SWC75
Bored Historian
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2011
- Messages
- 33,080
- Like
- 63,613
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 takeovers on fumbles, interceptions and downs.
When Syracuse had the ball:
Drive Starts: SU38, SU36, GT39, SU9, SU27, SU29, GT41, GT18, SU26, SU35, SU25 = 427/11 = SU39 with 673 yards to go (+130)
KO: GT25, GT20, GT25, GT27, GT25
Total: Syracuse 4 Georgia Tech 1
P: 43 to GT18, 41 to GT33, 41 to GT21
Total: Syracuse 3 Georgia Tech 0
FG: Good from 44, No Good from 50
Total: Syracuse 1 Georgia Tech 1
XP: Good, No Good, Try for 2- No Good
Total: Syracuse 1 Georgia Tech 2
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 9 Georgia Tech 4
1r: 3, 6, -1, 3, 0, 1, 6, 6, 4TD, 2, 6(7), 1, 3, 10, 23, 2TD
Total: Syracuse 8 Georgia Tech 8
1p: 4, 7, 5, 2, 0, 7, 12, 0, Interception
Total: Syracuse 5 Georgia Tech 4
First Down Total: Syracuse 12 Georgia Tech 12
2r: 4(7), 7(4), 7(6), 6(3), 7(31), 3(12), -2, -1v, 17(4p), 11, 11(15), 4(8), 4(3), 0, 17
Total: Syracuse 12 Georgia Tech 3
2p: 7(5), -1, 6(9), -6
Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 2
Second Down Total: Syracuse 14 Georgia Tech 5
3r: 2(3), 0, 2(9), 9(12), 21(4), 3(40, 1TD, 2(3), 4(13)
Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 7
3p: 5
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 1
Third Down Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 8
4r: 4(1), 0, 2(1)
Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 1
4p: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 1
Total on running plays: Syracuse 24 Georgia Tech 19
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 7 Georgia Tech 7
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 31 Georgia Tech 26
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -10, -15, -5, -5, +15 Syracuse 1 Georgia Tech 4
Game total when Syracuse had the ball: Syracuse 41 Georgia Tech 34
Big Plays: Interception, 21 yard run, Fumble recovered, 53 yard punt return, 23 yard run (5)
When Georgia Tech had the ball:
Drive Starts: GT25, GT20, GT18, GT32, GT33, SU30, GT25, GT32, GT27, GT21, GT25, SU31 = 397/12 = SU 33 with 803 yards to go (-130)
KO: SU38, SU9(p), SU27, fumble recovered by GT, SU29, SU25
Total: Syracuse 3 Georgia Tech 3
P: 39 to SU 36, -11 to GT18, 37 to SU26, 39 to SU35
Total: Syracuse 4 Georgia Tech 0
FG: Good from 22
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 1
XP: Good, Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 4
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 7 Georgia Tech 8
1r: 3, -1, 2, 4, 1, 10, 3, 11, 3, 5, 17, 0, 30TD, Fumble, 1, 5, 2, 3, 6, 11, 8, 4, 1, 12(p), -1v
Total: Syracuse 13 Georgia Tech 12
1p: 15, 6
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 2
First Down Total: Syracuse 13 Georgia Tech 14
2r: 14(7), 6(6), 8(9), 15(5p), 4(2), 5(4), 4(2), 19TD, 17(9p)
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 9
2p: 8(11), 9(8), I, Interception, 53TD, I, 1, 4(9), 2(4), I, 1(8)
Total: Syracuse 7 Georgia Tech 4
Second Down Total: Syracuse 7 Georgia Tech 13
3r: 0, 3(2), 2(7)
Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 1
3p: 15(3), 4(9), 14(7), 7(9), -6(s)
Total: Syracuse 4 Georgia Tech 2
Third Down Total: Syracuse 6 Georgia Tech 3
4r: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 0
4p: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 15 Georgia Tech 22
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 11 Georgia Tech 8
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 26 Georgia Tech 30
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, +6, -5 Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 1
Game total when Georgia Tech had the ball: Syracuse 35 Georgia Tech 39
Big Plays: 53 TD pass, Fumble on KO recovered, 30TD run, Interception
Overall Game Total: Syracuse 76 Georgia Tech 73
Comments: This was only the 5th time in the Babers era where we won the plays but lost the points. The other were Middle Tennessee in 2017, Pittsburgh in 2018, Wake Forest in 2021 and Minnesota in last year’s Pinstripe bowl.
We had a significant advantage in field position in this game but could not take advantage of it. Tech punted four times and each one turned out to be favorable for us, the first time that stat had been a shut out all season.
Second down runs: 12-3 on ours and 0-9 on theirs. Defenses are geared to the run on first down but have to beginning to worry about the pass on second down.
This was a +3 game, (76-73). These are the most similar games of the Dino Babers Era:
2016 Syracuse 103 Virginia Tech 104 = -1 We won 31-17
2017 Syracuse 104 Middle Tennessee 98 = +6 We lost 23-30
2017 Syracuse 107 Central Michigan 100 = +7 We won 41-17
2017 Syracuse 97 Pittsburgh 96 = +1 We won 27-24
2018 Syracuse 99 Pittsburgh 97 = +2 We lost 37-44 in OT
2019 Syracuse 118 Wake Forest 111 = +7 We won 39-30 in OT
2020 Syracuse 108 Georgia Tech 102 = +6 We won 37-20
2021 Syracuse 86 Boston College 79 = +7 We won 21-6
2022 Syracuse 99 Purdue 92 = +7 We won 32-29
2023 Syracuse 80 Pittsburgh 73 = +7 We won 28-13
We’ve never broke even in plays won in a Dino Babers game. When we won the plays, we tend to win the game as well, even if it’s close.
