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.
Note: I us the play by play from Cuse.com which did not design ate scrambles for the North Carolina or Pittsburgh games so those plays were recorded here as runs since I couldn’t tell if they were planned QB runs or not. (ESPN didn’t note scrambles, either)
The Notre Dame game
When SYRACUSE had the ball:
KO: ND 25, ND 25, ND 37, ND 25
Total: Syracuse 3 Notre Dame 1
P: 35 to ND 6, 32 to ND 10, 38 to ND 28, 34 to ND 32, 37 to ND 32, 36 to ND 27(p), 54 to ND 13(p)
Total: Syracuse 3 Notre Dame 4
FG: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 0
XP: Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 3 Notre Dame 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 9 Notre Dame 5
1r: 1, 4, 5, 0, 3(20), 2, 5, 1, 1, 40TD, Fumble, 9, -2, -3, 5, =3, 1, 12, 3
Total: Syracuse 7 Notre Dame 12
1p: 14, I, I, I, 7, 18TD, 7, Interception, 1
Total: Syracuse 4 Notre Dame 5
First Down Total: Syracuse 11 Notre Dame 17
2r: 6, -1, 2, 2(3), 12(17), 11(14), -6, 3(1), 1(9), 18(5), 80TD, 4(7)
Total: Syracuse 8 Notre Dame 4
2p: 6(9), I, 4(5), I, Fumble(s), 2(3), I, 13(13), 6(13),
Total: Syracuse 4 Notre Dame 5
Second Down Total: Syracuse 12 Notre Dame 9
3r: 7(1), 2(1), 1(12)
Total: Syracuse 2 Notre Dame 1
3p: 9(3), I, 37(4), 9(26), 15(8), I, I, 13(3), 12(15), I, 5(2)
Total: Syracuse 5 Notre Dame 6
Third Down Total: Syracuse 7 Notre Dame 7
4r: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 0
4p: 10(3)
Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 17 Notre Dame 17
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 14 Notre Dame 16
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 31 Notre Dame 33
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -15, -5, -5, +5, -5 Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 4
Game total when SYRACUSE had the ball: Syracuse 41 Notre Dame 42
When NOTRE DAME had the ball:
KO: SU 20, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 7
P: 42 to SU 12, 34 to SU 38, 42 to SU 2, 46 to SU 19, 35 to SU 25
Total: Syracuse 3 Notre Dame 2
FG: Good from 25, No Good from 50
Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 1
XP: Good, Good, Good, Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 6
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 4 Notre Dame 16
1r: 5, 2, 0, 2, 9, 7, 28TD, Fumble, 4, 16, 3, 6, 2, 23, 4, 2, 3, -7, 4, 6(16), -2
Total: Syracuse 10 Notre Dame 11
1p: 7, I, 6, -3(s), 5, 6, 18, 11, 21TD, 5, I, 28TD, Interception, 2(7), I
Total: Syracuse 6 Notre Dame 9
First Down Total: Syracuse 16 Notre Dame 20
2r: -1, 3, 5, 8(13), 6(6), 1(4), -1, 14, 3, 94TD, 6, 2(12)
Total: Syracuse 6 Notre Dame 6
2p: I, 10(4), I, 20(8), I, 8(1), 14(5), I, -7(s), I, I, 26TD
Total: Syracuse 7 Notre Dame 6
Second Down Total: Syracuse 13 Notre Dame 12
3r: 1(4), 17TD, 8(4), 1
Total: Syracuse 2 Notre Dame 2
3p: 14(4), 29(7), I, 3(5), 11(5), I, 21(10), I, 11(8), -4
Total: Syracuse 5 Notre Dame 5
Third Down Total: Syracuse 7 Notre Dame 7
4r: 8(5)
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 1
4p: 1(3)
Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 1
Total on running plays: Syracuse 18 Notre Dame 20
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 19 Notre Dame 20
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 37 Notre Dame 40
Penalties not tacked on to plays: +5, +15 Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 2
Game total when NOTRE DAME had the ball: Syracuse 51 Notre Dame 58
Overall Game Total: Syracuse 82 Notre Dame 100
Comments: We were taking on the #2 team in the country and the combined plays from scrimmage were 68-73. That’s just amazing. They score on a 94 yard burst and we answer with an 80 yard burst. The final 82-100 margin came, ironically, from the kicking game, (13-21), and penalties that weren’t tacked onto plays, (1-6). The two big positive this year are that we played every game and the team never quit competing. They didn’t always do it well but they always did it.
We had 16 possessions that started, on average at our 26. We had a total of 1,179 yards to go to score a touchdown. Notre Dame had 15 possessions that started, on average, at their 34, thanks mostly to turnovers. They had only 997 yards to do, which translates to 1,063 if they’d had 16 possessions. That’s an advent age of 116 yards of hidden offense.
At 82-100, this was a -18 game. The most similar games in the Babers Era:
2016: Syracuse 95 South Florida 116 = -21 We lost 20-45
2017: Syracuse 93 North Carolina State 112 = -19 We lost 25-33
2017: Syracuse 90 Florida State 108 = -18 We lost 24-27
2018: Syracuse 86 Clemson 102= -16 We lost 23-27
2019: Syracuse 92 Pittsburgh 114 = -22 We lost 20-27
2019: Syracuse 96 Florida State 115 = -19 We lost 17-35
2020: Syracuse 77 Liberty 93 = -16 We lost 21-38
All losses but mostly close, competitive games. This one would have been except for the turnovers.
- 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.
