Syracuse and Rutgers Set to Tangle in Carrier Dome

The Syracuse Orangemen, looking to string together a few wins down the stretch of the Big East regular season, will play host to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday afternoon at 4PM on MSG.

The Scarlet Knights enter the Carrier Dome sporting a very unimpressive 13-12 overall record and an equally disappointing conference record of 4-9. Rutgers has lost 5 of their last 6 Big East games, however the lone win was a huge upset victory over the Villanova Wildcats thanks to a 4-point play as time expired in the RAC on February 9th.

Rutgers average margin of defeat in the Big East Conference is a respectable 8.9 points, however they have played some close games against some of the top teams. The Scarlet Knights lost to Pittsburgh by a mere 3 points at home on January 29th and lost to St Johns on the road by 2 points at Carnesecca Arena on a Justin Brownlee layup with 4 seconds left. They also lost by 7 at Notre Dame and lost by 5 at home to Seton Hall.

With that in mind, Rutgers won't be a complete pushover for the Orangemen, who have struggled against weaker competition this year, particularly at home. Aside from the home blowout against Seton Hall, Syracuse has also narrowly defeated William & Mary by 3 points (W&M is 7-20 this season) and beat NC State by 6 points (Wolfpack are 4-7 this year in a weak ACC). Syracuse can not look past Rutgers on Saturday. It will take a complete 40 minute effort to earn the win.

Leading the Scarlet Knights in scoring this season is Jonathan Mitchell (6'7" 225 pounds) who averages 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The senior out of Mount Vernon, NY has been lighting up the scoreboard the past 4 games, scoring over 20 points in each contest. His season high 25 points came in the win against Nova and is coming off a 24 point effort in the 5 point loss to Seton Hall on February 12th. In the last eight Big East games Mitchell is averaging 20 points per game.

Dane Miller (6'7" 215 pounds) and Gilvydas Biruta (6'8" 230 pounds) both average over 9 points per game for the Knights. Miller, a sophomore out of Henrietta, NY also averages 5.7 rebounds per game to go along with 9.3 points per affair. Miller is coming off a 0 point game against Seton Hall where he shot 0-4 from the floor, however he scored 12 points against Villanova on February 9th.

Gilvydas Biruta is a freshman hailing from Lithuania. In addition to his 9 points per game he also pulls down 5.2 boards per game. He had been struggling the past month or so, however he broke out for 18 points against Seton Hall on February 12th.

Clearly there's a lot of size on this Rutgers roster. Syracuse needs to be prepared to play a physical game on Saturday and not merely sleepwalk through the first half like they can be prone to.

Thankfully for the Orangemen, Brandon Triche has been stepping up lately and establishing himself as the go-to-guard for the Syracuse offense, alleviating some of the dependency on Rick Jackson. Additionally, Scoop Jardine finally got himself going last Saturday in Louisville, scoring 12 first half points on his way to a 20 point afternoon.

Now if we could only get Scoop's scoring to coincide with a big Syracuse victory we'd be in business. Tip off on Saturday is at 4PM and the game will be televised live on MSG. Be sure to check back in with The Cuse Connection following the game for a complete recap and analysis from all the action in the Carrier Dome. We will also be tweeting live emotions at @CuseConnection, so if you are into that sort of thing, be sure to give us a follow.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Faces Connecticut in Big East Finale

This Saturday the Syracuse Orangemen will host the Connecticut Huskies in the Carrier Dome at 7PM. Syracuse will look to improve to an improbable 5-2 record in the Big East with a win and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Connecticut comes to the Dome with a 5-4 overall record, 2-2 in conference play. Good news for the Orangemen: Connecticut is 0-4 on the road this season in the Big East. In an interesting twist of fate, Syracuse's two conference losses both came at home, and they were undefeated in 2010 on the road in the conference.

Last week, Syracuse clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2004 with a 13-10 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Connecticut spent their Saturday pulling out a huge upset win against the Pittsburgh Panthers 30-28, behind 222 rushing yards by Jordan Todman. After the game Randy Edsall performed this little dance number in celebration.

Last season Syracuse traveled to East Hartford and were defeated by the Huskies 56-31, in a game many felt former Syracuse Football player and current Huskies head coach Randy Edsall ran up the score late in the game. This year Syracuse has a chance to return the favor and close out the Big East schedule in style with a victory against a head-to-head recruiting rival.

