The Joe Fields Era

Updated Bracketology (5/1/11)

2011-05-01T21:05:00.000-04:00

There's one week to go in the college lacrosse season, and we're really starting to see the bracket take form. Most of the at-large selections are locked down now, and a lot of the seeding is pretty set in stone as well. Let's take a look.

As always, these rankings are based on where teams are projected to finish, not necessarily where they stand now.

No. 1 Syracuse vs. Siena (AQ)
No. 8 Virginia vs. Villanova

No. 5 Maryland vs. Hofstra
No. 4 Johns Hopkins vs. Penn

No. 3 Cornell (AQ) vs. Stony Brook (AQ)
No. 6 Denver (AQ) vs. Massachusetts (AQ)

No. 7 Duke vs. North Carolina
No. 2 Notre Dame vs. Bucknell (AQ)

Last two in: Penn, North Carolina
First two out: Army, Loyola

Analysis
Guess what? Mount St. Mary's is out. Not because of anything they did wrong, but because the Mount moved to the NEC this season and I failed to realize that conference does not have an automatic bid. That opens up a new at-large spot, which Penn or North Carolina is happy to accept.

I stuck by Yale for much of this season, arguing the Bulldogs deserved to have a spot. But Yale lost to Penn head to head and its crushing loss to Harvard to end the regular season all but puts them out of contention. Their best win this year is against Georgetown, who is below .500. Not good enough.

Penn's loss to a Bratton-less UVA hurts as well, but the Quakers have huge wins over Duke and Bucknell, and finish second in the Ivy League for the regular season. They might need to make the Ivy Tournament finals to clinch it, but the Quakers should get into the dance.

The final at-large spot is literally up for grabs. If Army beats Hopkins this week, the Black Knights will almost certainly get into the field. If Yale, UMass, Loyola or Penn State advance to their conference tournament championship games, they will all have a strong argument. The guess here - and it really is nothing more than a guess at this point - is that UMass actually makes a run and takes the Colonial title. Hofstra would wrap up an at-large spot and there will be one less spot on the table.

Oh, and UNC gets in even after it loses to Notre Dame this week. The bottom of the field is too weak, and UNC does have a better resume than anyone on the outside, as sad as that may seem.

Updated Lacrosse Bracketology (4/24/11)

2011-04-24T23:35:00.000-04:00

It's been a wild two weeks since the last bracketology. A lot has changed, but a lot has stayed the same.

No. 1 Syracuse vs. Siena (AQ)
No. 8 Virginia vs. Villanova

No. 5 Maryland vs. Stony Brook (AQ)
No. 4 Johns Hopkins vs. Mount St. Mary's (AQ)

No. 3 Cornell (AQ) vs. Hofstra (AQ)
No. 6 Denver (AQ) vs. Yale

No. 7 Duke vs. North Carolina
No. 2 Notre Dame vs. Bucknell (AQ)

Last two in: Yale, North Carolina
First two out: Massachusetts, Army

Analysis
The Cornell upset at Syracuse wreaked a little havoc, but the Orange can still secure the No. 1 seed with a win over Notre Dame next week. Meanwhile the Irish should finish no worse than second, with just one loss on the season projected. Cornell and Hopkins each control the other top seeds with their strong finishes to the season.

Maryland's ACC tournament victory gets it the highest seed possible with its three losses, and Denver likely slots in right behind based on its head-to-head win over Duke. The Blue Devils and UVA take the last two seeds based on reputation and the annual ACC bump.

As far as the lower tier goes, the gap between those in and out is widening by the day. Villanova gets in despite not having a signature victory, but having a consistent body of work. As long as Yale gets to the Ivy League final, the Bulldogs should nab one of the last at large bids with a 12-3 record and some decent wins. The last spot likely goes to UNC, who could finish with six losses but sneak into the tournament based on its RPI. If any of the "locks" like Bucknell, Hofstra or Denver slip up in their conference tournament, the Tar Heels could be on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday.

Right now, UMass sits on the wrong side of the bubble after losing to Hofstra this week. The Minutemen need to win their conference tourney or get some serious help to make the field. The winner of the Army/Colgate Patriot League tournament game has a shot as well, but they'll likely need to knock off Bucknell in the final to get in.

This can be my next tweet

2011-04-13T11:22:00.000-04:00

Got this autogenerated from "This can be my next tweet."

Post Standard: Malcolm Cater accused of credit from my point line for tiger tomorrow. Thanks ...

Don't know what it means, but it made me laugh, when I needed it a lot following last night's lacrosse beatdown.

Fun site ... other gems:

NCAA Lacrosse primer - why you mean. SU fan. You're real tough. Nomar just did not die? That was traded.

Resavy just talking about jousting?? How do these guys the exercise bike I've been watching the most.

Just got kicked off two teams will return to dunk on the end of the dagger there. No FGs please.

Joel white gets old // John Adams: The ocean is indisputable now. Second time someone led off the last.

-The ocean is, indeed, indisputable.

SU vs. Cornell: 3 Players to watch

2011-04-12T11:54:00.001-04:00

Syracuse faces one of its last big tests of the season tonight when the Orange host Cornell at the Carrier Dome. Here are some key players to keep an eye on for SU.

