Orangemen Get Going in Tampa, Knock Off USF 72-49

During a season of unfinished business, Syracuse took care of some business, during a trip to "South" Florida on Saturday afternoon. Behind a season high 21 points from sensational senior Rick Jackson and 14 points from Kris Joseph, the Syracuse Orangemen knocked off South Florida 72-49 in front of 10,051 fans, many of them wearing orange and blue.

Coming off a huge 66-58 victory against the #6/#7 Connecticut Huskies on the heels of a 4 game losing streak, there was some concern that Syracuse could suffer a let down in the warm and sunny central Gulf Coast of Florida.

Thanks to Rick Jackson's monster game (21 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 foul in 38 minutes on the floor) the game was hardly in doubt. It was Rick Jackson's 16th double-double of the season.

Syracuse's trusty 2-3 zone defense, which awoke from a 2 week long coma in Hartford, CT on Wednesday, continued to roll in Tampa as Syracuse held the USF Bulls to 49 total points and 2 of 13 shooting from beyond the 3-point line (13.3%).

Kris Joseph pitched in 14 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the floor (1-3 from three point range) and grabbed another 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Syracuse continued to struggle with their own 3-point shooting, going 4-15 from 3-point range (26.7%). Scoop Jardine's offensive struggles continued with a 2 of 7 shooting performance from the field (1-4 from 3-point range), however he did dish out 8 assists and is looking more comfortable with the basketball than he did during the 4 game losing streak.

C.J. Fair, seeing increased minutes in response to James Southerland's struggles, matched his season high in rebounds with 9 and scored 7 points on 3 of 5 shooting from the floor. Fair's ability it get into the lane and take high percentage shots is something that the rest of Syracuse's forward crop should be taking note of. It's not necessary to settle for jump shots, especially early in the shot clock. Take it to the hoop!

Some might say that Baye Moussa Keita took a step back on Saturday, however I would beg to differ. Keita had a match up problem against junior Augustus Gilchrist, who is at least 25 pounds heavier than Baye Moussa Keita. Rather than throw Keita to the wolves to get dominated inside, Boeheim opted to go with Rick Jackson in the middle of the zone, and the move paid off.

Keita played just 6 minutes after logging 27 minutes against UCONN, and finished with 3 rebounds and 3 fouls. Fab Melo pitched in 12 minutes for the Orangemen and also grabbed 3 rebounds, however he chipped in 4 points on 2 of 3 shooting as well. Rick Jackson meanwhile owned the paint on both sides of the floor (6 offensive and 6 defensive rebounds) en route to a 21 point night.

With the win, Syracuse notched their 20th win on the season. This is the 33rd time in Jim Boeheim's 35 year coaching career at Syracuse that he has reached the 20 win plateau. Syracuse is now 20-4 on the season and 7-4 in Big East play.

After the game Rick Jackson told reporters "Right now we're playing well. Guys are confident. I think we're all playing how we're supposed to be playing." With the exception of Scoop Jardine's shooting struggles, I think RJ is correct. And now is a great time to get our groove back, as the games on the horizon are not going to be getting any easier.

Syracuse (who just received a #13 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25) will return home to take on the hated #11 Georgetown Hoyas on Wednesday at 7PM and then travel down to #15 Louisville to take on Rick Pitino's Cardinals at 12:00PM on Saturday. We're all concerned about the early afternoon start time and Pitino's recent success against the Cuse. A win on Wednesday will help improve the Orangemen's confidence and can potentially help propel the Orangemen into the newly opened YUM! Center with a full head of steam.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Takes Business Trip to "South" Florida

The Syracuse Orangemen, fresh off a big time victory in Hartford against #6/#7 Connecticut, are leaving the ice and snow of north-eastern United States and heading south. Jim Boeheim and his squad will head down to Tampa, Fl where it is currently 79 degrees and expected to be 70 degrees and sunny for tip-off on Saturday at 2PM on SNY.

Compare that with Syracuse, NY, where its expected to be 35 degrees and there's some concern that a few Orangemen athletes will look at this trip to USF (8-15, 2-8 Big East) as more of a vacation and less of a business trip. But this is most definitely a business trip.

