Syracuse 29 - Akron 3: Now That's How You Start A Season
by Sean Keeley on Sep 6, 2010 12:32 AM EDT
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In 2007, the Syracuse Orange entered the football season with a truckload of hype and excitement behind them. This was going to be the season...the one where it all turns around. The Orange were going to end the season with a winning record. They were going to go to a bowl game. They were going to cease being the laughingstock of the Big East.
They promptly went out and eliminated all of that hope and promise in one game, losing to Washington 42-17. Apropos then that Washington will be Syracuse's opponent following their 29-3 season-opening win over Akron this Saturday. The Orange fully avenged the 2008 loss to the Zips with the dominating victory. This time, they came through on the promise of a new hope (Episode IV). Now the Orange will have the opportunity to do to Washington what the Huskies did to them back in '07. Take an entire preseason of hope and desire and dreams and crush it. We look forward to the opportunity.
But first, let's take a look back at the last game. It's rare that it's enjoyable experience to do so...
NOTABLE QUOTABLES
"This is a different team, we’re starting a new tradition and trying to get back to our old tradition." - Delone Carter
That sounds like a lot of traditions. Let's ease into this, please.
"That’s the way we wanted to open the season up, you know what I’m saying?...I expected that, you know what I’m saying?" - Delone Carter
Yes, we do know what you're saying.
"[Floyd Little] gave an unbelievable speech. If you weren’t ready to play after that speech last night I don’t know what can get you ready." - Doug Marrone
Valid point.
"All I know is something hit my elbow...I got it. I know Hogue will tell you he got it. I’m saying I got it." - Chandler Jones
"He said that?...I got it with my forearm. I got it. He said he got it? I’ll tell you what: I’ll give it to him." - Doug Hogue
Plenty more where that came from, fellas.
"I'm bitterly disappointed in the outcome of the game." - Akron coach Rob Ianello
And that's fine by us.
OFFENSE (B-)
In general, the offense had some moments. Especially in the hurry-up. As my fellow Seattle game-watchers asked, "why don't we just the two-minute drill the entire game?" and there's some kind of strange validity to that. Akron basically shut down the running attack and dared the Orange to beat them in the air. Nassib was mostly up to the task, as were the receivers.
Of the 29 points, the offense accounted for 23 of them. I'll take that but SU is going to need a little more if it wants to beat better opponents. The defense is going to play well but they're not going to keep opponents out of the endzone every game.
QB (B)
All in all, you have to pleased with what you say out of Nassib. 229 yards and 2 TDs on 17-for-27 passing and in his first start. Yes, there were moments I'm sure he'd love to have back. But that'll come. The real key is going to be whether or not his o-line can protect him, especially on the left side. When they don't, he gets rushed and makes mistakes. When he has time, he makes beautiful throws like that 2nd TD pass. Maybe it will teach him not to hold on to the ball for so long, a trait that just comes from experience.
Charley Loeb looked ridiculously good-looking on the sidelines. As usual.
RB (B-)
Let's put it this way...Delone Carter and Antwon Bailey didn't do anything wrong. They didn't fumble. They didn't make poor decisions. They just did good. And that was enough on this day. Carter's 91-yard, TD statline sounds little more impressive than it really was (3.5 YPG). We'll need more productivity out of him. Bailey was nice change of pace and Nassib was a helluva surprise with 58 yards on the ground.
WR (B+)
First of all, why didn't anyone tell me Aaron Weaver was a beast? When I saw him strolling into the endzone I was trying to figure out which tight end he was. Dude's a big target...look forward to seeing more of him. Especially in the endzone. The big offensive question was answered and the answer is...we're not going to have the home-run threat, but we are going to have capable receivers who can make plays. And that's all we ask for. No offense Marcus Sales but you just become that much more expendable.
OL (C)
When they did give Nassib time, he made plays. But too many times they let him down. Especially on the left side. And a rushed Nassib is a questionable Nassib. Combine that with the fact that they let Akron put a lid on Delone Carter and it looks like the O-line will continue to be the major question mark all season long.
DEFENSE (A)
Overall, one of the best defensive performances by a Syracuse team in a long time. Just completely snuffed out the Akron offense, limiting them to 166 total yards. The D will be our anchor...it's just going to be a matter of the offense keeping pace.
DL (A)
Chandler Jones could be anywhere right now. He's probably standing behind you right now. Because during the Akron game, dude was everywhere. Making plays in the middle, near the sidelines...whatever you needed. Arthur who?
LB (A)
Smith & Hogue spent the evening battling for The Bone. Doesn't matter who gets it, both of them were on top form all night. And I don't remember thinking anything about Spruill which, for a freshman, is just fine.
DB (A-)
The biggest area of concerned for the SU D was solid on the night. That said, Da'Mon Merkerson, stop worrying about the hits and just tackle people. Please? Pretty sure we teach the whole "tackle with your arms" thing, right? Would like to have seen a couple of those swatted balls turn into INTs but overall a solid showing.
