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Old 05-04-2003, 07:22 PM   #1
The Orange Man
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Syracuse 2019: A changing of the guard

As we enter the 2019 season, the UCLA Bruins are prepared to extend a 46-game unbeaten streak, college football's all-time best. Prepared to build on a fourteen-year span in which they had won the National Championship outright ten times and shared it two other times (with Illinois and Notre Dame) in the process of compiling a 164-4 record. Texas claimed the other two national titles during this time. As for my Syracuse Orangemen, we've been to the National Championship game down in New Orleans on two occasions, falling 38-7 to UCLA back in 2013 and to Texas 31-7 just two years ago. It was after this second defeat, in which only a late touchdown was managed, that we decided to move from the I-Formation to the Single-Back Formation (in a nod to UCLA's success with it) - hiring 56 year old Jorge Cecil as our new Offensive Coordinator. Cecil's knowledge of the new offense was limited and the learning curve for the team was in large measure responsible for the 9-3 season that followed, culminating in a humiliating 47-7 Fiesta Bowl loss to Miami of Ohio, which I believe was the worst defeat of my tenure.

In UCLA's first game of the season, it became evident right away that things might be a little bit different as the late college football scores started coming in. From that day's game in Los Angeles came the score: Northern Illinois 21 UCLA 20 - a shocking upset. But it's something that has happened on occasion before - and everyone knows that only one loss in all likelihood will not keep the Bruins out of the National Championship game, if prior form holds and they destroy the opposition week-after-week for the remainder of the season. And no one wants to see this bunch waiting for them when matters get settled at the Sugar Bowl in January - no one at all, we've all seen how that script plays out. This, by the way, is the team that holds the all-time record of allowing only 4.5 points per game in the 2016 season, giving up only three touchdowns for the entire season, if memory serves. But that's how it is when you recruit eight to ten of the top 100 high school players every year. This disturbing pattern of recruiting success seems to have spread in recent years to Miami of Ohio and many believe this team is prepared to challenge UCLA for long-term supremacy. For Syracuse fans, it is a very unwelcome thought to have a budding powerhouse so close to home, very unwelcome indeed.

Hopes are not particularly high this year in Central New York, at least not in regard to the region's continual hopes for a national title. While highly-touted junior quarterback Roman Farrar is back after missing most of his sophomore season due to injury, people are seriously wondering if the move to the new offense was the right thing to do. We certainly can't run the ball the way we used to and that does not help a defense that is weaker than it has been in years. It is a defense that is a little bit thin at defensive tackle and inside linebacker (we usually play the 3-4) - we can't afford any injuries there or at cornerback. Unlike past years, in which we've been extremely good at shutting down the run or pass (and occasionally both), the team doesn't really take away either one. Let's put it this way - we're not expecting much as it's hard to see this team stopping anyone when push comes to shove. We'll just have to do what we can and hopefully show enough on the field that we don't get hurt in the recruiting wars (which, as I look at this year's crop of players, I am particularly excited about, as it seems that many talented players this year are in our area of the country and/or value academics - which is a good thing as we do not typically recruit anyone with a GPA under 3.0.).

