PINSTRIPE BOWL CHAMPIONS!!

It was an adventure just getting all of the Syracuse Orangemen athletes into New York City, but in the end it was all worth it. Doug Marrone, in just his second year as head coach of his alma mater, delivers the Syracuse University Orangemen their first Bowl game victory since 2001. Behind 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns by senior and game MVP Delone Carter and an unbelievable 172 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns by junior Marcus Sales, Syracuse knocked off the Kansas State Wildcats 36-34 in Yankee Stadium in front of 38,274 fans. Ironically, Syracuse's previous bowl win was also against the Kansas State Wildcats in the Insight.com Bowl.

On just the third play from scrimmage Daniel Thomas took a hand off 51 yards to the end-zone to put the Wildcats up 7-0 just nineteen seconds into the game. It appeared as if Syracuse wasn't fully prepared to start the game, which was peculiar since they won the coin toss and opted to defer possession until the second half.

After Syracuse's offense went three and out, Ryan Lichtenstein got his first chance to punt in place of Rob Long, who is recovering from surgery. Kansas State took the punt back to the house to seemingly give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead and an absolute tremendous edge in momentum. However, a block in the back foul was called on the return team and Kansas State took the ball on the 28 yard line with the score remaining 7-0. It was a tremendous moment in the game for the Orangemen.

Two possessions later for the Cuse, Doug Marrone opened up the playbook. After a 24 yard scamper by Delone Carter brought Syracuse to the 48 yard line, Marrone called for the flee flicker. Ryan Nassib unloaded an absolute bomb to Marcus Sales which was right on the money. Sales caught the pass in stride 52 yards down field for a huge touch down and momentum-changing score for Syracuse, tying the game at 7-7. The Orange fans in attendance were sent into absolute pandemonium at Yankee Stadium, and they would not settle down for the remainder of the game.

About eight minutes later in the 2nd quarter Ryan Nassib would hook up with Marcus Sales again, this time for 36 yard touchdown pass, giving the Orangemen their first lead of the ballgame, 14-7. Marcus Sales, who had 1 touchdown catch all season (the difference-maker in West Virginia), now had two touchdown catches in the Pinstripe Bowl, and he wasn't done yet.

Kansas State would score on a 10-yard rush by Daniel Thomas with 1:51 to go in the first half to knot the score at 14-14. The score, the second of the game for Daniel Thomas, set the stage for the most exciting half of football Syracuse has played all season.

The second half would be an absolute shoot out. Syracuse took the opening kickoff of the second half and pounded the ball on the ground seven straight times against the 4th worst rushing defense in the country. Delone Carter rushed 47 yards on the drive, and Antwon Bailey chipped in a 13-yard carry to help bring the Orangemen down to the KState 7 yard line. Carter bounced into the end-zone on a 7 yard run to give Syracuse a 21-14 lead.

Kansas State responded to tie the score at 21 on their next drive, a 10-yard touchdown pass to Chris Harper, who had a terrific day in the Pinstripe bowl. He made numerous difficult catches, many of them drive extenders, to finish the day with 56 yards on 5 catches and 1 touchdown.

Delone Carter would find the end-zone again with just 2:11 left in the 3rd quarter. It was a balanced drive, featuring 37 passing yards by Nassib to three different receivers and 35 rushing yards by Delone Carter, including a 15 yard touchdown run to give the Orangemen the lead again, 27-21. With the fourth quarter looming, there was a bad snap on the extra point which Charley Loeb (filling in for Rob Long) barely got down. Ross Krautman did the unthinkable, and missed his first extra point of the season, leaving the Orangemen up just 6 points.

Kansas State answered the drive with a trick play of their own. Daniel Thomas took a direct snap and found his quarterback Carson Coffman down field for a 29 yard completion down to the Syracuse 16 yard line. The Wildcats would go for it on 4th down twice, including the final play of the drive, a 1 yard touchdown run for Daniel Thomas, his third of the ballgame. They would not miss their extra point try, and now KState was up 28-27 with 11:03 left on the game-clock.

In true shootout fashion, 3:08 later Ryan Nassib again threw an absolute bomb up into the Bronx sky. Running free was Marcus Sales, and the two hooked up for their third touchdown on the night, Sales' fourth on the year. This one to the tune of a 44 yard touchdown blast to put the Orangemen back up top 33-28. Syracuse would miss the two point conversion, and their lead would remain just five points.