SPECIAL TEAMS (C-)
Different year, same f***ing issue. That would be a solid D if not for Chandler Jones' blocking the Akron FG and Mike Holmes redeeming his otherwise crappy evening with a TD return.
As for Holmes, WTF? That's a senior out there muffing all of those kicks? Holmes looked like it was his first day on the job. I know it was windy but...Jesus. Let's consider that position open, shall we? How bout Prince-Tyson? Gulley went nuts after returning the opening kickoff to the 25. That's the kind of excitement we need...even if the results don't warrant it.
LICHTENSTEIN??? It was Ross Krautman taking all of the kicks with Lichtenstein nowhere to be seen and...things were iffy. The 47-yard field goal was nice but a missed XP? Big no-no, sir. Looks like we were right to be concerned about Lichtenstein...now let's hope it's not too serious. This kicker battle is far from over.
Casullo, come on.
Other links, recaps and postgame news...
- NICELY DONE: SU undefeated for 1st time in seven years, clobbers Zips in season-opener...Daily Orange
- Syracuse University football starts new opening-day streak with 29-3 win at Akron...Nolan Weidner
- Zipping up Akron...The Newshouse
- Weaver, Chew answer questions about uncertainty for now, lead SU receivers in dominating effort...Daily Orange
- No opening night jitters for Ryan Nassib, as Syracuse University quarterback leads team to victory...Nolan Weidner
- Syracuse secondary gives Orange assistant coach reason to smile...Nolan Weidner
- Syracuse's football trip to Akron was all part of a plan, and that plan worked perfectly on Saturday...Bud Poliquin
- Syracuse Postgame Notes...SUAthletics.com
- Hall of Famer Floyd Little inspires Orange football players with Friday evening talk...Nolan Weidner
- Syracuse defense delivers big-time when offense puts it on the ropes with turnovers...Nolan Weidner
- Syracuse Football vs Akron Recap: First Things First...Brent Axe
- Syracuse Football vs Akron Recap: The Dark Side...Brent Axe
- Syracuse Football vs Akron Recap: The Sunny Side...Brent Axe
- Syracuse Football vs Akron Recap: This, That, and the Other Thing...Brent Axe
- Syracuse wears down Akron to spoil debut of Zips coach...Cleveland Plains-Dealer
- Syracuse Orange Week One: What Did We Learn in the Annihilation of Akron?...Dan Kelley
- What we learned in the Big East (Not The Same Old Syracuse)...Brian Bennett
- Big East helmet stickers: Week 1 (Ryan Nassib)...Brian Bennett
- Syracuse - Akron Postgame Reactions OR Great Start...Orange44
- Syracuse Dances Happy Dance...OrangeFizz
- Roadtrip Recap: Tailgate Trailblazers, Cornhole With The Carters, SU Delivers...Otto's Army
| SU wins season opener |
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Spot on with the grading.
One note, the first XP was a bad snap by Macky, second one might also have been, but I couldn’t tell as it was at the other side of the field.
Krautman was shaky but to hit that 47 yarder on his first ever college kick of any kind, in that wind (which was at it’s peak when he kicked it, probably around 20 MPH) is impressive.
Syracuse '12
Fun to see a win
Defense looked very active. Let’s hope they continue that next week.
The offense is going to have to grind out points. There really isn’t any big play threat on the entire offense, so Nassib is going to have to be a consistent, accurate passer. The OL will certainly need to play much better than they did last night. This must become a consistent running team in order to give Nassib the chance to work the play action in. This offense could use just one big play threat. Maybe Bailey can be him, but he doesn’t seem like the type. The big WR’s will need to continue making nice catches, and when the get the chance to run after the catch, they need to take advantage. That slant to Weaver where he took off into the endzone was beautiful.
The OL has to be the biggest concern going forward. Yesterday was pretty ugly for them. There was a lot of pressure on Nassib from a front 7 that isn’t going to scare anyone. I can imagine HCDM reamed those guys out after the game. Hopefully, they just need some time.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Solid analysis
It would really be something fine if you could translate the Washington-BYU game into a comparable report card.
Bud gets an F for fusha and hyperbole.
Go Orange! 1-0!!!
I quit reading Bud a few seasons ago.
Can’t get through his cutesie poo writing every week. Sometimes you just don’t need all the analogies and BS. Maybe I’ll try reading him again as it looks like there is more sunshine in the forecast. (Do you think Bud would like what I just did?)
Wow Bud took over that video
and Nolan was not happy…and rightfully so. What an ass.
I quit reading Bud 16 years ago
No joke, I was 9 and thought, “Enough is enough.”
I don't know
I sort of love reading Bud BECAUSE he’s so corny. He’s so…Syracuse.
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
He's a really shitty writer posing as a good one
I believe his style is technically called “prose rape”
Syracuse '12
by blackknight76 on Sep 6, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Not going to watch the video
I do think it is cool that Bud found a shirt to match his skin.
All things considered
I thought Nassib looked poised for the most part. Missed the safety cheating a few times but the checks were solid and he seemed in control. Just wish they would bring back the “Pistol”.