Connecticut is lead into the Dome Saturday by Jordan Todman, star running back. Todman currently has 1,176 yards in just eight games and 9 rushing touchdowns. Jordan Todman also has 15 catches for 97 yards and is currently the 7th leading rusher in the nation. He is definitely the biggest threat on this offense and needs to be stopped in order for Syracuse to prevail.

The Huskies passing attack starts with senior quarterback Zach Frazer, who hasn't exactly set the college football world on fire this season. He has completed 80 of 148 passes for 871 yards and 4 touchdowns (2 interceptions). With Syracuse paying obvious attention to Jordan Todman, they will be daring Frazer to beat them. Hopefully the secondary is ready. Todman has almost rushed for as many yards himself as the entire Huskies team has in receiving yards this season (1,176 to 1,410).

Leading wide receiver for the Huskies is Michael Smith (6'1" 202 pounds) who has 30 receptions for 470 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was held without a catch last week against Pittsburgh. Kashif Moore (5'9" 180 pounds) is the second leading receiver with 28 catches for 361 yards and 4 touchdown catches. Lastly, Syracuse needs to watch for tight end Ryan Griffin (6'6" 243 pounds) who has 19 catches for 135 yards and 1 score.

On defense the Connecticut Huskies have given up an average of 22.1 points per game, which ranks 43rd in the country. They allow 364.1 yards per game on average, which is 56th in the nation.

The Syracuse Orangemen defense allows just 297.1 yards per game, which is amazingly 9th best in the country. 17.8 points per game allowed is 12th best in the country and Syracuse's passing defense is a tremendous 12th best in the country as well, allowing just 168.3 yards per game. The most important facet of the defense on Saturday will be the run defense, which is 31st best in the nation right now, averaging 128.8 yards per game.

Ryan Nassib currently has 1,777 passing yards, completing 154 out of 277 attempts and 16 touchdowns. Nassib has throw at least 1 touchdown pass in each game this season and has thrown just 6 interceptions. Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey have continued to be a two headed monster for the Orangemen, with DC3 averaging 5.2 yards per carry and Bailey carrying a 4.9 yards per attempt average. Good news for the Orangemen, Prince-Tyson Gulley is back on the practice field this week, seemingly fully recovered from his bout with mono. His status for the game on Saturday isn't officially known, but it is a good sign to see him back out there.

After sitting out last weeks game, Alec Lemon is expected to play Saturday. Lemon has 29 catches for 365 yards and 4 touchdowns. Van Chew is leading the Cuse with 36 catches for 563 yards and 5 scores and tight end Nick Provo has emerged a viable receiving option, catching 29 balls for 322 yards and 1 touchdown this season. This past Saturday, Marcus Sales re-established himself as a weapon for the Orange passing attack, hauling in 5 balls for 73 yards against Rutgers.

With a win on Saturday, Syracuse can improve to 8-3 on the season and finish the conference schedule at 5-2. With a win they can finish no worse than 2nd in the Big East, a conference that many "experts" predicted Syracuse to finish in 7th place. Connecticut will look to keep their post-season hopes alive with a win and try to earn favorable positioning in the Big East standings with a win. Bud Tribbey, Syracuse nose tackle who sat out against Rutgers last week, is expected to play.

The game kicks off at 7PM and will be televised live on ESPNU. Tickets are still available and if you are in the area, find a way into the Carrier Dome! Be sure to check back with The Cuse Connection for a complete post game report and analysis following the game.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse's Road Warriors Return Home to Face Louisville

After winning two straight road games against West Virginia and Cincinnati the Syracuse Orangemen are coming home. This Saturday Syracuse will kickoff in the Carrier Dome against the Louisville Cardinals at noon on SNY. The Orangemen come back to the Dome sporting an impressive 6-2 record (3-1 in Big East play) and are just one win away from bowl eligibility. With a win on Saturday, Syracuse will ensure the program's first winning season since 2001 and their first bowl bid since the 2004 season.

Louisville comes to the Carrier Dome with an overall 4-4 record, 1-2 in the Big East and a laundry list of injuries. The Cardinals lost their last contest against Pittsburgh 20-3 and may be without their starting running back Bilal Powell, who suffered a knee injury in the game. Powell has 1,067 yard this season on 153 attempts and 9 rushing touchdowns along with 12 catches for 118 yards and 1 touchdown. Bilal Powell has the 5th most rushing yards in the nation and if he is unable to play Victor Anderson will get the majority of the carries. Anderson, who has 245 yards on 48 rushing attempts, missed the last three games for the Cardinals, including last weeks game against Pittsburgh, with a shoulder injury. However, he has been cleared to play against Syracuse on Saturday, although it is doubtful he will be 100% healthy.

