THE RETURN OF THE BEN SCHWARTZWALDER TROPHY!!

SYRACUSE 19

WEST VIRGINIA 14

The Syracuse Orangemen are back and The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy has been returned to its rightful place. After an amazing defensive performance, lead by Doug Hogue and a relentless Mikhail Marinovich, the Syracuse Orangemen pulled off a classic upset win in Morgantown, West Virginia. It was Syracuse's first win on the road against #19/20 WVU since 2000 and it couldn't have come at a better time for the Orangemen, who also ended a 12 game home winning streak for the Mountaineers.

In front of a national television audience and 58,122 fans, just one week after being embarrassed in the annual Homecoming game with numerous recruits in attendance, Syracuse showed the entire country that they are no longer the doormat of the Big East. The Orangemen re-established themselves on the college football scene and improved their record to 5-2 on the year, 2-1 in Big East play. West Virginia came into the game ranked 19th in the Coaches Poll and 20th in the AP Top 25. The loss drops WVU to 5-2 on the year, 1-1 in conference play.

Syracuse got started early, with Doug Hogue intercepting Geno Smith (before ESPN2 realized that the NASCAR time trials had gone on long enough) and Hogue returned the ball to the WVU 26 yard line. Facing 3rd and long Van Chew dropped a pass which would have given the cuse 1st down and goal from the 2 yard line, and SU had to settle for a 28 yard Ross Krautman field goal giving SU the lead 3-0.

West Virginia responded with a 81 yard touchdown drive capped off by a Geno Smith 6 yard touchdown pass to Tavon Austin to give WVU the lead 7-3. On the play both Mike Holmes and Da'mon Merkerson looked to be lost in coverage, however the two would respond to put together an extremely solid afternoon.

On Syracuse's next drive Van Chew atoned for his previous dropped pass by catching two balls, the first for a 17 yard gain to the WVU 29 yard line. On the next play Ryan Nassib found Van Chew again, this time for a 29 yard touchdown pass to put Syracuse back out in front 10-7. Van Chew, who finished the day with 2 catches for 46 yards and 1TD, dedicated the game to his grandfather who passed away earlier this week.

West Virginia would only need 3 minutes 14 seconds to respond. Geno Smith and Noel Devine lead the Mountaineers on a 77 yard drive which ended with a 1 yard Ryan Clark touchdown run giving WVU the lead yet again 14-10. With a shootout seemingly brewing, Syracuse's defense would shut the door on the Mountaineer offense. After giving up the 2nd touchdown of the game with 2:06 left in the 1st quarter, the Orangemen's D would not allow another point the rest of the game.

Ross Krautman connected on three field goals in the 2nd quarter, and was a perfect 4 for 4 on the afternoon. His 2nd quarter field goals were from distances of 19, 33 and 22 yards. Needless to say the Syracuse Orangemen's red zone offense was shown up by the #5 defense in the country. Thankfully for the cuse Krautman was perfect. Syracuse would go into the locker room up 19-14 at half time.

Geno Smith came into this game having only thrown 2 interceptions on the season. On this Saturday Doug Hogue had two interceptions of his own, and Phillip Thomas added a 3rd to help shut down the passing game for the Orangemen. Smith finished the game 20 of 37 passing attempts for 178 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs. Noel Devine had a great day, totaling 122 yards on 24 carries, however he could not find the end zone.

In The Cuse Connection's pregame report, I stated that Syracuse's defense would have to play "out of their minds." I said that the defense would have knock down Geno Smith all day and be extremely aggressive. Thanks to the great play-call and scheming by Scott Shafer Syracuse was able to do just that and shut down the WVU offense in the 2nd half. The special teams also was able to prevent any big plays during returns, however Max Suter did fumble a kick return following WVU's second touchdown. Thankfully Phillip Thomas was able to negate the drive with a pick.

With enough good vibes to go around there was unfortunatey an injury in the game. Delone Carter was injured on a 2nd quarter rushing attempt and was forced to leave the game. He would not return. Carter had an absolutely tremendous 1st quarter, finishing the day with 75 yards on 9 carries. Antwon Bailey took over the rushing game and finished with 94 yards on 19 carries to go along with 2 catches for 11 yards. Prince-Tyson Gulley added 19 yards on 6 carries.

With 6:35 left in the game the Mountaineers got the ball on their 6th yard line. After two penalties by the Orangemen got the drive started, Geno Smith and Noel Devine again started moving the ball down field trailing only by 5. After a 17 yard pass completion to J.D. Woods down to the Syracuse 20 yard line with just 1:25 left on the game clock, Syracuse's defense really shined. Noel Devine was stuffed for no gain on 1st down and Shamarko Thomas sacked Geno Smith for a 12 yard loss, pushing WVU's offense back to the 32 yard line. An incomplete pass on 3rd down brought up 4th and 22 from the Syracuse 32 yard line. With only 49 ticks left on the game clock Shamarko Thomas and Anthony Perkins combined to sack Geno Smith yet again, getting Syracuse the ball back sealing the Orangemen victory.

Post-Game Notes:

• Despite the injury Delone Carter moves past Damien Rhodes on Syracuse's All-Time rushing list to 9th place with 2,508 yards. He is now 43 yards behind #8 Bill Hurley on the All-Time list.
• Ryan Nassib committed no turnovers however was just 5 of 15 for 63 yards and 1TD. Marrone showed little faith in him throwing the ball in the 4th quarter.
• Syracuse is now 2 wins away from qualifying for a bowl game with 5 games left to play.
• Chandler Jones had 2 sacks, giving him 4 on the season to go along with his 8 tackles.
• First 4 FG game for Orangemen since Nate Trout in 1999 did it against Tulane.
• The win was Syracuse's 682nd All-Time win, 15th best in college football.
• Hogue had 2 interceptions and 10 tackles on the day to lead the Orangemen.