Junior attack Tim Desko needs to find his scoring touch again

Tim Desko
Where have you gone Timmy? The junior attack was cruising through the early part of the season, but has tallied just one goal in the last four games. Desko has been suffocated by defenses who seem to have adjusted to his game, allowing Stephen Keough to re-emerge as a scorer. Tonight would be a great time for him to snap out of his funk.

Josh Amidon
Guess what? Amidon has broken out of his slump and is finding different ways to score. The senior often relies on his long-range bomb but in each of the last two games, he's opened up the scoring with a goal from the doorstep. If Amidon can begin to contribute in different areas, it will open up lanes for his outside shot, which has eluded him for most of the year.

Brian Megill
You would think Megill would be a little more mature in his sophomore season, especially having played every game as a freshman. The defenseman earned two dumb penalties Saturday against Princeton and it's starting to become a trend. Megill leads the team in caused turnovers (15), but he also leads the team in penalties (9) and penalty minutes (7:30). Lack of discipline is one of the few ways Syracuse could lose to an inferior team, and Megill could be responsible for that.

Lacrosse Bracketology (Updated, 4/11)

2011-04-10T18:12:00.004-04:00

***Note: This is not a reflection of where teams sit today, but where I project them to be at season's end***

***Note 2: This post was updated when I realized a few errors in predicting future results. Denver is added as a seeded team and Hofstra falls off the seed line. This also affected matchups due to geography***

There were a few shakeups to the lacrosse bracketology this week. Duke's loss to Denver alters the top of the bracket, while some teams that looked like contenders turned into pure, unadulterated pretenders. Let's take a look ...

No. 1 Syracuse vs. Siena (AQ)
No. 8 Denver (AQ) vs. Hofstra (AQ)

No. 5 Virginia vs. Stony Brook (AQ)
No. 4 Duke vs. Villanova

No. 3 Notre Dame vs. Bucknell (AQ)
No. 6 Maryland vs. North Carolina

No. 7 Cornell (AQ) vs. Massachusetts
No. 2 Hopkins vs. Mount St. Mary's (AQ)

Last two in: Villanova, Massachusetts
First two out: Yale, Army

Analysis
The biggest winners this week are likely Yale and UMass, who were nowhere near the tournament last week, and both could end up with at large spots by the end of the season. For now, the edge goes to the Minutemen, who have racked up quality wins over Army, Ohio State and Brown. The Bulldogs are right on their heels though.

With Bucknell’s win over Army, the Bison take the Patriot League AQ spot for now. Bucknell also puts itself in the driver’s seat for an at-large bid if it stumbles in the PL tournament with another quality victory on its resume.

Army likely drops out of the tournament picture for now, but the Black Knights will have their chances to creep back in. With a game left against Johns Hopkins and the Patriot League tournament still on the schedule, Army could very possibly make its way back into the picture.

Penn and Delaware both played themselves out of tournament contention with losses to Brown and Villanova, respectively. Likewise, Villanova is now solidly in the tournament, and can possibly lose one more and still hold onto an at-large bid.

As far as seeding goes, Duke drops to fourth as its fourth loss will be too much to keep ahead of a one-loss Notre Dame or Syracuse. I still think the Blue Devils run the table in the ACC though, and finish with a high seed.

Mid-Season Lacrosse All Americans

2011-04-08T13:00:00.003-04:00

Inside Lacrosse released its mid-season All America list this week. Unfortunately they decided to follow the Big East formula for putting waaaayyy too many players on an All America team. Over here we like to actually follow rules of the game, and put 10 guys on the team - with three "specialists" coming off the bench. Take a look at both teams, and let me know if you disagree with any of the selections in the comments.

First Team

Jeremy Boltus – A, Army

Steele Stanwick – A, Virginia

Rob Pannel – A, Cornell

Kevin Crowley – M, Stony Brook

Jovan Miller – M, Syracuse

John Ranagan – M, Johns Hopkins

John Lade – D, Syracuse

Kevin Ridgway – D, Notre Dame

Tucker Durkin – D, Johns Hopkins

Pierce Basset – G, Johns Hopkins

Specialists

Brian Karalunas – LSM, Villanova

Matt Dolente – FO, Johns Hopkins

Kevin Drew – SSD, Syracuse

First team analysis

The three attacks are pretty easy to decide. These guys score in multiple ways with great vision and passing and all three can finish. Easy call here.

In the midfield, Crowley is another easy choice with all he does for Stony Brook. Miller and Ranagan have both led their teams to top five rankings midway through the season.

On defense, having star defenders from SU, Notre Dame and Hopkins makes sense, as they are probably the three most talented defensive units. Lade is the best in the country, with or without my Syracuse bias.

As much as I want to put Galloway here, Basset has been better for Hopkins this year. He’s third in the country in GAA (6.17) and third in the country in save percentage (.634).

It’s tough to leave Joel White off the first team, but Brian Karalunas is simply having a remarkable season. He causes 4.6 turnovers per game and picks up 4.1 ground balls per game. He’s the best. Kevin Drew has replaced Matt Abbott as the one-man clear for SU, racking up 14 ground balls and not turning the ball over once this year as a terrific short stick defender.

