Bleacher Report - Articles by Dan Kelley

BCS Rankings Week 14: Penn State and Virginia Tech Back in the Picture

Dan Kelley — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:33:56 -0500

A handful of losses among last week’s top 12 have shaken things up in the BCS picture, and provided a few teams with added hope for a BCS bid.

A blowout loss to Oklahoma dropped the previously 12th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys down to No. 16, and out of the BCS picture entirely.

Additionally, losses by Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech this weekend have hurt each team’s chances for an at-large bid, and will put more pressure on them to win their respective conferences. The Yellow Jackets will have to beat Clemson in the ACC championship game next week, and the Panthers have an end-of-season meeting with No. 5 Cincinnati to decide the Big East champion.

In order to be eligible for an at-large bid into one of the BCS bowls, a team must finish the season ranked in the top 12 of the BCS poll. With the losses, both Penn State and Virginia Tech have been pushed into eligibility, taking the 11th and 12th spots respectively.

Another bit of intrigue added to the picture thanks to Oklahoma State’s fall, is that the Fiesta Bowl could feature a battle of two at-large bids. The Big XII champion is typically selected to participate in the Fiesta Bowl, but Texas is likely headed to the BCS Championship, and no other Big XII member is eligible for an at-large.

If the projected conference champions hold up, then Florida and Texas will play in the BCS Championship, the Rose Bowl will see Ohio State and Oregon face off, Alabama will host the Sugar Bowl, Georgia Tech will host the Orange Bowl, and the Fiesta will have to pick two teams from among the remaining automatic qualifiers, Cincinnati and TCU, and the eligible at-large teams.

With this scenario, the at-large teams to be chosen from for all remaining bowl bids will be No. 6 Boise State, No. 9 Iowa, No. 11 Penn State, and No. 12 Virginia Tech.

However, this situation is hardly settled.

Florida and Alabama still have to play the SEC championship game, which will essentially earn the winner an automatic bid to the BCS Championship Game.
Texas still has to beat Nebraska in the Big XII championship, and will steal an at-large bid if they should lose and allow Nebraska to take the conference’s automatic bid into the Fiesta Bowl. A Longhorns loss would also allow TCU or possibly an undefeated Cincinnati into the BCS Title Game.
Cincinnati could also steal an at-large bid, if they were to lose to Pittsburgh this weekend. The Panthers can tie Cincinnati by beating them, and would get the Big East’s automatic bid with the tie-breaker, leaving Cincy 11-1 and likely still eligible for an at-large bid.
Georgia Tech and Clemson will play the ACC Championship for the league’s automatic bid. However, if the Yellow Jackets lose, neither team will finish in the top 12 so it’s the automatic bid or nothing for both teams.

The picture could look drastically different by next week, with several BCS conferences still up for grabs. Whether you're in the extreme minority that loves the BCS, or if you hate it like everyone else, you have to be excited for what should be some spectacular football this weekend, with plenty of BCS eligibility still left to be decided.

Here's this week's BCS poll in it's entirety:

1) Florida (12-0)

2) Alabama (12-0)

3) Texas (12-0)

4) TCU (12-0)

5) Cincinnati (11-0)

6) Boise State (12-0)

7) Oregon (9-2)

8) Ohio State (10-2)

9) Iowa (10-2)

10) Georgia Tech (10-2)

11) Penn State (10-2)

12) Virginia Tech (9-3)

13) LSU (9-3)

14) BYU (10-2)

15) Pittsburgh (9-2)

16) Oregon State (8-3)

17) Miami (9-3)

18) USC (8-3)

19) California (8-3)

20) Oklahoma State (9-3)

21) Houston (10-2)

22) Nebraska (9-3)

23) West Virginia (8-3)

24) Stanford (8-4)

25) Utah (9-3)

The Syracuse Orange's Domination of Rutgers Signals a Return to Normalcy

Dan Kelley — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:54:36 -0500

As any self-respecting Orange fan with a sense of his team’s history will tell you, Rutgers is not Syracuse’s rival. Regardless of what a small handful of media members or Rutgers fans say, the Scarlet Knights are still considered to be beneath Syracuse by most Orange fans.

Call it arrogance, delusion, or a failure to accept present circumstance, but regardless of the past few years, it’s hard to think of anyone as a rival when you’ve beaten them 28 times in 39 meetings.

That’s not to say that seeing the Orange administer a 31-13 beating to the Scarlet Knights in the 40th game between the two programs wasn’t an immensely satisfying experience though. After an unacceptable four-game losing streak to their historic doormat, the dominating victory on Saturday felt like a nostalgic return to good ol' days.

Despite an absurd amount of injuries and defections, the Orange came out fired up, and turned in a performance reminiscent of those beatings they used to hand the Knights with regularity up until the last half decade or so.

Even without all-Big East caliber players Mike Williams, Arthur Jones and Derrell Smith, Syracuse managed to top Rutgers in nearly every major statistical category.

Doug Marrone’s team was able to win the day thanks to a pressure defense that held the Knights to only 130 total yards, sacked quarterback Tom Savage nine times and generally terrorized Rutgers with no quarter asked, and none given.

The game plan followed the old school philosophy of winning by running the ball and playing great defense. The defense held up their end of the bargain admirably and, not to be outdone, the running backs ran wild.

The triumvirate of Orange backs Delone Carter, Antwon Bailey, and Averin Collier combined for 210 rushing yards and one touchdown each, including a 60-yard score by Collier late that secured the victory.

The three-headed rushing attack, as well as Greg Paulus’s 142 passing yards, helped the Orange run up more than three times as many total yards as the Knights; totaling 424 yards to Rutgers’ 130.

As enjoyable as it was to see the natural order of this series restored, the impact of this win could be much greater than just a momentary feeling of nostalgia for Orange fans.

This game was huge for Syracuse from a recruiting standpoint. Doug Marrone made it clear from the moment he was hired, that he intends to invade Rutgers’ backyard and recruit New Jersey heavily. The two schools are going to compete for recruits every year, and as the old saying says, “To the victors go the spoils.”

Nothing will help Syracuse pull in the top prospects in the Northeast better than beating the other schools that make that region their primary recruiting territory.

The game might also be a sign of the traditional Eastern football giant reawakening from its slumber.

It was Syracuse’s fourth win of the 2009 season, and while that total is unimpressive, it does represent progress from the three win season the Orange endured last year. Rutgers also became the third opponent along with Northwestern and Akron, that Syracuse lost to last season, but defeated this year under Doug Marrone.

The future once again looks bright in Syracuse. We’ve had more than our fair share of struggles this year, but with the 2009 season nearing an end, there is plenty to look forward to in 2010.

With plenty of talented underclassmen, few players leaving due to graduation, and an influx of new freshman entering the mix, it’s not unreasonable to think that there could be a bowl game in Syracuse’s near future.

No Tobias Harris, No Problem for Syracuse Orange

Dan Kelley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:36:27 -0500

One of the major benefits of having a hall of fame head coach like Jim Boeheim is that you’re never short on talented young hoopsters who want to come play for your school.

That’s why there’s no reason for Orange fans to sweat mega-prospect, Tobias Harris’ announcement tonight that he will play his college basketball at Tennessee rather than Syracuse.

Of course, nobody is happy about missing out on ESPN.com’s seventh ranked high school senior. That would be absurd. At the end of the day though, Harris opting for creamsicle orange just opens things up for some other elite high schooler to wear the Syracuse shade of orange.

That may not happen in the 2010 class though. The Orange already have one of the nation’s top recruiting classes, and Jim Boeheim could just tuck that scholarship away for next season’s class. Right now, four high school seniors are committed to play for Syracuse next year, three of whom are listed among ESPN.com’s top 100.

The future Orange stars already committed are third ranked shooting guard, Dion Waiters; second ranked center, Fab Melo; 12th ranked small forward C.J. Fair and 14th ranked center Baye Moussa Keita.

Fair, in particular, is one reason not to worry too much about losing Harris. The 6’7, 196 pound Fair looks like the prototypical Syracuse forward that Boeheim recruits every year. He has long arms, a lot of athleticism and the ability to step out and shoot the three-ball. He could develop into a terrific player that will make Syracuse forget all about Harris.

The rest of Syracuse's 2010 class is equally as solid.

Waiters, a 6’4 combo guard, will have an opportunity to step in and start at the two-guard spot immediately, replacing the graduating Andy Rautins. Waiters will bring a very different game to the position than Rautins does though, with the ability to drive to the basket in addition to being able to knock down a jumper. His size, strength and explosive athleticism is going to make him a very dangerous scorer for the Orange next season.

The big story that had Syracuse in the recruiting spotlight this offseason though, was the commitment of the seven-foot Brazilian center Melo.

Like Waiters, Melo will have a chance to step into a starting role immediately next year, with Syracuse losing Arinze Onuaku after this season. He’ll bring a smooth jumper and an advanced offensive repertoire for a young big man. He’ll also be an intimidating presence at the back of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone.

Coming in somewhat under-the-radar is another big man, Baye Moussa Keita of Oak Hill Academy. With Melo expected to be able to contribute immediately, Keita may find himself buried on the depth chart next year.

Keita will likely redshirt, but he could end up being a great player with time to develop. Since Melo is unlikely to be a four year player, Keita will certainly get his chance somewhere down the road.

These four high school stars make up what is already the fourth ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2010. Tobias Harris would have been a terrific addition, which may have pushed them to number one, but with or without him the Orange won’t be hurting for talent any time soon.

Top Prospect Tobias Harris Picks Tennessee, Spurns Syracuse

Dan Kelley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:06:30 -0500

A top prospect in the class of 2010, Tobias Harris finally made his decision tonight, choosing to play his college basketball at the University of Tennessee over the likes of Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville and Kentucky.

The 6-8, 220-pound forward made his announcement at the ESPN Zone in New York City, surrounded by a crowd of fans hoping he would choose to wear Syracuse's orange rather than Tennessee's. In fact, the Syracuse-slanted crowd booed the decision.

"I liked the family atmosphere, the campus," he said. "It was a place I could imagine going to if I wasn't playing basketball. I can talk to coach [Bruce] Pearl about anything."

He joins shooting guard, and fellow ESPN Top 100 recruit, Jordan McRae as well as shooting guard Trae Golden in Tennessee's 2010 recruiting class.

BCS Rankings Week 12: TCU and Cincinnati Likely on Outside Looking In

Dan Kelley — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:21:26 -0500

The national title picture, as is typical within the BCS system, looks like it’s heading for yet another controversial finish.

A mere two weeks remain in college football’s regular season, and the six teams that sit atop the BCS poll all remain undefeated with 10-0 records. Only one of two of these teams is sure to fall before season’s end with the top two teams, Florida and Alabama remaining on a collision course for the SEC championship.

Barring an unlikely upset, it’s looking like college football’s championship game is already close to locked in. With Texas sitting at No. 3 in the poll with only Kansas and Texas A&M standing between them and a perfect regular season, it’s looking more and more certain that we’ll be seeing them face off with the winner of the Florida-Alabama prize fight.

Texas vs. the SEC champion should make for a terrific championship game, with plenty of star power and historical relevance with two of college football’s traditional powers facing off.

However, that’s unlikely to serve as much consolation to the remaining teams who manage to survive the season unscathed. With TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State all 10-0 with only two games left it appears to be a near sure-thing that at least one undefeated team is going to be left out in the cold.

TCU, despite giving a mighty 55-28 thrashing to their Mountain West rivals and formerly 16^th ranked Utah this past week, was unable to pass Texas and move into position for the national title game. With only Wyoming and New Mexico remaining on their schedule, TCU is a safe bet to finish the year undefeated, but may be dead in the water with regards to the BCS title game. No matter how badly they blow out their final two opponents, they aren’t going to be able to impress the polls enough to pass an undefeated Texas.

Similarly to TCU, No. 5 Cincinnati also remained undefeated after taking down a tough conference opponent this weekend. Their match with 25^th ranked West Virginia was much closer than TCU’s victory, with a mere field goal separating the Big East powers in Cincinnati’s 24-21 win.

Within the structure of the BCS, a biased system designed to protect its own and exclude the rest, Cincinnati could actually have a greater gripe than TCU if they run the table and are left out of the championship game. They hail from the Big East, a BCS conference which has defied all predictions and had a great year.

Four of the Bearcats' first ten opponents have appeared in one poll or another this season, with one last major test coming against No. 9 Pittsburgh to close the year.

Boise State, while also likely to finish the season undefeated, is completely out of the discussion. With only one real quality win to speak of against Oregon in the first game of the year, and an otherwise weak schedule, it’s hard to make a case for the Broncos being deserving of a BCS Title game bid even if they do finish the year unbeaten.

In the highly unlikely scenario that four of the five teams ahead of Boise all lose, there is a good chance that they’ll still be left out in favor of a one loss Florida, Alabama or Texas.

It’s shaping up to be another disappointing season that will be unlikely to leave college fans with any certainty that the crowned champions will truly be the nation’s best squad. However, the only way we’re ever going to be free of this sham of a system is for the controversy to continue until it incites the change that FBS football so desperately needs. When another deserving team is denied the opportunity to play for the “championship” this year, we can only hope that their disappointment helps to pave the way for future underdogs and mid-majors to get their fair chance at the trophy.

