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 games 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 halfway to a new first down by the same logic.
- On third and fourth down, they want to get the new 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.
- 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.
- 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 sack (“S”) a victory play (“V”) or involved a penalty (P). I’m undecided about whether to count a scramble as a running play or passing play. For now, I’ll count it as a running play and put an ‘S’ next to it in case I change my mind. Thus an S in running plays is a scramble, an S in passing plays a sack. 1R means first down running plays. 1P means first down passing plays, etc.
When SYRACUSE had the ball:
KO: NCS 22, NCS 20, NCS 27, NCS 26, NCS 21
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 2
P: 36 to SU 47, 37 to NCS 39, 65 to NCS 20, 51 to NCS 15, 61 to NCS 10, 35 to NCS 27
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 3
FG: Good from 48, Good from 39
Total: Syracuse 2 North Carolina State 0
XP: Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 2 North Carolina State 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 10 North Carolina State 5
1r: 2, -1, -1, -1, 1, -3, 1, -2, 6, 1
Total: Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 9
1p: 5, 1, I, 8, 4, Interception, I, I, -13(S), I, I
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 8
First Down Total: Syracuse 4 North Carolina State 17
2r: 6, 1(2), 2(6-S), 0, -3, 5(11), 1(17), 13(4), -5, 11
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 7
2p: 9(5), -8(S), 6(11), 81TD, I, I, I, 1
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 5
Second Down Total: Syracuse 6 North Carolina State 12
3r: 5(4), -1, 10TD, -1, 4(8)
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 3
3p: 46(8), 4(13), -6, I, -1, I, 21(14)
Total: Syracuse 2 North Carolina State 5
Third Down Total: Syracuse 5 North Carolina State 8
4r: -3
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 1
4p: 12(2)
Total: Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 1
Total on running plays : Syracuse 7 North Carolina State 20
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 9 North Carolina State 18
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 16 North Carolina State 38
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, +10, -5, -15 Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 3
Game total when SYRACUSE had the ball: Syracuse 27 North Carolina State 46
Comments: We gained 3 net yards on 10 first down runs, losing 9 of those ten plays. Half of those plays we were thrown for a loss, including three in a row. That’s about as punchless as a running attack can get. Our first down passing wasn’t much better at 3-8. That’s normally the easiest and most productive down to pass the ball on, (the problem being that if you misfire you can put yourself in a hole). We gained 4 net yards on our first down passing plays for a total of 7 yards on 21 first down plays, 9and turned the ball over). If you want to know why we had a lousy offensive game , there it is- we couldn’t get going. Forutnatley we were able to stay in the game thanks to a couple of big plays and an early drive that looked pretty good. But overall it was a dismal offensive performance.
SU’s kicking game had a comeback, going from 5-5 vs. Clemson to 10-5 in this game, although it could have been better. Sterling Hofrichter had three awesome punts – and three that were not. Like the coach said, it’s better to be consistently good than occasionally great.
When NORTH CAROLINA STATE had the ball:
KO: SU 25, SU 25, SU 31, SU 18, SU 25, SU 25
Total: Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 5
P: 33 to SU 44, Blocked: -13 to NCS 17, 44 to SU 34, 32 to SU 30
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 1
FG: None
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 0
XP: Good, Good, Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 5
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 4 North Carolina State 11
1r: 9, 11, 3, 5, 4, 2, -2, 9, 6, 3TD, -12(P), 4, 8, 12, 4, 3, -4, 3, 4, 4, 12, 2, 1, 13TD, 1, 2, -2V
Total: Syracuse 12 North Carolina State 15
1p: -2, 7(5), 0, -1, Interception, 68TD, I, I, 11, 24, 14
Total: Syracuse 6 North Carolina State 5
First Down Total: Syracuse 18 North Carolina State 20
2r: -2, 7(5), 0, 2(4), 17(11), 10(11), -1, 4(7), 1(7), 1(6), -2, 20TD, 3(8), 3(4)
Total: Syracuse 7 North Carolina State 7
2p: 10(1), I, 17(6), 9(8), I, I, 6(22), I, 10(14), 3(9)
Total: Syracuse 6 North Carolina State 4
Second Down Total: Syracuse 13 North Carolina State 11
3r: 7TD, 6(2), 1(1), 2(1)
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 4
3p: I, I, 12(15), 56, 15(16), Interception, I, -6(S), 9(4), 11(6), 11(5), 18(12), I, 23(11)
Total: Syracuse 8 North Carolina State 6
Third Down Total: Syracuse 8 North Carolina State 10
4r: 1(1)
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 1
4p: 10(5), +15(P)
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 2
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 3
Total on running plays: Syracuse 19 North Carolina State 27
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 20 North Carolina State 17
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 39 North Carolina State 44
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, -5, +5 Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 2
Game total when had the ball: Syracuse 44 North Carolina State 57
Overall game total: Syracuse 71 North Carolina State 103
Comments: We were at least competitive on defense on first down, (18-20), but the Wolfpack gained 105 yards rushing and 150 passing, a total of 255 on 40 plays(6.4 yards per play) compared to the 7 yards on 21 plays we gained on first down. Ball game. Out ineptness in stopping them on third down has bene noted but it’s interesting that on their first 9 third down passes we were 7-1. We were 1-5 after that. Fatigue had to be a factor. Syracuse ran 54 plays from scrimmage to 83 for State. Our concept is to wear teams down with pace and by moving the sticks to maintain possession. That happened vs. Virginia Tech but it happened to us in this game. It was actually quite an accomplishment to stay in this game and leave it in doubt until the last 5 minutes.
- 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 games 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 halfway to a new first down by the same logic.
