Northern Iowa Scouting Report: I thought I told you to shave those sideburns, Mattingly!

Before getting to it, I'd like to recognize the crowd at the Dome for Tuesday's exhibition game against LeMoyne. 11,000 fans showed up. For an exhibition game. An EXHIBITION GAME. ELEVEN THOUSAND. Awesome.

Friday, the regular season tips off against the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. Last year, UNI went 30-5 and ran away with the Missouri Valley Conference. In the NCAA tournament, the Panthers defeated top-ranked Kansas in a memorable upset on the wings of Ali Farokhmanesh. As Farokhmanesh launched that uncontested-but-uneccessary three up one with 30 seconds to play and 29 on the shot clock, I remember thinking "wow, that might be the stupidest shot I've ever seen." When it went in, I still thought it was stupid. The 2010-11 team has lost a few key players: seven-footer Jordan Eglseder, MVC POY Adam Koch and Farokhmanesh.

The new frontcourt will be anchored by Jake Koch (6-9, 255), Adam's younger brother. Koch was a strong performer at the end of last season and is a mild threat from outside, making 16 of 40 threes (40%) in 09-10. Freshman Chip Rank (6-6, 215) and two time MVC 6th Man Lucas O'Rear (6-6, 260) will join Koch up front. Notably, O'Rear dominates the competition in an often overlooked stat category: mutton chops.

The backcourt will be the Panthers' strength. Senior Kwadzo Ahelegbe steps into a leadership role, and much of their season will depend on if he embraces the new responsibility. He's not alone - junior Johnny Moran returns as well. Coach Ben Jacobsen is relying on Ahelegbe and Moran to fill in the scoring gaps left by their departed stars.

UNI will take a step back this season, but they are a well coached team that will out-hustle any squad in the country. Tune in to ESPN3 on Friday, November 12th at 7pm. This is the toughest opening game matchup that Syracuse has faced since Memphis in that memorable 2002-2003 season.

BASKETBALL SEASON HAS ARRIVED! REJOICE!

Syracuse v. Rutgers: The Quest For Bowl Eligibility

Saturday the Syracuse Orangemen will travel to Piscataway, NJ to take on the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights. Rutgers, coming off a ten day lag between games, will try to prevent the Orangemen from going bowling on their home turf. Syracuse will be looking for a bounce back win after a very disappointing home loss to the Louisville Cardinals last Saturday in the Carrier Dome. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30PM.

The Scarlet Knights enter the game sporting a 4-4 overall record, with a 1-2 record in the Big East. They last played a Wednesday night game against South Florida, in which they blew a five point 4th quarter lead and fell to the Bulls 28-27 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Last year Syracuse and Rutgers met up in the Carrier Dome. Rutgers came in ranked 25th in the country, and left sporting a 31-14 whooping at the hands of the Syracuse Orangemen. On that day Syracuse wracked up 424 total yards against a defense that was ranked first in the Big East, and sacked Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage nine times. The Orangemen also controlled the clock, dominating the time of possession 40:01 to 19:59.

This year expect a much hungrier Rutgers team. Not wanting to get embarrassed at home like they were last year in Syracuse, the Scarlet Knights will rely on true freshman quarterback Chas Dodd, who hails from Lyman, South Carolina. Dodd took over the starting job in October and has completed 77 of 132 passing attempts for 956 yards and 5 touchdowns. Chas has also thrown 3 interceptions and been sacked 21 times. Additionally, Dodd hasn't thrown a touchdown pass since October 16th against Army.

The Scarlet Knights have three runners at their disposal in the backfield, which is rated 104th in the nation in total yards. Joe Martinek, who has 83 carries for 277 yards and 4 touchdowns. Martinek also has 6 catches for 39 yards, however he rushed only 9 times in the South Florida game last week or a total of -6 yards, though he did find the end zone once. The week before in Pittsburgh Martinek had 13 carries for 52 yards. If not for a 109 yard effort against Norfolk State to open the season, his numbers would be much lower.

Rutgers also enjoys deploying the wildcat formation, in which true freshman Jeremy Deering proved to be successful in the USF game last week. Deering rushed for 69 yards on 9 carries and also has 12 catches on the year for 249 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Thomas, who can play wide receiver and running back, played high school football with Syracuse's own Chandler Jones in Endicott, NY and has rushed 61 times for 213 yards this year along with 12 catches for 149 yards. Jones used to block for Jordan Thomas in high school, however this time Jones will look to block Thomas from getting past the line of scrimmage.