When Syracuse got clipped by Seton Hall on their own floor the Pirates were 8-12 overall and 2-6 in Big East play. Not too different from the USF Bulls record, and they will have the comforts of home. Well, not their home. The game will be played at the St. Pete Times Forum, the home of the Tampa Bay Lightening rather than the USF Sun Dome. While the Sun Dome seats over 10,000 fans, the St. Pete Times Forum has a capacity of 20,500 for basketball, almost double. Perhaps that will get a few more Orange-clad fans in the building.

Syracuse will need to maintain the defensive intensity we saw on Wednesday if they want to earn their 20th win of the season on Saturday. Most importantly, the Orangemen will need to see the top of their zone as active as it was against Kemba Walker, when they limited the Huskies leading scorer to a season low 8 points.

South Florida has beaten Providence and DePaul in Big East play, as well as Texas Tech and Auburn during their non conference schedule. The Bulls have only won twice in their last twelve games, however they took then #4 UCONN to overtime on the road back on December 31st. The Huskies won that contest 66-61.

Agustus Gilchrist (6'10" 245 pounds) is the leading scorer for the Bulls, averaging 12.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Gilchrist had a season high 25 points against Louisville and scored 21 points against UCONN in their overtime defeat. He has also pulled down a season high 10 rebounds five times this season, most recently in back to back games against West Virginia and DePaul.

At 6'10" 245 pounds Gilchrist might prove to be a match up problem on the inside for the Orangemen. Baye Moussa Keita may have 1+" on him, however he will be outweighed by nearly 25 pounds. It would be great if Fab Melo could stay in the game and be a force on defense in this one, however I don't know if that will happen. We may see Rick Jackson play increased minutes at center to help slow down Gilchrist, however that will force Syracuse into a smaller line up.

Sophomore Jawanza Poland (6'4" 200 pounds) is averaging 10.7 points per game and is coming off a season high 20 points against Providence on Wednesday. While he doesn't appear to be a threat from 3-point range, he's shooting a mere 25% from behind the arc, that is exactly the recipe for success from beyond the arc that has recently plagued the Orangemen. Poland shoots an average of 37% from the floor, and if Syracuse can be physical with him around the perimeter, hopefully our guards will be able to slow him down.

Last year South Florida had the pleasure of having Dominique Jones run the point and he torched Syracuse for 30 points, albeit in a losing effort. The Orangemen won the game 82-65 in the Carrier Dome and were able to shut down the rest of the team while lighting up the scoreboard on the other end. Hopefully Syracuse can have a similar result this season on the road and get their second straight win after suffering 4 straight conference losses.

This would be a great game for Scoop Jardine to finally rediscover his shooting touch and get his offensive flow back for the final 8 games of the season. If Syracuse wants to be successful in their upcoming run of games against Georgetown, Louisville and West Virginia, then we are going to need some steady offense out of Scoop. And what better time to get going than Saturday against a struggling squad? In the past six games, Scoop has been shooting 3-9, 4-13, 1-8, 4-10, 5-12 and most recently 2-11 from the floor. That's 30.1% over six games from the field. Let's see what we can do about that.

The game will be tipping off at 2:00PM and will be televised on the home of the Big East Network, SNY. Be sure to check back in with The Cuse Connection following the game for complete recap and analysis. Also, be sure to follow @CuseConnection on twitter, where we will be tweeting live reaction to the days events.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse Football Goes on the Road, Puts Big East on Notice!

SYRACUSE 13

USF 9

On a hot and sunny Saturday in Tampa, Florida, the Syracuse Orangemen pulled off a stunning victory. Lead by their defense who only surrendered 3 points, Syracuse kept holding on until Ryan Nassib found Marcus Sales for a 4 yard touchdown pass with 7:15 left in the 4th quarter. The score gave Syracuse the lead 13-9, and they would not look back.

The game started out in a defensive stalemate. First quarter ended 0-0 with Syracuse having only run 10 offensive plays for 21 yards and 1 first down. At half time the score was tied 3-3. As good as the defense looked for Syracuse, their special teams and offense were going nowhere quickly.