Kansas State's ensuing drive would be the first time an offense was held without a touchdown in the second half. The Wildcats had been pushing the envelope all night on 4th down, and this drive would be no different. After a quick drive which began at their own 43 yard line, Coffman hit Aubrey Quarles for a 41 yard gain to the Syracuse 16 yard line. The Orangemen defense finally held, and the Wildcats lined up for a field goal try, down 5 points, with 5:09 left to play.

Syracuse, who was not fazed by the lineup, did not all out attempt to block the ball, and instead stayed home protecting the tackle box. Freshman linebacker Marquis Spruill was the first snuff out the fake, and the Wildcat's futile effort to fake field-goal run into the end-zone was thwarted, as the Orangemen clung to their 5 point lead.

On the very next play, Delone Carter exploded out of the gates for a 60 yard gain down to the KState 26 yard line. The rush set up a 39 yard Ross Krautman field goal, who has been money all season long, and pushed Syracuse's lead to 8 points with 3:13 on the clock. 36-28 Orangemen.

What happened next will be remembered by Wildcat fans in Kansas for as long as the victory will be remembered in Syracuse. With 1:24 on the game-clock and Kansas State driving, Coffman found Adrian Hilburn for a 30 yard touchdown pass to put the Wildcats down just 36-34 with a two-point conversion looming. Hilburn, who clearly has some military appreciation, opted to take the time to salute the crowd, and immediately two officials threw the yellow flag for excessive celebration. Fifteen yard penalty which will be added to the 2-point try. Instead of attempting the 2-pointer from the 3-yard line the Wildcats were lining up at the 18-yard line.

The two point conversion failed as did Kansas State's onside kick attempt, which was touched by a KState player before the ball went 10-yards, and Syracuse retained possession. A couple kneel downs later and with 00:00 showing on the game-clock, the Syracuse Orangemen were 2010 Pinstripe Bowl Champions!

Many KState fans will cite the excessive celebration penalty for years to come. As Syracuse fans

that's really not our concern. It's not a given that the Wildcats punch in the two-point conversion from the 3-yard line, and had KState kicked the field goal with 5 minutes on the clock to cut Syracuse's 5 point lead to 2, they would have won the game on that late touchdown rather than attempting a 2-point conversion to tie it.

After giving up a 51 yard touchdown run on the third play from scrimmage to Kansas State star running back Daniel Thomas, Syracuse's defense put the clamps on the big back. Although he did scamper for two more touchdowns to give him 3 total on the day, he was held to just 90 total yards in the game. That's a mere 39 yards on 21 carries the rest of the game after his first carry of the game, which comes out to 1.8 yards per attempt. A tremendous job by Syracuse's rushing defense.

Doug Marrone, the kid from the Bronx. The kid who's grandfather was an usher at the true Yankee Stadium for 20 years. The kid who went to Syracuse University, and then to the NFL, and then returned as head coach at his school's darkest hour. Doug Marrone has taken the first step towards national respectability, and after five years of humiliation at the hands of Greg Robinson, Syracuse Orangemen football fans can kick-back, put their feet up, and bask in the warmth of an 8-5 season and a 2010 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Championship.

The Regular Season Finale: Syracuse v. Boston College

It seems like just yesterday we were settling in to watch the opening game against Akron. It was September 3rd, and Syracuse would go on to win their season opener for the first time since the 2003 season. It's been that kind of year. The kind of season where everywhere you turn, Syracuse was doing something they hadn't done since 2001, 2003, 2004. Every week was another benchmark achievement.

When the Orangemen jumped out to a 3-1 mark, it was the first time since 2003. When Syracuse defeated South Florida, it was the first time the program was 4-1 since 1999. Defeating West Virginia on the road? Hadn't happened since 2000. Going to a bowl game? Not since 2004. Winning 7 or more games in a season? Not since 2001.

So Saturday, Syracuse wraps up this season of "first time since's" when Boston College enters the Carrier Dome, for the first time since 2003. The last time the two squads squared off was November 27th, 2004, six years to the day. On that fateful day, Syracuse stomped out BC 43-17 on the road, preventing Boston College from going to their first ever BCS bowl game in the school's history, and sending them out of the Big East without the Conference title. After the game, Diamond Ferri, who was superhuman on that day, stated "If they want to leave the conference, we wanted to send them out with a loss."

No one could have predicted this though. Diamond Ferri, filling in for an injured Damien Rhodes and Walter Reyes, ran for 141 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. He wasn't finished. He was still playing defense and intercepted Matty-Ice in the 4th quarter, returning the ball 44 yards to the house. For his efforts, Diamond Ferri was named Big East Offensive and Defensive player of the week. With that, Syracuse and Boston College's 45 game series (Syracuse has the edge 28-17) came to an end.