There's another cat Syracuse will have to watch out for and its Mohamed Sanu, who is a versatile football player. He has rushed 54 times this year for 285 yards and 4 touchdowns, and caught 40 passes for 389 yards and 2 scores. Last week against USF he grabbed 7 passes for 48 yards and threw for a touchdown in the loss to the Bulls. He has been fighting through an ankle/foot injury all season, although he has yet to miss a game.

At wide receiver outside of Sanu, Mark Harrison has caught 21 balls for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns. Additionally D.C. Jefferson has 10 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown, and a really cool name. Jefferson is a 6'6" 258 pound junior and lines up at tight end for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are averaging 21.9 points per game, which ranks 95th overall in the country.

The Scarlet Knights defense allows 20.1 points per game, which is 31st nationally. The defense also allows 321.8 yards per game, which ranks 26 in the country.

The Syracuse Orangemen enter the game 6-3 overall, 3-2 in Big East play and just 1 win away from securing their first bowl birth since the 2004 season. Many wished that elusive 7th win would come at home last Saturday against Louisville, although those dreams were crushed by the visiting Cardinals. Now the cuse gets a second chance to get back to the post season, and with a large contingent of Syracuse fans expected to descend upon Rutgers Stadium on Saturday, they will not be alone.

Syracuse defenders allow just 299 yards per game on average, 10th best in the nation. Allowing just 18.7 points per game, the Orangemen rank 16th in the country and will look to feast on a Rutgers offense that they sacked 9 times last year in the Dome.

On the injury front, Alec Lemon was spotted wearing a soft cast on an arm, although said it wasn't a sprain or a break, just swelling. He is expected to be ready to play on Saturday, as is Van Chew, who is recovering from some "bumps and bruises." Offensive lineman Michael Hay, who sat out last Saturday's game with a foot injury, is expected to play however has not been officially ruled active for the game yet.

Ryan Nassib currently has completed 138 of 246 passing attempts for 1,563 yards and 15 touchdowns with just 5 interceptions. His leading targets have been Van Chew (33 catches for 519 yards and 5 touchdowns), Alec Lemon (29 catches for 365 yards 4 touchdowns), and lately Nick Provo (25 catches for 262 yards and 1 score). Nassib has also found comfort throwing to Antwon Bailey out of the backfield, connecting for 22 catches for 210 yards and 2 scores.

On the ground Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey are leading the way. Carter has 853 yards on 161 carries and currently sits 5th on Syracuse's All-Time Rushing list. He is 145 yards behind the #4 rusher James Mungro. Carter is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and has rushed for 7 touchdowns. Antwon Bailey has 79 carries for 380 yards, and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry with one rushing TD.

The Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30PM and the game will be televised live on ESPNU. With a win on Saturday, Syracuse will push their record to 7-3 and achieve bowl eligibility for the first time since the 2004 season. In the tragic event of a loss, Syracuse will get two chances at home to pick up the elusive win. First against Connecticut and then the regular season finally against former Big East Conference foe Boston College.

The Cuse Connection will be tweeting live from the scene at Rutgers Stadium all afternoon, so be sure to follow @CuseConnection on twitter to get all the updates!

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Not This Time LeMoyne!

The Syracuse Orangemen put the college basketball world back on its proper axis last night with a thorough beating of LeMoyne College, 91-48 in the Carrier Dome. The 43 point victory did not erase last years embarrassing loss to the small cross town college, however it did relieve any awkwardness that may result from bumping into LeMoyne basketball players at local Chipotle's restaurants.

Four players scored in double figures for the Orangemen, with James Southerland, Dion Waiters and Scoop Jardine each scoring 13 points to lead Syracuse. Kris Joseph chipped in 12 points on 4-5 shooting from the floor, including 2-2 from three in just 18 minutes of action. Rick Jackson grabbed a team high 9 rebounds and added 3 points on just 1-7 shooting from the floor.

Syracuse freshman Fab Melo played 17 minutes scoring 6 points on 3 of 7 shooting, grabbed 8 total rebounds (6 offensive), blocked 2 shots with 1 steal and committed 3 fouls in the first 8 minutes of the game.

Speaking of the freshman, after struggling in the first half, Dion Waiters looked much better in the second half of action. He finished with a team high 13 points on 4 of 10 shooting, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and just one turnover in 23 minutes of action. Waiters was also 1-2 from three and played with much more confidence in the 2nd half after knocking down some early jumpers.

After scoring 14 points in the first exhibition game and energizing the Carrier Dome with a pair of big dunks, C.J. Fair contributed 6 points and 3 rebounds going 1 of 3 from the floor in 16 minutes of action. Fair was 4-4 from the charity stripe and showed good positioning and court awareness during his time on the floor.

