FanPost

Orange You Ready For Some Football? My Thoughts After Game 1.

Hello everyone,

For those who don't know, my name is Orange Chuck and I am not ashamed to say that I am a Syracuse homer (especially when it pertains to football but I love all SU sports). I am that guy that thinks every seasons Syracuse will win it all. I am that guy who drives an orange car and wears my Orange clothes win, lose or draw. I am that guy who still remembers my grandfather and others telling me stories about the Syracuse history and grew up loving it, especially the tradition of 44. I am a Twitter addict who mostly talks about SU sports and local CNY life even though I have been in NC since 96. I do not post on here much anymore but I read it often and have for years. I BLEED ORANGE!

Now that we have that out of the way, time to post my thoughts on this season so far.

1) "First off we’re 1-0. That’s all that counts, we’re 1-0"- Coach Shafer

I was unable to watch the game but due to Orange All Access with Matt Park on the call and Twitter, I followed along. I did not need to see it to know this game was ugly at times in a game most (including myself and even Coach Shafer) thought should be a blowout. I like to think of myself as a positive and optimistic fan but even I was drowning my sorrows in beer and thought it over in the last seconds awaiting that Villanova field goal (note to self: drinking and tweeting during a game can lead to very emotional and spontaneous expressions). I thought for sure SU had lost the game but as Coach Shafer said, they won and that is what matters. Let's face it, as Syracuse fans, many of us have seen situations like this that SU lost so I am thankful that this team did find a way to win.

Here is his Coach Shafer's Post Game Press Conference for those who missed it and seeing his honesty is why I love the passion in this man and glad he is our coach (and the podium did survive but that visor darn sure got a work out):


#InShaferIBelieve

2) 41,189

There is one aspect of Syracuse football I am always skeptical of and that is the attendance. I hear the constant bickering about the home schedule, the traffic, the lack of tailgating, etc so I rarely get my hopes up for how many will show up for Syracuse games. Even our buddy Mat questioned if this was the worst opening game ever in a column on this site. That said, after hearing the attendance was 41,189, all I have to say is this....THANK YOU!

I have been told many freshman got free tickets which is why the student section was packed and I think this should happen more because that Dome should be packed and I love seeing an excited student section. Villanova had to burn timeouts because memories of the Loud House resonated as the noise caused confusion. I heard many complain that this was a game against an inferior team so they would rather be at the fair but I am thankful for those who chose to show their support for this team no matter who the opponent is. I went to the Wagner game last year and I loved it (I was in town and a great friend had an extra ticket and I am forever thankful for that friend and his family).

I know it is easy to find reasons not to go and I know we have many hardcore fans who go to every game but this program deserves support. It's easy to say that they need to prove to you as a fan that they are worthy but as someone who grew up there and never attended, I am that town who loved and appreciated the program during it's highs and lows and even when I hated that they retired 44 and felt like they were disrespecting our traditions, I stuck it out because I believe in the Orange. Hopefully more will not look for the G-Rob in everything and help build this thing because if you want better recruits and a great reputation like the Loud House once had, we need fans like we had last night.

By the way, I love that we as a fan base have helped with ideas such as #CuseTixForKids and those who helped the Universal Cheer Co. Comets hangout with the Syracuse Cheerleaders and watch the game. Sometimes we need to take a look and realize that part of attendance issues actually have legitimate claims due to financial reasons or other aspects that present a challenge to many who do support this team and community. I am grateful to be a part of a fanbase that isn't selfish and looks to help others experience these games, especially for many young people who will have memories of these games for the rest of their lives regardless of the score. They can say they were there, they went to Varsity, they got to hug Otto (I freakin love that Orange) and they will remember that even though life at times presented them some challenging times, they had a couple hours of memory making fun that will hopefully make them smile even during the hard times.

3) Hunt/WilsonVs. Robertson

Going into that game, I did some research and I heard the interviews with coaches on both teams from the Nova coach about how good Robertson but I went in there thinking he would be outplayed by Hunt as Hunt would become a top tier QB in the ACC. Unfortunately due to Hunt's ejection, we weren't able to see if he could live up to the potential this staff said he had but that also gave us a chance to see what we had in Austin Wilson and got to witness Villanova QB Johnny Robertson play like he was the one worthy of praise.