Second Team

Mark Matthews – A, Denver

Kevin Cunningham – A, Villanova

Nicky Galasso – A, North Carolina

Jeremy Thompson – M, Syracuse

Rhamel Bratton – M, Virginia

Peter Baum – M, Colgate

Brian Megill – D, Syracuse

Max Feely – D, Cornell

Tom Montelli – D, Duke

John Galloway – G, Syracuse

Specialists

Joel White – LSM, Syracuse

Adam Rand – FO, Stony Brook

Jamie MacDonald – SSD, Denver

Second Team Analysis

My second team looks a lot like Inside Lacrosse’s second team, but with a few notable exceptions. I have Rhamel, instead of Shamel, representing the Brattons on the team. Shamel scores the goals, but Rhamel is more of a complete player at this stage, racking up 23 ground balls and causing 10 turnovers, to go with his 16 points.

Brian Megill also makes an appearance on the second team. The sophomore leads Syracuse’s defense with 1.75 turnovers caused per game and is becoming a stud next to Lade.

Lacrosse Bracketology

2011-04-06T11:47:00.000-04:00

We're about a month away from the beginning of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament, so I thought it would be fun to play Joe Lunardi and try to predict this year's field.

This is not a reflection of where teams stand now, but where I predict them to be at season's end. There are many games remaining and there will certainly be unpredicted upsets. Conference tournament games will also affect AQs and seeding, and those are hard to predict.

But let's take a stab at the field for now and see how it stacks up later on in May.

No. 1 Syracuse vs. Siena (AQ)
No. 8 Hofstra (AQ) vs. Stony Brook (AQ)

No. 5 Virginia vs. Villanova
No. 4 Notre Dame vs. Bucknell

No. 3 Duke vs. Denver (AQ)
No. 6 Maryland vs. North Carolina

No. 7 Cornell (AQ) vs. Army (AQ)
No. 2 Hopkins vs. Mount St. Mary's (AQ)

Last two in: Villanova, Bucknell
First two out: Penn, Delaware

Analysis
There are basically three at-large spots up for grabs, going to North Carolina, Villanova and Bucknell. UNC is likely a lock because the phony ACC and conference tournament will boost the Tar Heels' strength of schedule.

As long as Bucknell takes care of the rest of the Patriot League - except for Army - the Bison should get in with some good quality wins and tough schedule.

Villanova controls its own destiny, with big games coming up against Delaware and Georgetown. But if the Wildcats drop one, their resume is likely not as good as their record suggests.

Penn can sneak in with a strong finish in the Ivy League and a slip up by Bucknell or Villanova. Delware can also get in if it upsets the Wildcats this week and runs the table in the regular season.

It's hard to seed the ACC with a potential for a three-way tie for second in the fake coference. Plus, the committee loves to prop up the teams' artificially inflated RPIs in the seeding. I wouldn't be shocked if UNC got a seed and ND fell to No. 5 or 6 - even with just one loss ... to the No. 1 team in the nation.

SU lax looks a lot like SU hoops

2011-03-24T15:09:00.005-04:00

Syracuse lacrosse is 6-0 and the No. 1 team in the nation. So why does it seem so frustrating to watch them? Oh, wait, because it has been. This team has been bothering me all season, despite its record, and it finally dawned on me today ...

Syracuse.com

I've seen this all before. The Orange lacrosse team is an exact copy of the Orange basketball team over the past two seasons, at least on offense. Every major SU hoops player is represented, except Scoop - which is probably why they're still ranked num ... ah sorry, Scoop, I promised I'd stop being a "hater" this year.

So here's where I think the similarities lie. Take a look:

Stephen Keough – Rick Jackson

Keough does his damage inside, never more than a few yards from the net. He doesn’t need much room to get his shot off and he’ll get the rebound and the putback when possible. But he needs playmakers to get him the ball down low or he won’t be able to score.

Tim Desko – Brandon Triche

He’s growing up in front of our eyes. We all want him to take over with his skills but he can still disappear for long stretches. The future is bright for him, but is he good enough right now?

JoJo Marasco – Kris Joseph

He shows flashes of brilliance, but we want him to be the best player and lead the team. Maybe he’s not good enough to be the floor general. Or maybe it’s just too soon. Are our expectations too high.

Jovan Miller – Wes Johnson

Incredible athlete who plays both ways. As good defensively as offensively and does so many things that don’t end up in the box score. Probably the best player on the field most of the time, yet he still doesn’t “take over” the game by himself.

Josh Amidon – Andy Rautins

You need guys like Josh Amidon to win championships. His ability to extend the defense with his outside shot is invaluable, and he also plays great defense, which sometimes goes unnoticed. Still can’t create his own shot though, and is best as a second or third option.

Jeremy Thompson – Arinze Onuaku

Does a lot of the dirty work, pushing guys around in the faceoff circle and for ground balls. He’s also a surprisingly good passer and opens up the offense for the rest of his teammates. A very solid contributor who sometimes gets overlooked.

Tom Palasek – CJ Fair

Contributes from multiple positions whenever needed. Shows the ability to be dominant at times, but still unclear whether or not he can do it for a full game. Lots of potential for him to improve and be a star.

Defense

Joel White – Carmelo Anthony

This is a no brainer. The best player in the game, and a guy who can carry you to a national championship. His skills are unmatched in the nation.