Note: I us the play by play from Cuse.com which did not design ate scrambles for the North Carolina or Pittsburgh games so those plays were recorded here as runs since I couldn’t tell if they were planned QB runs or not. (ESPN didn’t note scrambles, either)
The Notre Dame game
When SYRACUSE had the ball:
KO: ND 25, ND 25, ND 37, ND 25
Total: Syracuse 3 Notre Dame 1
P: 35 to ND 6, 32 to ND 10, 38 to ND 28, 34 to ND 32, 37 to ND 32, 36 to ND 27(p), 54 to ND 13(p)
Total: Syracuse 3 Notre Dame 4
FG: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 0
XP: Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 3 Notre Dame 0
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 9 Notre Dame 5
1r: 1, 4, 5, 0, 3(20), 2, 5, 1, 1, 40TD, Fumble, 9, -2, -3, 5, =3, 1, 12, 3
Total: Syracuse 7 Notre Dame 12
1p: 14, I, I, I, 7, 18TD, 7, Interception, 1
Total: Syracuse 4 Notre Dame 5
First Down Total: Syracuse 11 Notre Dame 17
2r: 6, -1, 2, 2(3), 12(17), 11(14), -6, 3(1), 1(9), 18(5), 80TD, 4(7)
Total: Syracuse 8 Notre Dame 4
2p: 6(9), I, 4(5), I, Fumble(s), 2(3), I, 13(13), 6(13),
Total: Syracuse 4 Notre Dame 5
Second Down Total: Syracuse 12 Notre Dame 9
3r: 7(1), 2(1), 1(12)
Total: Syracuse 2 Notre Dame 1
3p: 9(3), I, 37(4), 9(26), 15(8), I, I, 13(3), 12(15), I, 5(2)
Total: Syracuse 5 Notre Dame 6
Third Down Total: Syracuse 7 Notre Dame 7
4r: none
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 0
4p: 10(3)
Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 0
Total on running plays: Syracuse 17 Notre Dame 17
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 14 Notre Dame 16
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 31 Notre Dame 33
Penalties not tacked on to plays: -15, -5, -5, +5, -5 Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 4
Game total when SYRACUSE had the ball: Syracuse 41 Notre Dame 42
When NOTRE DAME had the ball:
KO: SU 20, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 7
P: 42 to SU 12, 34 to SU 38, 42 to SU 2, 46 to SU 19, 35 to SU 25
Total: Syracuse 3 Notre Dame 2
FG: Good from 25, No Good from 50
Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 1
XP: Good, Good, Good, Good, Good, Good
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 6
Kicking plays total: Syracuse 4 Notre Dame 16
1r: 5, 2, 0, 2, 9, 7, 28TD, Fumble, 4, 16, 3, 6, 2, 23, 4, 2, 3, -7, 4, 6(16), -2
Total: Syracuse 10 Notre Dame 11
1p: 7, I, 6, -3(s), 5, 6, 18, 11, 21TD, 5, I, 28TD, Interception, 2(7), I
Total: Syracuse 6 Notre Dame 9
First Down Total: Syracuse 16 Notre Dame 20
2r: -1, 3, 5, 8(13), 6(6), 1(4), -1, 14, 3, 94TD, 6, 2(12)
Total: Syracuse 6 Notre Dame 6
2p: I, 10(4), I, 20(8), I, 8(1), 14(5), I, -7(s), I, I, 26TD
Total: Syracuse 7 Notre Dame 6
Second Down Total: Syracuse 13 Notre Dame 12
3r: 1(4), 17TD, 8(4), 1
Total: Syracuse 2 Notre Dame 2
3p: 14(4), 29(7), I, 3(5), 11(5), I, 21(10), I, 11(8), -4
Total: Syracuse 5 Notre Dame 5
Third Down Total: Syracuse 7 Notre Dame 7
4r: 8(5)
Total: Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 1
4p: 1(3)
Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 0
Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 1 Notre Dame 1
Total on running plays: Syracuse 18 Notre Dame 20
Total on passing plays: Syracuse 19 Notre Dame 20
Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 37 Notre Dame 40
Penalties not tacked on to plays: +5, +15 Syracuse 0 Notre Dame 2
Game total when NOTRE DAME had the ball: Syracuse 51 Notre Dame 58
Overall Game Total: Syracuse 82 Notre Dame 100
Comments: We were taking on the #2 team in the country and the combined plays from scrimmage were 68-73. That’s just amazing. They score on a 94 yard burst and we answer with an 80 yard burst. The final 82-100 margin came, ironically, from the kicking game, (13-21), and penalties that weren’t tacked onto plays, (1-6). The two big positive this year are that we played every game and the team never quit competing. They didn’t always do it well but they always did it.
We had 16 possessions that started, on average at our 26. We had a total of 1,179 yards to go to score a touchdown. Notre Dame had 15 possessions that started, on average, at their 34, thanks mostly to turnovers. They had only 997 yards to do, which translates to 1,063 if they’d had 16 possessions. That’s an advent age of 116 yards of hidden offense.
At 82-100, this was a -18 game. The most similar games in the Babers Era:
2016: Syracuse 95 South Florida 116 = -21 We lost 20-45
2017: Syracuse 93 North Carolina State 112 = -19 We lost 25-33
2017: Syracuse 90 Florida State 108 = -18 We lost 24-27
2018: Syracuse 86 Clemson 102= -16 We lost 23-27
2019: Syracuse 92 Pittsburgh 114 = -22 We lost 20-27
2019: Syracuse 96 Florida State 115 = -19 We lost 17-35
2020: Syracuse 77 Liberty 93 = -16 We lost 21-38
All losses but mostly close, competitive games. This one would have been except for the turnovers.