Here's this week's entire BCS poll:

1) Florida (10-0)

2) Alabama (10-0)

3) Texas (10-0)

4) TCU (10-0)

5) Cincinnati (10-0)

6) Boise State (10-0)

7) Georgia Tech (10-1)

8) LSU (8-2)

9) Pittsburgh (9-1)

10) Ohio State (9-2)

11) Oregon (8-2)

12) Oklahoma State (8-2)

13) Iowa (9-2)

14) Penn State (9-2)

15) Virginia Tech (7-3)

16) Wisconsin (8-2)

17) Stanford (7-3)

18) USC (7-3)

19) Oregon State (7-3)

20) Miami (FL) (7-3)

21) Utah (8-2)

22) BYU (8-2)

23) Clemson (7-3)

24) Houston (8-2)

25) California (7-3)

Take Note: TCU Coach Gary Patterson Is One Of The Best In The Business

Dan Kelley — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:13:49 -0500

When your average college football fan talks about the top coaches in college football right now, a lot of names are likely to pop up. Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Jim Tressel, and Brian Kelly are just a few that frequently get mentioned in that discussion.

However, one of the true masters of the coaching craft, Texas Christian University head coach Gary Patterson, is rarely considered. In fact, there are probably a substantial number of casual college football fans who wouldn't even recognize him by name.

Although he's frequently overlooked, thanks in part to TCU playing outside of the biased BCS system in the Mountain West Conference, Patterson is a worthy addition to the conversation on today's elite coaches.

Since replacing former head coach Dennis Franchione just prior to the Mobile Alabama Bowl in 2000, Gary Patterson has brought Texas Christian back to the kind of success they haven't enjoyed since the 1950s.

Patterson has compiled an impressive 82-27 record at TCU, including five seasons with at least 10 wins and a 5-2 record in bowl games. TCU has also finished in the Top 25 in five of Patterson's seven full seasons as head coach.

Last year, with their victory over Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl, TCU finished at No. 7 in the AP poll, their highest ranking at the end of a season since 1959.

As successful as 2008 was though, Patterson kept the momentum going into 2009, setting up would could be an even greater season for the Horned Frogs.

Now undefeated at 9-0 and ranked No. 4 in the latest BCS poll, TCU is merely a Texas Longhorns loss away from being right in the thick of the BCS title game discussion. The Horned Frogs only need three more wins, starting with their MWC rival, No. 16 Utah, to complete a perfect regular season and assure their first BCS Bowl bid in school history.

If the stars align in such a way that TCU is able to garner a bid to play in the BCS title game, they'll have a chance to become the first team from a non-BCS conference to win a national title since BYU in 1984.

College football fans may not know it yet, but Gary Patterson is already among the best coaches in all of college football. It may take a BCS appearance to finally get him the recognition he deserves, but as long as he sticks around there is going to be plenty of winning in TCU's future.

BCS Rankings Week 11: Alabama Moves Back To No. 2 and Iowa Goes Down

Dan Kelley — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:05:04 -0500

It was another wild weekend in college football, with plenty of upsets, scares, and a few changes near the top of the poll.

The most noteworthy shift in the Week 11 poll is Alabama’s reclamation of the No. 2 spot after they were passed by Texas just last week. The Longhorns remain at No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches' polls following their 35-3 drubbing of Central Florida, but Alabama’s 24-15 win over LSU carried enough weight to push them ahead of Texas in the BCS.

The shift will likely mean little over the long haul, as Texas is still in terrific shape to get into the BCS Title game with Florida and Alabama on a collision course for the SEC title. If the Gators and the Tide both win out, they’ll end up facing off for the SEC championship and Texas can slide back up to No. 2, replacing the loser.

Further shifting the BCS’s top five was the loss of previously unbeaten Iowa, knocking them from fourth down to No. 10 and also removing them from the BCS title picture.

The Hawkeyes have been the subject of a lot of scrutiny and doubt all year thanks to a number of unimpressive wins. They’ve been living dangerously, winning their first nine games by an average margin of just under 10 points, including a 17-16 win over Northern Iowa and a 24-21 win over Arkansas State.

With Northwestern finally ending Iowa’s perfect season, the Hawkeyes will have to realign their goals and focus on trying to win a Big Ten title.

Iowa wasn’t alone in suffering a disappointing upset this week though. Six different top 25 teams in last week’s poll went down to lower ranked opponents. California, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame all dropped from the poll after losing to unranked teams.

Even more teams found themselves locked in tough battles with upset minded opponents. Most notably, No. 5 Cincinnati squashed a late surge by Connecticut to remain unbeaten, Boise State moved up to No. 6 after a tough 45-35 win over Louisiana Tech and Georgia Tech moved up to No. 7 despite needing overtime to put away Wake Forest.

Some Other Notes

Who says the Big East is weak? Despite starting the season without a single team in the top 25, half of the Big East’s eight teams made appearances in the Week 11 BCS poll (No. 5 Cincinnati, No. 12 Pitt, No. 24 South Florida, No. 25 West Virginia).
TCU was the biggest beneficiary of Iowa’s loss, taking over the No. 4 spot in the poll. If Texas goes down, the Horned Frogs could find themselves right in the thick of the BCS title picture.
Ohio State’s upset win over Penn State pushed them up to No. 11 in the poll and it sets up what will likely be a de facto Big Ten championship game with No. 10 Iowa next week.

Here’s this week’s entire BCS poll:

1) Florida (9-0)

2) Alabama (9-0)

3) Texas (9-0)

4) TCU (9-0)

5) Cincinnati (9-0)

6) Boise State (9-0)

7) Georgia Tech (9-1)

8) LSU (7-2)

9) USC (7-2)

10) Iowa (9-1)

11) Ohio State (8-2)

12) Pittsburgh (8-1)

13) Oregon (7-2)

14) Miami (FL) (7-2)

15) Houston (8-1)

16) Utah (8-1)

17) Arizona (6-2)

18) Penn State (8-2)

19) Oklahoma State (7-2)

20) Wisconsin (7-2)

21) Virginia Tech (6-3)

22) BYU (7-2)

23) Oregon State (6-3)

24) South Florida (6-2)

25) West Virginia (7-2)

Dropped out: No. 20 California, No. 22 Notre Dame, No. 24 Oklahoma

Syracuse Snakebitten: The Loss of Mike Williams Shows Orange Are Still Cursed

Dan Kelley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:31:56 -0500

Syracuse fans have had to deal with a lot of pain and disappointment the last half-decade or so.

The almost weekly tallies to the loss column during the last five seasons are what everyone knows about. The Orange became a laughing stock of the media and all of college football under former head coach Greg Robinson as the losses piled up.

What the rest of the country doesn’t always hear about is the ridiculous amount of bad luck that the Orange have had off the field the past several years.

This team, which has been so short on stars in recent memory, has had to deal with losing one of their best players in each of the past four seasons.

The news that broke Monday afternoon, that Mike Williams has quit the team, is yet another blow to the turnaround hope for this down-on-its-luck program. While they’ve been lucky to not suffer any major injuries or other losses through the first eight games, this certainly serves as a reminder that Syracuse may not be out of the woods yet.

The overwhelming evidence that this program has been snakebitten started accumulating in Greg Robinson’s second season, when the nasty trend of losing their best players each year began.

A JUCO transfer named Taj Smith came out of nowhere in 2006 and played a major role in Syracuse’s 2-2 start, that included a double-overtime loss to Iowa, before breaking his collarbone against Miami (OH) and missing the rest of the season.

The Orange offense utterly collapsed without him, averaging only 11.5 points a game in Big East play, after averaging 22.0 in their four games with Smith on the field.

One of the few bright spots that emerged on that 2006 team was true freshman Delone Carter, who ran for 713 yards and four touchdowns. Going into 2007 many thought Carter was destined to have a monster sophomore year, and would lead the Orange to a turnaround season.

Then the unthinkable happened.

Carter suffered a freak injury in spring practice, planting his leg awkwardly during a drill and dislocating his hip. Suddenly the man who many already considered to be Syracuse’s best player was out for the entire season, and his entire career appeared to be in jeopardy.

Without him the Orange running game was nonexistent. Syracuse managed only 753 rushing yards as a team that season, and averaged only 2.0 yards per carry.

To top things off, Syracuse also lost the gem of their 2007 recruiting class, middle linebacker Jermaine Pierce.

A four-star prospect and a physical specimen, Pierce was expected to bolster Syracuse’s weak corp of linebackers immediately, but was diagnosed with a rare blood clotting issue before the season began. Sadly, what looked like a very promising career ended before he ever saw the field.

The following year though, things were looking up for the Orange offense.

Quarterback Andrew Robinson had put together a solid first season as the starter in 2007 and was expected to be even better in 2008.

Carter successfully recovered from his career-threatening hip injury and was again ready to take the field as well.

The Orange also had junior Mike Williams, who had turned into one of the best receivers in the Big East the previous season. Williams made 60 grabs in 2007 for 837 yards and 10 touchdowns, including one in nine consecutive games to end the year.

Considered to be Syracuse’s best player, Williams looked poised for a monster year. He dominated all through spring practice, and put on a show at the spring game with several spectacular catches.

Then the hammer dropped on Williams and the Orange, as the news broke that he had been suspended from school for cheating on a test. Like Smith and Carter the previous two seasons, Williams would miss the entire 2007 season, and the results on the field were noticeable.

In 2008 with Williams absent and Robinson’s mysterious struggles, Cameron Dantley became the starting quarterback in week two and Syracuse managed only 1,458 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air for the season.

The year before, Robinson and Cameron Dantley had combined to throw for 2,750 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Now Williams is gone again, after proving once again to be Syracuse’s best player.

In the seven games he played, Williams was unstoppable making 49 catches for 746 yards and six touchdowns. He was also named a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff award, which is given to the nation’s top wide receiver.

With only four games left, and Syracuse’s bowl hopes becoming dimmer and dimmer, the loss may not make a whole lot of difference in 2009 though.

Unfortunately, Williams’ decision may end up being more meaningful in 2010, as he could have been the difference between another sub .500 season and Syracuse’s first bowl appearance since 2004.

It appears the curse that has been upon this football program may not have left with Greg Robinson and Doug Marrone’s task of exorcising this program’s demons just got quite a bit harder.

BCS Rankings Week 10: USC, Virginia Tech Lose, but Texas Moves To No. 2

Dan Kelley — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:53:46 -0500

It was an upset filled Halloween weekend in college football that must have left a number of last week’s top 25 member’s spooked at their new positions in or out of the BCS poll.

Six of last week’s top 25 found themselves on the losing end of their week ten matchups, five of whom were upset by a lower rated opponent.

In what looked like the biggest game of the week going in, No. 5 USC was ripped by their conference rivals No. 10 Oregon 47-20, the most lopsided defeat the Trojans have suffered since 1997 and the worst of the Pete Carroll era.

The loss knocked USC from their spot in the top five down to No. 12, and it cost them whatever opportunity they once had of sneaking into the BCS Championship with only one loss. On top of that, with two losses, both to Pac-10 opponents USC falls from the top spot in the league and it puts Oregon in the drivers’ seat to win the conference for the first time since 2001.

Another once highly ranked team whose conference title hopes took a hit this weekend was formerly No. 13 Virginia Tech who lost to unranked North Carolina 20-17.

With their third loss of the year and second in ACC play, the Hokies dropped to 23^rd in the poll and fell out of a first place tie with Georgia Tech in the ACC’s Coastal Division. With Georgia Tech also holding the tie-breaker over the Hokies, their chances of even reaching the conference championship game again are looking bleak.

Perhaps the biggest change in regards to the national title picture though was Texas leapfrogging Alabama into the No. 2 spot in the poll following their 41-14 thrashing of previously 14th ranked Oklahoma State.

Texas was already in terrific position to reach the BCS Championship, being No. 3 behind two SEC teams Florida and Alabama. With the two Southeastern heavy weights likely on a collision course in the conference championship game, one of the two is eventually going to lose and Texas probably would have stepped in anyway.

However, Texas’ switch to the No. 2 spot this early solidifies their position near the top and makes it even less likely that they could at some point be passed by another top team. If the Longhorns win out, they’re a near lock to play in the BCS Championship.

Predictably, there were also some strange movements by a handful of teams, thanks in part to all of the upsets this weekend.

Among them, previously unranked Wisconsin jumped all the way to No. 21 in this week’s BCS poll after their 37-0 win over Purdue. Their long distance leap took them past Notre Dame who moved from 23^rd, to No. 22 this week after their 40-14 win over Washington State.

Cincinnati was the primary beneficiary of USC’s loss, reclaiming the No. 5 spot they held two weeks ago before dropping to 8^th last week without ever losing. They passed TCU and Boise State who remained at No. 6 and No. 7 respectively.

There’s still plenty of football to be played, but as the weeks go by the BCS Championship and bowl picture is becoming clearer. The top seven teams are all still undefeated, and because they come from six different conferences, only one of them is guaranteed to lose before the regular season is through.

More upsets will happen, but with so many teams threatening to run the table this late in the year it’s looking like it could be another controversial finish to the season. In the ever-cloudy national championship picture, it looks like there's a good chance that one or more deserving teams could be left out in the cold.

Here's this week's entire BCS poll:

1) Florida (8-0)

2) Texas (8-0)

3) Alabama (8-0)

4) Iowa (9-0)

5) Cincinnati (8-0)

6) TCU (8-0)

7) Boise State (8-0)

8) Oregon (7-1)

9) LSU (7-1)

10) Georgia Tech (8-1)

11) Penn State (8-1)

12) USC (6-2)

13) Pittsburgh (7-1)

14) Utah (7-1)

15) Houston (7-1)

16) Ohio State (7-2)

17) Miami (Fl) (6-2)

18) Arizona (5-2)

19 Oklahoma State (6-2)

20) California (6-2)

21) Wisconsin (6-2)

22) Notre Dame (6-2)

23) Virginia Tech (5-3)

24) Oklahoma (5-3)

25) South Florida (6-2)

Dropped out: West Virginia (21), South Carolina (22), Mississippi (25).

Unfamiliar Territory: The Syracuse Orange Look to Return To a Bowl Game

Dan Kelley — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:03:05 -0400

It’s been nearly five years since the Orange of Syracuse last competed in a postseason football game, although it's felt like a lot longer.