Until now.

After a six year hiatus which saw Syracuse get run into the ground by some clown currently "coordinating" the Michigan Defense, and Boston College defect to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the rivalry resumes on Saturday in the Carrier Dome at 12PM. The game will be televised live on ESPN.

Since departing the Big East, the Eagles have enjoyed some success on the field. They have gone to the ACC Championship game twice and have posted winning records each season since the defection. This year however, they have had somewhat of a down season. Boston College is 6-5, and went 4-4 in the ACC. They haven't beaten any ranked teams, and their offense is ranked in the 90s for the majority of offensive categories.

Boston College's starting running back Montel Harris is out with a torn left lateral meniscus, so his 1,243 yards on 269 attempts and 8 touchdowns won't be an issue. True freshman Andre Williams will take his place. He has 206 yards on 34 rushing attempts and no scores, yet. Syracuse fans shouldn't hang their hat on the fact that the star RB is out for BC, seeing how well Bilal Powell of Louisville's back up performed in the Carrier Dome a few weeks ago.

Boston College's quarterback is Chase Rettig. Thankfully, Syracuse's defenders know how to handle a QB with the first name Chase, or Chas (same difference). Rettig has completed 75 of 142 attempts for 1,007 yards and 6 scores. He has also thrown 6 interceptions and been sacked 13 times. Chase Rettig has won 4 straight starts to help save the season for Boston College.

The main receiving target for the Eagles is Bobby Swigert (6'1" 180 pounds). Swigert has 33 catches for 476 yards and 4 touchdowns. Alex Amidon (5'11" 185 pounds) has 11 catches for an amazing 301 yards and two touchdowns. He made 3 catches for 102 yards in a game against North Carolina State this year. Tight end Chris Pantale (6'6" 244 pounds) has 24 catches this season for 225 yards and 1 touchdown. Additionally, Ifeanyi Momah (6'6" 228 pounds) has 19 catches for 296 yards and 3 touchdowns. Don't ask me how to pronounce that name because I have no idea.

Boston College's defense has averaged 20.6 points per game against, which ranks 31st in the country. They also allow an average of 316.5 total yards per game, 16th best mark in the nation to go along with 18 interceptions this season, which is tied for 3rd most in the country.

With Boston College averaging 1.6 interceptions per game, Ryan Nassib will have to be sharp if Syracuse wants to win this game. Nassib has completed 174 of 313 passing attempts this season for 1,948 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has helped steer the Orangemen to a 7-4 overall record and 4-3 in the Big East. Unfortunately for Nassib, he hasn't looked great at home since the beginning of the Big East schedule.

Luckily for Syracuse, this isn't a Big East game anymore. Syracuse was 0-3 at home this year against conference opponents. No word yet on how well they perform against "former" conference teams, however against non-conference teams Syracuse is 2-0 at home.

Delone Carter enters the Dome with 1,005 rushing yards on the season, and 59 yards away from passing Larry Csonka on Syracuse's All-Time Rushing Leaders list for 3rd place All-Time. Helping out of the backfield is Antwon Bailey, who has 432 yards on 89 carries and an additional 29 receptions for 252 yards, with 4 combined touchdowns.

Van Chew continues to lead the receiving corp, however he has been getting increased help from tight end Nick Provo. Over the last two weeks, Marcus Sales has stepped up and asserted himself as a reliable member of the group, pushing his season total to 16 catches for 169 yards. He has lead the Orangemen in receiving yards the last two weeks. Alec Lemon was held to just one catch last week after missing the Rutgers game, and seems to still be feeling some effects of the arm injury that kept him out of the game in Piscataway, NJ.

Syracuse's Defense have been the story this season. Ranked 13th in points against, they have allowed just 18.3 points per game. With an average of 293.2 yards per game against, the defense ranks 6th in the nation in yards allowed. Syracuse's secondary has done a tremendous job, allowing just 161.9 yards on average per game, and are 9th in total passing yards allowed in the country. If Syracuse can stop the run, which they have failed to do in the last two home games against Louisville and Connecticut, they should be able to pull off the victory Saturday.

Saturday is a Syracuse sports fan's dream. The day will start at 12:00PM with the Syracuse-Boston College football game on ESPN and then will be followed at either 5:30 or 8:00 (depending on Friday's outcome) with a basketball game from the Legends Classic in Atlantic City. With a win, Syracuse would finish this memorable season 8-4.

