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 25 yard run on first and ten and the holding was 20 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 team 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.
I have decided to list the “Big Plays” at the bottom of each team’s summary. A big play is a play from scrimmage of over 20 yards, (or 20+ yards lost), kickoff returns of +25 yards, punt returns of +20, blocked kicks, missed kicks, and turnovers on fumbles, interceptions and downs.
The Colgate Game
When Syracuse had the ball:
Drive Starts: S24, C38, C42, C42, S15, C20, S10, S8, S23, C25, S40, S22, S42, S47 = 564/14 = S40 with 836 yards to go, 365 less than Colgate.
KO: C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25
Total: Syracuse: 11 Colgate: 0
P: 49 to C10
Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 0
FG: 25 Good
Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 0
XP: Good, Good, Try- No good, Good, Good, Good, Good, Good, Good,
Total: Syracuse: 8 Colgate: 1
Kicking plays total: Syracuse: 21 Colgate: 1
1r: 5, -2, 2(15). 3(60, 2, 11, 5, 14, 16, -3, 1, 8, 4, 6, 9, 2, 0, 2, 2, 1, 6, 20, 0, 1, 4, 15, 1, 1
Total: Syracuse: 14 Colgate: 14
1p: 12, 17, 12, 13TD, 6, I, 8, 13, I, 9, 10, I, 5TD, 25TD
Total: Syracuse: 11 Colgate: 3
First Down Total: Syracuse: 25 Colgate: 17
2r: 1(17), 35(13), 3TD, 10(13), 3, 3(2), 11, 2(2), -1, 598), 6, 5, 15(4), 3, 8(6), 6(9), 3(9)
Total: Syracuse: 12 Colgate: 5
2p: I, 15(8), 4(5), I, 14TD, 22(6), -5(s), 4TD, 11(8), 13(8), I, I
Total: Syracuse: 7 Colgate: 5
Second Down Total: Syracuse: 19 Colgate: 10
3r: 6(5), 5(3), 5(7), 8(2), FUMBLE, 2(6)
Total: Syracuse: 4 Colgate: 2
3p: I, -2, 44TD, 14(7), INTERCEPTION, 42(9), 11(3), 48(4), 8(5), 18TD, FUMBLE
Total: Syracuse: 7 Colgate: 4
Third Down Total: Syracuse: 11 Colgate: 6
4r: -1
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 1
4p: none
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse: Colgate:
Total on running plays: Syracuse: 30 Colgate: 22
Total on passing plays: Syracuse: 25 Colgate: 12
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse: 55 Colgate: 34
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, -5 Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 2
Game total when Syracuse had the ball: Syracuse: 76 Colgate: 37
Big Plays: Allen 35 yard run, Wilson 34 yard pick 6, Clark fumble recovery, Colgate -24 on punt attempt, 44Td pass to Jones, 22 yard pass to Jones, 42 and 48 TD passes to Hatcher 25TD pass to Long, Delaine interception, Daniels 20 yard run (11 plays)
When Colgate had the ball:
Drive Starts: C25, C10, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C31, C25, C25, C25, C25, C13, C23, C47 = 399/16 = C25 with 1,201 yards to go
KO: S8
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 1
P: 46 to S24, 23 to C38, 17 to C42, 61 to S15(P), -24 to C20 (botched snap), 50 to S10, 51 to S23, 33 to C40, 45 to S22, 45 to S42
Total: Syracuse: 4 Colgate: 6
FG: none
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 0
XP: none
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse: 4 Colgate: 7
1r: 0, 1, 2, 2, 5(15), FUMBLE, 1, 4, 6, 3, -1, 4, 2, 0, -2, 2, 25(p), 3, 4(25)
Total: Syracuse: 14 Colgate: 6
1p: -5(S), 7
Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 1
First Down Total: Syracuse: 15 Colgate: 7
2r: 5(12), 1(4), 5(8), 5, -5, 2(3)
Total: Syracuse: 3 Colgate: 3
2p: 5, I, I, 5, 2(1), -2(S), 3(7), I, 4(15), INTERCEPTION, 4(12), -4
Total: Syracuse: 9 Colgate: 3
Second Down Total: Syracuse: 12 Colgate: 6
3r: 3(13), 6(4), 4(11), 1(3), 6(1), 0
Total: Syracuse: 4 Colgate: 2
3p: I, I, 9(S), INTERCEPTION-TD, 5(11), ((8), 6(8), 5(8), I, 7(12)
Total: Syracuse: 9 Colgate: 1
Third Down Total: Syracuse: 13 Colgate: 3
4r: none
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 0
4p: I
Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse: 21 Colgate: 11
Total on passing plays: Syracuse: 20 Colgate: 5