It was only 2004 when the Orange were the victims of a vicious 51-14 beating at the hands of Georgia Tech in the Champs Sports Bowl, and the restless Syracuse fans were calling for the head of then Head Coach Paul Pasqualoni.

After the success the Syracuse University football program enjoyed during the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s, including numerous bowl victories and Big East championships, six win seasons were considered unacceptable.

New athletics director Daryl Gross heard the murmuring of the Orange faithful and flipped the guillotine switch on the Paul Pasqualoni era in Syracuse.

Fast forward to 2009: The Orange have not been to a bowl game since Coach P. was terminated and his successor Greg Robinson has also been run out of town after winning a total of ten games in his four years.

Now midway through the 2009 season, rookie head coach Doug Marrone has the Orange in a position they haven’t been in since 2006—mathematically alive for bowl eligibility seven games deep into the season.

With a record of 3-4, the Orange still have an outside shot at reaching a bowl game, which would signal a huge step forward for this program. However, with five games remaining, Syracuse will have to step their game up because they need three more wins and none of them are going to come easy.

Here’s a look at look at Syracuse’s remaining schedule and their chances of winning each.

Oct. 31 : Cincinnati

This might be the toughest game left on the schedule, but the timing of it may work in Syracuse’s favor.

For one thing, Cincinnati’s Heisman caliber quarterback Tony Pike is still recovering from a wrist injury and is unlikely to make the start. The bad news is that backup Zach Collaros has been brilliant filling in for Pike the last two weeks and presents all kinds of matchup problems with his ability to scramble.

Given that the Orange are sixth in the nation in rushing defense, but 115th in pass defense Syracuse is probably better off facing the duel-threat Collaros rather than one of the best pocket passers in the country in Tony Pike.

Regardless of who they face though, the odds of Syracuse pulling an upset over the No. 8 Bearcats are pretty slim. They’ll need to bring their A-game just to keep the score respectable.

Odds of victory: 15%

Nov. 7 : at Pittsburgh

It doesn’t get a whole lot easier the following week as the Orange travel to Pittsburgh. The No. 15 Panthers are 7-1 and 4-0 in the Big East so far, and they’ll be coming off a bye week before this game.

The good news for Syracuse is that the next three teams Pittsburgh will face after Syracuse are No. 23 Notre Dame, their rivals No. 21 West Virginia and a possible battle to determine the Big East champion with No. 8 Cincinnati to conclude the year.

Sounds like a trap game to me.

The Orange players may also be eager to make up for the game that got away from them last season when they took a 24-16 lead into the 4th quarter against the Panthers but allowed Pitt to score the final 18 points of the game and win 34-24.

Either way, the Orange are likely to be heavy underdogs in this one. It might be closer than most expect, but asking for a win here is probably another tall order.

Odds of victory: 25%

Nov. 14: at Louisville

If there’s a program in the Big East that’s been even worse than Syracuse the past couple of years it’s Louisville. The evidence is as plain as it gets, Syracuse has beaten the Cardinals each of the past two seasons.

This year, things aren't looking any better for the 'Ville.

The Cardinals currently stand at 2-5 and 0-3 in the Big East with their lone victories coming over Indiana State and Southern Miss. In the three conference games they’ve played, Louisville has been outscored 114-45.

If there’s a game left that Orange fans can look towards as a probable win, it’s this one.

Odds of victory: 75%

Nov. 21: Rutgers

If there was an award for the most disappointing team in the Big East, it would almost certainly go to Rutgers.

The Knights were a trendy pick to win the league this season, but thus far they’ve been a colossal disappointment. Right now they have possibly the most deceptive good record in all of college football at 5-2, with their wins coming over two FCS opponents Howard and Texas Southern, Florida International, a horrible Maryland team and Army.

The Knights were handled by the only two quality opponents that they’ve been forced to play by league rules, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

Rutgers starts freshman Tom Savage at quarterback, who looks like he could someday be very good. Up until this point though, the Rutgers offense hasn’t been impressive at all with a ranking of 82nd in the country in total offense despite playing a schedule containing more cupcakes than your average bakery.

This is one that the Orange should win thanks largely to their improved defense.

Odds of victory: 60%

Nov. 28: at Connecticut

This is it.

If things shake out the way they probably should in the four weeks preceding this matchup, Syracuse will head into their last game of the season playing for their sixth win and bowl eligibility. The only thing that will be standing in the way is the currently 4-3 Huskies.

Unfortunately for Syracuse though, Connecticut has not been friendly to them in recent years. In their last two trips to Storrs the Orange were outscored a whopping 56-14 by Randy Edsall’s team.

And this year it might be tougher than ever to leave Connecticut with a win.

While UConn’s calling card has always been its dominant running game, even their passing offense looks to be coming around. Last weekend against West Virginia, quarterback Cody Endres threw for 378 yards and a couple of touchdowns in a close loss.

Syracuse will likely do what they usually do, attempt to totally take away UConn’s running game and dare them to pass the ball.

If UConn has a passing day like they did against the Mountaineers the game won’t even be close. However, if they struggle passing the ball Syracuse should have a great chance to win this one.

Odds of victory: 40%

When everything is all said and done, it’s my feeling that the Orange will fall just short of bowl eligibility with a 5-7 record. Even without a bowl appearance though, a five win season will be a huge step forward for the Syracuse program.

Things are heading in the right direction for this team, but it’s a work in progress. Doug Marrone seems like the man for the job so Syracuse fans should be able to look forward to seeing their team competing for bowl games again very soon.

Syracuse-Cincinnati: How Upset-Minded Orange Can Derail Bearcats' Dream Season

Dan Kelley — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:06:00 -0400

2008 may have been the most successful year in the history of Cincinnati football, but to almost everyone’s surprise the Bearcats look like they could possibly be heading for even greater success in 2009.

Undefeated at 7-0 and ranked eighth in this week’s BCS poll, the Bearcats roll into the Carrier Dome this Saturday as one of the nation’s few elite teams that are still in the conversation for an appearance in the BCS title game.

To achieve that goal, though, the Bearcats must win the remainder of their games just to remain in the discussion, and they still have tough dates with No. 15 Pittsburgh and No. 21 West Virginia left.

With the pressure of those two games and their national title implications looming, the thought of the Bearcats overlooking the lowly Orange this weekend must be a nice one for Syracuse fans. Unfortunately, the Bearcats are led by two-time defending Big East Coach of the Year Brian Kelly, and will absolutely be prepared for the weekend’s game. The Orange will need to bring their A-game to even keep this one respectable.

However, that’s not to say that the thought of the Orange pulling off the upset is completely unthinkable. It’s highly unlikely for sure, but in the topsy-turvy world of college football, much crazier things have happened.

If the Orange are to pull a stunning upset on Saturday, there are a few key things that they absolutely must do.

Keep the Cincinnati Offense on the Sidelines

The toughest game that the Bearcats have had all year came back in September when they hosted Fresno State and beat the Bulldogs 28-20. The 28 points they scored matched Cincinnati’s lowest output so far this season, the only two times that the Bearcats have been held below 30 points.

So how did they do it? How did they manage to slow down one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, Tony Pike?

The Bulldogs accomplished this task by keeping him squarely on the bench. In that game, the Bulldogs utterly dominated in time of possession holding the ball for nearly 44 of the 60 minutes played. They managed to accomplish this by effectively running the ball to the tune of 290 yards on 57 attempts.

Despite the comparably low scoring output though, Pike still managed 300 yards and three touchdowns. Imagine what he might have done if they'd had the ball for more than 16 minutes....

For Syracuse, coming off a career game against Akron last week, in which he ran for 170 yards and three touchdowns, the Orange will again look to Delone Carter to turn in a big performance this weekend. The bruising tailback will need to consistently move his team down the field and keep the Cincinnati offense on the sideline. Syracuse will need to win time of possession by a fairly wide margin to even have a chance in this one.

Be Ready for Anything

Unfortunately for Syracuse, even if they do win the time of possession, at some point or another, they’re going to have to give Cincinnati the ball.

When they do that they’ll need to be prepared to somehow slow down whichever of Cincinnati’s two talented quarterbacks ends up playing.

Heisman-hopeful Tony Pike could be ready to go this weekend after sustaining a wrist injury during Cincinnati’s win over South Florida two weeks ago. If not, it’ll be the much more mobile Zach Collaros leading the Bearcats' offense.

Collaros has been nothing short of spectacular in Pike’s stead. After coming in early in the second half against USF, Collaros busted off a 75-yard touchdown run that immediately let everyone know that the Cincinnati offense was going to look a lot different, but maybe not any worse. Collaros finished that game with 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground while completing four of his seven passes for 72 yards.

The next week, Collaros made the start against Louisville and completed 15-17 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns to prove that he’s a more than adequate passer, as well in the 41-10 rout of the Cards.

So whether the starter is the speedy, duel-threat Collaros, or one of the best pocket passers in the country in Tony Pike the Orange will have to be prepared for just about anything.

Win the Turnover Battle

Turnovers have plagued the Orange in their losses this year, but in the three games the Orange have won they won the turnover margin twice, and tied once.

The Syracuse offense will need a disciplined, mistake free performance from quarterbacks Greg Paulus and Ryan Nassib. It’s likely both will see time on Saturday, but in the interest of maintaining possession both may be forced to throw a lot of short, safe passes and screens.

On top of that, they’ll likely need a little luck on defense. A couple of forced turnovers could do wonders for Syracuse, particularly if they’re able to shorten the game by running the ball all afternoon.

Limit the Big Play

Like turnovers, big plays allowed by the secondary have been extremely troubling.

With one of the best receivers in the country, Mardy Gilyard lining up against them, it’s likely that the Orange will be threatened deep once again.

It’s typical of defensive coordinator Scott Shafer to leave his corners in a lot of one-on-one coverage in order to allow the safeties to help out against the run, but this week it may be wise to limit that strategy as the corners have already proven they can’t handle it, and also because Cincinnati doesn’t run the ball very often anyway.

In particular, if Tony Pike ends up playing it may be wise for the Syracuse defense to sell out against the pass much more than they have at any other time this season.

This looks like the toughest game of the year for the Orange. Unfortunately, the difference in talent between these two squads is extreme and Syracuse could very well bring their A-game with a focus on accomplishing all of these goals and still lose.

The Orange could be due for another huge upset win this season though. After all, these games aren’t played on paper for a reason, and I’m sure Doug Marrone would love to get an early “signature win” for his place in the Syracuse history books. The Orange will be ready to go Saturday, and it could end up being a much better game than anyone expects.

BCS Rankings Week Nine: TCU, Iowa Go Ahead While Cincy, Boise St. Drop

Dan Kelley — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:33:54 -0400

The quagmire that is the Bowl Championship Series’ rankings hit for the first time in the 2009 season last weekend, and in the second week of the infamous poll there is already some serious change, and a couple teams must be scratching their heads.

In a week with few upsets, there are only a few big changes to speak of. Only three teams that were ranked in the Top 25 last week lost.

No. 16 BYU was shredded by their conference rivals TCU, who came into the meeting ranked eighth in the BCS. After the 38-7 beat down, their second loss of the season, the Cougars dropped right out of the Top 25, officially ending any faint hope they may have had of crashing the BCS party this post season.

Joining BYU as the two biggest losers of the weekend, the previously 10th ranked Miami Hurricanes were upset by the 4-3 Clemson Tigers, 40-37 in overtime.

Unlike the would-be BCS busters of Brigham Young, being in the ACC meant that with one loss coming into the weekend the Hurricane’s still had an outside chance at reaching the BCS title game. Those hopes were officially put to bed this weekend, despite the Hurricane’s prolific offense running up 433 total yards and 37 points.

Miami dropped down to 19th in this week’s poll.

While the drops taken by BYU and Miami are hardly surprising with each suffering their second loss of the season, there were some other changes that don’t appear to make much sense.

Both Cincinnati and Boise State rocked their opponents this weekend, but were still leapfrogged in the poll.

Previously fourth ranked Boise State dropped to seventh after they took apart Hawaii 54-9 Saturday. The Broncos ran up 472 total yards in the dominating performance, doing exactly what they were expected to do against an inferior opponent. Dropping out of the Top Five following such a performance doesn’t seem to make much sense here.

Similarly, the formerly fifth ranked Cincinnati Bearcats also dropped three spots in the poll to eighth after a dominating win over conference foe, Louisville.

The 7-0 Bearcats dominated despite the absence of starting quarterback Tony Pike, and were never once out of control of the game.

The apparent benefactors of Cincinnati and Boise State’s fall were Southern California, who rose from seventh to fifth after a six point win over Pac-10 opponent Oregon State, and Iowa who won 15-13 on the road at 4-4 Michigan State

Adding some intrigue to the the 6-1 Trojan’s move this week is that by beating Oregon State, they only accomplished something that Cincinnati had already done when the Bearcats went on the road and beat OSU in Week Three.

So how does a 6-1 team leapfrog a 7-0 team just by beating an opponent that the undefeated Bearcats already vanquished? That’s a move that doesn’t seem to make sense by any rationality.

It’s just the second week of the poll, and there is still a lot of football to be played, so things are still subject to change. As it always does, the BCS will continue to spark controversy and confusion as the season progresses, and by the end of the year we all just have to hope that we truly end up with the two best teams in the country playing for the title.

