Aloha Gang....First off, I hope you all are in good health and spirits today....This week felt a little like a bowl week with everyday except Tuesday having a football game being played...So far this week in the Colleges I have hit a snag, suffering a terrible Bad Beat loss on Miami Ohio on that fumble that went out the endzone...Followed by an AWESOME Thursday, which was highlighted by me hitting another "BIG GAME PLAY" (Big East GOW Play)on UCONN...that was SO SWEET!....Then yesterday wrongfully backing NM, who I only learned during the game that the main player RB Moore, who dressed for the game, wouldnt play...Damn if your going to dress, then at least play or dont dress at all...**** that one hurt, as I got inaccurate and exagerated info on his status for the game, saying he was all right and going to play....Well, that is the past now and today we need to look and focus on the future....So with that said, lets get down to business already...as today, I have got another BIG GAME PLAY coming out of the Big East Conf again...LETS ROCK-N-ROLL BABY!.....AWWWRIIGHT! .
***"BIG GAME PLAY"--rated as a BIG EAST CONF REVENGE GAME OF THE MONTH selection on:
SYRACUSE -6
I had this one highlighted immediately after Rutgers defeated Mich St in their first game, and I am glad that this game is finally here...Syracuse has dominated these Knights over the years, winning 27 out of the last 34 games( 27-6-1) played between the two...But, last year Rutgers was able smack the Cuse in their House by the score of 24-7, and in the process dashed the high hopes of the Orangeman at getting to Bowl game, one they have not played in since 2001 season...Even with the Cuse winning their last game inwhich they demolished ND by 26 pts couldnt get them in to a Bowl Game...as it was that loss to Rutgers that spoiled their chances...Because of this I have to feel that some payback from the Cuse is definately in order and REVENGE is definately on their minds....But I also feel that in addition to getting redemption from last years lost, the Cuse will want to send a message out to Rutgers, who btw was picked by many to finish 3 spots above Syracuse in this years in the Big East Conf, that their football program has not worthy of being ranked higher then they are...Today, Revenge and Respect will motivate this Cuse team to get this one big and in a bad way.
Ok now that I got that out of the way, here is what I see in this matchup giving Syracuse the edge over Rutgers in this Big East matchup....Todays game will definately showcase some very talented RBs from both teams...Reyes and Rhodes from Syracuse vs Hairston and Leonard from Rutgers...Still, in the end it will be the tamdem of Reyes and Rhodes that will be the Major Keys to Syracuse being able to get its Offense rolling like they did against Cincy in their seasons opener in the Dome...And if you didnt know by now, Syracuse is a different animal in the DOME...Just ask teams like ND and BC who last year got smashed 38-12 and 39-14...or Cincy who lost 19-7 this year in the Dome.
KEY #1 (Cuse's Tandem RBs): Syracuse has one of the nation's top backs in RB Reyes in its back field, who will definately be playing on Sundays after this season is over....But, this year, they get back their other talented RB in Rhodes, out most of last year due to inj....giving Syracuse one of the best tandem RBs combos in the nation this year...Having two solid RBs this year, has allowed Syracuse the opportunity to open up its Offense by utilizing both of them in its schemes...and just depending completely on star Sr RB Reyes....RB Rhodes presence helped to not only helped to take a lot of the pressure off of the of Reyes, who carried the majority of the load last year, but it helped to transfer in the process more pressure on their opponents Defenses...Who last year, simply keyed in on shutting down Reyes...
So far Rhodes is having a productive season both running and catching, and his pressence in the backfield along side Reyes forces teams to now play more disciplined defense...His presence also brought the Cuse's Offense another weapon they can use...which so far, they have been as Rhodes is second on the Offense in receiving and second in rushing behind Reyes...But probably the biggest benefit that Rhodes brings to the Offense is the chance for Reyes to take breaks inorder to remain fresh for the entire game, while at the same time not sacraficing offensive production out of their backfield...This was definately something that wasnt possible last year for this Reyes or this Cuse Offense, and it caught up to them in some close games last year...