Villanova Coach Andy Talley said during an interview on Upon Further Review on ESPN Syracuse earlier in the week that Robertson was a top QB in any division and based on that performance, I tend to believe him. Whether Robertson was running or passing, he was driving on that SU defense at times like a Porsche on the Autobahn in Germany. Luckily at times, guys like Crume and Lynch helped contain him some but he definitely lived up to his coaches hype.

The Hunt ejection was a heartbreaking thing to sit through. Having seen the replay and the player's interaction with Hunt's helmet, I can see why Hunt was not happy but as a leader, you have to keep your composure and hope you get the call or use it as momentum to beat them on the field. That said, it wasn't my head that player hit so it's really easy to judge from the living room so I won't dismiss him totally. We all make mistakes but I truly believe defines us as a person is how we respond to them. Coach Shafer has said that he will not seek further punishment for his actions (even though during the game, I thought he would at least be out against Central Michigan). Hopefully this is the last we see of that and see that fire fueling his play on the field more as the season progresses.

And while we are at it, not a bad job by Austin Wilson taking Coach Shafer's philosophy of Next Man Up and playing a good game. The backup QB always has to be ready for situations like that and Wilson made good plays at times and wasn't careless with the ball. He seemed to hit West, Flemming and Broyld (guys I have high expectations for this season) and got 1st downs and had some good drives.

4) Riley Dixon For Heisman

Last night, not only did we witness some very good kicking by Riley but for a few hours, he led the ACC in TD completions. Local boy and CBA product had a jump pass on a fake FG attempt that may have left Coach Hopkins and Boeheim wondering about him being a backup PG during the basketball season. Many joked early in the game about him having Heisman hype due to his great punts being a highlight for this team but the joke became even more fun when he made this score. In the post press conference, Riley jokes that he must have "blacked out" during the play and if that is the case, I wonder if that is also his key to such awesome punts that even had Syracuse great Rob Long joking on Twitter about Riley making him look bad.

Here are Riley's comments in that press conference as well as those of Broyld after the game:


5) The Running Game

Another aspect I had high hopes for was the running game. Last night, the running game seemed to struggle, especially in the red zone including getting stopped at the 1 in OT which forced the fake kick option. That said, some great runs by Gulley and Moore did get the blood pumping. I still think George Morris is the one with breakout potential but the experience of PTG and AAM proved that they still can be leaders in the backfield and hopefully will lead to some fun this season and more than just one good back.

6) So Where Do We Go From Here?

Sorry, I get long winded at times so I will wrap it up finally. I thought this team had 9-10 win potential just the same as the TNIAAM piece that was basically written as a "best case scenerio" piece that led to many on Twitter busting on Sean like they normally would me when I say it. I saw the tweets that mocked him and even had someone saying they would swallow a roll of change if 9 wins happened. That negativity used to bother me but I learned that to be happy in life, you can't let others pessimism stand in the way of your view of happiness. Despite that win being ugly, I still think adjustments can be made and 9 wins are not out of the question.

Many are still living with that GRob mentality. They expect Cuse to falter or they see the negative and view it as realistic and that is fine because in our society, they are just as entitled to that opinion as I am to the opinion that there is no reason Syracuse can't win every game on their schedule. I get it...many will look at this game and see that both sides of the ball should have dominated but failed to do so and will lead them to believe we will be lucky to beat Wake and Central Michigan this season whereas I look at it as this....ONE GAME.

Much like Hunt's ejection, it was a one time thing and I believe this team still has the potential to get better and live up to the hype. Guys will need to step up and make plays. Hunt will need to keep his composure and make throws when they matter. The red zone offense HAS to improve against better lines they will see this season because being unable to convert from there will hurt this team in close games. The defense has to be more than the Cam and Crume connection that leads to stops and turnovers. The offense has to have less 3 and outs so that the D has time to rest and at least get this team into FG range more often and let's see what we have there.

I do believe in this team. I believe that this staff is doing things the right way and is capable of winning any game on the schedule. I believe the fan base can look past this ugly game, stop believing that GRob era of darkness is around every bend, and support this team that once dreamed of bowl games and is now winning them again. I am still on the bandwagon train and believe this game was merely a wake-up call and this season will be a fun one and hope I am not alone.

Let's Go Orange!