Here's the complete week nine poll:

1) Florida (7-0)

2) Alabama (8-0)

3) Texas (7-0)

4) Iowa (8-0)

5) USC (6-1)

6) TCU (7-0)

7) Boise State (7-0)

8) Cincinnati (7-0)

9) LSU (6-1)

10) Oregon (6-1)

11) Georgia Tech (7-1)

12) Penn State (7-1)

13) Virginia Tech (5-2)

14) Oklahoma State (6-1)

15) Pittsburgh (7-1)

16) Utah (6-1)

17) Ohio State (6-2)

18) Houston (6-1)

19) Miami (5-2)

20) Arizona (5-2)

21) West Virginia (6-1)

22) South Carolina (6-2)

23) Notre Dame (5-2)

24) California (5-2)

25) Mississippi (5-2)

Enough Is Enough: Why Fan Tardiness Has Become a Concern in Syracuse

Dan Kelley — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:05:40 -0400

Have Syracuse fans forgotten how to conduct themselves at a football game?

It certainly seems so. Already this year, a collection of Orange bloggers were forced to rebuke the Syracuse fan base for their inappropriate use of the wave .

Perhaps they should be excused though. After all, the majority of them haven’t been around the Carrier Dome very often the past four years. Aside from the 10,000-20,000 die-hards that faithfully made their way to see the Orange play each Saturday, the Dome has been a rather desolate place these past few years.

These days things are looking up though. With head coach Doug Marrone at the helm, the Orange have looked considerably better this season, despite the 2-4 record, and many of the fans have come back.

So far this season, Syracuse is 57th in the country, and fourth in the Big East in average attendance with a respectable 40,958 people a game.

It’s probably fair to say that our resurgent fan base has forgotten a thing or two the past few years. That’s why I feel some of you may need a wakeup call.

The attendance figures aren’t my concern at all right now. Nobody could realistically expect Syracuse to sell out the Carrier Dome until the team’s improvement translates into more wins. For where the team stands right now, just a bit fewer than 41,000 fans a game is terrific.

The thing that disturbs me and I now feel obligated to address is the punctuality of some of the returning Orange fans.

Starting the season at home against Minnesota, I myself misjudged the amount of time I would need to get into the building and didn’t arrive at my seat until the Orange were already down 7-0 following the high snap over Greg Paulus’ head and Minnesota touchdown two plays later that I later saw for the first time in the highlights later on.

The fans had come out in numbers that I hadn’t seen in years, and it seemed as though everyone was unprepared for the lines at the entrances, including the Carrier Dome staff.

However, both the Dome staff and I adjusted and since week one I’ve had no trouble getting into the games on time. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case for 5,000-10,000 other fans that have been attending the games.

Each and every week, the Dome has looked like the barren facility that had become familiar during the Greg Robinson era up until about the middle of the first quarter, and sometimes close to the second before the stragglers finally make their way in.

Tailgating is a lot of fun. I understand that.

However, tailgating and the other festivities that take place prior to the start of the game are only supposed to be the appetizer.

When it comes down to it, you didn’t come to the Dome all decked out in your Orange gear to spend your Saturday afternoon in a parking lot guzzling beers and telling the same tired jokes that you and your friends have probably been saying for years.

You’re there to show your support for your home team and to be entertained by the Orange’s new-found aggressive, exciting, hard hitting style of football; the kind of college football that can’t be found anywhere else in the state of New York.

Believe me, the parking lot and all the good times that can be had there will still be available after the game. In fact, you can even pack the party up in your trunk and take it anywhere else you want to go. There are many other wonderful parking lots in the city of Syracuse.

On the flip side though, Orange fans only get eight opportunities to see their team play this year, and now there are only three chances remaining.

The opportunity for bowl eligibility is still alive, but the Orange will need all the support they can get from the fans in their three remaining home games to pull it off. Make your presence felt from the opening kickoff in your last three trips to the Dome.

Kickoff for Syracuse’s game against Akron on Saturday is at 3:30. I expect to see you there by no later than 3:15.

Turning the Corner: What the Syracuse Orange Have to Improve if They Want to Go Bowling

Dan Kelley — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:55:58 -0400

Now five games into the season, with a better than expected record of 2-3, the Orange still have an outside chance of making their first bowl game since 2004. We've learned a lot about this team so far, and while it's clear the Orange are a vastly improved team under new head coach Doug Marrone, it's also become apparent that the team still has some issues to work on. These are five key points that the Orange must improve upon if they are going to make some noise in Big East play and get back to bowl eligibility.

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Fear and Loathing in the Carrier Dome: How the Syracuse Orange Survived a Scare

Dan Kelley — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:52:36 -0400

Paranoia, denial, and fear amongst the crowd; all brought on by a very “Robinsonian” half of football by the Orange men of Syracuse.

In what was supposed to be a mere tune-up game for the next week’s match with the South Florida Bulls, through two quarters of play Syracuse somehow found themselves in a legitimate contest with the Maine Black Bears of the FCS.

How could this be happening again?

It was an all too familiar scene for Syracuse fans, just another letdown after a big win. The first half was exactly the kind of performance that had stopped the Orange from putting together even a simple two-game winning streak since 2006.

As I sat in stunned silence, watching the game and attempting to block out the nervous chatter of the surrounding fans in section 328, I couldn’t help but to think back to 2007.

Coming off a huge upset win over the 36.5-point favorite Louisville Cardinals on the road, there was an overwhelming feeling that perhaps the team had turned a corner. And why not?

After all, the Cards were the defending Big East champions, they carried a 20-game home winning streak into the meeting and they were led by one of the top quarterbacks in college football, Brian Brohm.

The hope that the win had created came crashing down just as quickly as it had appeared though, when Syracuse traveled to Miami of Ohio the following week and lost to the Redhawks of the MAC conference, 17-14.

The first half against the Black Bears was eerily similar to that uninspired performance.

Once again, Syracuse followed up a game in which they displayed the kind of explosive offense that hasn’t been seen much in recent years, with the far more familiar look of total ineptitude.

Greg Paulus and company had torched Northwestern for 471 total yards and 37 points only the week before, but as the team went into the locker room down 17-13 at the half, fans were left wondering where last week’s offense had gone.

It certainly didn’t help to ease the almost tangible fear that gripped the crowd that the Black Bears had been completely unpredictable either.

Fake punts from deep in their own territory, an onside kick in the second quarter, a pooch punt in the third quarter when everyone in the Dome had finally accepted that this team just wasn’t going to give up their possession on fourth down. It was like watching a 10-year-old play a game of Madden.

The first two periods had acted as a startling reminder that this team is not quite where it needs to be yet; but fortunately for the sanity of the Orange faithful, the second half may have been a sign of better things to come.

After halting Maine’s threatening first drive of the half, the offense finally gave the fans something to cheer about. Greg Paulus orchestrated an 86 yard drive on eight plays that resulted in the first of Delone Carter’s three rushing touchdowns in the half.

To follow that, the defense came back out and stuffed the Black Bears almost immediately, giving up one first down before forcing them to punt from their own 16-yard line. The crowd rose to their feet and applauded as if to say, “Great job, now keep it up!”

Syracuse ended up scoring touchdowns on each of their first four drives of the second half to turn what had been a frighteningly close game into a rout.

The defense returned to the form that they displayed in the first three weeks of the season which had the fans excited and the opposition fearful.

With unrelenting pressure, some bone-crushing hits and a key interception, they kept the Bears off the scoreboard nearly the entire second half before giving up one meaningless score with just over two minutes remaining.

By then the mood of the crowd as well as my own had shifted from tense to jovial as it was clear the Orange would cruise into their first .500 record since 2006.

As I watched the team sing the Syracuse University Alma mater after their 41-24 victory, I was happy to embrace the familiar sore throat and fatigue that comes from screaming and jumping around the stands like a madman.

After pondering the game for another day and night, I believe this was probably the most informative of Syracuse’s first four games of the season.

They clearly demonstrated in their meetings with Minnesota, Penn State and Northwestern that they are a vastly improved team, and that can’t be taken away by one close encounter with disaster.

What they did prove is that, while they are a much better football team, they still have a long way to go in changing the losing culture that has surrounded the Syracuse University football program these past several years.

Winning is something that has to be learned through experience, and until they achieve more of that success, it’s a near certainty that they’ll struggle considerably at times, even against inferior opponents.

However they did demonstrate a killer instinct that appeared to be severely lacking in the Greg Robinson era. Despite the struggles to begin the game, the Orange came back in the third quarter, retook the lead and placed their foot squarely on Maine’s throat.

Perhaps they needed only to be reminded that on this rare occasion, they were the superior team.

They had the rare opportunity to play the role of Goliath, and once they got serious they crushed the diminutive David. It’s something they’ll learn from and this game will leave them more equipped to succeed in the future.

For now, we’ll all just have to be happy with being even in the win and loss columns for the first time in years. Bring on South Florida next week and a return to the normalcy of our role as David trying to conquer another mighty Goliath.

Derrell Smith Is the Unsung Hero for the Syracuse Orange Defense

Dan Kelley — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:03:20 -0400

Greg Paulus, Mike Williams, and Arthur Jones are the three Orange Men that everyone already knows. They are the stars of a team that has been in short supply of big-time talent in recent years.

And yet, there’s one more guy that football fans outside of Syracuse may not know as well, despite being as important to his team’s success as anyone else on the field.

That man is middle linebacker Derrell Smith.

Smith has been Syracuse’s key antagonist to opposing running games, piling up a Big East best with 16 solo tackles and 26 total take downs; ranking second in the conference.

In the Orange victory over Northwestern, Smith had one of his best games as part of the Syracuse football team. In addition to recording 10 tackles and forcing two fumbles, he also terrorized Wildcat quarterback Mike Kafka all day, sacking him twice.

Smith made his presence felt immediately, blindsiding Kafka on Northwestern’s first drive of the game with a hit so hard, the sound could be heard clearly all around the Dome over the sound of 40,000 screaming fans.

The monster hit made Kafka cough up the ball deep in Northwestern territory, which set up Syracuse’s first touchdown of the day and put the Orange up 10-0 early.

Although Smith has proven to be adept at keeping opposing quarterbacks looking over their shoulders, the biggest area in which he and, in turn, the rest of the defense have really looked solid, has been stuffing the run.

Thanks in large part to Smith and the rest of his crew of linebackers, including Doug Hogue, Ryan Gillum, and E.J. Carter, Syracuse has absolutely shut down the running games of their first three opponents.

The Orange defense has yielded only 80.7 rushing yards a game and 2.5 yards per carry so far, making them statistically the third best rushing defense in the Big East. However, those numbers look even better when you consider that the Orange have been stifling the running games of three quality opponents, including Penn State and one of the best backs in the nation, Evan Royster.

The schools currently ranked higher in this category, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, have feasted on such cupcakes as Southeast Missouri State, Youngstown State, and Buffalo.

This is a dramatic turnaround for the Orange, after giving up 5.0 yards a carry last year, they were easily the worst in the Big East. In 2008, Smith started at outside linebacker and was second on the team with 73 tackles.

Head Coach Doug Marrone moved Smith to the middle in an attempt to increase the overall speed of the unit. Smith was a former running back and the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Delaware coming out of high school. He was converted to linebacker by Greg Robinson in 2007.

Speed is a big part of the unit’s new found success. Along with Smith, Doug Hogue is also a converted running back and the currently injured Ryan Gillum is a converted safety.

At 6'1", 236 pounds, Smith combines the strength to shed blockers and the speed to chase down opposing ball carriers.

He’s a dynamic player for the Orange and will merit all-Big East consideration at the end of the year. More importantly though, he’s going to frustrate Big East offenses and help the Orange in their push for their first bowl appearance since 2004.

Sweet Redemption: How Greg Paulus Is Proving The Doubters Wrong

Dan Kelley — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:03:09 -0400

“Wonder how much fans in the seats have to do with this.”

“I wish we were opening with Syracuse.”

“Won’t be easy for him to read zones and pick up blitzes.”

A handful of quotes, offered up under the veil of anonymity by three Big East coaches after the announcement back in August that Greg Paulus would open the season as the starting quarterback for the Syracuse Orange.

One coach even went as far as to say that Paulus would be “a spectacular failure.”

Looks like Doug Marrone must know his team better than these anonymous rival coaches, after all.

After playing solid, if not spectacular football in his first two games of the season; Greg Paulus had a breakout performance in Syracuse’s win over Northwestern on Saturday that was reminiscent of his high school days at Christian Brothers Academy.

Paulus scorched the Northwestern defense through the air, to the tune of 346 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 24-of-36 passes. He also displayed his athleticism and savvy on a 10-yard scramble to the end zone that put the Orange up 10-0 in the first quarter.

In more ways than just the total yardage though, Paulus’ game was a sharp contrast to the previous two performances because he was finally able to take some shots down the field. Against the Wildcats, he threw for an impressive 14.4 yards per completion compared to only 8.8 and 7.5 yards per completion against Minnesota and Penn State, respectively.

Never was this new found explosiveness more obvious than late in the first quarter when he hit a streaking Mike Williams for a 66-yard touchdown after a beautifully choreographed play fake that helped Williams get past the entire Northwestern secondary.

Williams was a tremendous asset for Paulus all night, making the Orange quarterback look brilliant while making the opposing secondary look lost. The all-Big East caliber receiver caught 11 passes, for a career high 204 yards and two touchdowns, including a late score in the fourth quarter that tied the game up at 34.

The way things have gone thus far this season in the Big East has to make you wonder why any coach not named Brian Kelly or Jim Leavitt would go out of their way to criticize another team’s quarterback.

West Virginia quarterback Jarrett Brown looked great against Liberty and East Carolina, but in the Mountaineer’s contest with Auburn this weekend Brown threw four interceptions and only found the end zone once.
The quarterback Rutgers coach Greg Schiano opted to start in their week one game with Cincinnati, Dom Natale, managed to throw three interceptions on only 12 pass attempts against the Bearcats before losing his job in the second half to true freshman Tom Savage.
In less than two games, UConn starting quarterback Zach Frazer has thrown twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. He threw three picks and two touchdowns in a close win over Ohio, and threw one interception against North Carolina before leaving the game with an injury.
Louisville quarterback Justin Burke started the year by throwing two interceptions with no touchdowns against FCS school Indiana State.
The much maligned Bill Stull in Pittsburgh has had a solid season so far against weak competition but has never impressed as the Panther’s starting quarterback in the past. Then he struggled in preseason camp and could have lost his starting job. Given that was all head coach Dave Wannstedt had to go on at the time, criticizing another team’s starting quarterback decision would seem unwise.