Next week Syracuse travels to Cincinnati to take on the Bearcats at 12:00PM.

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

Orangemen Notes

It's the calm before the storm on this sunny Friday in New York City. Tomorrow at noon Syracuse will take on USF to open both team's conference schedules. The game is broadcast live on SNY. I also noticed there is a Big East pre game show at 11:30AM on the same network, so if you are up early be sure to check that out.

There is another Syracuse event Saturday that local fans will not want to miss. Taking place in the Carrier Dome at 3:00PM (cutting it a little close aren't we?), tomorrow after the Syracuse football game wraps up is the Syracuse Lacrosse Alumni Game. Stars from Syracuse's storied lacrosse program will be back on the field in uniform taking on the 2011 Men's Lacrosse team.

Who is playing on the alumni side? How about Casey Powell, Gary Gait, Mike Springer, 2009 championship game hero Kenny Nims, Brett Bucktooth, Paul Carcaterra (player/coach), Pat McCabe, and Tim Byrnes, just to name a few. There's a full list of tentative players for the alumni side if you click here. This is a game you will not want to miss if you live in the Syracuse area. Tickets are $7, parking is free, and all proceeds go directly to the lacrosse program. Gates are at 2PM, although since the football game will still be going on at 2PM I'm going to assume that there will be a late arriving crowd. Maybe 4PM would have been a better start time?

Syracuse Basketball fans will be happy to hear that individual game tickets are going onsale this Wednesday, October 13th at 10:00AM. Details of the sale and how to purchase tickets are available on the Syracuse Athletics website.

In the first ever, "Strange but True" section of The Cuse Connection comes this story out of the Syracuse Post Standard. Apparently Jenni Farley, or as the world knows her "JWoww" will be attending the Syracuse Crunch home opener this Saturday Night. (Wow what a weekend in Syracuse!)

Surprisingly enough, there's going to be an autograph session. Is that an autograph worth getting? Then there's a "meet and greet" with the Jersey Shore star. The Post Standard was also able to uncover that JWoww grew up an Albany River Rats fan in Albany, and she later moved to Long Island where she now roots for the local Islanders.

The question on everyone's mind right now is, will she show up on Marshall St. after the game? Get your cameras ready and if a fight breaks out make sure its on youtube by 10AM sunday morning.

Let's get it done Saturday in Tampa!!

Syracuse Athletics Early Morning Notes

First things first, news out of the NFL emerged yesterday about another former SU player getting suspended. Steven Gregory (class of 2005), San Diego Charger's safety, was suspended 4 games without pay for a violation of the NFL's performance enhancing drug policy. He's the second former SU player suspended by the NFL for violating the league's drug policy this season.

Tanard Jackson was suspended for 1 year earlier this season for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Of course, Gregory gave the obligatory "I was completely shocked to find out about this positive test" response to go along with "I have never knowingly used any form of performance enhancing substance." KNOWINGLY being the key word there.

A personal story about Steven Gregory. Junior year at SU I was parking cars in the lot behind my house near the Dome on game day for $10 a spot. All of a sudden I see a Jeep roll up and park in one of my spaces. I walk over to the patron and say its $10 for the game, and notice its none other than Steve Gregory. [Now this was a year at Syracuse where the football team would go 1-10. Under normal circumstances I'd be psyched if I could help the team in any way, even if it was just game day parking.]

On this day I'm already very upset with the team's on-field performance and Gregory tells me its cool that he parks there because he's 'on the football team.' I respond "Yeah, I know who you are. You're Steve Gregory, but you are still going to have to move your car." So after some haggling with me I told him he could roll his jeep up an incline in the back where no one would be parking and that it would be fine for him to park there on game-day. He got back in his car and relocated as requested. Steve's nickname on the team this season was "Toast" by the way. Something about being burnnnnned in coverage. Overall, I wasn't a fan of his arrogant attitude about being on the team. A team that would have the worst record in the HISTORY of Syracuse football.

So imagine my surprise when I find out Gregory cracked an NFL roster. He is a Syracuse guy though and I hope he can put this behind him and continue to be a player in the league. In 4 games this season with the Chargers gregory has 30 tackles (25 solo) and 1 interception.

In unrelated news, Syracuse Orangemen freshman running back Jerome Smith is out for the season. Smith injured his left shoulder on Friday in practice and it will require surgery to repair the joint. He appeared in the Maine and Colgate games on special teams.

Lastly, the NBA preseason match up being held in the Carrier Dome on October 15th between the Timberwolves and Pistons will have another added attraction. Aside from Wes Johnson's return to the Dome floor along with injured Jonny Flynn, David bing will be among 20 Syracuse hoops legends to honor Jim Boeheim for his Coach of the Year award he received following the 2009/2010 season. Boeheim lead syracuse to a #1 ranking and a 30-5 record to earn his first ever Coach of the Year trophy.

Also on hand will be Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens, Pearl Washington, John Wallace, Lawrence Moten, and Jason Hart, who will be playing in the game on a try-out offer from the T'Wolves. I guess that two SU players on their team wasn't enough. David Bing, the Mayor of Detroit, will do the ceremonial jump ball to start the game.