Not to be forgotten in all this is the fact that it is also Senior Day in the Carrier Dome. Doug Marrone stressed the importance earlier this week of sending our boys out the right way, with a victory. These seniors endured two years of misery under Greg Robinson and a year of rebuilding the program under Doug Marrone. They emerged from it with the chance to finish their final season of college football with an 8-4 record and have earned the program's first trip to a bowl game since 2004.

No matter what it was a season to remember for all the players, not just the seniors, but these seniors deserve to play their last game in the Carrier Dome the right way. In front of a sell out crowd and with a victory!

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Connecticut Knocks off Syracuse in Big East Finale

Connecticut 23

Syracuse 6

It was a game like many other home Big East football games for the Orangemen this season. The student section didn't show up, the Orangemen's offense was flat, and the opposing team was running all over the place. Where were the students? 7PM on a Saturday night one would think they would be available for a few hours to root on their school, a week after clinching bowl eligibility. I guess there must have been an early showing of Harry Potter because clearly there was somewhere else they would rather be.

Connecticut got on the board first with a 1 yard touchdown run by Jordan Todman with 5:16 left in the first quarter. Todman, the 7th leading rusher in the country, picked up 44 yards on the drive to help give the Huskies the early lead.

Syracuse scored on the next drive, however the Cuse were unable to put the ball in the end zone after driving to the UCONN 32 yard line. The Orangemen were forced to settle for a 42 yard field goal by Ross Krautman, which cut the lead to 7-3. Connecticut would respond with a field goal of their own late in the first half.

Ryan Nassib got picked off at his own 38 yards line with just 3:10 remaining in the half. The Orangemen D allowed the Huskies to convert on a 4th and 6 from the 34 yard line, however ultimately held UCONN to a field goal with just 36 seconds remaining in the half. Connecticut entered the locker room at the break up 10-3.

Syracuse would cut the lead to 10-6 following a fumbled punt return by the Huskies early in the 3rd quarter. Syracuse recovered the botched punt at the Huskies 31 yards line, but were once again unable to punch the ball in. Ross Krautman connected on a 35 yard field goal. It was Krautman's 16th straight field goal made, and cut the lead to 10-6. Syracuse would not score again the rest of the game.

Jordan Todman would go on to score on another short touchdown run to give him two on the day late in the 3rd quarter. He finished the night with a game high 131 yards on 27 carries and 2 touchdowns. Syracuse's passing defense limited Zach Frazer to just 13 completions on 21 attempts for 97 yards and zero touchdowns. However, Syracuse's inability to stop Jordan Todman and their difficulty scoring touchdowns was the difference in the game.

Antwon Bailey had just 1 carry for 1 yard, however he did catch 4 passes for 24 yards. Delone Carter finished with just 61 yards on 18 carries for the Orangemen. He now has 1,005 yards on the season and 2,876 yards in his career. It's Carter's second straight 1,000 yard season and moves him into 4th place on Syracuse's All-Time rushing list, 7 yards more than James Mungro.

Ryan Nassib finished the evening with 20 completions in 36 attempts for 170 yards, zero touchdowns and 1 interception. It was Ryan Nassib's first game without a touchdown pass this season. He completed passes to a season high nine different receivers, with Marcus Sales leading all players with 6 catches for 56 yards. Van Chew grabbed 3 balls for 29 and injured Alec Lemon picked up 1 catch for 12 yards in limited action.

With the loss, Syracuse finishes the Big East season with a respectable 4-3 record. However, considering the Orangemen went 4-0 on the road this season with wins against West Virginia, Cincinnati, South Florida and Rutgers, its pretty shocking they couldn't manage 1 Big East win at home against Pittsburgh, Louisville and Connecticut. Syracuse is now 7-4 on the season and will host former Big East school Boston College this Saturday in the regular season finale at noon on either ESPN or ESPN2. UCONN improves to 6-4 this season, 3-2 in the Big East. The Huskies earned bowl eligibility in the win.

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.]

Football Team Back Out on the Road, Travels to Cincinnati

On Saturday the Syracuse University Orangemen travel to Cincinnati, OH to take on the Bearcats at Nippert Stadium, the 5th oldest venue in college football. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 and the game will be televised live on ESPNU. The biggest question on everyones minds is whether or not QB Zach Collaros will get the start for the Bearcats.

Zach Collaros left last weeks 38-30 loss to USF in the 4th quarter with a knee injury and did not return. He was seen on crutches this week, however he was on the practice field in a limited role. Backup Chazz Anderson worked out with the Bearcats starters, while Collaros worked mainly with the second team. If Collaros is unable to play, Anderson will get his first start for Cinci since 2008. On Tuesday, Zach Collaros said he felt as if his knee was "sliding around a little bit," however he has not been officially ruled out of Saturdays game.

