CN 25, CN 25, CN 25
Total: Syracuse 10 Connecticut 0
P: 39 to CN 10, 51 to CN 11, 59 to CN 16, 46 to CN 14, 51 to CN 39
Total: Syracuse 4 Connecticut 0
FG: Good from 32, Good from 27, Good from 25
Total: Syracuse 3 Connecticut 0
XP: Good, Good, Good, Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 6 Connecticut 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 23 Connecticut 0
1r: 11, 3, 5(7), 7, 13, 51, 15, 5, 1, 2, 26, -1v, 1, 4, 7, 5(6), 7, 4, 2, 3, -2, 6, 5
Total: Syracuse 16 Connecticut 7
1p: 5, 16, I, 11, 9, 13, 22, 7TD, I, 31, 5, 4, 3, I, 22, I
Total: Syracuse 11 Connecticut 5
First Down Total: Syracuse 27 Connecticut 12
2r: 6(7), 2TD, 9(3), 17, 9(1), 8(5), 3(5), Fumble (after a 52 yard run!), 4(6), 1(3), -15p
Total: Syracuse 8 Connecticut 3
2p: 12(5), 2(20), 10s, I, -7s, 4(9), 14, 17(11), I
Total: Syracuse 4 Connecticut 5
Second Down Total: Syracuse 12 Connecticut 8
3r: 0, 2(2), 5(2), 16(2)
Total: Syracuse 3 Connecticut 1
3p: 10(16), I, 18(32), I, 49TD, 9(12), I, I
Total: Syracuse 1 Connecticut 7
Third Down Total: Syracuse 4 Connecticut 8
4r: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 0
4p: 12(1)
Total: Syracuse 1 Connecticut 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 1 Connecticut 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 27 Connecticut 11
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 17 Connecticut 17
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 44 Connecticut 28
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, -10, -5, -5, -15, -5, -5, -5 -5 Syracuse 0 Connecticut 8
Game total when Syracuse had the ball: Syracuse 67 Connecticut 36
When Connecticut had the ball:
KO: SU 32, SU 30, SU 25, SU 25
Total: Syracuse 2 Connecticut 2
P: 45 to SU 25, 13 to CN 42, 44 to SU 36, 49 to SU 27, 44 to SU 42, 54 to SU 25, Touchdown (69 yard return by SU), 45 to SU 21, 40 to SU 33, 29 to SU 27
Total: Syracuse 3 Connecticut 7
FG: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 0
XP: Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 3
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 5 Connecticut 12
1r: 3, 3, 75TD, -1, -5, 4, 8, -6, 9, 5, 14, 7, 3, 5, 0, 3, 6, 6, -1
Total: Syracuse 9 Connecticut 10
1p: I, 6, -5s, 13, 9, 2TD, -6s, 11, 6, 40, I
Total: Syracuse 4 Connecticut 7
First Down Total: Syracuse 13 Connecticut 17
2r: 1, 2(7), 10(11), 1(16), 9(1), 3(4), 2(3), -3, 10, 3, 7(4)
Total: Syracuse 5 Connecticut 6
2p: 29(7), -8s+Fumble, I, 23(1), 6(11), -7s, I, 10(16), 11(2)s+p, 2(5), 26TD, Interception
Total: Syracuse 6 Connecticut 6
Second Down Total: Syracuse 11 Connecticut 12
3r: 0, 13(1), 2(7)
Total: Syracuse 2 Connecticut 1
3p: 12(9), I, 9(15), 13s, 7(22), I, I, 10s, -4, 2(3), I
Total: Syracuse 8 Connecticut 3
Third Down Total: Syracuse 10 Connecticut 4
4r: 1(1)
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 1
4p: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 1
Total on running plays: Syracuse 16 Connecticut 18
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 18 Connecticut 16
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 34 Connecticut 34
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, +15, -15, -5 Syracuse 3 Connecticut 1
Game total when Connecticut had the ball: Syracuse 42 Connecticut 47
Overall Game Total: Syracuse 109 Connecticut 83
Comments: Every one of the plays in which we kicked the ball was a Syracuse win. That’s 23 of the 26 play advantage we had. For the season, we are 84-4 on our own kicking plays. The opposition is 32-29 on their kicking plays. That’s a huge reason why we are 4-0.
Our 27-11 edge on our running plays was our best of the season. We only broke even on our passing plays, 17-17, including 1 for 7 on third down. We are going to have pass effectively against Clemson. The best way to do that against a dominant defensive line is to not wait until third down to do it so they don’t know ahead of time that you are going to pass it, (we were 11-5 on first down passes).
- On first down, the offensive team wants to get at least a third of the way to a new first down: they will have two more plays before they might have to surrender the ball and if they gain that same amount of yards on each of those two plays, they’ll get the first down. If they don’t make it a third of the way to a new first down, the defense won the play.
- On second down, the offense wants to get at least halfway to a new first down by the same logic.
- On third and fourth down, they want to get the first down.
- Penalties, if added onto a play by the referees, are added on to the results above. If the offense gains 5 yards on first down but there was holding and they lost yardage instead, the defense won the play. If a running back made a 20 yard run on first and ten and the holding was 15 yards downfield, turning it into a 5 yard gain, that’s still a win for the offense. If the defense is penalized and it’s tacked on, again the net result is what is evaluated. The penalties I’ve listed negated the play entirely and are a “loss” for the penalized team and thus a win for their opponent. .
- If a penalty was not tacked onto a play, it’s a lost play for the team being penalized. I'll count them separate from the other plays from scrimmage because I don't know if the intended play before the penalty would have been a run or a pass - so i wouldn't know where to put it in the chart below.
- A turnover is, obviously, a win for the team that wound up with the ball.