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse: 41 Colgate: 16
Penalties not tacked on to plays: +5, +5, -5, -5, -5, -5, -5, -15 Syracuse: 6 Colgate: 2
Game total when Colgate had the ball: Syracuse: 51 Colgate: 25
Big Plays: Justin Interception, Alexander and West fumble recoveries, Gee +25 on a 10 yard run plus a 15 yard penalty
Combined Game Total: Syracuse 127 Colgate 62
Comments: I wondered how this blow compared to those of the past:
2022 Wagner 103-28 = +75 We won 59-0, (in a 50 minute game)
2018 Wagner 139-65 = +74 We won 62-10
2017 So Connecticut St 132-65 = +67 We won 50-7
2023 Colgate 127-62 = +65 We won 65-0
2019 Holy Cross 110-67 = +43 We won 41-3
Let’s not play Wagner again. How did Colgate accumulate 62 plays that gave them the minimum result they could have wanted in that game? That’s almost 1/3 of the plays! Here the breakdown. I always look at the kicking game first and Colgate had a good punter and he won 6 of 9 punts. We also gave them a win on their only kickoff. They only won 16 of 57 plays from scrimmage. It almost didn’t matter what we did on offense: the Raiders were going nowhere. Of biggest concern was our running game: we were successful on only half of our 28 running plays, compared to 25 of 37 passing plays. Our offensive line didn’t really dominate as much as the score would make it seem. The rest was penalties: four five yarders, two on offense and two on defense, (the rest were added to plays).
Big plays were big. We had 11 of them. Three were Colgate turnovers, which we converted into 3 scores, (16 points). There was also the botched Colgate punt, from which they lost 24 yards, (and we gained a lot more). We scored another 7 points after that. We also had 2 runs and 5 passes of over 20 yards. Colgate intercepted 1 pass and recovered 2 fumbles but got nothing out of it and their one play from scrimmage of over 20 yards was a 10 yards run with 15 yards tacked on for a personal foul.
- 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 25 yard run on first and ten and the holding was 20 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 team 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.
I have decided to list the “Big Plays” at the bottom of each team’s summary. A big play is a play from scrimmage of over 20 yards, (or 20+ yards lost), kickoff returns of +25 yards, punt returns of +20, blocked kicks, missed kicks, and turnovers on fumbles, interceptions and downs.
The Colgate Game
When Syracuse had the ball:
Drive Starts: S24, C38, C42, C42, S15, C20, S10, S8, S23, C25, S40, S22, S42, S47 = 564/14 = S40 with 836 yards to go, 365 less than Colgate.
KO: C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25
Total: Syracuse: 11 Colgate: 0
P: 49 to C10
Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 0
FG: 25 Good
Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 0
XP: Good, Good, Try- No good, Good, Good, Good, Good, Good, Good,
Total: Syracuse: 8 Colgate: 1
Kicking plays total: Syracuse: 21 Colgate: 1
1r: 5, -2, 2(15). 3(60, 2, 11, 5, 14, 16, -3, 1, 8, 4, 6, 9, 2, 0, 2, 2, 1, 6, 20, 0, 1, 4, 15, 1, 1
Total: Syracuse: 14 Colgate: 14
1p: 12, 17, 12, 13TD, 6, I, 8, 13, I, 9, 10, I, 5TD, 25TD
Total: Syracuse: 11 Colgate: 3
First Down Total: Syracuse: 25 Colgate: 17
2r: 1(17), 35(13), 3TD, 10(13), 3, 3(2), 11, 2(2), -1, 598), 6, 5, 15(4), 3, 8(6), 6(9), 3(9)
Total: Syracuse: 12 Colgate: 5
2p: I, 15(8), 4(5), I, 14TD, 22(6), -5(s), 4TD, 11(8), 13(8), I, I
Total: Syracuse: 7 Colgate: 5
Second Down Total: Syracuse: 19 Colgate: 10
3r: 6(5), 5(3), 5(7), 8(2), FUMBLE, 2(6)
Total: Syracuse: 4 Colgate: 2
3p: I, -2, 44TD, 14(7), INTERCEPTION, 42(9), 11(3), 48(4), 8(5), 18TD, FUMBLE
Total: Syracuse: 7 Colgate: 4
Third Down Total: Syracuse: 11 Colgate: 6
4r: -1
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 1
4p: none
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse: Colgate:
Total on running plays: Syracuse: 30 Colgate: 22