Though Orange fans can only speculate who had the audacity to utter those anonymous criticisms of Doug Marrone’s decision, they can at least take solace in knowing that Greg Paulus and the rest of the Orange will have the opportunity to make each of those coaches eat their words once Big East play begins.

The Big East better be ready.

Making a Statement: How the Big East Can Earn Some Respect in Week Three

Dan Kelley — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:30:32 -0400

It’s well known that the Big East is generally perceived to be the weakest of the BCS conferences in college football. And unfortunately, in FBS football, perception often outweighs reality.

Winning is the only way to change things for the Big East; even though it hasn’t seemed to work up until this point.

Despite the league’s representative winning in three of the conference's last four BCS games and a solid 13-9 record in bowl games since 2005, people want to take away the Big East’s bid to play in the very BCS games they’ve been dominating.

Nonsense.

Despite the nation’s unchanging perception, however, it is extremely important for the Big East to continue winning. This weekend, the league will have a tremendous opportunity to make a statement to the rest of the college football world that they’re here to stay.

During the first two weeks of the season, the majority of the Big East, like most BCS teams, has been feasting on cupcakes. Now it’s time for the conference to get out of the shallow end of the pool and jump head first into the real football season.

There are six key games this weekend that will give football fans an idea of where this rag-tag conference stands this season.

Cincinnati (-1) @ Oregon State

Both of these teams come into the game undefeated at 2-0, but Cincinnati gets the slight edge for having looked like world-beaters in the first two weeks of the season.

They began the season by manhandling a then-trendy pick to win the Big East, Rutgers, 47-15 on the road. They returned home last week to indulge and enjoy a cupcake, beating Southeast Missouri State 70-3.

Oregon State of the Pac-10 has looked slightly less impressive so far, but nevertheless comes into the game with an unblemished record. They shredded Portland State 34-7 before surviving last week's 23-21 nail-biter against UNLV.

My prediction: If Oregon State’s defense isn’t better than the 21 points they allowed to UNLV, Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike is going to pick them apart all day. The Bearcats win in relatively comfortable fashion, 31-20.

West Virginia @ Auburn (-7)

At some point you have to wonder if the Mountaineers look forward to playing SEC teams. After all, they’re 4-0 against them since 2005, including their 34-17 win against Auburn last year.

This year’s game will be a lot tougher for West Virginia, as the Tigers roll into the game 2-0 after putting on an impressive offensive display in their 49-24 win over Mississippi State last week.

Mountaineers quarterback Jarrett Brown, however, has looked absolutely terrific so far this season and should have success against the Auburn defense. Last week against East Carolina, Brown threw for 334 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-20 win.

My prediction: If Brown continues to play like a Heisman candidate, WVU should win this one. With running back Noel Devine on the field as well, the Mountaineers may have too much firepower for Auburn to stop. WVU wins 34-31.

Navy @ Pittsburgh (-7.5)

This one may be tougher for Pittsburgh than the line indicates. Navy put a pretty good scare into Ohio State before losing 31-27 in the first game of the year. Their running game gave the OSU defense serious problems to the tune of 186 yards on the ground.

It could be a match-up of strengths, though, because of Pittsburgh’s solid run defense. The thing that should really concern Navy is how surprisingly prolific Pittsburgh’s offense has been.

With LeSean McCoy gone to the NFL, it was thought Pittsburgh may struggle offensively. But the Panthers appear to have found their next great tailback already in freshman Dion Lewis.

Lewis has run for 319 yards and four touchdowns in just two games this season, compiling an impressive 7.3 yards per carry.

My Prediction: Lewis again powers the Panthers offense to a win this week, 24-17.

UConn @ Baylor (-10)

The Huskies won a close game at home against Baylor last season, but this is a different Connecticut team than a year ago. Gone are four first-day NFL draft picks in William Beatty, Darius Butler, Cody Brown, and the nation’s leading rusher in 2008, Donald Brown.

On top of that, starting quarterback Zach Frazer is out with a knee injury and second-stringer Cody Endres has been recovering from a bug, but should play. Considering the Connecticut passing game has already been disappointing, this spells bad news for the Huskies.

Baylor is lead by veteran quarterback Robert Griffin III and enters the game 1-0 after beating Wake Forest 24-21 in their first game of the season.

The Bears controlled the game on the ground against Wake Forest, rushing for 197 total yards, including 41 from Griffin III.

My prediction: UConn was likely a serious underdog before losing Frazer. Being on the road won’t help the Huskies either. Baylor wins 21-10.

Louisville @ Kentucky (-13.5)

Louisville hasn’t fared well against their SEC rival the last couple of years. Last season, the Wildcats embarrassed the Cardinals 27-2 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

This year's game is in Lexington and the Cardinals' fate probably won’t be much different.

The Cards were less than impressive in their opener against Indiana State, an FCS team. Louisville won 30-10, but there were some serious negative aspects of the victory.

New starting quarterback Justin Burke threw for 223 yards and two interceptions. He never managed to reach the end zone. The Cardinals overcame his performance with a solid rushing game led by Victor Anderson’s 93 yards and two touchdowns.

In contrast, the Wildcats were extremely impressive in their opener at Miami University (Ohio). They won 42-0 behind a balanced offensive attack that ran up nearly 500 total yards. Not to be outdone, their defense yielded just 188 total yards to the RedHawks.

My prediction: If you’re the betting type, I’d say bet the house on Kentucky. This one won’t be close. The Wildcats should easily cover the 13.5 point line. Kentucky wins 38-13.

Northwestern (-3) @ Syracuse

Wait, wait, wait...Syracuse, the team that’s been absolutely dreadful the past four seasons, winning only 10 games during that period, is only a three-point underdog to a middle-tier Big Ten team?

Believe it.

This is a different Syracuse team despite the familiar 0-2 hole to start the season.

The Orange took Minnesota, a dark horse to contend for the Big Ten title, to overtime before traveling to Happy Valley and playing much more competitively with Penn State than anyone would have expected. It’s pretty clear that Syracuse is vastly improved.

Thus far the team’s calling card has been its tough, aggressive defense which has visibly frustrated its first two opponents at times. With Northwestern replacing quarterback C.J. Bacher and running back Tyrell Sutton, who both torched Syracuse in a 30-10 win last season, the Wildcats could struggle to score against the much tougher Orange defense.

Northwestern has not looked great so far this year. Last week, the Wildcats needed a late field goal to propel them ahead of Eastern Michigan in a 27-24 win.

My prediction: The Orange get their running game going, which thus far has been stifled by two great defenses, and running backs Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey lead Syracuse to their first win under Doug Marrone. Syracuse wins 24-20.

The Big East has the opportunity to make a statement this weekend. Wins by Cincinnati, West Virginia, Pitt, and Syracuse should be plenty to shut the critics up for at least a week.

With the ACC and Big Ten both suffering a couple of embarrassments to start the year, this is a great opportunity for the league to divert the negative attention off of itself.

Now they just have to win the games.

Syracuse Orange's Real Season Set To Begin after Escaping Lions' Den

Dan Kelley — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:47:42 -0400

Only the fans wearing the brightest orange-colored glasses imaginable would have given the Syracuse football team a chance in their week two matchup with Penn State.

In the end, the Orange were once again crushed beneath the mighty paws of the Nittany Lions, placing them in a familiar 0-2 hole to start the season.

Unlike the thrashing that the Lions gave Syracuse in the Dome last season though, there were a handful of positives that the Orange can take from this game.

For the second straight week, the defense showed that they are a vastly improved unit from last season.

The same group that gave up an embarrassing 55 points to the Nittany Lions in the Dome last year cut the scoring in half, allowing a much more respectable 28 points to the No. 5 team in the nation.

Even Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark praised the Orange defense following the game.

"We were tested in certain situations," Clark said. "Our defense did good once again and bailed us out of a couple of situations where if Syracuse scores we're in a difficult game. Their defense did a good job.

"They're definitely a different Syracuse team than we played last season. They are really going to do good in the Big East this year. Definitely."

Clark did show why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, completing 20 of his 31 pass attempts for 240 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception during the game.

However, the Orange defense made it extremely tough for the Lions on the ground.

Penn State’s feature tailback Evan Royster, who rushed for over 1,200 yards and scored 12 touchdowns on the ground a year ago, was held to a pedestrian 41 yards on 12 carries, giving him an average of 3.4 yards a carry.

As a team, the Lions were even worse, running the ball 35 times total for 104 yards, for an average of only 2.2 yards per carry.

Like Daryll Clark, Royster came away impressed with the change in Syracuse’s defense.

"You could really see a change in their attitude from last year," Royster said. "Last year, they really didn't seem to think they could win. This game they came in thinking they could win, and you could really see it."

On the other side of the ball, the Orange had a tougher time of it.

Greg Paulus was again efficient in completion percentage, hitting on 14 of his 20 passes (70 percent), but was unable to manage anything deep. Thanks to the constant pressure from Penn State’s defense, as well as some untimely dropped passes, he managed only 105 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

The uplifting news for the Orange offense: There’s not a single team left on the schedule with a defense that can match Penn State’s.

From here on out Syracuse’s schedule is much more manageable.

Syracuse will finish up its three-week gauntlet of Big Ten opponents this Saturday when the Orange host Northwestern. After that they’ll get a break from BCS competition against MAC opponent Akron and FCS team Maine.

Syracuse’s home game with Northwestern presents a great opportunity to pick up a win over a BCS opponent out of conference.

The Orange traveled to Northwestern last season and lost 30-10 in a game that was actually closer than the score indicated.

The Orange had success on the ground against the Wildcats in that game, with the trio of Curtis Brinkley, Delone Carter, and Doug Hogue combining for 117 yards rushing on 21 total carries. Carter in particular looked solid in his limited time, running the ball six times for 45 yards (7.5 ypc) in his first game action after missing the entire 2007 season with a hip injury.

The Orange offense was held back by a poor outing by then-starting quarterback Andrew Robinson and a defense that was not nearly as stout as this year’s edition. Gone are starting quarterback C.J. Bacher and running back Tyrell Sutton for Northwestern, who both torched the Syracuse defense in the win.

Thus far in 2009 Northwestern looks beatable. In their opener they beat Towson handily, but did show vulnerability on defense, allowing two touchdowns to their FCS foe.

This past week, the Wildcats jumped on Eastern Michigan early and took a 21-3 lead to halftime. In the second half, however, the game came apart at the seams for Northwestern.

They were held to only six points in the latter half of the game, and allowed Eastern Michigan right back into it. The Eagles ran all over the Northwestern defense for 172 yards on the day, and the Wildcats were forced to kick a last-second field goal to leave victorious, 27-24.

If the Orange can avenge last season by defeating the Wildcats in the Dome, their 1-2 start will look pretty good considering the state of the program last season and the difficulty of the schedule to start this year. A 1-2 record is probably as good as even the most optimistic prognosticators would have expected for the rebuilding Orange to start off.

Then with Akron, Maine, and a Big East conference that already has had a number of its teams show vulnerability ahead, Orange fans could finally see some wins from their formerly downtrodden program.

Despite the 0-2 start, I’m standing by my prediction of five wins for the Orange this season. In fact, I feel better about it than ever.

Fruits of Our Labor: Syracuse Orange Will Have To Work Hard To Beat Penn State

Dan Kelley — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:22:56 -0400

This weekend the Syracuse Orange will face the unenviable task of walking right into the Nittany Lion’s den to take on the defending Big Ten champions, Penn State.

In this renewal of Syracuse’s most played rivalry, the Orange come in as heavy underdogs to the 5^th/7^th ranked Nittany Lions, who smoked Akron last week 31-7.

Last season, the Lions visited the Carrier Dome and laid an epic 55-13 beating on the Orange. However, after Syracuse’s overtime loss to Minnesota last week, Penn State coach Joe Paterno believes that this year, Syracuse looks like a different team.

"Syracuse looks like a pretty darn good football team to me," he said. "Maybe they weren't so good last year, but this is a different year. This is a different kind of football team. They hustled and made some plays."

That may be the case, but of course the question remains; can Syracuse win?

The grim reality is that the Orange are a long shot at best. The Lions are replacing some talented players who contributed to the pounding they gave Syracuse last year, but the thing about Penn State is, they’re one of the few programs in college football who annually reloads rather than rebuilds.

If the Orange are to compete with Penn State on Saturday there are a few key match ups that Syracuse will need to do well in.

Greg Paulus vs. Penn State’s secondary:

The Nittany Lions are replacing all four starters from last year’s secondary which held Syracuse to a pathetic 110 passing yards last season. Both safeties, Nick Sukay and Drew Astorino, as well as cornerback D’Anton Lynn are sophomores, with the lone upperclassmen being senior corner Knowledge Timmons.

The unit played well last week against Akron, allowing only 158 passing yards to the Zips.

Greg Paulus played efficient football for Syracuse in his first collegiate start, completing 19 of his 31 pass attempts (61.3%) for 167 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Gophers. While his completion percentage was solid, Syracuse is going to need more total passing yards from him if they want to have any chance to win. They’ll need to take a couple more shots down field than they did against Minnesota because Penn State will likely be keying in on the Orange’s short passing game.

One thing working for Paulus is that Penn State’s young secondary has not yet faced an elite receiver like Mike Williams this season. If Williams can get free, he could be the deep threat Syracuse will need to score some points.