The Bearcats have struggled this season, losing 3 of the first four games under new head coach Butch Jones, formerly the head coach of Central Michigan University. Butch Jones, who took over the head coaching duties after Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame, has steered the team to a 3-4 overall record, 1-1 in the Big East.

Syracuse on the other hand is coming off the program's biggest win in years, a stirring 19-14 victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown. The win pushed the Orangemen's record to 5-2, 2-1 in the Big East. Syracuse hadn't won in Morgantown since 2000, and now Syracuse will look to get their first win ever against Cincinnati in Big East play. Syracuse beat Cincinnati in 2004 19-7, the season before the Bearcats joined the conference.

If Zach Collaros is unable to play it will be a tremendous blow to the Bearcats who rely heavily on the passing game. Last week Collaros had 4 touchdown passes before being forced from the game and has 20 TD passes on the year. In comparison the team just has 7 rushing scores, nearly a 3:1 ratio.

Leading the receiving corp are D.J. Woods and Armon Binns. Woods has 40 catches for 687 yards and 6 TDs. He averages 17.2 yards per catch and had 137 yards on 9 catches in last weeks game against USF. Binns has 44 catches for 683 yards and 9 touchdowns. In the USF game Binns had 158 yards on 12 catches and 2 TDs. With 15 touchdown grabs between the two receivers through 7 games, Syracuse will certainly have their hands full with or without Collaros under center.

The rushing game is led by Isaiah Pead, who has 595 yards on 77 carries. Pead has just 1 rushing TD on the season, with the majority of scores going to John Goebel who leads the team with 3 rushing touchdowns on 26 carries. Goebel has just 179 total yards on the year however he averages 6.9 yards per carry.

On defense Cincinnati is ranked 64th in the nation with an average of 367.71 yards per game allowed. Their 23.4 points per game allowed is 51st overall. Conversely, Syracuse's defense allows just 301.57 yards per game, 16th best in the nation and the Orangemen's 19 points per game allowed is 28th best in the country.

The offensive side of the ball is where the Orangemen's troubles have been during conference play. While the rushing attack has been relatively strong for the cuse (minus the Pittsburgh game where nothing went right) the passing attack has been extremely limited. In last week's win over West Virginia, Syracuse rushed for 183 yards on the #4 rushing defense in the country, while Ryan Nassib was held to just 63 passing yards. Nassib completed only 5 passes on 15 attempts, however he did throw a touchdown pass to Van Chew and was not intercepted. As long as Nassib protects the ball and doesn't turn it over, the Orangemen should be in business.

Syracuse will be looking to improve to 6-2 on the year, something the Orangemen haven't done since 2001 (lost the first two games before winning eight straight). The game is at noon and will be televised on ESPNU. After receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Polls last week, a win on the road in Cincinnati may propel the Orangemen back into the rankings. Win or lose though, the Orangemen are still on track for a bowl bid.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Looks to Get Back on Track in Morgantown

This Saturday the Syracuse University Orangemen are traveling to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. Coming off an extremely disappointing loss at home to Pittsburgh on Homecoming Weekend (45-14), the Syracuse Orangemen are facing their toughest opponent of the season. Head Coach Doug Marrone calls Milan Puskar Stadium (Mountaineer Field) one of the toughest venues in all of college football, and in his opinion WVU is one of the Top-10 football teams in the country.

Syracuse has not beaten West Virginia since 2001, when the Orangemen won 24-13 in the Carrier Dome. The last time Syracuse won in Morgantown was in 2000 when the Orangemen defeated the Mountaineers 31-27. Following that game long time WVU coach Don Nehlen announced his retirement. As always, The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy will be on the line. WVU has won the trophy 8 straight games.

The Mountaineers (5-1, 1-0 Big East) are ranked 20th overall in the AP Top 25 and 19th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. WVU is coming off a 20-6 win over the South Florida Bulls and have a defense that is ranked 3rd nationally in Points Allowed. For a Syracuse offense that struggled to set up a running game against the Panthers defense last week, the Orangemen are going to have their work cut out for them. West Virginia's lone loss came at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge when LSU beat them 20-14. LSU is now the #6 team in the country.

WVU's rushing defense has allowed 83.2 yards per game, which is 4th best in the nation. Their 248.5 total yards per game allowed is 5th best in the country. Doug Marrone is going to have to out coach, out wit, and out scheme WVU head coach Bill Stewart if Syracuse has any dreams of walking out of that stadium with a win. If the Orangemen had any trick plays up their sleeves that they have been saving, this is the game we will want to execute them!