Total on passing plays: Syracuse: 25 Colgate: 12
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse: 55 Colgate: 34
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, -5 Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 2
Game total when Syracuse had the ball: Syracuse: 76 Colgate: 37
Big Plays: Allen 35 yard run, Wilson 34 yard pick 6, Clark fumble recovery, Colgate -24 on punt attempt, 44Td pass to Jones, 22 yard pass to Jones, 42 and 48 TD passes to Hatcher 25TD pass to Long, Delaine interception, Daniels 20 yard run (11 plays)
When Colgate had the ball:
Drive Starts: C25, C10, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C25, C31, C25, C25, C25, C25, C13, C23, C47 = 399/16 = C25 with 1,201 yards to go
KO: S8
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 1
P: 46 to S24, 23 to C38, 17 to C42, 61 to S15(P), -24 to C20 (botched snap), 50 to S10, 51 to S23, 33 to C40, 45 to S22, 45 to S42
Total: Syracuse: 4 Colgate: 6
FG: none
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 0
XP: none
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse: 4 Colgate: 7
1r: 0, 1, 2, 2, 5(15), FUMBLE, 1, 4, 6, 3, -1, 4, 2, 0, -2, 2, 25(p), 3, 4(25)
Total: Syracuse: 14 Colgate: 6
1p: -5(S), 7
Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 1
First Down Total: Syracuse: 15 Colgate: 7
2r: 5(12), 1(4), 5(8), 5, -5, 2(3)
Total: Syracuse: 3 Colgate: 3
2p: 5, I, I, 5, 2(1), -2(S), 3(7), I, 4(15), INTERCEPTION, 4(12), -4
Total: Syracuse: 9 Colgate: 3
Second Down Total: Syracuse: 12 Colgate: 6
3r: 3(13), 6(4), 4(11), 1(3), 6(1), 0
Total: Syracuse: 4 Colgate: 2
3p: I, I, 9(S), INTERCEPTION-TD, 5(11), ((8), 6(8), 5(8), I, 7(12)
Total: Syracuse: 9 Colgate: 1
Third Down Total: Syracuse: 13 Colgate: 3
4r: none
Total: Syracuse: 0 Colgate: 0
4p: I
Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse: 1 Colgate: 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse: 21 Colgate: 11
Total on passing plays: Syracuse: 20 Colgate: 5
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse: 41 Colgate: 16
Penalties not tacked on to plays: +5, +5, -5, -5, -5, -5, -5, -15 Syracuse: 6 Colgate: 2
Game total when Colgate had the ball: Syracuse: 51 Colgate: 25
Big Plays: Justin Interception, Alexander and West fumble recoveries, Gee +25 on a 10 yard run plus a 15 yard penalty
Combined Game Total: Syracuse 127 Colgate 62
Comments: I wondered how this blow compared to those of the past:
2022 Wagner 103-28 = +75 We won 59-0, (in a 50 minute game)
2018 Wagner 139-65 = +74 We won 62-10
2017 So Connecticut St 132-65 = +67 We won 50-7
2023 Colgate 127-62 = +65 We won 65-0
2019 Holy Cross 110-67 = +43 We won 41-3
Let’s not play Wagner again. How did Colgate accumulate 62 plays that gave them the minimum result they could have wanted in that game? That’s almost 1/3 of the plays! Here the breakdown. I always look at the kicking game first and Colgate had a good punter and he won 6 of 9 punts. We also gave them a win on their only kickoff. They only won 16 of 57 plays from scrimmage. It almost didn’t matter what we did on offense: the Raiders were going nowhere. Of biggest concern was our running game: we were successful on only half of our 28 running plays, compared to 25 of 37 passing plays. Our offensive line didn’t really dominate as much as the score would make it seem. The rest was penalties: four five yarders, two on offense and two on defense, (the rest were added to plays).
Big plays were big. We had 11 of them. Three were Colgate turnovers, which we converted into 3 scores, (16 points). There was also the botched Colgate punt, from which they lost 24 yards, (and we gained a lot more). We scored another 7 points after that. We also had 2 runs and 5 passes of over 20 yards. Colgate intercepted 1 pass and recovered 2 fumbles but got nothing out of it and their one play from scrimmage of over 20 yards was a 10 yards run with 15 yards tacked on for a personal foul.