John Lade – Gerry McNamara

You could probably call Lade Carmello as well, but let’s go with the other hero from the last 10 years at SU. Lade is quite properly rated as the best defender in the game.

Brian Megill – Hakim Warrick

Megill plays second banana to Lade in his sophomore year, but he’s a huge contributor and will likely be the best in the country by the time he graduates.

Tom Guadagnolo – Kueth Duany

You kind of forget about him, but he provides leadership and can still make some big plays when you need him. Don’t sleep on this guy’s relevance to the team.

Kevin Drew – Billy Edelin

This isn’t a knock on Drew, who is fantastic. But Drew being able to step in as a defensive middie (Edelin at point guard in ’03), allows the offensive middies to take care of the shooting and scoring (McNamara in ’03).

Tim Harder – Craig Forth

OK, that’s a joke because Harder is probably two full feet shorter than Forth. He’s probably more like Josh Pace. Doesn’t look skilled but just gets work done.

So what’s the point?

Well, take a look at the difference between the defense and the offense. You have a national championship defense, for sure. But you also have a sweet 16 or second-round exit quality offense – in lacrosse that’s probably final four, but no title, or quarterfinal exit.

If SU wins, it will clearly be because the defense carries them. That’s no great revelation. But like the SU basketball team, there is no go-to guy on offense, and I wonder if anyone will step up. Unfortunately, I think we’re more likely to see frustrating 7-6 wins than 18-8 wins the rest of the way, and I’m not certain you can win a title that way. We’ll find out.

Agree? Disagree? Have any others I missed? Let me know in the comments.

Players to watch on Friday

2011-03-03T12:10:00.002-05:00

I'd like to say we'll do this every week for SU lax games, but based on my track record, let's not get too greedy here. Let's go through each position grouping, with a bonus second midfielder for today.

Defense - Whoever draws Steele Stanwick
Really, the defense will have to put up a total team effort to win on Friday, as UVA boasts some of the most talented offensive players in the country. Whether it's John Lade (probably) or Joel White (sometimes), the task of stopping Stanwick will be the toughest of the day. Stanwick scored eight points against Stony Brook. Holding him to three on Friday will probably be a success for the Orange.

Midfield - Tim Harder
Between Stanwick, Chris Bocklet and the Brattons, there is just so much firepower on offense for the Cavs. That means someone - either midfielder Rhamel Bratton or attack Connor English - will draw a short stick middie. Kevin Drew will play a big role in this task as well, but look for Harder, the diminutive yet unflappable shorty to take on the challenge.

Midfield - 2nd midfield
You, me and Roy Simmons Jr. have exactly one fewer goal than the 2nd midfield line at SU this year. Pete Coleman's tally against Denver is all they've produced to date. To be fair, Tom Palesek has delivered two assists as an attack/midfield combination and some of JoJo Marasco's goals have come when he rotated up top like a midfielder. To match UVA's high scoring in this game, however, SU needs something, ANYTHING from its second middies.

Attack - Tim Desko
Marasco wears 22, which is basically a sign that says "cover me with your best guy." Keough is a finishing machine who is drawing other top defenders that used to cover Cody Jameison. That leaves room for Desko, who is quietly turning into an All-American at attack. He's probably SU's best shooter and is the most creative around the net. Look for a big day from the coach's son, who's becoming a star in his own right.

Lacrosse primer - 4 reasons why this game is so big

2011-03-02T11:32:00.002-05:00

In case you haven't noticed - and judging by most people I talk to, you haven't - Syracuse and Virginia will square off in the Dome on Friday night, at 6 p.m. It's kind of a big deal, and here's why.

1. In case you missed it, we hate you, UVA
But you already know that, so ...

1b. It's always the best game of the year
OK, maybe not THE best game of the year, but pretty darn close every year. Going into the 2009 game, the series between SU and UVA was tied at 12-12 (it's now 14-12, UVA). Since 1994, the Cavs lead the overall goal count by just two goals (170-168). Every game since 2008, including the 2OT thriller in the '08 Final Four, has been decided by just one goal. Expect another tight game that comes down to the final seconds ... it's about as reliable as a 20-win season for Jim Boeheim.

2. The road to the national title goes through ...
OK, so both Virginia and Syracuse missed the championship game last year. But that was an outlier for sure. In nine of the last 12 seasons, either SU or UVA has played for the national title on Memorial Day. At least one of them was in the final four in every one of those seasons except 2007 (never happened). Whoever wins this game will be the favorite to win the title the rest of the way.

3. Syracuse has something to prove
The Orange is the No. 1 team in the country, but it's still coming off last year's first-round exit and last week's sloppy redemption over Army didn't fully erase the doubts. It's time for SU to assert itself as the clear best team in the nation.

4. Lacrosse crowds - they're real
Believe it or not, SU usually leads the nation in attendance. It never seems that way compared to football and basketball, but Orange fans are passionate and the best in the game. Somewhere between 16,000 and 20,000 fans should be at the game on Friday and ESPNU is televising it nationally.

Lacrosse primer - why you should hate UVA

2011-03-02T10:50:00.001-05:00

Sean at Nunes wrote about why UVA is not really our arch-enemy last year. He's right. Johns Hopkins is truly our arch-enemy, our Georgetown of lacrosse, if not much, much more.