On the other side of the ball for the Mountaineers, they are equally as dangerous as they are scary. Sophomore quarterback Geno Smith is coming into the game with 1,358 passing yards 14 touchdown passes and just 2 interceptions with 121 completions in 177 passing attempts. Syracuse can not just load up the box and dare Smith to beat the defense through the air, because he will have no trouble finding receivers.

So far this season, Geno Smith has found seven different receivers for a touchdown. Tavon Austin has 32 receptions for 413 yards and 2 scores. Jock Sanders (is that his real name?) has 36 catches for 317 yards and 2 TDs. Stedman Bailey has 13 catches for 195 yards and 3 TDs. Brad Starks has 6 catches for 145 yards and 4 TDs. Their passing offense is EXTREMELY balanced as you can tell, and Syracuse's defensive backs and safeties are really going to have to be in top form if Syracuse wants to keep this game close.

Out of the backfield WVU has more weapons, most notably Noel Devine. Devine has 103 carries on the year for 504 yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. Add that to his 17 catches for 126 yards and another TD catch, that gives him 5 total TDs on the year. In each of the first 3 games Devine rushed for over 100 yards, however he hasn't hit 100 yards in a game since. So we have that going for us. Another option at running back for WVU is Ryan Clark who has 43 rushes for 151 yards and a score. Devine is their go-to-runner and can beat Syracuse single handedly if Syracuse does manage to shut down Geno Smith's passing attack.

As for Syracuse, Ryan Nassib needs a MUCH better performance after last week's debacle against Pittsburgh. Nassib threw two interceptions, one of which was returned 80 yards for a touchdown. Overall, if Syracuse has any chance at all of being in this game they cannot turn the ball over. Not even once. Syracuse's execution has to be perfect. Marrone cannot be afraid to air out the ball and if Syracuse's rushing attack is getting stuffed at the line, the Orangemen can not afford to waste drives going 3 and out running up the gut twice.

On special teams, Syracuse simply can not afford any big returns. Giving WVU a short field is a death sentence and giving up points on special teams will surely spell doom for the Orangemen.

Defensively the Orangemen must play out of their minds. They need to be lights out. They have to get to Geno Smith, knock him down early and often. The linebackers need to identify the rush or the pass and get in position to make a play. If they sit back and wait for the game to come to them they are going to be embarrassed. The entire defense needs to anticipate the play and be extremely aggressive. That is the only way Syracuse can stay in this game.

If this preview of the Mountaineers hasn't scared Syracuse fans away from this game, than tune into ESPN2 at 12:00PM for the kickoff. It will be the Orangemen's first nationally televised game of the year. Syracuse is 4-2 overall, 1-1 Big East.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

What Went Wrong Saturday???

Now that the shock and awe has worn off from this Saturday's absolute drubbing at the hands of the Pittsburgh Panthers, Syracuse players and fans all want to know what exactly went wrong out there? How did it come to this? A 45-14 loss at home on Homecoming Weekend (by the way, doesn't 'Orange Central' sound more like a location and less like a week long series of events?) after a program rejuvenating win in Tampa at the University of South Florida?

First thing that automatically comes to mind when you win a huge game and then drop a home game the next week is that it was an "emotional letdown." We all remember when Syracuse defeated then #19 Louisville in 2007 on the road. What did the Orangemen do the next week? They lost on the road at Miami of Ohio, a school that had a SIX game home losing streak. Syracuse's emotions were maybe a little TOO high. Expectations were obviously way too high. And Las Vegas' expert opinions were clearly off because Syracuse was actually favored to win this game! All it took was one play from scrimmage for the Panthers to know that we were in for a long afternoon.

Another reason for the lopsided loss, turnovers. Pittsburgh didn't commit any. Syracuse had 4 of them. Ryan Nassib had just two interceptions through 5 games this season coming in, and he was picked off twice in this contest. The first interception came late in the 1st half when Syracuse was in Pitt territory. Down 28-7 with 1:20 left in the half Nassib threw up a lame duck ball into the middle of the field, something we haven't seen all year from him, and it was easily picked off to end the Syracuse drive at the 43 yard line. If Syracuse could have protected the ball and managed to find the end zone, 28-14 half time deficit isn't completely insurmountable. However the half would end 28-7.

In second half action, after exchanging punts Syracuse again drove down to the Pittsburgh 31 yard line. Instead of putting up points, Ryan Nassib threw so far behind his intended receiver, another bad pass we haven't seen Nassib throw all season, the ball was intercepted and returned for 80 yards and a touchdown. 35-7 Pittsburgh. If Syracuse's two drives don't get stopped with a turnover and if they were able to put points up on the board on the two drives, we may have found ourselves down just 7 points instead of 28 points. Syracuse MUST protect the ball, especially against desperate Big East teams!