Cardinals starting quarter back Adam Froman is another question mark going into the game on Saturday. Froman has yet to practice this week and has been seen on campus with crutches, however without any kind of cast or boot. Reports state that Froman has a thigh bruise, but no word yet on his status for Saturday. Froman has completed 132 of 218 passing attempts for 1,633 yards and 11 touchdowns with 4 interceptions. If he is unable to go Justin Burke will get the start. Burke is a senior who has only thrown 7 passes this season, completing 5 of them for 40 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. He transferred to Louisville via North Carolina State and started three games last season. In 2009 Burke completed 49 of 97 passing attempts for 654 yards and 3 touchdowns. Unfortunately for the Cards he also threw 5 interceptions.

When Adam Froman is healthy he likes to spread the ball around on offense. Doug Beaumont leads the receiving corp with 31 catches for 358 yards and 1 touchdown. Josh Bellamy leads the team in touchdown grabs with 4, and has 18 catches for 284 yards. Cameron Graham has 23 catches for 269 yards 3 touchdown grabs, and Josh Chichester has 13 catches for 215 yards and 2 scores. Lastly, Andrell Smith has 12 catches for 118 yards and 1 touchdown to round out the likely targets.

Louisville's defense enters the Carrier Dome allowing just 18.8 points per game which is 21st best in the nation. The Cardinals also allow 318.8 yards per game which is 25th best in the country. Due to the possibility of a depleted offense and with Syracuse's dynamic defense, it could be a long afternoon for the Cardinals defenders, which will certainly slow them down and make them vulnerable to big plays.

The Syracuse Orangemen are not without injuries. Starting offensive tackle Michael Hay has yet to practice this week and has been sporting a boot on his left foot on the sidelines. In his place has been Ian Allport, who is 6'4" 320 pounds, and Andrew Phillips who is 6'6" and 280 pounds. While Hay had an extremely bad start to the season, he has settled down the last two weeks and provided adequate blocking on the offensive line. Head coach Doug Marrone has not ruled Hay out for Saturday's game yet.

Additionally, Prince-Tyson Gulley has been ruled inactive for the second straight game as he is currently battling mono. With Gulley out Syracuse just has two eligible runners in their backfield, Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey. As long as the Orangemen don't suffer any more injuries they should be fine, however Adam Harris has also seen an increased work load due to the thin numbers in the backfield. Wide receiver Van Chew did not participate in practice on Tuesday, however he was back on the field Wednesday and head coach Doug Marrone said he was just giving Chew a day of rest.

Scott Shafer's defense has been the catalyst for Syracuse's success this season, and currently rank 13th in the country in average yards allowed per game with 298.5. Orangemen D is also 14th in the nation in points allowed, averaging just 17.5 per contest. After a brutal defensive showing in their last home game versus Pittsburgh, expect to see the defense get after it on Saturday. They have been playing too good to come home and pull another disappearing act.

On offense it has been business as usual for the Orangemen. They have been running down opponents throats and punishing defenders along the way. Ryan Nassib bounced back from a rough outing in Morgantown to complete 16 of 26 passing attempts for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns (1 interception) in the win against Cinci last week. He will need to continue to protect the football and not put it on the turf if Syracuse wants to continue the winning ways this Saturday.

Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey's dynamic duo has continued to perform as Carter showed no ill-effects from his hip injury in Morgantown. Carter ran for 109 yards on 19 carries last week. Antwon Bailey scored two touchdowns in Cincinnati last week, 1 rushing 1 receiving, and finished with 68 combined yards from scrimmage in the win. If the duo can stay healthy and continue to pick up positive yardage then this train can keep on rolling!

The Orangemen were also able to get big contributions out of their tight ends this past week. Nick Provo caught 4 passes for 40 yards to lead the team in receiving yardage and Jose Cruz made 3 catches for 20 yards. Provo caught a huge pass on 4th down and 3 for 19 yards to set up Syracuse's first touchdown.

Tune in Saturday at 12PM to catch the live action on SNY when Syracuse takes on Louisville in the Carrier Dome. With a win Syracuse will improve to 7-2 on the year, become bowl eligible for the first time since 2004, and ensure the first winning season for the football program since 2001. Tickets are still available and I highly encourage all Syracuse-Area fans to be in attendance.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

[UPDATE: Louisville RB Bilal Powell and QB Adam Froman are both ruled OUT on Saturday, as is OL Michael Hay for Syracuse.]