Mike Leveille making UVA fans cry in 2008

I have to let you in on a secret though. I HATE UVA. And you should too.

If you're new to this lacrosse thing, or just a casual fan who watches final fours to see SU celebrate titles (nothing wrong with that), you might not truly understand why. So here are a few reasons why you should truly hate the Cavaliers.

SU hasn't won a regular-season game against UVA since 2002
That's nine years. NINE YEARS. Sure, the Orange won the 2008 national semi-final against the Cavs, but for the most part, Virginia has dominated Syracuse in recent memory. No one dominates the Orange in lacrosse. NO ONE. This must change, now.

They stand in the way every year
With all due respect to Hopkins (which is none), Virginia is the only team that has been in the conversation with SU since its return to dominance in 2008. This is the third-straight year the teams enter their first meeting ranked 1/2 in the polls. Each team has entered the tournament as a top 3 seed every year since 2008. This game matters.

They represent the ACC
If basketball doesn't get your hatred for the ACC brewing, lacrosse will get the job done. The ACC isn't a real conference. It doesn't get an automatic bid to the tournament because there are only four teams. The fraudulent conference tournament allows each of the four schools to artificially boost their strength of schedule rankings and gets them high seeding in the tournament. This should make you angry.

We're back ... under new management

2011-03-02T10:11:00.000-05:00

OK, it's really the same management, but I have a little more time on my hands now.

For those of you who know me, I've always been a big football fan and hoops fan, but after going to SU, my true passion became lacrosse.

Everyone writes about football and basketball, so it's hard to come up with an original post from time to time, but that shouldn't be the problem with lacrosse.

Check back later today and this week as the Orange get ready for Lax-mageddon (yeah, I went there) against UVA. It's kind of a big deal.

Post Standard: Malcolm Cater accused of South Campus burglary

2010-12-11T19:27:00.000-05:00

From Robert A. Baker of Syracuse.com:

A Syracuse University student is accused of burglarizing three apartments on the university’s South Campus, Syracuse police said.

Malcolm Cater, 19, of 130 Lambreth Lane, is charged with three counts of burglary and one count of grand larceny, all felonies, and two counts of petit larcenty, both misdemeanors.

Click here for the full story from Syracuse.com.

Sorry, Ryan, but it's time for a change

2010-11-27T22:18:00.001-05:00

Syracuse.com

Just made it back from Syracuse after watching the Orange drop their second straight and third of their last four to close out the 2010 regular season. 7-5 was the goal at the beginning of the year, but the way these last two games went down, it’s easy to be just a little disappointed.

Which brings us to the point of this post: Ryan Nassib. Honestly, the kid can make the throws. That bullet to Marcus Sales in the first quarter on Saturday was a thing of beauty – Nassib released the ball while Sales was still one step away from making his cut. Sure, he misses some throws over the middle from time to time, but he clearly has the arm strength and the ability to be a starting quarterback in the Big East.

The problem with Nassib, however, is pocket presence. He has none. And on a team with an offensive line as inexperienced (read: terrible) as the Orange, you need a quarterback who can sense the rush and make adjustments. At the beginning of the year, it was excusable – he’s never started before, and the line doesn’t give him any time to make his reads. It seemed easy to fix with time and experience in the pocket, but the fact is, over 12 games, Nassib’s ability to recognize the rush and get rid of the ball seems to have actually regressed.

Nassib has been sacked 31 times this season (not all his fault) and fumbled the ball 10 times (all his fault). Ten fumbles is nearly one per game. That's inexcusable.

When he’s not picking himself up off the dome turf, he’s getting happy feet and scrambling out of the pocket, trying to make something happen with his feet rather than standing in there and trying to make a throw. Or he’s making ill-advised (and illegal) double passes on tipped balls like last week against UConn. Louisville showed the rest of the Big East the blueprint when they brought the house against Nassib and dared him to find the open receiver under pressure. He simply couldn’t make the reads he needed to make them pay. Defensive coordinators will not forget this.

The fact is the O-line isn’t getting any better between now and the bowl game. And if you look at it honestly, the line probably won’t get any better next year either (if there was a stud waiting in the wings, he probably would have seen the field by now). Nassib could turn into a good quarterback some day, as long as he’s on a team that could protect him and give him the chance to show off that cannon of an arm. But that team is not Syracuse in 2010. And it’s probably not Syracuse in 2011 either.

It’s time to see what the young guns can do at quarterback. They may not have the skills Nassib has – the arm strength or the ability to throw the deep ball down the sidelines – but they have to be more aware in the pocket (or at least have the ability to develop that skill). I’ll take my chances with the less-talented guy who can make better decisions and make up for the many deficiencies in the offensive line.

If Marrone doesn’t take that chance, get used to more offensive performances like these past four weeks.

And don’t get used to going to bowl games.

Bowling!!! ZOMFG!!

2010-11-13T19:02:00.000-05:00

It's not hyperbole when I say I wasn't sure this day would ever come again. The powerhouse state schools can have a few off years and bounce back, but a private school in the Northeast? I wasn't so sure. This is just a great day for the school, the team and all its fans. Everything else is a bonus from here on out this year. I'll have to leave it at that for tonight, before I start crying all over my keyboard. We'll reflect more on this tomorrow.

