Catch Up And Release
by Sean Keeley on Sep 2, 2008 10:37 AM EDT
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I figure it will be cathartic to just get it all out in one fell swoop...
If you haven't already, check out post-game wraps from The Axeman, Orange44 and Three Idiots.
Offense:
Hey, the good news is our running game is back. Be it Curtis Brinkley, Doug Hogue or Delone Carter, all three had good things to show for themselves. Brinkley (49 yds., TD), Carter (45 yds) and Hogue (23 yds) all rattled off some decent runs, most notably Brinkley's TD run and Carter's 32-yard scamper.
The problem was SU's offensive scheme which consisted of:
A) Wait for a really good running play
B) Immediately follow it up with a drive-killing run up the middle with the same RB
Andrew Robinson...sheesh, what happened? 14 of 28 for 103yds, zero TDs, a one costly pick that was returned for a touchdown and an intentionally-grounded pass in the endzone that was deemed a safety. Not his best work. If we're talking about last season when the first game was also Andrew's first as a starter, that would be one thing. But there was really no reason to expect this from him now. Many people in the chat were calling for Cam Dantley by the 2nd half and although I'm not giving up on Robinson yet, I'm not going to shush the boo birds either. Keep Andrew on a very short leash for now...
Especially considering that there doesn't seem to be any semblance of a downfield passing game. The Orange didn't seem interested in passing the ball more than ten yards at a time until late in the 4th quarter when it was in desperation. You get the sense there's no trust in the receivers...and maybe in Andrew as well.
Oh and the O-line ONLY gave up two sacks. I don't know about you but I'll take it.
Defense:
All things considered, probably the best-performing unit of the day. You can't expect a young defense to hold together for too long when they have no offensive support and they spend most of the day on the field. Derrell Smith's interception stands out and the fumble recovery, but the fact that the Orange did little with the opportunities muddies their value. Still, not horrible...
Special Teams:
Where have you gone, Max Suter? Last year's All Big East punt returner looked...okay. Punter Rob Long...the same. Pat Shadle gets credit for the field goal he made and for the one that he barely missed that probably could have gone about 70 yards (where does he get his power from now that he has no thigh fat)? Overall, slightly disappointing, especially considering how much we're going to be leaning on them this season. They need to be excellent.
Misc:
Do you employ a strength & conditioning coach who we pay money? And does that person then exchange that money for goods and services? Because if so, we should take those goods and services as repayment for lack of job performance. Either we don't actually have a strength & conditioning coach or the SU coaching staff doesn't know how to properly prepare it's team for an actual game. Which is it?
Breadwinner:
The most important issue of all...who won the bread? It's "imisseditnews" for picking 34-10. Congrats. Email me with your address and we'll send you the gift card that keeps on giving...for $20-worth. We'll post another challenge tomorrow.
(AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
If you haven't already, check out post-game wraps from The Axeman, Orange44 and Three Idiots.
Offense:
Hey, the good news is our running game is back. Be it Curtis Brinkley, Doug Hogue or Delone Carter, all three had good things to show for themselves. Brinkley (49 yds., TD), Carter (45 yds) and Hogue (23 yds) all rattled off some decent runs, most notably Brinkley's TD run and Carter's 32-yard scamper.
The problem was SU's offensive scheme which consisted of:
A) Wait for a really good running play
B) Immediately follow it up with a drive-killing run up the middle with the same RB
Andrew Robinson...sheesh, what happened? 14 of 28 for 103yds, zero TDs, a one costly pick that was returned for a touchdown and an intentionally-grounded pass in the endzone that was deemed a safety. Not his best work. If we're talking about last season when the first game was also Andrew's first as a starter, that would be one thing. But there was really no reason to expect this from him now. Many people in the chat were calling for Cam Dantley by the 2nd half and although I'm not giving up on Robinson yet, I'm not going to shush the boo birds either. Keep Andrew on a very short leash for now...
Especially considering that there doesn't seem to be any semblance of a downfield passing game. The Orange didn't seem interested in passing the ball more than ten yards at a time until late in the 4th quarter when it was in desperation. You get the sense there's no trust in the receivers...and maybe in Andrew as well.
Oh and the O-line ONLY gave up two sacks. I don't know about you but I'll take it.Defense:
All things considered, probably the best-performing unit of the day. You can't expect a young defense to hold together for too long when they have no offensive support and they spend most of the day on the field. Derrell Smith's interception stands out and the fumble recovery, but the fact that the Orange did little with the opportunities muddies their value. Still, not horrible...
Special Teams:
Where have you gone, Max Suter? Last year's All Big East punt returner looked...okay. Punter Rob Long...the same. Pat Shadle gets credit for the field goal he made and for the one that he barely missed that probably could have gone about 70 yards (where does he get his power from now that he has no thigh fat)? Overall, slightly disappointing, especially considering how much we're going to be leaning on them this season. They need to be excellent.
Misc:
Do you employ a strength & conditioning coach who we pay money? And does that person then exchange that money for goods and services? Because if so, we should take those goods and services as repayment for lack of job performance. Either we don't actually have a strength & conditioning coach or the SU coaching staff doesn't know how to properly prepare it's team for an actual game. Which is it?
Breadwinner:
The most important issue of all...who won the bread? It's "imisseditnews" for picking 34-10. Congrats. Email me with your address and we'll send you the gift card that keeps on giving...for $20-worth. We'll post another challenge tomorrow.
(AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
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