Special teams for both sides made costly plays in the second quarter to jeopardize their teams outcome. First the Orangemen defense came onto the field and forced USF three and out with 9:01 left to play in the first half. After a punt by USF, the ball bounced at the Syracuse 36 yard line, striking Syracuse junior safety Olando Fisher. The ball was recovered by South Florida inside Syracuse territory.

The ensuing drive would push the Bulls down to the Syracuse 24 yard line. After the cuse defense held again, USF lined up for a field goal try with 6:04 left and made it. However the Bulls had a special teams disaster of their own, and were penalized 5 yards on a false start. The kick, this time from 47 yards out, missed and the score remained tied 3-3.

Mistakes and penalties would continue to mount for Syracuse as the first half winded down. Syracuse would take the ball down to the USF 20 yard line and faced a 4th and 1 with 1:27 left in the half. With two capable running backs on the team, Doug Marrone opted to give the ball to full back Adam Harris, who rushed for no gain. Harris had just 3 carries on the year. Marrone would lose a challenge for the spot of the ball, and USF took over at their own 20. The score would stay knotted at 3-3 at half time.

To open the second half, Syracuse put together a solid drive. Delone Carter and Ryan Nassib steered the team down field. Syracuse's offense again couldn't find the end zone, and were held to a 41 yard Ross Krautman FG which gave the Orangemen their first lead of the game.

The lead would be short lived. On the kickoff following the SU field goal, Lindsey Lamar of USF caught the ball at the 6 yard line and burned past the Orange special teams unit for a 94 yard touchdown run to give the bulls the 9-6 lead. Ensuing field goal would be blocked by Syracuse's coverage unit, and the score remained 9 to 6. Special teams execution was defining the afternoon.

The score would stay 9-6 when Syracuse got the ball on their own 2 yard line with 13:49 left in the game. With hopes for an Orangemen victory looking increasingly dim, Ryan Nassib, Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey would put together quite possibly the defining drive of the season. The trio would bring Syracuse to first and goal just 4 yards of short of the end zone. With 7:22 left on the game clock, Ryan Nassib found Marcus Sales (back from the dead!) for a 4 yard touch down pass giving Syracuse a 13-9 lead. The drive was the longest on the season for the Orangemen, 14 plays for 98 yards and the cuse would now turn to their defense to hold onto the game.

As they did all afternoon, the Syracuse defense would stop the next two drives by the Bulls giving Syracuse the ball as time wound down. Doug Marrone and the Orangemen pulled off a win that felt impossible to achieve the last five seasons, on the road, in the football recruiting hotbed of Florida. One can not say enough about the Syracuse defense. The unit made USF QB BJ Daniels look like a lost little boy all afternoon. Intercepting him twice, sacking Daniels 4 times, and being held to just 9 completions in 23 passing attempts for 124 yards 0 TDs.

The Bulls' rushing attack didn't fair much better. Moise Plancher would finish the day with 58 rushing yards on 15 carries, and Demetris Murray was held to just 38 yards rushing. On the day USF rushed for just 95 combined yards, giving the Bulls just 219 yards total on the day to go along with just 3 points (not including the special teams kickoff return for a touch down).

Max Suter lead Syracuse's defense with 8 tackles (six of them solo, three for a loss), a forced fumble and a sack. Shamarko Thomas had 6 tackles, Jeremi Wilkes and Da'Mon Merkerson each recorded an interception of Daniels, and Shamarko Thomas, Brandon Sharpe, and Mike Holmes each recorded a sack as well. Chandler Jones, Andrew Lewis and Doug Hogue each recorded five tackles. Syracuse's defense hasn't looked as confident as they did Saturday since the early 2000s. Every time they took the field, they had a look like they weren't going to surrender. Every time they were called on to make a big play, they responded.

Game Notes from the win at USF:

• First question, have ANY of you EVER seen a false start in the victory formation? The team is taking a knee to run out the clock and Syracuse takes a false start penalty. Shocking!
• Syracuse had 12 penalties for 87 yards. Unacceptable.
• Michael Hay (#74) continues to be completely lost on the offensive line.
• Delone Carter rushed for 105 yards on 26 carries. This Moves Carter past Syracuse Legend Ernie Davis for 10th on the All-time rushing list. Next up is Damien Rhodes with 2,461 yards.
• Antwon Bailey continues to contribute in a big way. Bailey finished the day with 81 yards on 9 carries and 3 catches for 48 yards. 129 total yards on the day. I think its safe to say Bailey needs to be on the field!
• Quick question: why doesn't Syracuse ever go with the split back formation with their two dynamic runners?
• Too many dropped passes on 3rd and long.