The No. 1 way to NOT do that again: Shotgun

2010-11-07T12:05:00.000-05:00

Let me start this by saying I love Ryan Bartholomew. He is the best player on the offensive line, their leader and the rock in the middle. When he was temporarily injured on Saturday, I feared the O-line would not be able to recover without him.

That being said, Syracuse needs a shotgun snapper. Nassib was taking hits before he even set up his drops yesterday, and that could have been easily solved by going into the shotgun. If Big Bart can't do it, Marrone needs to find someone who will.

Relax now ... I'm not saying you bench the best player on a mediocre offensive line. That would just be foolish. There's a precedent for this though, with the 2001 New England Patriots. Damien Woody was a fantastic center at the time, who could not snap the ball in the shotgun. The Patriots didn't want to lose that part of their offense, and they also didn't want to take one of their best players off the O-line, so they would slide Mike Compton (a guard) over to center for shotgun plays and move Woody to guard. They did this all season, including in a 20-17 win over the Rams to earn the franchise its first of three super bowl titles.

Bartholomew has played guard before, so it wouldn't be much of a challenge for him to slide over a spot occasionally during the game. The question is, can one of the guards move over to center and snap shotgun. Frankly, it's not that hard to do. The shotgun snap is nowhere near as difficult as a long snap, but sometimes players like Bart get the yips and simply can't do it.

It's worth a try, because opposing teams will follow the Louisville blueprint the rest of the season and bring the heat on Nassib. If he can't get a head start into his drops, he won't stand a chance to be successful.

5 things to watch on Saturday

2010-11-04T21:57:00.000-04:00

1. Delone Carter's hip
The hip looked fine as DC3 was cruising to another 100-yard game at Cincy last week. But with the Prince out for the next few weeks with mono, and Carter's history of hip issues, the SU running game is one awkward fall away from consisting of just Antwon Bailey. I love Bailey as much as anyone, but he's far more valuable as a change of pace back than as your only back.

2. Opening drives (on each side)
What went wrong against Pittsburgh? Well, many things, but the first thing to go wrong was SU starting out with a three-and-out. Then when the Orange punted to the Panthers, they promptly gave up a TD on the first play. You could just about see the Dome physically deflating. If SU can put points on the board early against Louisville, the crowd will hopefully carry them through the rest.

3. Whoever is playing right tackle
Michael Hay has been in a boot all week, so don't count on him making the start. It's too bad, because the O-line finally looks like it's coming together, and they've played better as of late. But injuries happen in football, and someone will have to step up in Hay's absence. It'll be interesting to see if Syracuse tries to run more to the left, and if Louisville notices and adjusts.

4. Ryan Nassib's accuracy over the middle
Nassib has helped the team get to 3-1 in conference play, and he really hasn't done much wrong. But everyone has seen him miss those wide open receivers from time to time. He missed Alec Lemon in the corner last week, but it seems he has the most trouble with the intermediate throws (10-20 yards) over the middle. Nassib needs to settle down and play catch with his receivers, rather than trying to take their hands off and overthrowing them.

5. Phillip Thomas
You know what your going to get from most of the SU secondary at this point. Mike Holmes is a stud, Da'Mon Merkerson will make some mistakes, but he'll make some nice plays too and Max Suter will be a solid force who gets in on the pass rush from time to time. But Thomas has been the real playmaker in the Orange's three conference wins, racking up 16 tackles, a fumble recovery and seeming to be all over the field at all times. If you see #1 in the picture a lot on Saturday, the odds are pretty good the Orange will be booking its first bowl trip since 2004.

Syracuse has been upgraded to "Don't Buy"

2010-10-24T13:30:00.000-04:00

It seems at least eight writers (just three coaches) actually noticed Syracuse's big win yesterday at West Virginia. And in case you were wondering if SU is truly relevant again, the polls reflect that.

No, we're not ranked, yet, but we are in the "others receiving votes" category. After all we've been through since 2004, I'd say that's a victory around these parts. We'll take it.

Here are some fun tidbits to hold over your friends based on the newly-released polls:

1. Syracuse has more votes than Florida, Texas and Clemson, to name a few.

2. SU has as many votes in the AP poll as West Virginia and as many votes in the Coaches Poll as California.

3. If you go by others receiving votes, SU is tied with WVU as the HIGHEST RANKED BIG EAST TEAM. That says more about the Big East than Syracuse, but I'll take it.

A few more wins for the Orange, and they might even be upgraded to "Risky."

Doug Hougue named National Defensive Player of Week

2010-10-24T12:06:00.000-04:00

Guess it's safe to say Hogue is your MVP from yesterday's game. Hard to argue that with his 10 tackles and two huge INTs. SUathletics.com has the story.

Glass-half full stat of the week

2010-10-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

10-3

Haven't had one of these in a while. I guess I'll have to give back some of my sponsorship money to the Dairy Farmers of America. Wish I didn't buy that boat with Joe Fields' picture on the side.

The last time Syracuse started the season 5-2, was in 2001. The Orange went on to finish 10-3 and capped it off with a 26-3 drubbing of Kansas State in the Insight.com bowl. Something to keep in mind.