- On a kick-off a touchback brings the ball out to the 25 yard line. Teams still seem to be trying to kick the ball into the end zone and avoid a runback if they can, so any kick-off that results in the receiving team starting between their goal line and their 25 is a win for the kicking team. Beyond that, the receiving team wins.
- On a punt, a touchback takes the ball out of the 20. So any punt that results in the other team taking over from their goal line to their 20 is a win for the punting team. If the next change in field position is at least 40 yards, the punting tam has also won the play.
- A successful place kick is, obviously, a win for the kicking team.
- Any play that results in a touchdown is, obviously, a win for that team that scores it.
- A “victory play” where a team accepts a loss just to let the clock run out, is a win for the offensive team.
I will indicate in parenthesis how many yards there were to go to get a new first down, (if other than 10), unless it was for no gain or negative yardage. If it was a touchdown, (“TD)” a scramble/sack (“S”) a victory play (“V”) or involved a penalty (P). I’ll treat a scramble or a sack as a passing play as the Cuse.com play by play now tells you when it’s either of those two. . 1R means first down running plays. 1P means first down passing plays, etc.
When Syracuse had the ball:
KO: CN 25, CN 25, CN 25, CN 25, CN 16, CN 25, CN 7, CN 25, CN 25, CN 25
Total: Syracuse 10 Connecticut 0
P: 39 to CN 10, 51 to CN 11, 59 to CN 16, 46 to CN 14, 51 to CN 39
Total: Syracuse 4 Connecticut 0
FG: Good from 32, Good from 27, Good from 25
Total: Syracuse 3 Connecticut 0
XP: Good, Good, Good, Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 6 Connecticut 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 23 Connecticut 0
1r: 11, 3, 5(7), 7, 13, 51, 15, 5, 1, 2, 26, -1v, 1, 4, 7, 5(6), 7, 4, 2, 3, -2, 6, 5
Total: Syracuse 16 Connecticut 7
1p: 5, 16, I, 11, 9, 13, 22, 7TD, I, 31, 5, 4, 3, I, 22, I
Total: Syracuse 11 Connecticut 5
First Down Total: Syracuse 27 Connecticut 12
2r: 6(7), 2TD, 9(3), 17, 9(1), 8(5), 3(5), Fumble (after a 52 yard run!), 4(6), 1(3), -15p
Total: Syracuse 8 Connecticut 3
2p: 12(5), 2(20), 10s, I, -7s, 4(9), 14, 17(11), I
Total: Syracuse 4 Connecticut 5
Second Down Total: Syracuse 12 Connecticut 8
3r: 0, 2(2), 5(2), 16(2)
Total: Syracuse 3 Connecticut 1
3p: 10(16), I, 18(32), I, 49TD, 9(12), I, I
Total: Syracuse 1 Connecticut 7
Third Down Total: Syracuse 4 Connecticut 8
4r: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 0
4p: 12(1)
Total: Syracuse 1 Connecticut 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 1 Connecticut 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 27 Connecticut 11
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 17 Connecticut 17
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 44 Connecticut 28
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, -10, -5, -5, -15, -5, -5, -5 -5 Syracuse 0 Connecticut 8
Game total when Syracuse had the ball: Syracuse 67 Connecticut 36
When Connecticut had the ball:
KO: SU 32, SU 30, SU 25, SU 25
Total: Syracuse 2 Connecticut 2
P: 45 to SU 25, 13 to CN 42, 44 to SU 36, 49 to SU 27, 44 to SU 42, 54 to SU 25, Touchdown (69 yard return by SU), 45 to SU 21, 40 to SU 33, 29 to SU 27
Total: Syracuse 3 Connecticut 7
FG: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 0
XP: Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 3
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 5 Connecticut 12
1r: 3, 3, 75TD, -1, -5, 4, 8, -6, 9, 5, 14, 7, 3, 5, 0, 3, 6, 6, -1
Total: Syracuse 9 Connecticut 10
1p: I, 6, -5s, 13, 9, 2TD, -6s, 11, 6, 40, I
Total: Syracuse 4 Connecticut 7
First Down Total: Syracuse 13 Connecticut 17
2r: 1, 2(7), 10(11), 1(16), 9(1), 3(4), 2(3), -3, 10, 3, 7(4)
Total: Syracuse 5 Connecticut 6
2p: 29(7), -8s+Fumble, I, 23(1), 6(11), -7s, I, 10(16), 11(2)s+p, 2(5), 26TD, Interception
Total: Syracuse 6 Connecticut 6
Second Down Total: Syracuse 11 Connecticut 12
3r: 0, 13(1), 2(7)
Total: Syracuse 2 Connecticut 1
3p: 12(9), I, 9(15), 13s, 7(22), I, I, 10s, -4, 2(3), I
Total: Syracuse 8 Connecticut 3
Third Down Total: Syracuse 10 Connecticut 4
4r: 1(1)
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 1
4p: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 0 Connecticut 1
Total on running plays: Syracuse 16 Connecticut 18
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 18 Connecticut 16
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 34 Connecticut 34
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, +15, -15, -5 Syracuse 3 Connecticut 1
Game total when Connecticut had the ball: Syracuse 42 Connecticut 47
Overall Game Total: Syracuse 109 Connecticut 83
Comments: Every one of the plays in which we kicked the ball was a Syracuse win. That’s 23 of the 26 play advantage we had. For the season, we are 84-4 on our own kicking plays. The opposition is 32-29 on their kicking plays. That’s a huge reason why we are 4-0.
Our 27-11 edge on our running plays was our best of the season. We only broke even on our passing plays, 17-17, including 1 for 7 on third down. We are going to have pass effectively against Clemson. The best way to do that against a dominant defensive line is to not wait until third down to do it so they don’t know ahead of time that you are going to pass it, (we were 11-5 on first down passes).