Yup
I think we're short-changing the big play ability a little
look at how many big plays were fingertips away. Chew was underthrown to, but adjusted for a 45 yard gain. The tight end was open down the middle, and the LB got his hand on the ball, it was underthrown. Lemon was wide open, again the ball was underthrown but we got the PI. On the plus side, the TD to Chew was a perfect strike of 20+ yards in the air. He stretched out for it because that was th eonly spot the ball could go without the safety making a play on it. As Nassib gets more experience (first game starting remember) to make even better throws, and the line gets some game time to gell (first start for 3 of them remember) then thos eplays will be completed more frequently.
"Stop the run to earn the right to rush the passer"- great philosophy from new SU DLine coach Jimmy Brumbaugh.
by bigbluethruandthru on Sep 6, 2010 12:00 PM EDT reply actions
I
don’t trust nassib doing the hurry up to much. Thats where mistakes happen. The defense played great!!! And there was a lot of great individual performances on both sides. Chanler Jones is a beast! Weaver, Chew and Lemon looked great! Nassib looked good I guess, if you wanna call 2 fumbles (one we got back) and a pic good. Bailey had a nice catch and some nice plays, but he needs to hang on to the ball. You can’t fumble against washington and expect to win. Nice to see Delone hang on to the ball and have a great game down in his hometown. The punt returning game was HORRIBLE! It was scary at times. The blocked fg was great tho! Limit the turnovers, get the special teams fixed, and Syracuse can win at Washington playing like that! They played focused and hard! Thats all you can ask of your team! I’m proud of them! CUSE 1
by 100 yard battlefield on Sep 6, 2010 12:10 PM EDT reply actions
I kind of like seeing a bit of a playful competition between Hogue and Jones, throw in Smith in this defense is on the right track. I could not see the game but listened to the Orange All Access radio broadcast and loved it. If my honeymoon and newlywed years had been this good, I would probably still be happily married but this was better.
GO ORANGE!
The hurry-up thing is common
pretty much every offense looks better in that. You can’t do it for the whole game because it would tire out your defense.
Licky! Something just doen't make sense here.
Traveled to watch the game. Got their early enough to watch the special team warmup. Licky was out there kicking and looked really good. Totally out kicking Krautman even with the bad snaps from Macky. Didn’t look like he was hurt at all. Banged a 47 yarder through that would have been good from 55 so not sure where people say he doesn’t have a big enough leg. After the 47 yarder it appeared Casullo shut him down and let Krautman continue to take the remining kicks. Maybe Casullo is afraid “his” recruit can’t handle the competition so let’s eliminate it by not allowing Licky to kick!
Wouldn’t put it passed Casullo that he might be throwing Licky under the bus in favor for “his” recruit Krautman. Something just doesn’t feel right here. It should be interesting to see how this situation pans out over the next few weeks.
Wasn’t Licky benched after his missed his 1st FG after making his first 9 attempts?
FYI, the 1st XP was on a bad snap, the 2nd was all Krautman! Snap and hold were both good. So, if Casullo is fair to both kickers, shouldn’t Krautman be benched? Maybe there are different rules for Casullo’s recruit.
You should apply for a job at the Mayo Clinic.
You could tell all the way from the stands that Lichenstein wasn’t in any pain or discomfort.
You planning on bashing Casullo on every message board and blog in the city, or is here and the Scout board enough for one night?
LMAO
Just calling it like i see it. If it’s Casullo bashing well, maybe you dance with the fat ugly chick you bring to the dance.
BTW…. The Mayo Clinic down the street let me out for good behavior after they got me hooked on their prescription meds.
There's nothing wrong with fat ugly chicks...
at 2 AM. ;)
It's a Pro-Kraut conspiracy!
SOUND THE ALARMS
Syracuse '12
by blackknight76 on Sep 6, 2010 9:12 PM EDT up reply actions
It's a Casullo Love fest
Just don’t get what he brings to the table. Haven’t seen much good on his side of the ball since he arrived on campus with his bloated resume. All I am saying is that if Licky had a sore, fatigued, or what ever they have been telling us, I didn’t see it Saturday evening and it sure looked like Licky was preparing himself to be called upon if needed so I don’t think there is anything wrong with him. Marrone did say that Licky “wouldn’t lose his job to an injury, we owe him that”. I guess we will see how far BS fies won’t we. Somehow the truth always seems to leak out. and people tend to look stupid when it does. Hopefully it won’t blow up in Casullo’s or Marone’s face because that would be really embarrasing for the program.
The Head Coach, the Sports Information Director, and the Media
all reported that Lichy was injured.
But after watching 5 minutes of practice, you know better. Sure. You’re entitled to your opinion.
FWIW – I don’t have any irons in this fire. I could care less who kicks. If the staff feels that one kid is better prepared than the other kid … I’ll defer to their judgement.
Tin foil hats
Blue light special on tin foil hats.
Next, we will hear about this whole “if you do not practice, you do not start” conspiracy rolled out by, oh I do not know, 97% of football coaches in this country.
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