Finally, Baye Moussa Keita is continuing to impress. In 17 minutes of action Keita grabbed 5 rebounds, scored 6 points and was a perfect 2-2 from the foul line. Keita also blocked 2 shots and got his hands on a lot of loose balls, although didn't always come down with them. Keita knocked down a nice jumper from the corner as well and finished 2-2 from the floor. While his handle isn't spectacular, his positioning and ability to run the floor is impressive. Baye Moussa Keita will only improve as the year goes on, and could be an important role player this season.

James Southerland had an impressive night shooting the rock. Southerland was 5 of 8 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from three, with just two boards. After an 11 rebound effort against Kutztown it is a significant difference, however it could be chalked up to James focusing on his shooting game. At 6'8" 205 pounds I'd like to see Southerland get the ball at the perimeter and drive the lane, maybe even develop some low-post moves given his size, however his stroke from 3 was smooth on this night.

Brandon Triche had an up and down game, scoring 9 points and dishing out 3 assists in 19 minutes. However, Triche committed 4 turnovers, including two on back-to-back possessions. He did throw down one monstrous dunk and grabbed 7 rebounds for the Orangemen.

An area of Syracuse's game that needs improvement is the full court press. LeMoyne broke the press each time the Orangemen deployed it, seemingly with ease. For a division II school to break the press so effortlessly, it clearly needs some work. As does Mookie Jones' shot selection. He continued to put up 3-pointers from all over the floor, however he did manage to knock down 3 of 5 from long range on this night. Mookie Jones finished with 9 points in 18 minutes and grabbed 3 boards along with 1 block.

Chris Johnson, who knocked down the game winning three for LeMoyne last season, had another big game in the Dome. In 37 minutes of action Johnson finished 8 of 14 from the floor (6 of 10 from three), for 23 of LeMoyne's 48 total points. Johnson also grabbed 3 rebounds and 3 steals for another fine performance in the Carrier Dome.

The Orangemen were impressive again from the charity stripe. After going a perfect 13 for 13 in the exhibition game against Kutztown, Syracuse followed it up with a 14 of 17 performance. That combines for a whopping 90% from the foul line for the team during the exhibition schedule.

Syracuse's regular season schedule starts on Friday when the Orangemen host Northern Iowa. Northern Iowa knocked off Kansas in the NCAA tournament last season and will be a good test for Syracuse. The game tips-off at 7PM and can be watched live on ESPN3.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

The 2011 Syracuse Men's Lacrosse Schedule is Out!

The 2011 Syracuse Orangemen Lacrosse schedule is out and the campaign will kick off with two scrimmages before the regular season opener February 20th against Denver in the Carrier Dome. Notable teams coming to the cuse this year are Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame and Cornell. The 15 game schedule features nine home games and three tilts in NFL stadiums.

February 5 - LeMoyne/Hofstra (scrimmage) - Carrier Dome

February 10 - Maryland (scrimmage) - Carrier Dome

February 20 - Denver - Carrier Dome

February 27 - Army - Carrier Dome

March 6 - Virginia - Carrier Dome

March 12 - at Georgetown - M&T Stadium - Baltimore, MD

March 15 - Albany - Carrier Dome

March 19 - Johns Hopkins - Carrier Dome

March 26 - at Villanova - Villanova, PA

April 3 - Duke - New Meadowlands Stadium - 6:30PM

April 9 - at Princeton - Princeton, NJ

April 12 - Cornell - Carrier Dome

April 16 - at Providence - Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, MA

April 19 - Hobart - Carrier Dome

April 23 - Rutgers - Rentschler Field - 6:30PM - East Hartford, CT

April 30 - Notre Dame - Carrier Dome

May 7 - St Johns - Carrier Dome

Syracuse v. LeMoyne: Take Two

Syracuse University's men's basketball team lost five regular season games last season. However outside of those five losses was the most shocking defeat many Syracuse fans will ever witness. Inside the Carrier Dome on November 3rd 2009, little LeMoyne College located practically across the street from SU, walked onto our campus and knocked off the Orangemen 82-79 in a pre-season exhibition game.

It was supposed to be an exhibition! Syracuse was supposed to steamroll the Dolphins on that day. Syracuse starters should have been relaxing on the bench early in the 2nd half, laughing about an easy victory against a division II team. However, LeMoyne came out firing three pointers and playing so ridiculously far above their heads that they managed to be down just 1 point with 8 seconds left. A Christopher Johnson 3-pointer later and LeMoyne had the greatest victory in the history of their school.