Other turnovers that were serious drive killers were Alec Lemon's fumble at the Pittsburgh 31 yard line with 6:06 left in the 3rd quarter and the fumble credited to Ryan Nassib when Pittsburgh was clearly offsides on the snap. Although it was not called, Pitt pushed the center off the ball at the Syracuse 38 yard line with 9:33 left to play in the game and recovered the ball for a Pittsburgh first down. One play later it was 45-14 Pittsburgh.

A third reason for such a lopsided loss to Pitt was the lack of running game from Syracuse. The Orangemen's two dynamic runners who have helped lead the charge down field all season for the cuse, Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey, combined for just 62 rushing yards. Nassib contributed 14 of his own to give Syracuse only 76 on the day. Carter ran for a measly 37 yards and Bailey did no better with only 25 yards on the ground. Not a recipe for success.

Lastly, Syracuse's secondary was absolutely lost on Saturday. Tino Sunseri finished the day 17 of 24 passing attempts for 280 yards, 4 touchdowns, zero interceptions. The four TD passes were to four different receivers, and each of Syracuse's corners were tortured. Help over the top was slow, tackling was non-existent, and even our speed players were a step slower than Pitt was on this day.

The good news is that Syracuse won't be playing Pittsburgh again this season. The bad news is that the Orangemen will be traveling to Morgantown to take on #20 West Virginia this weekend. It will not be getting any easier for the Cuse any time soon.

If Syracuse can protect the ball and play smarter on defense, than they can at least keep the game respectable, unlike the outcome on Saturday. At the end of the day, the Cuse is still 4-2 on the season and 3 wins away from qualifying for a bowl game. I think Syracuse fans everywhere would have signed up for 4-2 at the start of the season and I'm sure many fans expected us to be right here. So let's not get too down on the program after one bad loss. Just pick up the pieces and regroup for Saturday.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse at South Florida: The Quest for 4-1

It's been a long time since the Syracuse football team had a game. Coming out of the bye week with plenty of rest, the Orangemen will travel to Tampa, Florida to take on the University of South Florida Bulls. Many of you will quickly realize that Tampa isn't in the south of Florida at all, but rather on the west coast, and you will be correct. It's probably the same shock USF fans have when they find out Syracuse isn't in the heart of NYC.

Meanwhile, both squads come into the game carrying a 3-1 record and a share of the three-way tie atop the Big East. The one knock against both teams is that their combined 6 victories came against teams with a combined 2-10 record, giving fans of both teams a lot of uncertainty.

The biggest news story at USF this off-season was the dismissal of the only head coach the school has ever known, Jim Leavitt. Jim Leavitt, who was 95-57 at USF, had just completed the 2nd year of a 7 year contract worth $12.6 million when news broke that he had grabbed a player by the throat (or shoulder pads) and may have allegedly slapped the player as well. While Leavitt denied hitting the player and said he merely was trying to motivate a player during halftime, the school ultimately was very upset because not only did Leavitt lie about the incident, he also went to coaches and players and told them to lie about it as well. Apparently thats a big no-no at USF, and he was fired January 8th, 2010.

The new head coach at USF is Skip Holtz, son of legendary Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz. Skip is 75-51 all-time as a head coach, coming to South Florida after a five year coaching stint at East Carolina. Many Syracuse fans will remember his name mentioned when SU was looking for a replacement for Greg Robinson. Skip Holtz turned down the offer. Time for some sweet revenge cuse fans!! Let's make him wish he took that job!

As we all should know by now, Syracuse has never beaten the Bulls from South Florida. In the 5 years since USF joined the Big East, Syracuse has lost every game (0-5) and been outscored by an average of 24.2 points per game. The Bulls have also rushed for 814 more yards than the Orangemen have. Needless to say, its time for some pay back. What better way to return the favor of being whooped up on by USF these last 5 years than to beat them in their own building?

Leading the Orangemen into Tampa are Ryan Nassib and Delone Carter. Delone Carter is coming off a game against Colgate where he rushed for 172 yards and 4 touchdowns. Ryan Nassib enters the game as the Big East leader in passing efficiency, and 9 TD passes with just 2 interceptions. Both will have to be effective and protect the football if Syracuse wants to walk out of Raymond James Stadium with a W.