The first two weeks are relatively easy wins (38-13 at Colorado and 40-14 against Tennessee). That sets the stage for the first of a home-and-home series against Texas. While Texas is a perenially strong team, they appear a little bit weaker than usual this year, which makes the trip to Austin a little less daunting than it might otherwise be (not to mention a game we wouldn't have scheduled if this were not the case). It doesn't hurt us that our visit marks the season opener for the Longhorns as well, nor that pure freshman Neal McCarthy is starting at quarterback for them due to another player's academic problems. We are fine early on, taking the opening kickoff and embarking on an 80 yard touchdown drive, stopping Texas and then moving to a 2nd-and-8 situation from our own 47, with some nice running from senior Herman Peterson. It's at this point that Roman Farrar challenges the Longhorn secondary deep and is rewarded with a Preston Duncan interception (the kicker being that Texas recruited him right from New York State). That (and an early-third quarter Peterson injury that would sideline him for nearly the rest of the season) has momentum turning Texas' way and three Texas possessions later, we are on the short-end of a 17-7 score. But we do move into Texas territory on consecutive possessions spanning the halftime break and Ed Hein rings up a pair of field goals, cutting our deficit to 17-13. But Texas moves all the way to our 13 yard-line, before inside linebacker Johnnie Hoover makes a big pass-defense play down the middle to force Texas to settle for three - 20-13. Each team then moves inside the other team's 40 before turning the ball over on downs. As we near the end of the third quarter, it's time for Roman Farrar to put his stamp on this team and he'll have to as there is not much real estate being gained on the ground at this point. He looks ready, drilling a pass to #82 Mitchell Ross, our exceptionally talented flanker, coming off the left side of the formation and down the seam. It's a 23 yard completion and we're in business at the Texas 18 yard line as we hit the final fifteen minutes (but, due to a rule change, the teams do not change ends of the field!). We badly need to get this thing even this time, our fourth time in a row in Texas territory with no touchdowns to show for it. So, what do we do? Hand the ball off to Louie Greenwood twice for three yards. So, after practically wasting two downs, it all hangs on a third down pass intended, once again (we do have two other very capable starting receivers, both rated very good), for Mitchell Ross. Unfortunately, the pass doesn't get past their defensive line and we settle for three once again and now trail 20-16. The Syracuse defense gets the ball back for the offense and before we know it, we have a 2nd-and-2 from the Texas 9. It's here, with only seven minutes to go, that a typical Syracuse blunder arises: Offensive Holding. Not only does the drive stall but Hein pulls a 36 yard field goal attempt (one of only three he would miss on the year enroute to Second-Team All-American status). But he does miss now and it means a touchdown is absolutely required. And we know if we don't get that touchdown, any national championship hopes that we might have (no matter how slim) will go by the boards in the season's third week. But first we've got to get the ball back and we've got them facing a 3rd-and-3 from their own 27 with a little over 5 minutes to play. But we can't make the stop when we have to as running back Winfred Wolfe is running free through our secondary wide-open and is an easy target for McCarthy's throw. Cornerback Jay Bueno comes off his man to make the hit but not before the ball is caught and sixteen yards are gained. But the next play sees Texas called for Unnecessary Roughness and it leads to the end of their drive. We take over on our 27 with 4:34 to go. Can we take the ball into their territory for the sixth time in a row and do what we haven't been able to after our first possession of the game, score a touchdown? Well, we've ultimately got a 4th-and-7 at the Texas 32 with :58 seconds remaining in the game. We've got Mitchell Ross flanking wide left and redshirt freshman wide receiver #9 Ronnie Lyle (who badly wanted to attend Syracuse) on the left-end side of the line where the tight end would normally be. Split wide-right we've got #84 George Hicks and #3 Jumbo Ross is in the slot. We've got a lot of places to go with the ball. It turns out George Hicks is the guy as Farrar nails him with a deep slant all the way down to the 13 yard line! Preston Duncan comes over to make the play but all he can do is make the tackle after the catch is made as the ball was threaded through coverage. Perhaps the Texas pass rush is what told the tale at this point, as one thing seemed to lead to another: first a false start penalty and then an actual sack (a six yard loss as Texas DE's Rice and Jacobs met at the quarterback - incidentally each of them had 18.5 sacks going into Texas' bowl game later in the season). So, now we're facing a 2nd-and-21 from the Texas 24 with :37 to go. Same set and the pass rush is coming. Ronnie Lyle is coming off the line-of-scrimmiage and running a shallow post, heading left-to-right. He's got single-coverage (being our fourth option on the play) but he's also got a step and that's where Farrar is going with the ball, launching a rainbow a little bit to the right-side of the field that comes down over Lyle's left shoulder about two-thirds deep in the end zone. And let me tell you all, he didn't drop it. I know that, not only because I was there and have seen the replay countless times, but because #9 was soon engulfed by his teammates in a sea of orange. It was a play that most Syracuse observers consider to be the play of the season - a play that kept hope alive, at least at that time. There were still :30 to play but there was to be no more scoring on this sunny late Texas afternoon: Syracuse 23 Texas 20.

To be continued, if at least one person finds this somewhat interesting (I can't really compare to some of the amazing efforts put forth by some of you on this board - how do you guys find the time to do all this writing and still play the game or have any time for the rest of your lives? LOL!).

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Old 05-04-2003, 10:31 PM   #2
Swaggs
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A couple suggestions...

Your history/setup is very good. Keep it up.

Use some spaces between games or weeks. Bolds or italics as headers for each game would be even better. Easier on the eyes.

A little more recruiting would be cool, too. Big part of the college game.
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Old 05-05-2003, 07:36 AM   #3
The Orange Man
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Thanks for the response - I will take what you said under advisement. Particularly, I can see how I definitely need more separate paragraphs.

I am trying to tell the basic story of the season - trying to hit the important points without getting too detailed. There will be a small bit of the recruiting side mentioned but only that which I can recall as I've since moved on to the next season and don't print anything out and the only thing I save are the Syracuse box scores and game logs.

It would be great to go into all the details of the games and recruiting each and every week but I don't have enough time for that and it would interrupt the flow of the season as well. The people writing on these threads are too good - it's just impossible to keep up with the stories with the massive volume put out!

Thanks again.
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