- 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 takeovers on fumbles, interceptions and downs.
When Syracuse had the ball:
Drive Starts: SU38, SU36, GT39, SU9, SU27, SU29, GT41, GT18, SU26, SU35, SU25 = 427/11 = SU39 with 673 yards to go (+130)
KO: GT25, GT20, GT25, GT27, GT25
Total: Syracuse 4 Georgia Tech 1
P: 43 to GT18, 41 to GT33, 41 to GT21
Total: Syracuse 3 Georgia Tech 0
FG: Good from 44, No Good from 50
Total: Syracuse 1 Georgia Tech 1
XP: Good, No Good, Try for 2- No Good
Total: Syracuse 1 Georgia Tech 2
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 9 Georgia Tech 4
1r: 3, 6, -1, 3, 0, 1, 6, 6, 4TD, 2, 6(7), 1, 3, 10, 23, 2TD
Total: Syracuse 8 Georgia Tech 8
1p: 4, 7, 5, 2, 0, 7, 12, 0, Interception
Total: Syracuse 5 Georgia Tech 4
First Down Total: Syracuse 12 Georgia Tech 12
2r: 4(7), 7(4), 7(6), 6(3), 7(31), 3(12), -2, -1v, 17(4p), 11, 11(15), 4(8), 4(3), 0, 17
Total: Syracuse 12 Georgia Tech 3
2p: 7(5), -1, 6(9), -6
Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 2
Second Down Total: Syracuse 14 Georgia Tech 5
3r: 2(3), 0, 2(9), 9(12), 21(4), 3(40, 1TD, 2(3), 4(13)
Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 7
3p: 5
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 1
Third Down Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 8
4r: 4(1), 0, 2(1)
Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 1
4p: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 1
Total on running plays: Syracuse 24 Georgia Tech 19
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 7 Georgia Tech 7
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 31 Georgia Tech 26
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -10, -15, -5, -5, +15 Syracuse 1 Georgia Tech 4
Game total when Syracuse had the ball: Syracuse 41 Georgia Tech 34
Big Plays: Interception, 21 yard run, Fumble recovered, 53 yard punt return, 23 yard run (5)
When Georgia Tech had the ball:
Drive Starts: GT25, GT20, GT18, GT32, GT33, SU30, GT25, GT32, GT27, GT21, GT25, SU31 = 397/12 = SU 33 with 803 yards to go (-130)
KO: SU38, SU9(p), SU27, fumble recovered by GT, SU29, SU25
Total: Syracuse 3 Georgia Tech 3
P: 39 to SU 36, -11 to GT18, 37 to SU26, 39 to SU35
Total: Syracuse 4 Georgia Tech 0
FG: Good from 22
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 1
XP: Good, Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 4
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 7 Georgia Tech 8
1r: 3, -1, 2, 4, 1, 10, 3, 11, 3, 5, 17, 0, 30TD, Fumble, 1, 5, 2, 3, 6, 11, 8, 4, 1, 12(p), -1v
Total: Syracuse 13 Georgia Tech 12
1p: 15, 6
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 2
First Down Total: Syracuse 13 Georgia Tech 14
2r: 14(7), 6(6), 8(9), 15(5p), 4(2), 5(4), 4(2), 19TD, 17(9p)
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 9
2p: 8(11), 9(8), I, Interception, 53TD, I, 1, 4(9), 2(4), I, 1(8)
Total: Syracuse 7 Georgia Tech 4
Second Down Total: Syracuse 7 Georgia Tech 13
3r: 0, 3(2), 2(7)
Total: Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 1
3p: 15(3), 4(9), 14(7), 7(9), -6(s)
Total: Syracuse 4 Georgia Tech 2
Third Down Total: Syracuse 6 Georgia Tech 3
4r: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 0
4p: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 0 Georgia Tech 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 15 Georgia Tech 22
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 11 Georgia Tech 8
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 26 Georgia Tech 30
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, +6, -5 Syracuse 2 Georgia Tech 1
Game total when Georgia Tech had the ball: Syracuse 35 Georgia Tech 39
Big Plays: 53 TD pass, Fumble on KO recovered, 30TD run, Interception
Overall Game Total: Syracuse 76 Georgia Tech 73
Comments: This was only the 5th time in the Babers era where we won the plays but lost the points. The other were Middle Tennessee in 2017, Pittsburgh in 2018, Wake Forest in 2021 and Minnesota in last year’s Pinstripe bowl.
We had a significant advantage in field position in this game but could not take advantage of it. Tech punted four times and each one turned out to be favorable for us, the first time that stat had been a shut out all season.
Second down runs: 12-3 on ours and 0-9 on theirs. Defenses are geared to the run on first down but have to beginning to worry about the pass on second down.
This was a +3 game, (76-73). These are the most similar games of the Dino Babers Era:
2016 Syracuse 103 Virginia Tech 104 = -1 We won 31-17
2017 Syracuse 104 Middle Tennessee 98 = +6 We lost 23-30
2017 Syracuse 107 Central Michigan 100 = +7 We won 41-17
2017 Syracuse 97 Pittsburgh 96 = +1 We won 27-24
2018 Syracuse 99 Pittsburgh 97 = +2 We lost 37-44 in OT
2019 Syracuse 118 Wake Forest 111 = +7 We won 39-30 in OT
2020 Syracuse 108 Georgia Tech 102 = +6 We won 37-20
2021 Syracuse 86 Boston College 79 = +7 We won 21-6
2022 Syracuse 99 Purdue 92 = +7 We won 32-29
2023 Syracuse 80 Pittsburgh 73 = +7 We won 28-13
We’ve never broke even in plays won in a Dino Babers game. When we won the plays, we tend to win the game as well, even if it’s close.