Syracuse's defense will have their work cut out for them. BJ Daniels, USF's dual threat at QB, has had a slow start to the season. Although coming off a solid week of work against Florida Atlantic, his season stats are just 41 completions in 72 attempts for 560 yards, 4TDs and 5INTs. Not very frightening stats but when you factor in his ability to run the ball (187 yards on the year with 2 TDs), stopping Daniels will be a true challenge for a defensive unit that hasn't seen much from a QB not named Jake Locker.

USF has two running backs to watch for: Moise Plancher and Demetris Murray. Murray sat out the Florida Atlantic game with an ankle injury, however he is expected to be in uniform on Saturday. Murray has 223 yards on 36 carries with 1 TD. Plancher ran for 2 TDs last week and 93 yards to give him 231 yards on the season with 4 TDs. Leading receiver on the team is Evan Landi (6'3" 221lbs) who has caught 12 balls for 215 yards, no touchdowns. Dontavia Bogan leads the WR group with 2 TD catches, with 8 balls overall for 152 yards. Matching up against our own Van Chew for Best Name in the Game Contest is Stephen Bravo-Brown, a WR with 6 catches for 80 yards.

The game will be televised live on SNY at 12:00PM. Syracuse will try to hold onto their share of 1st place with a victory, and a win would push their record to 4-1 for the first time since 1999 when Coach P lead the team to a 7-5 overall record. That team was littered with stars like Dwight Freeney, Keith Bulluck, David Tyree, Morlon Greenwood and TROY NUNES on the roster.

Note: The 1999 team should have been 5-0, but Troy Nunes made mistake after mistake in the Carrier Dome on September 18th against Michigan and Syracuse lost 18-13. A young fan from Long Island went devastated into Cosmos for a post game meal that night. He would never forget the name Troy Nunes.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Ryan Nassib's Time to Step Up

Through the first four games of the season Ryan Nassib has looked like the first real quarterback to put on a Syracuse Orangemen uniform since the departure of Donovan McNabb. Syracuse fans have watched Troy Nunes, R.J. Anderson, Perry Patterson, Andrew Robinson, and Cameron Dantley take snaps under center for the Orangemen. We have also been witness to Duke point guard Greg Paulus playing at QB (as weird as that is to type its true). There has been the two headed QB by committee system and there has been outright confusion. Overall, one thing Syracuse has lacked since the late 1990s is a true quarterback.

Enter Ryan Nassib.

In just four career starts, Nassib has already set the record for most TD passes in a single game at Syracuse. Of course it came against the Maine Black Bears, but five touchdown passes in one game is still quite the accomplishment at the college level. Through the early part of the season Nassib has been 61 of 105 pass attempts, 860 yards with 9TD passes and 2 INTs. Now the true test comes. Now is the time for Nassib to show the fans that he isn't just a quarterback that can beat up on lesser opponents. He must prove to everyone that he can perform at a high level against the faster and bigger Big East defenses as well.

Not just a passer, Ryan Nassib has the wheels to run for positive yardage. He moves very well in the pocket and has rushed for 70 net yards this season and 1 touchdown. Nassib has the arm to throw the ball down field to deep threat Van Chew, and he can gun the ball over the middle for quick slants to slot receiver Alec Lemon and Antwon Bailey out of the back field as well. For a team that came into the season with big question marks at wide receiver, Nassib is making the most of the targets he has. Ryan Nassib currently has the highest passing efficiency rating in the conference at 151.4, good enough for 24th overall in the country.

After the loss of Aaron Weaver many SU fans were concerned about the depth at the WR position. Antwon Bailey showed Coach Marrone that he can be a lethal player out of the backfield and our tight ends have shown an ability to not only catch the ball, but pick up yards after the catch as well, most notably Nick Provo. Syracuse's offense hasn't skipped a beat since the season ending injury to Weaver and we are all hoping that the lack of a #3 receiver doesn't burn the team later in the year.

Now the true test for Nassib begins. This Saturday the Orangemen travel to Tampa, Florida to take on the South Florida Bulls. Syracuse has never beaten South Florida since USF joined the Big East in 2005. Of course their arrival to the conference coincided with Greg Robinson's arrival on the Hill so that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. This year though Syracuse fans everywhere have a reason to believe that the Orangemen have a CHANCE to win this game.

Both teams enter 3-1 and both teams have beaten up on squads with a combined record of 2-10 thus far in 2010. Ryan Nassib has to be the quarterback that takes over the game. He must continue to make time in the pocket with his feet and stretch the defense with attacks through the air. If Nassib can continue to excel within Syracuse's attack, than SU will finally have an opportunity to return to a bowl game for the first time since 2004.

Now is the time for Ryan Nassib to show Orangemen fans that he belongs.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com