The Orange defensive line vs. Penn State’s offensive line

This is one match up that may be putting one of Syracuse’s strengths against a possible weakness of Penn State.

For Syracuse’s defensive, it all begins up front with senior nose tackle Arthur Jones. One of the top defensive tackles in the nation, Jones will command a double team on nearly every snap. Last week against Minnesota, Jones registered five tackles, including one for a loss.

He’s surrounded by other talented lineman like freshman Brandon Sharp, who registered a sack, Mikhail Marinovich who swatted down three passes and Art’s brother Chandler Jones who had four tackles, including one for a loss last week.

The offensive line charged with stopping this formidable group, is replacing three starters from last year.

Moving over from guard to center is junior Stephen Wisniewski, and also returning is senior tackle Dennis Landolt. Stepping in to fill the remaining three spots are redshirt freshman guard Matt Stankiewitch, junior guard Lou Eliades and sophomore tackle DeOn’tae Pannel.

This unit paved the way for the Penn State to run for 136 yards on 30 carries against Akron last week, including Evan Royster's 61 yards on 14 carries. On the flip side, Syracuse’s defense allowed only 112 rushing yards on 32 carries against the Gophers.

The Orange secondary vs. Daryll Clark

Penn State’s senior quarterback Daryll Clark looked like a Heisman candidate last week against the hapless Akron defense. Despite breaking in three new starting receivers, Clark completed 29 of his 40 attempts for 353 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

As a junior last season, Clark was very good. He completed 59.8% of his passes for 2,592 yards, 19 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

Syracuse’s secondary was one of the surprises of the game against Minnesota last week. They played much better than expected, and they gave Minnesota’s veteran quarterback Adam Weber problems for most of the game.

Weber completed only 19 of his 42 pass attempts for 248 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He appeared confused by Syracuse’s defensive scheme for much of the game, and was bailed out on a number of occasions by one of the nation’s top receivers Eric Decker. Decker had had nine catches for 183 receiving yards (all but 65 of Weber’s passing yards).

The secondary is lead by junior safety Mike Holmes, who had a team high eight tackles and an interception. Corners Nico and Kevyn Scott combined for nine tackles and Kevyn had one pass broken up. Safety Max Suter also had four tackles and one terrific pass breakup in the end zone when he was left in one-on-one coverage.

This is a unit that got picked on a lot last season, so it remains to be seen whether it was just a great game or if the Orange secondary has turned a corner. If they play as well as they did last week, Daryll Clark won’t be putting up the same kind of numbers as he did against Akron.

In the end, these are just a couple of areas that Syracuse could have some success in. When it’s all said and done though, the Orange could excel in all of these areas and still lose the game, thanks to a serious difference in overall team talent.

My prediction is that the Syracuse defense will again look good this week, but the offense will be unable to score enough to take advantage of it. Penn State’s defense should make running the ball very difficult with Syracuse’s offensive line problems. Paulus could perform well, but he likely won’t be able to hurt the secondary enough to make up for a struggling running game.

Penn State wins 31-13.

Rising From the Ashes: What Did Week One Tell Us About the 2009 Orange?

Dan Kelley — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:59:01 -0400

Like Ben Schwartzwalder, Dick MacPherson and Greg Robinson before him, head coach Doug Marrone lost his first game with the Syracuse Orange on Saturday.

Fortunately for the Syracuse program, there were plenty of signs during the game that Marrone’s career may more closely resemble the careers of Schwartzwalder and MacPherson than Greg Robinson’s.

The Orange took on one of the middle weights of the Big 10 in Minnesota and despite low expectations heading into week one, Syracuse was able to put a legitimate scare into the Gophers before succumbing in overtime 23-20.

But what did we learn about the 2009 version of the Syracuse Orange?

The correct answer is quite a bit, and plenty of it was encouraging.

Most notably, the defense appears to be night and day better than it has been in recent years. The defense allowed a quick touchdown after Jim McKenzie snapped the ball over Greg Paulus’ head on the first play and gave Minnesota the ball deep in Syracuse territory.

Following that horrid beginning to the game, the defense clamped down. They allowed only one more touchdown to the Gophers during the first quarter, and gave up nothing but field goals the rest of the way.

The defense displayed a mix of great coverage by the secondary as well as an ability to bring pressure which gave Minnesota’s veteran quarterback Adam Weber fits for a good portion of the game.

Weber completed only 19 of his 42 pass attempts and his numbers would have looked even worse if not for some incredible plays by one of the nation’s best receivers, Eric Decker.

On offense, it was a tale of two halves for Syracuse.

Greg Paulus looked solid early, completing 12 of his 17 passing attempts in the first half, including a 29 yard touchdown to a wide open Mike Williams.

Syracuse employed the short passing game effectively, and combined it with an interesting new wrinkle to their rushing game that they’re calling the Stallion formation.

Basically a variation of the Wildcat offense, the Stallion placed Antwon Bailey in the backfield where he took the snap and had the option of either running the ball himself, or handing it off to Syracuse’s other running back, Delone Carter.

In place of Greg Paulus, second stringer Ryan Nassib came into the game lined up at receiver. He was never directly involved in running or passing the ball, but as a blocker he’s a little bigger than Paulus. It’s possible they may try to use him in a passing situation from this formation at some point as well.

Unfortunately, the offense began to stall in the second half. After scoring 20 points in the first two quarters of the game, Syracuse was shut out in the second half and in overtime.

In the second half, Minnesota played up tighter and did a good job of limiting the short passing game. Syracuse wasn’t able to get much going thanks to Minnesota’s adjustments and the continued struggles of the offensive line.

It would seem Doug Marrone is going to have to find a way to keep defenses honest by at least threatening them with the deep ball once in awhile. Unless Greg Paulus is able to take some shots occasionally, Syracuse will see a lot of defenses loading up the box to take away their running game and short passes.

The good news is that the Orange displayed a diverse offensive play book with a variety of different ways to attack defenses. It’s probably a safe bet to say they also kept something tucked away to surprise Penn State with next week.

Other notes:

Syracuse appears to have a kicker. Walk-on Ryan Lichtenstein made both of his field goal attempts including a strike right between the uprights from 42 yards out. He also hit both of his extra point attempts.
Running back Mike Jones looks like a solid kick returner. He brought one deep into Minnesota territory to set up a field goal that gave Syracuse their first points early in the first quarter.
Mike Holmes and Max Suter are both going to be very good safeties this year. Both looked great in coverage and Mike Holmes had one interception.
Mike Williams looked a little rusty, despite an overall great game. He dropped a couple of passes, but finished with seven receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Delone Carter is a beast. He ran for 88 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, but was held back by poor run blocking. He had some very tough runs, and had a couple really good ones called back due to untimely penalties.

My overall thoughts:

This team is going to be the best team Syracuse fans have seen in several years. Thanks to a tough schedule and a lack of depth, it probably won’t translate into bowl eligibility this season though. This team will compete each and every week though, particularly with the Big East being a little down this season.

There is certainly hope, and the offense looks like one that will be extremely potent one day. However, there’s a good chance it will take time because they still lack in talent at some very key positions. Things could get much better if the offensive line develops and Greg Paulus improves as the season goes on.

Freshman Impact: How the Syracuse Orange Offense Has Added a Twist of Lemon

Dan Kelley — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 18:35:41 -0400

With new head coach Doug Marrone at the helm, the Syracuse Orange are a team in transition.

In these kinds of situations, opportunities tend to present themselves for talented freshmen to see the field early and often.

One such freshman who will look to make an immediate impact on the Syracuse offense is wide receiver Alec Lemon of Maryland. On Monday the true freshman was named a starter heading into Syracuse’s week one match-up against Minnesota.

“I said it during (camp) that Alec Lemon, the guy that caught 100-something balls his senior year in high school, it's just a matter as a receiver, do they come in and are they physical enough to play," Marrone said after making the decision to name Lemon a starter.

"Can they block? Can they catch? Can they go over the middle? Can they do the things from a physical standpoint that they need to do? Are they smart enough to move around to different positions? And Alec Lemon has done that.”

Marrone has been raving about Lemon ever since he stepped on campus. He’s mentioned several times in his post-practice press conferences how impressed he’s been with Lemon’s physical play, something he perhaps didn’t expect from a true freshman.

Lemon flew under the radar as a recruit, with Scout.com listing Syracuse and Delaware as his only offers. In his senior year, though, he put up some stellar numbers.

He broke the Maryland state record for receiving yards with 1,616, and he tied the state records for receptions and receiving touchdowns with 103 catches and 23 touchdowns.

Lemon originally committed to Syracuse while Greg Robinson was still the head coach, but after Robinson's dismissal and Marrone's hiring he stood firm on his commitment the entire way.

As did Marrone. While he discontinued the recruitment of some prospects that Robinson had been chasing, he too believed that Lemon was worth a scholarship.

“I'm looking for someone who caught the football,” Marrone said of Lemon after he signed his letter of intent. “He's someone who caught the football 103 times. This is what we're looking for at the receiver position: Height...speed...someone who's shown the ability to catch the football."

In addition to having the height and speed Marrone wanted, Lemon has since proven to have a great work ethic and a commitment to hitting the weights.

When his signing was announced, he was listed at 6'1" and 175 lbs. Between that time and the beginning of fall practice, Lemon grew to a more stout 6'2", 193 lbs.

With his size, speed, and commitment to improving, Lemon seems like a guy who should be a major asset to the Syracuse offense going forward. He’ll get his first crack at showing his stuff on September 5th when Syracuse takes on Minnesota.

If the Gophers are not prepared for Lemon, Minnesota’s trip to Syracuse could leave them feeling a little bitter.

Floyd Little Could Finally Be Heading to Canton

Dan Kelley — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:59:10 -0400

“The Franchise,” Floyd Little, lived up to his nickname over the course of his career producing big numbers as one of the premier running backs in football.

During Little’s days in Syracuse and then with the Denver Broncos, he compiled an impressive resume. He was a three time all-American, a Player of the Year, sixth overall draft pick, five time Pro Bowler, and later a College Football Hall of Famer.

Little’s likeness even made an appearance in the film, “The Express,” in a scene depicting how Syracuse legend Ernie Davis helped recruit Little to his Alma mater.

Something has been missing on Little’s impressive list of accolades though. That something is a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

It appears that he is finally about to see that change though.

Floyd Little, along with former Lions great Dick LeBeau, was nominated as a senior candidate to enter the Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

"My wife and I just looked at one another, and we both saw tears in our eyes," Little said after hearing the news. "We talked about how my son Marc wrote a letter to The Denver Post 25 years ago, explaining my disappointment (with not being elected) and to ask, 'Why?' So after 25 years, it's hard to believe this is happening."

Like any other nominee, Little still needs to receive an 80 percent positive vote for inclusion, but history suggests he stands a very good chance. Since 1996, 16 of the 18 senior candidates nominated have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Little was one of the first great all-purpose backs in the NFL. When he retired from the league in 1975, after playing his entire career with the Broncos, Little had amassed 6,323 yards and 43 touchdowns on the ground as well as 2,418 yards and nine touchdowns receiving. Including punt and kickoff returns, he finished his career with over 12,000 all-purpose yards.

When his career ended, Little was seventh all-time in rushing yards behind Jim Brown, Jim Taylor, Joe Perry, O.J. Simpson, Leroy Kelly, and John Henry Johnson; all of whom are already included in the hall.

With his induction seeming almost inevitable now, Little should become the seventh inductee to the hall with ties to Syracuse, including his former teammate Larry Csonka. Syracuse is currently one of only nine schools to have at least six alumni in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It’s all up to the voters now, but the hard part may be done. Little, for what it’s worth, appears to be optimistic, "Hopefully the next step is easy and we can all celebrate together in Canton.”

Just Win Baby: Why Greg Paulus Is The Man For The Job in Syracuse

Dan Kelley — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:54:26 -0400

By now any Orange fan not living under a rock has felt the buzz that currently surrounds the Syracuse University football program.

The primary cause of this stir of interest is the news that broke last week that the man directing the Syracuse offense when they take the field on September 5^th will be former Duke University point guard, Greg Paulus.

As evidenced by the national media’s sudden interest in Syracuse football (a topic they haven’t spent much time on in recent years), this story has captured the attention of football fans everywhere. It’s one that is sure to keep plenty of spotlight on the Orange, and will even help to put butts in the Carrier Dome bleachers.

From a publicity standpoint, this is a dream scenario for Syracuse.

However, while media attention is a great thing, nothing will cure the ills of the Syracuse program better than winning. This of course begs the question; does Greg Paulus really give his team the best chance to win football games?

If you were to ask head coach Doug Marrone, then the answer would be an emphatic yes. Marrone has already made it abundantly clear that he has a high level of respect for Paulus and his abilities.

"In my personal opinion, and in all the information I've gathered, I don't know if there's anything he can't do,” the Syracuse head coach, and former New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator explained. “Nor do I think there's anything Drew Brees can't do. If somebody said the New York Mets would take Drew Brees and he was going to play baseball for them, I'd say I think he has a chance. He's just a competitor and an athlete and there's nothing he can't do. I feel the same way with Greg."

Everyone knows the story by now. Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior after a high school career in which he went 42-3, threw for 152 touchdowns, and 11,763 passing yards for Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse. He then dismisses offers to play college football for the likes of Notre Dame and Miami to play point guard for Coach K. at Duke.

Looking at his high school accomplishments, the talent is obviously there. The only question is whether he can shake off the cobwebs and regain his high school form in time to help Syracuse win games. Coach Marrone doesn’t seem too concerned about that though.

"Everyone always says that (four-year layoff), you know, well then maybe he's unbelievable then. How about that, you know," Marrone said. "I don't understand that, yes, he hasn't played the sport of football, but he's thrown a football. He's been out playing. He's been training his eyes. He's been training as an athlete. The kid's an athlete. So he's gone out there and done it. He's done a good job."