Who scares you? A look at the rest of the 2010 slate

2010-10-23T20:29:00.000-04:00

Now that SU proved it could win a game on the road against a ranked opponent, it's only logical to start buying Fiesta Bowl tickets and book that hotel in Tempe. Right?

Syracuse.com

OK, we're not that crazy ... yet. Pittsburgh holds the tiebreaker over SU anyways and will probably go undefeated in the conference, so the Big East title is far from ours. But it is time to start looking at the schedule to see who SU can beat and who it probably can't. Remember, two more wins is all it takes to be bowl eligible for the first time since 2004.

Cincinnati (3-4, 1-1)
The Bearcats eeked out a win over Louisville and have signature wins against Miami (OH) and Indiana St. They also just lost to South Florida at home, and have given up fewer than 28 points just once to an FBS team (Miami). The only problem is, this one's on the road, but SU already has two key Big East road wins so far. The other problem though, is Cincy needs this win after last week. I like the Bearcats ... barely.
Odds of SU winning: 45 percent

Louisville (4-3, 1-1)
The Cardinals are not all that different from Syracuse. They're a better team than the past few years, and they crushed UConn on Saturday. They even hung in with Cincy at home last week. They're certainly not a pushover, but SU has matched up well against the Cards even when they had more talent. I'm taking the Orange at home.
Odds of SU winning: 60 percent

Rutgers (4-3, 1-1)
The Scarlet Knights hung in there with Pittsburgh on Saturday, but gave up 27 points in the 2nd half in the loss. It's hard to fear a team whose four wins are Norfolk St, FIU (by five), UConn (by three) and Army (by three in OT!!!). Next week in Tampa will tell us a lot, but I like SU, even on the road.
Odds of SU winning: 55 percent

Connecticut (3-4, 0-2)
I know Temple is better than they were five years ago, but if you lose to the Owls, you should be underdogs in every game the rest of the year. It should just be a rule. Plus, the Huskies put up just 10 points against Greg Robinson's vaunted defense at Michigan. Imagine what Scott Shafer can do to them. Syracuse wins big at home.
Odds of SU winning: 80 percent

Boston College (2-5, 0-4)
This one should be fun. SU hopefully will have already clinched a bowl bid. BC will be limping to the end of a terrible season. BC's only wins this season are against Weber State and Kent State. They'll probably beat Duke in a few weeks, but don't expect much more. If you are looking for some comic relief, check out this preview of the 2010 BC season, where the authors predicted BC would be going for its 10th win in "meaningless" game. Oh, and BC is 2-10 all time in the Dome.
Odds of SU winning: 80 percent.

Maybe I'm a little delusional here. I don't really think SU is going to finish 9-3 ... do I? I'm just saying, no one really scares me after Saturday.

Where am I? SU is 5-2 (2-1) and in the hunt!

2010-10-23T15:33:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in a while, because, frankly, I've been depressed. Depressed that I drove a total of 18 hours to watch SU get dismantled on its home turf. Depressed that the crowd was pathetic, even after the game was tied at 7-7 and the defense needed a lift. Depressed that the Orange still hadn't made "the leap."

But now, I don't know how to feel. Who are these guys? Are they the team that demolishes offenses like Akron, South Florida and even West Virginia? Or are they the team that gets scored on at will by Washington and Pittsburgh?

What can't be debated is that SU is 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big East. After USF pulling the upset at Cincy last night, the Big East is still up for grabs. It's probably Pitt's to lose now, and the Panthers have the tiebreaker over the Orange, so the Big East title is still a bit of a pipe dream, but after today, anything is possible.

With five games left, and just two wins needed to qualify for the first bowl berth since 2004, the question is starting to turn into which bowl are we going to? Syracuse is a legitimate team again, capable of beating anyone in the Big East, and that's all we've really been asking for around here for a long time.

I'm going to be happy tonight, but I'm also still very confused. And I'm hoping I don't wake up in a few seconds and realize this was all just a dream.

5 reasons Syracuse will beat Pitt on Saturday

2010-10-13T19:11:00.001-04:00

Ahh, the fabulous world of Twitter, where it becomes painfully obvious that you forgot the name of Pittsburgh's running back, twice ... you know, the one who you said would dominate SU's running game (this has been fixed, thanks to @obscuredv1sions). It's also a world where SU football players actually read my tweets, but don't get to the part where I say I will give five reasons the Orange will actually win the game, tomorrow.

Anyways, before Andrew Lewis tries to hunt me down and kill me, let's get to the five reasons Syracuse will be celebrating on Saturday ... a little earlier than originally scheduled.

1. Defense, defense, defense
SU allowed just 219 yards to South Florda, on the road, in its first Big East test of the season. Now factor in a bump to the defense from a hopefully sold-out Carrier Dome crowd cheering them on, and a Syracuse offense that's still looking for an identity. All that adds up to a big day for the Orange defense on Saturday.

2. Syracuse learned how to win
Doug Marrone said the team needed to figure out how to win games before last week's big road victory. The Orange did just that, growing up in a 98 yard drive that could alter the course of the program. They'll take that newly-found confidence into this game, and it should make a huge difference. The sky is the limit, and the Orange won't be afraid of anyone.