Next week Syracuse will host the University of Pittsburgh on homecoming weekend. Many people this week will try to tell you that this weekend is "Orange Central," but don't fool yourselves. It's homecoming. Orangemen fans from all over the Syracuse area will be required to attend this game. Syracuse is coming back to the Dome 4-1 on the year, in sole possession of first place in the Big East, and off the biggest win for the program since they beat the Fightin' Irish in South Bend in 2008. Best start since 1999. If those aren't enough reasons to get you to the Dome Saturday, I think we need to send a doctor over to your home because you might need to be admitted to a local area hospital. Upon release, GO TO THE GAME!

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

Catching Up with the Syracuse Orangemen Defense

The Syracuse Orangemen's football season is one third of the way through and the defense has been responding in a big way. Last season Syracuse's passing defense left much to be desired and it was the rushing defense that kept the Orangemen in the game. This season with a year of experience and a few fresh faces both areas of the defense have seen improvements and the early season results are in.

We are all very aware that SU has played two FCS opponents and Akron, however after enduring years of losing and humiliation at the hands of college football's bottom feeders, it feels good to win the games you EXPECT to win. Now Syracuse has to carry these good vibes and winning ways into the conference schedule. A conference schedule packed with mediocre teams.

FBS Defensive Standings:

Points per game - 16.3 - 23rd overall

Rushing yards - 526 - T-29th overall

Rushing yards per attempt - 3.7 - T-41st overall

Passing yards - 678 - 16th overall

Passing yards per game - 169.5 - 23rd overall

Total Yards per game - 301.0 - 25th overall

Individually Syracuse has gotten big performances out of Derrell Smith, Chandler Jones and true freshman Marquis Spruill. Smith is currently the team's leading tackler with 39 total tackles in 4 games, 23 of them unassisted, 3 tackles for a loss and two forced fumbles. Phillip Thomas is second on the team in tackles with 32 total and Spruill is third with 24 tackles, 12 of them solo and 3 tackles for a loss.

Chandler Jones has 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles to go along with 20 tackles. He is clearly one of the leaders on the defense along with Derrell Smith, and his huge frame has helped him to knock down 3 passes thus far this season. Jones also has 2.5 tackles for a loss. If the junior can continue to put up big numbers once the conference schedule gets underway, Syracuse fans might be watching Jones on Sunday.

Syracuse's rushing defense has done a great job except in the case of Nate Eachus. Eachus, Colgate University's lone offensive threat, was able to rack up 147 yards on 35 carries in the Dome. This is worrisome considering the quality of opponent, however Syracuse has been decent at limiting the rush, holding opponents to just 3.7 yards per attempt. Syracuse fans will just have to hope that it was Eachus' unique rushing ability and relentless drive that enabled him to attain those totals.

The secondary has done a much better job not giving up big plays outside of the game at Washington. Da'Mon Merkerson and Mike Holmes have one interception a piece, and internet sensation slash heavy hitter Shamarko Thomas has 18 tackles. The true test for this group will be once the conference schedule gets underway. The first match up against USF will be the second strong QB the team will see on the road so far this season.

BJ Daniels, starting quarterback for the Bulls, was 14/19 for 155 yards and a TD pass this past Saturday against Florida Atlantic. Daniels is also a threat to run the ball, and as we have seen so far this season Syracuse is very susceptible to the ball fake. He will be a tremendous challenge for Syracuse's defense. Last season, Daniels came into the Dome as a freshman and walked out having completed 12 of 20 passes for 208 yards and 2 TDs including 32 rushing yards leading the Bulls to a 34-20 victory.

Derrell Smith & Co. will need a huge all around effort to keep Syracuse atop the Big East standings. If Syracuse intends to go bowling this season, the defense will need to be the group driving the bus.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com