If Paulus can really pick up where he left off in high school, he certainly brings more potential upside to the table than any of the other quarterbacks on the roster.

In his high school days, it was his touch and accuracy that helped him have such an outstanding career. If he is to do well at Syracuse, he will once again have to thrive in the short and medium ranged passing game.

Greg Paulus will also bring to the field intelligence, leadership and potentially more mobility than any other quarterback on the roster. With Syracuse’s struggles with their offensive line in recent years, he’ll have to be able to move in order to elude swarms of would-be tacklers.

The other thing to consider with Paulus is that in terms of learning Doug Marrone’s system, he’s not far behind the rest of the team. While other quarterbacks have been with the program longer, they all started at square one within Marrone’s new offensive system this year.

Also working in Paulus’ favor, the last time he played football it was in a spread system at CBA similar to what Marrone may employ at Syracuse this year.

At this point, we can only speculate as to whether Paulus is the right man for the job. However, the only man that really knows whether or not he is truly capable of winning big time college football games is Doug Marrone, and he knows what the consequences of losing are.

“I understand what my job is,” Marrone said after the announcement that Paulus was his quarterback. “My job is to win football games. Just because I went to school here, just because people may think I have a better relationship than maybe some of the past coaches, I don't think that's going to get me any more time. I don't think that's going to do anything for me. My job is to win games. I think if I win games, I'm going to be in good shape. If I don't win games, my butt's going to be out of here.”

More than any other position, the quarterback is the player most responsible for his team’s successes and failures. Doug Marrone, knowing that he must win in order to keep the job he’s coveted since he got started in coaching, decided that Greg Paulus is the quarterback most capable of helping him win this year.

With the kind of faith that Marrone is demonstrating he has in Paulus, it should be easy for Orange fans to believe in him too.

There should be no doubt. Greg Paulus is the best man for the job.

Breaking: Greg Paulus Named Starting Quarterback for Syracuse Orange

Dan Kelley — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:56:38 -0400

As per SUAthletics.com, Doug Marrone has named his starting quarterback.

In a surprise move (to me at least), former Duke point guard Greg Paulus has been pegged as the starting quarterback in Syracuse.

This comes as a bit of a shock, because Marrone has stated he would name the starter somewhere around a week and a half before the opener against Minnesota on September 5th. As far as I know, former first stringer Ryan Nassib had been impressive in camp and was still ahead until today.

All I can say is good luck to Greg and I really hope he gives Syracuse the best chance to win games.

Go Orange!

Syracuse Football Living on the Edge: Why Defensive Depth Could Hurt the Orange

Dan Kelley — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:57:22 -0400

The Syracuse defense is officially walking the tightrope without a net.

As is normal with any regime change in college football, a number of players have left the Syracuse football program since the firing of Greg Robinson and the subsequent hiring of Doug Marrone.

Thus far the total of scholarship players who have left the program has reached 17. On paper at least, the majority of the defections don’t jump out at you as season changing losses individually. The real problem for the Orange is how concentrated the losses have been to key positions.

The areas hit the hardest have been the defensive line and the linebackers, with four players leaving from each squad.

The losses at linebacker so far have been Mike Mele, Parker Cantey, Dan Sheeran (who was converted from wide receiver), and JUCO transfer Derek Hines.

The loss of Hines was particularly alarming for this group because he had been penciled in as the starting weak side linebacker heading into fall practice and left the team within a week of training camp’s start.

Taking over the starting role vacated by Hines is true freshman E.J. Carter from Orlando with junior Ryan Gillum backing him up. With Hines gone, the Orange have only seven remaining scholarship linebackers.

In an effort to counter the lack of depth, head coach Doug Marrone has mentioned the possibility of using a defensive scheme involving two linebackers and five defensive backs, most likely replacing one linebacker with a safety.

A two linebacker and five defensive back formation wouldn’t help the depth problems on the defensive line, but fortunately for Marrone the situation there is a little less dire.

This unit has also suffered four losses so far, but it remains a little deeper than the team’s group of linebackers. So far Lamar Middleton, Zary Stewart, Romale Tucker, and Elon Mitchell are the four linemen who’ve left the program.

This group is currently starting three seniors and the line is anchored by one of the best defensive tackles in the country, Arthur Jones. The lone underclassmen listed as a starter is Art’s younger brother, Chandler Jones at defensive end.

Behind the starting lineup are two veteran defensive tackles, junior Bud Tribbey and senior Anthony Perkins. The second string ends are JUCO transfer Torrey Ball and sophomore Mikhail Marinovich, who has impressed in the first week of practices and could be pushing senior Jared Kimmel for his starting spot.

The linebackers and defensive line both look like they will have respectable first strings, with the defensive line even having a somewhat decent two-deep. However, both units could be looking at disaster if they’re stricken with injuries or more defections.

As a Syracuse fan, this situation is obviously a huge concern.

However, being the eternal optimist that I am, I choose to look at the bright side of this. As I mentioned before, the majority of the players among the departed probably would not have made big individual contributions to the team this season.

All of the players who left were recruited by Greg Robinson, and let’s face it; the amount of talent he left for new head man Doug Marrone is underwhelming to put it gently.

The defections will open up an additional 17 scholarships for Marrone to recruit with and the faster that he’s able to fill the roster with his own players; the faster he’ll be able to turn this once proud program around.

Big East Preview 2009: Top NFL Prospects and Games To Watch

Dan Kelley — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 14:44:26 -0400

Although the Big East is not considered as deep and talented as leagues like the SEC or Big XII, college football fans will still be able to turn on a Big East game on any given week and see a number of future pros.

The Big East fared quite well in the latest NFL Draft, producing 27 total draft picks. While that total was less than that of some of the other major conferences, the Big East actually had more players drafted per team than any other conference due to the Big East’s smaller size.

Among those 27 players drafted, nine were taken in the first two rounds, making it the most productive conference by average in the top two rounds as well.

There are still plenty of quality NFL prospects still left in the league moving forward though. Here’s a list of my top ten NFL prospects in the Big East this year.

1) 1) George Selvie—DE—USF

2) 2) Anthony Davis—OT—Rutgers

3) 3) Arthur Jones—DT—Syracuse

4) 4) Nate Allen—S—USF

5) 5) Mardy Gilyard—WR—Cincinnati

6) 6) Noel Devine—RB—West Virginia

7) 7) Greg Romeus—DE—Pittsburgh

8) 8) Tony Pike—QB—Cincinnati

9) 9) Robert Vaughn—S—Uconn

10) 10) Mick Williams—DT—Pittsburgh

Big East fans will get the chance to see the league’s elite players face off against big time competition from the other major conferences early and often this year. USF fans in particular will get to see their team face off against a very intriguing out of conference slate, but a number of Big East teams will also test themselves with tough games outside of the Big East.

Here are the Big East’s top 10 out of conference games this season:

1) 1) Nov. 28—Miami (FL) @ USF—The second game in USF’s quest to earn more respect in the state of Florida. The two teams have met only once, a 27-7 loss for the Bulls in 2005.

2) 2) Sept. 19—West Virginia @ Auburn—The Tigers had a disappointing season last year going 5-7. New head coach Gene Chizik can make a statement by beating the Mountaineers; something Tommy Tuberville was unable to do last season.

3) 3) Nov. 14—Notre Dame @ Pitt—Pittsburgh won a close one in South Bend last year, 36-33. This is sure to be an interesting game, featuring one of the Big East’s best against an Irish team that some are predicting will return to the BCS this season.

4) 4) Sept. 26—USF @ Florida State—These two teams have never played before, but beating the Seminoles in Tallahassee would make USF’s game with Miami even more interesting by giving them the opportunity to sweep their meetings with two of Florida’s top programs.

5) 5) Oct. 1—Colorado @ West Virginia—Colorado had a tough season last year, but they managed to contribute to West Virginia’s disappointing season with a win at home. This year they’re traveling to Morgantown and you can bet the Mountaineers will have revenge on their minds.

6) 6) Nov. 28—Illinois @ Cincinnati—Illinois will have the talent to compete for a Big 10 title this year, led by senior quarterback Juice Williams. Cincinnati will need to get their new look defense in gear if they’re going to win this one.

7) 7) Sept. 12—UNC @ UConn—The Tar Heels gave Connecticut a pretty good beating last year in Chapel Hill, but both teams are going to look very different this season. This early test should give UConn fans a pretty good idea whether or not their team is going to be able to compete for a Big East title this year.

8) 8) Sept. 19—Louisville @ Kentucky—The Cardinals have lost their last two meetings with their in-state rivals. A win this year could go a long way in kick starting the successful season Steve Kragthorpe is going to need to save his job.

9) 9) Sept. 19—Cincinnati @ Oregon State—If the Bearcats can pull off a big win on the road, it should give Cincinnati fans reason to believe they can win the Big East title for the second straight year.

10) 10) Sept. 5—Minnesota @ Syracuse—The first game of the Doug Marrone era, as well as the possible college football debut of Syracuse’s prodigal son Greg Paulus should be enough to generate significant interest among a fan base that hasn’t had much to cheer about the past four seasons. A win would be absolutely huge for a Syracuse program that’s trying to make its return to glory.

The out of conference schedule is just the appetizer for what is sure to be a very entertaining season in the Big East. The conference is as wide open as ever this year, with six of the eight teams having at least a chance to win the title.

As wide open as things are, there are always a few games over the course of a season that mean just a little bit more than the rest. Here are the top five games that you’re not going to want to miss this Big East season.

1) 1) Nov. 27—Pittsburgh @ West Virginia—Without a doubt the top rivalry in the Big East right now. Pitt has won the last two meetings, including their upset win two years ago which cost the Mountaineers a spot in the BCS title game. With both teams looking like serious contenders, this game could very well determine the conference champion.

2) 2) Oct. 30—West Virginia @ USF—The Mountaineers and Bulls is has been a budding rivalry, with the two teams splitting their last four meetings. Another battle between the two most prolific spread offenses in the league is sure to exciting.

3) 3) Dec. 5—Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh—This meeting between the defending champs and one of the favorites to dethrone them should be a great matchup to conclude the regular season. Pittsburgh had won three in a row against the Bearcats, until Cincinnati finally managed to get a win at home last season.

4) 4) Sept. 7—Cincinnati @ Rutgers—There is no warm-up for these two teams this year. This will be the first game of the season for these two teams, and if either team isn’t ready in week one, they’ll be in an early hole in the Big East standings. The Scarlet Knights got off to a very poor start last year, losing five of their first six games including a loss to the Bearcats. Needless to say, Rutgers can’t afford a similar start again this year.

5) 5) Oct. 24—USF @ Pitt—Two of the most talented and experienced teams in the league this year. Both teams boast solid defenses, but the game will probably come down which is more productive, Pittsburgh’s running game or Matt Grothe for the Bulls.

Getting Back To Respectability: A Look at Syracuse's Schedule

Dan Kelley — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:42:04 -0400

Like a kid playing with an Etch-a-Sketch, the Syracuse Orange have shaken things up this offseason, in an effort to wipe the slate clean following the end of the Greg Robinson era.

The man charged with picking up the pieces after a disastrous four year period is Syracuse alum, and former Orange offensive lineman Doug Marrone. Before even coaching a game, Marrone has already given the Syracuse picture an entirely new-look heading into the 2009 season.

Certainly the most high profile move that Marrone has made so far was bringing in Syracuse native, and former Duke University point guard Greg Paulus to play quarterback.

Though the addition of Paulus is considered to be Marrone’s most obvious stamp on the program to-date; it’s hardly been the only change.

A perfect example of one of these moves involves another quarterback. You know, that guy sitting on top of the depth chart that nobody has talked about since spring practice ended, Ryan Nassib.

The redshirt freshman was named the starter barely a week into spring practice, and remains listed ahead of last year’s signal caller Cam Dantley and prodigal son Greg Paulus heading into the fall session.

However the quarterback situation shakes out, other adjustments like former running back Doug Hogue’s move to linebacker, former quarterbacks Andrew Robinson, and Cody Catalina each moving to tight end will assure that this team looks significantly different and likely better this year.

The return of all-Big East wide receiver, Mike Williams is also sure to help boost an offense that was anemic without him last year. Williams was suspended for all of 2008 after an academic issue, but once he shakes off the rust, he’ll give Syracuse the homerun threat that they desperately lacked last season.

The new-look Orange have a deceptively manageable schedule this year despite having three Big 10 teams on the agenda. While the meetings with Minnesota, Penn State, and Northwestern will be tough, Doug Marrone’s squad will benefit from the Big East looking at a rebuilding season as well as playing two-thirds of their games in the friendly confines of the Dome.

Sept. 5 Minnesota—The Gophers got off to a good start last season, winning seven of their first eight games, but it all turned out to be smoke and mirrors. Five of those wins were against unimpressive opponents Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State, Florida Atlantic, and Indiana. Minnesota then capsized losing their last five games including a 55-0 drubbing at home against Iowa.

Prediction: There is excitement around the Syracuse football program again, and the Dome should be full of fans excited to see the beginning of the Doug Marrone era. The crowd helps them start on a high note in week one 1-0 (0-0).

Sept. 12 @Penn State—The defending Big 10 champs host the Orange this year, after crushing Syracuse 55-13 in the Dome last season. The Nittany Lions have lost some talent, but it probably won’t matter much. Quarterback Daryll Clark and running back Evan Royster are back and Penn State has more than enough talent surrounding them to deal with Syracuse.

Prediction: Even being at Happy Valley, this game may be slightly more competitive than last year’s. Penn State still wins by at least three touchdowns though 1-1 (0-0).