Of course the win didn't count for anything. Other than Sportscenter highlights and national media humiliation. However, no one on the Syracuse Orangemen basketball team can forget what happened on that day, nor should they. Even after winning 30 games last season, dropping just 5 after that pre-season warm-up against LeMoyne, and going to the sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, Syracuse fans still want to make the Dolphins pay for beating them on their home court.

LeMoyne's coach Steve Evans has no misconceptions about tonight's game. He doesn't expect his team to win, especially against a Syracuse team he knows wants revenge against his Dolphins. Evans compared the two schools in the Post Standard this week, saying "They've got McDonald's All-Americans, we've got guys who buy Happy Meals at McDonald's." More truthful words may never have been spoken.

Kris Joseph doesn't want to call it a "revenge" game, but he did say that "we do kinda owe them something." Syracuse fans who witnessed last year's exhibition dud want only one thing, a complete and utter domination of LeMoyne.

In their final tune-up game before the regular season starts November 12th versus Northern Iowa, Syracuse will look to give their freshman and reserve players important minutes. Just like in the exhibition game against Kutztown last week, expect to see Baye Moussa Keita and Mookie Jones getting extended minutes along with Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair.

C.J. Fair and Fab Melo were the most impressive of the freshman, however expect Dion Waiters to have a bounce back performance after a lack-luster debut last week. After a team wide poor shooting performance from behind the arc, perhaps Syracuse will look to run the offense more and work to get more inside shots rather than taking the long range 3s. James Southerland should have more of an offensive impact than he did against Kutztown, however his team high 11 rebounds were a welcome surprise.

The game will be televised live on SNY and tip-off is at 7PM.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Catching Up with Mike Williams

When "The Cuse Connection" last wrote about Mike Williams, the NFL season was just two weeks old. At that time Williams had 7 catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fast-forward six weeks, and we are midway through the football season and Mike Williams has yet to show any signs of slowing down.

Through eight games the Bucs are 5-3 and in third place in the NFC South behind Atlanta (6-2) and New Orleans (6-3). After just winning three games all of last season, the Buccaneers are showing signs of tremendous improvement. Front and center in this feel good story is our very own Mike Williams.

Mike Williams currently has 36 catches for 559 yards and 5 touchdowns. He is averaging 15.5 yards per catch which leads all rookies (who have made more than 10 catches). Additionally, his 559 receiving yards is 12th best in the NFL so far this season and Williams' 36 receptions is 35th best in the league. Mike Williams' 5 touchdown catches ties him for 11th place in the league with eight other players.

In terms of rookie performance, only Jahvid Best (running back, 41) and Dez Bryant (38) have more catches than Mike Williams. However, his 559 receiving yards is 123 more yards than the next closest rookie receiver. Furthermore, Mike Williams leads all rookies in touchdown catches (5) and catches for first down (23).

With eight games to go in his rookie year, Mike Williams is sure making a name for himself in the National Football League. It seems as though Williams is all grown up and has put the difficult days at Syracuse University behind him. If he can continue to stay out of trouble off the field, there is no reason to believe his production will slow down on the field.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Big East Conference Roundup (Week 10)

There were only two games in the Big East Conference this week, the Syracuse-Louisville match up, and Rutgers University at the University of South Florida. The two schools squared off on Wednesday and the USF Bulls knocked off the Scarlet Knights 28-27 in Tampa, Florida. Rutgers had won the previous four games against USF, winning the last two games by a combined score of 80-16.

Moise Plancher ran for a career high 135 yards on 21 carries for the Bulls, and B.J. Daniels threw two touchdown passes and one interception in the win. Rutgers held a 24-17 second half lead, however South Florida added a field goal and a safety in the 3rd quarter to cut the lead to just 2 points. In the 4th quarter Jacob Sims banged into the end zone to give South Florida the one point lead. They would fail on their 2-point conversion attempt, however hold on for the narrow victory.

Next week Rutgers will host Syracuse University at 3:30 on ESPNU. South Florida will travel to Louisville to take on the Cardinals following their big road win in the Carrier Dome this past weekend.

With the win USF improves to 5-3 overall, 2-2 in Big East play. The loss drops Rutgers to 4-4 on the season and just 1-2 in the conference. Elsewhere in the conference next week Pittsburgh will travel to Connecticut for a Thursday night match up on ESPN and Cincinnati travels to West Virginia on Saturday at noon.

Big East Conference Standings through week 10:

1. Pittsburgh 5-3 (3-0)

2. SYRACUSE 6-3 (3-2)

3. South Florida 5-3 (2-2)

4. Louisville 5-4 (2-2)

5. West Virginia 5-3 (1-2)

6. Connecticut 4-4 (1-2)

7. Rutgers 4-4 (1-2)

8. Cincinnati 3-5 (1-2)