- On third and fourth down, they want to get the new 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.
- 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.
- 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 sack (“S”) a victory play (“V”) or involved a penalty (P). I’m undecided about whether to count a scramble as a running play or passing play. For now, I’ll count it as a running play and put an ‘S’ next to it in case I change my mind. Thus an S in running plays is a scramble, an S in passing plays a sack. 1R means first down running plays. 1P means first down passing plays, etc.
When SYRACUSE had the ball:
KO: NCS 22, NCS 20, NCS 27, NCS 26, NCS 21
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 2
P: 36 to SU 47, 37 to NCS 39, 65 to NCS 20, 51 to NCS 15, 61 to NCS 10, 35 to NCS 27
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 3
FG: Good from 48, Good from 39
Total: Syracuse 2 North Carolina State 0
XP: Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 2 North Carolina State 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 10 North Carolina State 5
1r: 2, -1, -1, -1, 1, -3, 1, -2, 6, 1
Total: Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 9
1p: 5, 1, I, 8, 4, Interception, I, I, -13(S), I, I
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 8
First Down Total: Syracuse 4 North Carolina State 17
2r: 6, 1(2), 2(6-S), 0, -3, 5(11), 1(17), 13(4), -5, 11
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 7
2p: 9(5), -8(S), 6(11), 81TD, I, I, I, 1
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 5
Second Down Total: Syracuse 6 North Carolina State 12
3r: 5(4), -1, 10TD, -1, 4(8)
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 3
3p: 46(8), 4(13), -6, I, -1, I, 21(14)
Total: Syracuse 2 North Carolina State 5
Third Down Total: Syracuse 5 North Carolina State 8
4r: -3
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 1
4p: 12(2)
Total: Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 1
Total on running plays : Syracuse 7 North Carolina State 20
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 9 North Carolina State 18
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 16 North Carolina State 38
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, +10, -5, -15 Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 3
Game total when SYRACUSE had the ball: Syracuse 27 North Carolina State 46
Comments: We gained 3 net yards on 10 first down runs, losing 9 of those ten plays. Half of those plays we were thrown for a loss, including three in a row. That’s about as punchless as a running attack can get. Our first down passing wasn’t much better at 3-8. That’s normally the easiest and most productive down to pass the ball on, (the problem being that if you misfire you can put yourself in a hole). We gained 4 net yards on our first down passing plays for a total of 7 yards on 21 first down plays, 9and turned the ball over). If you want to know why we had a lousy offensive game , there it is- we couldn’t get going. Forutnatley we were able to stay in the game thanks to a couple of big plays and an early drive that looked pretty good. But overall it was a dismal offensive performance.
SU’s kicking game had a comeback, going from 5-5 vs. Clemson to 10-5 in this game, although it could have been better. Sterling Hofrichter had three awesome punts – and three that were not. Like the coach said, it’s better to be consistently good than occasionally great.
When NORTH CAROLINA STATE had the ball:
KO: SU 25, SU 25, SU 31, SU 18, SU 25, SU 25
Total: Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 5
P: 33 to SU 44, Blocked: -13 to NCS 17, 44 to SU 34, 32 to SU 30
Total: Syracuse 3 North Carolina State 1
FG: None
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 0
XP: Good, Good, Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 5
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 4 North Carolina State 11
1r: 9, 11, 3, 5, 4, 2, -2, 9, 6, 3TD, -12(P), 4, 8, 12, 4, 3, -4, 3, 4, 4, 12, 2, 1, 13TD, 1, 2, -2V
Total: Syracuse 12 North Carolina State 15
1p: -2, 7(5), 0, -1, Interception, 68TD, I, I, 11, 24, 14
Total: Syracuse 6 North Carolina State 5
First Down Total: Syracuse 18 North Carolina State 20
2r: -2, 7(5), 0, 2(4), 17(11), 10(11), -1, 4(7), 1(7), 1(6), -2, 20TD, 3(8), 3(4)
Total: Syracuse 7 North Carolina State 7
2p: 10(1), I, 17(6), 9(8), I, I, 6(22), I, 10(14), 3(9)
Total: Syracuse 6 North Carolina State 4
Second Down Total: Syracuse 13 North Carolina State 11
3r: 7TD, 6(2), 1(1), 2(1)
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 4
3p: I, I, 12(15), 56, 15(16), Interception, I, -6(S), 9(4), 11(6), 11(5), 18(12), I, 23(11)
Total: Syracuse 8 North Carolina State 6
Third Down Total: Syracuse 8 North Carolina State 10
4r: 1(1)
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 1
4p: 10(5), +15(P)
Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 2
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 0 North Carolina State 3
Total on running plays: Syracuse 19 North Carolina State 27
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 20 North Carolina State 17
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 39 North Carolina State 44
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, -5, +5 Syracuse 1 North Carolina State 2
Game total when had the ball: Syracuse 44 North Carolina State 57
Overall game total: Syracuse 71 North Carolina State 103
Comments: We were at least competitive on defense on first down, (18-20), but the Wolfpack gained 105 yards rushing and 150 passing, a total of 255 on 40 plays(6.4 yards per play) compared to the 7 yards on 21 plays we gained on first down. Ball game. Out ineptness in stopping them on third down has bene noted but it’s interesting that on their first 9 third down passes we were 7-1. We were 1-5 after that. Fatigue had to be a factor. Syracuse ran 54 plays from scrimmage to 83 for State. Our concept is to wear teams down with pace and by moving the sticks to maintain possession. That happened vs. Virginia Tech but it happened to us in this game. It was actually quite an accomplishment to stay in this game and leave it in doubt until the last 5 minutes.