3. The snowball effect
The 2005 Syracuse team was more talented than its record showed. They had multiple NFL players and were coming off a bowl campaign the year before. But a few tough losses early on (West Virginia, UVA) quickly turned the whole year into a lost season, and a team that probably could have gone at least 4-7 collapsed in a 1-10 season. I'm not saying Pitt will go 2-10 this year, but things sure could spiral out of control when 18-23 year old kids start facing adversity.

4. The coaching matchup
A friend of mine once said to me during a Pitt/SU game, "As long as I look across the sidelines and see Dav Wansdstett, I think we have a chance to win." The problem with that was we had Greg Robinson on our sidelines, so we couldn't take advantage of the matchup. Now, you could argue we have the better coach for once, and that's a serious cause for optimism.

5. I'll be there
It's not like I'll make much of a difference (although I will be loud), but the point is, I'm driving seven hours from D.C. for this game, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one doing something like this. If the Dome is rocking like it's capable of, the odds of SU winning improve tenfold.

If you're feeling a bit more pessimistic, check out the previous post on why SU won't win the game on Saturday.

5 reasons Pitt will beat Syarcuse on Saturday

2010-10-13T12:55:00.003-04:00

Syracuse.com

Today we look at the Syracuse/Pitt game from a pessimistic point of view. Fear not, however, because tomorrow we'll give you five reasons why Syracuse will upset the Panthers in the Dome. But for now, let's take it down a notch ... for America (copyright: Jon Stewart).

1. Pitt would be at least 4-1 with SU's schedule
I'm not sure if they would have beaten Washington on the road, after dropping games to Utah and Notre Dame already this season. But it's hard to argue the Panthers would have lost to any one of Akron, Maine, Colgate or South Florida. So let's not go too crazy when comparing records here.

2. They're not intimidated by the Dome
The last time Pitt lost to the Orange in the Carrier Dome was 2004. They won each of the last two games in Syracuse by double digits. Saturday should be a different environment than the current Panthers are used to seeing in the Dome, but they've been on bigger stages before.

3. Dion Lewis vs. the SU run defense
It could have been an aberration when Colgate rushed for 242 yards against the Orange. Hopefully it wasn't a sign of weakness for an otherwise impressive unit. If so, Lewis could run Syracuse right out of its own building.

4. Syracuse hasn't won four-consecutive games since 2001
This will likely be a season of overcoming mental hurdles for the Orange, and this is another one to worry about. Don't underestimate the difficulty of winning four games in a row, especially with the last one against as talented a team as Pitt. I'm not sure SU is ready to make that leap just yet.

5. They're the more talented team
Speaking of talent, Pitt simply has more of it than Syracuse. The media picked the Panthers to win the Big East in the preseason. The coaches did too. Despite the records, Pitt still looks like a better team on paper, and when in doubt, go with the more talented team.

Awards, awards, awards

2010-10-10T10:54:00.000-04:00

When you win a game like that, you deserve some awards. So let's give the people what they want.

Syracuse.com

MVP - Max Suter
This is a tough one. It could go to Delone Carter for his 105-yard performance. Ryan Nassib had a miserable three quarters, but he did lead the team on the game winning touchdown drive. Or how about Antwon Bailey who racked up 81 yards on just nine carries and was the lone spark for the offense for most of the game? But this one has to go to a defensive player, and no one stood out quite as much as Suter in Tampa. The safety piled up a team-high eight tackles, including a big sack on a safety blitz. He also recorded three tackles for loss and chased B.J. Daniels out of the pocket on multiple occasions. Cast your vote in the poll at the left for who you think the MVP was Saturday.

Best offensive player - Antwon Bailey
Already touched on briefly above, but Bailey made the Syracuse offense tick on Saturday. He finally got the touches he deserves, and took advantage of them to rack up 129 all-purpose yards on nine carries and three receptions. When Bailey gets the ball, the offense moves forward. Hopefully Doug Marrone and Co. have finally learned that lesson.

Most surprising performance - Da'Mon Merkerson
I've been on Merkerson all season, like most SU fans, but the senior corner was a rock on Saturday. He not only pulled in a big interception on the opening drive, he pretty much played shutdown defense throughout. He made one mistake on a short pass interference call, but was a major part of a great day from the secondary, limiting USF to just 124 yards on 9-23 passing.

Best redeeming yourself performance - Ryan Nassib
Nassib looked absolutely horrible for much of this game. He threw passes behind receivers on third down. He overthrew wide open receivers over the middle of the field. He just looked off. But then, young Nassib showed off all that promise in engineering the most important drive for SU in the last six years. We always judge quarterbacks on winning, and Nassib did enough to win on Saturday.

Best coach who's definitely leaving after the season - Scott Shafer
Is there any doubt Scott Shafer is going to be a head coach somewhere next season? The defense he inherited at Syracuse was a perennial cellar dweller in nearly every statistical category. Now, the Orange is 3rd in the Big East in points allowed, 3rd in the conference in yards allowed, 2nd in passing defense and 2nd in third down conversions allowed. Against its first Big East foe of the season, the Orange defense held the Bulls to just 219 yards of offense and just three points - not counting the kickoff return for a TD (Bob Casullo will be leaving too, but for different reasons).