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Message: [QUOTE="SWC75, post: 5226893, member: 289"] 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: SU 37, SU 20, SU 8, 50, SU 5, SU 15, SU 25, SU 25, SU 44, VT 39, SU 25, SU 25, VT 25 = 415/13 = SU 32 with 885 YTG, 74 less than VT in one less possession. KO: VT 16, VT 25, VT30(p), VT 25, VT 25, VT 25 Total: Syracuse 5 Virginia Tech 1 P: 38 to VY 20, 56 to VT 27, 41 to VT 48, 46 to VT 24, 20 to SU 37(p) Total: Syracuse 4 Virginia Tech 1 FG: Good from 44 Total: Syracuse 1 Virginia Tech 0 XP: Good, Try-Good, Blocked, Good, Good Total: Syracuse 4 Virginia Tech 1 Kicking plays total: Syracuse 14 Virginia Tech 3 1r: 1, 2, 14, 8, 7, 6, 10, 0, 1, 2(15), 3(4), 2, 0, 6, 17(p), 3, 2, 0, 9TD Total: Syracuse 10 Virginia Tech 9 1p: 15, 7, 7, 2, INT, 6, I, FUM, 55TD, 2, 41, I, 3, 16 Total: Syracuse 7 Virginia Tech 7 First Down Total: Syracuse 17 Virginia Tech 16 2r: 3(2), 0, 0, 7(8), 1TD, 1(4), 6(7), 1(1) Total: Syracuse 5 Virginia Tech 3 2p: I, I, 6(3), I, I, 6, I, 12(8), I, 28TD, 3, 6(7), 11(8) Total: Syracuse 6 Virginia Tech 7 Second Down Total: Syracuse 11 Virginia Tech 10 3r: 2(3), 25(4), 2(1), 1(1), 15(1) Total: Syracuse 4 Virginia Tech 1 3p: 4, I, -1, I, 12(4), I, 9(8), -11(s), 7, 2(3) Total: Syracuse 4 Virginia Tech 5 Third Down Total: Syracuse 8 Virginia Tech 6 4r: 2(1) Total: Syracuse 1 Virginia Tech 0 4p: None Total: Syracuse 0 Virginia Tech 0 Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 1 Virginia Tech 0 Total on running plays: Syracuse 20 Virginia Tech 13 Total on passing plays: Syracuse 17 Virginia Tech 19 Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 37 Virginia Tech 32 Penalties not tacked on to plays: -5, +5, -5, +5, -5, -15, +14 Syracuse 3 Virginia Tech 4 Game total when Syracuse had the ball: Big Plays: 25 pass, 55 pass TD, 41pass, Fumble recovery, 28 pass TD, Fumble recovery. (6) Comments: We finally got a running attack going, 20 plays to 13. I was looking for a long passing game and we got 55TD, 41, 28TD and a 25 yarder. We finally hit a 40+ field goal – and it was from 44! When Virginia Tech had the ball: Drive Starts: VT 16, VT 20, VT 27, VT 25, VT 20, VT 48, VT 18, VT 24, VT 30, VT 25, VT 25, SU 37, VT 25, SU 25 = 441/14 = VT 31.5 with 959 YTG, 74 more than SU in one more possession. KO: SU 20, SU 16, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25, SU 25 Total: Syracuse 0 Virginia Tech 6 P: 46 to SU 37, 29 to 50, 51 to SU 5(p), 45 to SU 15, 25 to 44 Total: Syracuse 2 Virginia Tech 3 FG: Good from 27 Total: Syracuse 0 Virginia Tech 1 XP: Good, Good, Good Total: Syracuse 0 Virginia Tech 3 Kicking plays total: Syracuse 2 Virginia Tech 13 1r: 2(3), 5, 2, 8, -5, 3, 9, 1, 1, 1, 3, FUM, 18, 12, 5, 5, 2, 0, -1, Total: Syracuse 11 Virginia Tech 8 1p: I, 7, -6(s), 48, 9, 44, -12(s), 1, 4(15), I, 14, I Total: Syracuse 8 Virginia Tech 5 First Down Total: Syracuse 19 Virginia Tech 13 2r: 1, 6(11), 12, 1TD, 4(5), 25(2), 47(18), 15(1), 1, -5(7), 15TD, 10(2), -2, FUM Total: Syracuse 4 Virginia Tech 10 2p: 6(3), 5(1), 9(22), 13(8), I, I, 6(7), 11(11), 12 TD, 13(9), 6(5) Total: Syracuse 3 Virginia Tech 8 Second Down Total: Syracuse 7 Virginia Tech 18 3r: 2(1), 8(9), 1(19), 6(1), 3(2), 4(3), 5(12) Total: Syracuse 3 Virginia Tech 4 3p: I, 7(5), -7(s), I Total: Syracuse 3 Virginia Tech 1 Third Down Total: Syracuse 6 Virginia Tech 5 4r: None Total: Syracuse 0 Virginia Tech 0 4p: None Total: Syracuse 0 Virginia Tech 0 Fourth Down Total: Syracuse 0 Virginia Tech 0 Total on running plays: Syracuse 18 Virginia Tech 22 Total on passing plays: Syracuse 14 Virginia Tech 14 Total on plays from scrimmage: Syracuse 32 Virginia Tech 36 Penalties not tacked on to plays: +5, -5, -5, -8, +13, +15 -10 Syracuse 4 Virginia Tech 3 Game total when Virginia Tech had the ball: Syracuse 38 Virginia Tech 52 Big Plays: 48 pass, 44 pass, Interception, Fumble recovery, 25 run, 47 run (6) Overall Game Total: Syracuse 92 Virginia Tech 91 Comments: We were strong on first down, (19-13), and weak on second down (7-18). Their big plays are a little deceiving. Their 44 yard completion was the result of an obvious push-off of the defensive back. Their interception was a great catch but a freak play. Their defender impeded our receiver, who pushed him forward and right to the spot where McCord had thrown the ball. Their 47 yard run was the last play of the half and did not result in a score. This was another close one: 92 plays won – 91 plays lost = -1 Here are the closest cames to this one since the beginning of the Dino Babers Era in 2016: 2016 Syracuse 103 Virginia Tech 104 = -1 SU won 31-17 2017 Syracuse 97 Pittsburgh 96 = +1 SU won 27-24 2018 Syracuse 99 Pittsburgh 97 = +2 SU lost in OT 37-44 2023 Syracuse 76 Georgia Tech 73 = +3 SU lost 22-31 2024 Syracuse 94 Nevada-Las Vegas 95 = -1 SU won in OT, 44-41 If it’s a close game in winning plays, it will be a thriller on the scoreboard. [/QUOTE]

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