Sept. 19 Northwestern—Another rematch against a Big 10 foe, this time against a team that they were a little more competitive with. The Wildcats won 30-10 last year at home, but the Orange were in it for the first three quarters of the game. The Wildcats might take a step back this year without quarterback C.J. Bacher and tailback Tyrell Sutton.

Prediction: On paper, this looks like a winnable game, but Syracuse may not have closed the talent gap enough to beat the Wildcats this year 1-2 (0-0).

Sept. 26 Maine—Quite possibly the only truly safe pick for a win this year, Syracuse will host this FCS opponent after three tough games. This one will be much easier in comparison.

Prediction: No sense worrying about this one too much. Even Greg Robinson was able to handle an FCS school last year (Northeastern). Orange will win comfortably 2-2 (0-0).

Oct. 3 South Florida—The Orange will kick off their Big East schedule at home against a team they’ve never beaten (0-4). Matt Grothe is back, and the Bulls defense looks very good.

Prediction: No reason to think things are going to change yet. South Florida continues their unbeaten streak against Syracuse, winning by at least double digits 2-3 (0-1).

Oct. 10 West Virginia—Many in the Big East will be glad to see Pat White finally gone, but in Syracuse’s case it won’t matter. The Orange had the opportunity to face the Mountaineers sans Pat White last year, and they lost in Morgantown 17-6.

Prediction: With plenty of starting experience under his belt, Jarret Brown will perform better this time around. West Virginia will win, but it could be close for a second straight year 2-4 (0-2).

Oct. 24 Akron—While it wasn’t announced until nearly the end of the season, losing to Akron in embarrassing fashion at home may have been the straw that broke Greg Robinson’s back last year. The Zips embarrassed Syracuse’s defense, winning 42-28.

Prediction: With a bye week to prepare, Doug Marrone will not suffer the same fate as his predecessor. The Orange defense improved significantly as last season went on, and they’ll keep the Zips under control this time around. Syracuse wins by at least double digits 3-4 (0-2).

Oct. 31 Cincinnati—The defending Big East champs brought Syracuse back down to reality last year after their upset at Notre Dame. However, they lose 10 of 11 starters on defense and could be vulnerable this year.

Prediction: Syracuse will find scoring easier against Cincinnati this year, but they won’t be able to stop Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard from lighting up the scoreboard. Cincinnati wins this one fairly easily 3-5 (0-3).

Nov. 7 @Pittsburgh—Pittsburgh is among the favorites to win this league this year, but Syracuse was able to take a lead into the fourth quarter against the Panthers last season before succumbing late. They lose LeSean McCoy, but they’ll boast one of the best defenses in the league.

Prediction: If Syracuse can score, they can win this one. However, I just don’t see them moving the ball consistently enough on that defense. They’ll lose in what will probably be a low scoring affair 3-6 (0-4).

Nov. 11 @Louisville—The Orange have beaten Louisville for their lone Big East win in each of the past two seasons. Things look bad for the ‘Ville, they look like they’ll take another step back this year.

Prediction: Syracuse continues to confound Louisville fans, winning for a third straight year, possibly giving Steve Kragthorpe one last kick as he heads out the door in Louisville 4-6 (1-4).

Nov. 21 Rutgers—Syracuse hosts the Knights in the last home game of the season. Hopefully, they’ll be pumped up to end the season on a high note for this one. Rutgers has a great offensive line and a solid defense, but has question marks all over the field on offense with no Mike Teel, Kenny Britt or Tiquan Underwood this season.

Prediction: In his first year, Marrone does something Greg Robinson was never able to do; win two Big East games in a season. The Orange win a close one over the Knights 5-6 (2-4).

Nov. 28 UConn—The Huskies are going to have a new look offense this year, led by Notre Dame transfer quarterback Zach Frazer. They lose the nation’s leading rusher from 2008, Donald Brown but have talented backs to ease the loss.

Prediction: Traveling to Connecticut has not been fun for Syracuse. They’ve lost in their previous two trips by a combined total of 56-14. It should be a better game this time, but Syracuse will fall one win short of bowl eligibility with a loss in the final week 5-7 (2-5).

2009 Big East Football Preview: Is This Pitt's Year?

Dan Kelley — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:11:47 -0400

The Big East conference is going to look a lot different in 2009.

With the exodus of established stars like Pat White, LeSean McCoy, Donald Brown and Mike Teel to the NFL, nearly every team in the league is going to be scrambling to find their stars of tomorrow.

Thanks in part to this mass departure of talent; the Big East looks to be as wide open as ever this season. Whoever is able to fill the voids left by some of the greatest players to ever play in this league will have the best chance to win the Big East championship. Here’s how I think things will shake out this year.

1) 1) Pittsburgh—They return as much talent as anybody, including some quality running backs which should ease the loss of LeSean McCoy. If they get a strong senior season from quarterback Bill Stull, the Panthers will be very tough to beat.

2) 2) West Virginia—The Mountaineers will be tough again in 2009 even without Pat White. Senior Jarrett Brown should be solid at quarterback, they have the best running back in the league and one of the top defenses. The question for West Virginia will be replacing four members of last year’s starting offensive line.

3) 3) South Florida—They’ve been a trendy pick to win the league for the last couple years, and thus far, they’ve disappointed. They have a solid defense, and Matt Grothe is back, but if the Bulls have to rely on Grothe as much as they have the past few years, they may disappoint again.

4) 4) Rutgers—The Knights will boast the best offensive line in the league this year, as well as a good looking defense. However, the loss of quarterback Mike Teel as well as receivers Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood might be too much for Rutgers to handle.

5) 5) Cincinnati —The defending champs could find themselves in a lot of shootouts this year, with the best quarterback/receiver combo in the league, Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard. However, they also have to replace 10 of last year’s 11 starters on defense and they had the worst running game in the league last year. Unless the defense really surprises, the Bearcats probably won’t be repeating.

6) 6) Connecticut—They’ve got a new offense and a new quarterback in former Notre Dame transfer Zach Frazer. The Huskies lose the leading rusher in the nation, Donald Brown, but have some solid backs that will look to replace him. They’ll need to improve on last year’s anemic passing game though, and if they don’t, they’re going to have a hard time competing this year.

7) 7) Syracuse—New head coach Doug Marrone has done all the right things since arriving in Syracuse, but the Orange are probably at least two or three years away from competing for Big East titles again. A third straight win over Louisville, and stealing another conference game, could be enough to keep the Orange out of the league’s cellar, though, which will be an improvement for the downtrodden Orange.

8) 8)Louisville—In his third year at Louisville, head coach Steve Kragthorpe could be coaching for his job. Unfortunately, other than sophomore running back Victor Anderson, there doesn’t appear to be enough talent left in Louisville for the Cardinals to avoid another disappointing season. Another last-place finish and it could mean the end of the Kragthorpe era in Louisville.

Despite the loss of so many great players, the Big East is still going to be able to boast a decent amount of star power. Players like Matt Grothe, Noel Devine, Mardy Gilyard and George Selvie are among the best and most exciting players in the country at their positions.

With established stars and plenty of talented young players still looking to make names for themselves on every team, the Big East is going to have plenty of exciting games to watch this season.

Here’s my preseason all-Big East team:

Offense

QB—Matt Grothe—Southern Florida

RB—Noel Devine—West Virginia

RB—Victor Anderson—Louisville

WR—Mardy Gilyard—Cincinnati

WR—Mike Williams—Syracuse

OG—Moe Petrus—UConn

OT—Anthony Davis—Rutgers

C—Ryan Blaszczyk—Rutgers

OT—Kevin Haslem—Rutgers

OG—Jason Pinkston—Pittsburgh

TE—Nate Byham—Pittsburgh

Defense

DE—George Selvie—Southern Florida

DT—Arthur Jones—Syracuse

DT—Scooter Berry—West Virginia

DE—Greg Romeus—Pittsburgh

LB—Reed Williams—West Virginia

LB—Ryan D’ Imperio—Rutgers

LB—Scott Lutrus—UConn

S—Robert Vaughn—UConn

S—Nate Allen—Southern Florida

CB—Aaron Berry—Pittsburgh

CB—Brandon Hogan—West Virginia

A few other notes:

I selected Mike Williams as the second receiver because although he didn’t play last year, with the exception of Mardy Gilyard, no returning wide receiver put up numbers last year that could touch the ones Williams compiled in 2007. As a sophomore Williams had 837 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has the longest current streak in the nation—nine straight games with a touchdown reception.

I listed UConn’s Moe Petrus at guard, due to his outstanding job at that spot last season. This upcoming season though, Petrus could end up at center for the Huskies.

I initially had Tony Pike from Cincinnati as the quarterback on this list. He’s probably a better passer than Grothe is and his game could translate better to the next level, but after considering Grothe’s production the past three seasons, his running ability and how much his team relies on him, I had to put him on the list.

For more info, including the league's top ten NFL prospects, top out of conference games and top Big East games, check out part two of my preview:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/237264-big-east-preview-2009-top-nfl-prospects-and-games-to-watch

T'Wolves Fans, Meet Jonny Flynn: A Syracuse Fan's Perspective

Dan Kelley — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:16:49 -0400

As Jonny himself has said, it wasn’t until Syracuse’s six overtime win over UConn in the Big East quarterfinals this past March that he really broke onto the national scene.

If you were to ask a Syracuse fan though, he wouldn’t hesitate to tell you that it was obvious that Jonny Flynn was going to be special the moment he stepped onto the court in Syracuse.

In his first collegiate game, Flynn torched the Siena Saints for 28 points, breaking Carmelo Anthony’s school record for points scored by a freshman in his debut with 27.

As impressive as that accomplishment was on its own, it was even more exciting because while Syracuse fans knew he was considered to be a great floor general, it wasn’t clear whether he would be able to score at the college level.

Score he did though. Flynn started every game as a freshman and averaged 15.7 ppg, to go along with his 5.3 apg.

Flynn would prove to everyone that he was much more than just a scorer and a distributor though. Even as a freshman, he quickly became the team’s leader and a vital part of their success.

Any time there was a stoppage in play, you could see Flynn talking to his teammates offering encouragement or direction to even more experienced members of the Orange.

He became such an important part of the team, head coach Jim Boeheim rarely put him on the bench once Big East play began.

His freshman season would end in disappointment (although Flynn was named co-Big East Freshman of the Year), with Syracuse missing the NCAA Tournament, but Orange fans knew that despite losing their other fantastic freshman, Donte’ Greene to the NBA draft, they could expect a special season as long as Flynn was coming back.

Expectations for Jonny going into his sophomore year were high, as many publications began touting him as one of college’s best point guards. As it would turn out, Flynn not only met the expectations, but exceeded them.

In his second season, Flynn displayed not only his leadership but also a real knack for coming through in the clutch. He displayed all year that he could be relied on to get a basket or dish out an assist when Syracuse needed it most.

Never was this more apparent than during Syracuse’s come-from-behind victory over Kansas in the College Basketball Experience championship when Flynn capped off his team’s comeback with a game tying 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. After Jonny’s dramatics, he and the Orange cruised to victory in the additional five minute period.

Flynn continued to play well through the rest of the year, and his comfort running the offense became noticeably higher as the season progressed. His stellar play earned him high praise, such as Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News saying, “(Flynn is) college basketball's best point guard. Flynn is the best point guard because he is light on weakness and committed to his team.”

Of course it wasn’t until after the regular season, during the Big East Tournament that Jonny Flynn became a household name. In the epic six overtime thriller dubbed, “Six in the City” Jonny cemented his legendary status in the Syracuse history books by playing 67 of the 70 total minutes and recording 34 points and 11 assists in the win.

Although the game sometimes seemed like it would never end, Flynn never failed to come through in the clutch, hitting big shot after big shot, including all 16 of his free throws.

Thanks to the historic nature of that game, it often seems like people forget that Flynn and Syracuse had to play in two more games the next two nights.

After finishing UConn in the early morning, they had to endure another round of overtime against West Virginia that same night. Flynn played the entire 45 minutes in the win.

Syracuse finally seemed to lose their legs in the Big East championship against Louisville, essentially their fifth game in four days. They didn’t win the championship, but Jonny Flynn did take home the Big East Tournament MVP trophy.

After the impressive Big East Tournament run, Orange fans began thinking of a national championship, but unfortunately the season ended a little sooner than Syracuse fans hoped for.

The Orange succeeded in earning a three seed in the NCAA Tournament after being relegated to the NIT the previous two seasons. However, despite Flynn playing well, Syracuse fell to Blake Griffin and the Oklahoma Sooners in the Sweet Sixteen.

Flynn did manage one last display of fearlessness however, when he attempted to take a charge on a fast breaking Blake Griffin and was leveled by the charging behemoth.

On the season, Flynn led the Orange with 17.4 ppg, 6.7 apg, and 1.4 spg, leading the team in all three categories.

Now as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jonny will showcase his talent in the greatest league in basketball.

Jonny will give the Timberwolves a true point guard who always looks to set up his teammates first, but can also find ways to put the ball in the basket himself when called upon.

Flynn is a spectacular ball handler, who seems to have eyes in the back of his head. He’s nearly impossible to steal the ball from because of his excellent vision, his quick reflexes and his height keeping his dribble closer to the ground.

He has a knack for making highlight reel plays, whether they be by passing or scoring himself, as well as a tendency to make great plays in the clutch. Despite his height, he’s also a tenacious defender who’s very good at playing passing lanes and getting steals.

Perhaps most importantly though; Flynn brings to Minnesota tremendous leadership, hustle and heart. After two seasons of playing in the toughest conference in college basketball, Flynn is as battle tested as they come. He’s a kid who’s going to continue improving towards what should be a very high ceiling, but who is still NBA ready right now.

However, the situation with Ricky Rubio unfolds; don’t be surprised to see Jonny Flynn making a serious case for a starting job as I’m sure he’ll soon prove, he’s the kind of talent that is impossible to keep on the bench.