This year, the one two punch from Syracuses tandem backfield has not really done to much against quality opponents like Purdue and Virginia, but it did show its effectiveness against lesser opponents like Cincy in their game at home in the Dome...In that game vs Cincy, Rhodes rushed for 88 yards on 11 carries (8.0 ypc), and led the team with 3 catches totaling 86 yards, with one catch for a 68 yard TD...Reyes, on the other hand, complemented Rhodes by rushing for 119 yards (5.0 ypc) and also scoring a TD...In total, Rhodes and Reyes pounded the Cincy Defense for 227 yards on the ground leading to a 19-7 solid victory in the Dome...Outstanding!
Today, I can easily see Rhodes( 206 yards, 5.7 ypc, and 2 TDs) and Reyes(292 yards, 3.7 ypc, 2 TDs) being able to duplicate or even better that output they had vs Cincy...and I dont feel that this #5 ranked Run Defense of Rutgers will be that successful in holding this quality backfield of the Cuse in check like they have done vs Mich St, NH, and Kent...all of whom doesnt have stars in their backfield, except for Kent's QB Cribbs, who btw rushed for 139 yards and passed for 311 yards against them on his own...Plus, another reason for this great run stat is because all of Rutgers opponents have been airing it out on them a lot more than keeping it on the ground...This year Rutgers obvious weakness on Defense is in its Pass Defense where they are giving up an average of 322 yards per game...270 yards to Mich St, 385 yards, 75% completion rate, and 5 TDs to NH's RS Freshman QB Santos, and lastly 311 yards to Kent's QB Cribbs....WOW!
Now, I know that Syracuse's Offense mainly its Passing Offense with its new QBs hasnt been lighting anyone up through the air, but QB Patterson(39 for 67, 422 yards, and 1 TD) has been steadily increasing his efficiency in his last two games completing 62.5% vs Cincy and then completing 65% of his passes vs that top notch Defense of Virginia....What will help Syracuse's Offense is their decision to finally stick with using one QB instead of giving both of them playing time...QB Patterson the better of the two QBs will now be able to run the Offense completely and this should help out a lot with the Syracuse finding more consistency and production from its out of its Offense...Also, this poor and extremely porous Pass Defense of the Knights( ranked 114th in Pass Defense), should also allow him to have one of best games this season as everything for him to accomplish this looks to be working in his favor today....Rhodes and Reyes will create many opportunities for Syracuse's Offense to get on a solid roll like it had in their last game at home vs Cincy and the Rutger's Defense bent on controlling those two should open up the play action pass and other passing plays for big gains...Syracuse's top WR Jones(13 rec, 161 yards) and main target of Patterson should also have a possible break out game vs this secondary...
Today I see Syracuse's balanced Offensive attack (134 ypg rushing, and 135.8 ypg passing) finding a lot of success with their secondary option(passing) having an big edge over the Knights main weakness(pass defense) and that should allow them to control the game with their balanced attack from start to finish.
KEY #2 (Cuse Pass Defense): Syracuse's Defense has faced some Top Offenses in the Country so far this year...and beside giving up some big plays to Virginia and Purdue, Syracuse hasnt looked all that bad....This game vs Rutgers is an obvious step down in the quality of Offenses that they have faced, but Rutgers does possess some solid players in RB Leonard(leading rusher and receiver) and QB Hart (262 ypg passing, 60.5%)...Still, this game is now at home where Syracuse's Defense has always been known to give opposing Offenses a tough time...and where they take a lot of pride in protecting their turf, and Rutgers currently are struggling to find consistant balanced play.
Today, the Defense who after facing the bruising ground attack of Virginia (4th in Run Off) where they gave up a whopping 225 yards on the ground...should finds things a lot more easier vs this Rutgers ground attack that is ranked 11th worst in the nation, ONLY averaging 104 yards per a game and ONLY 2.6 ypc so far this year...Because of their poor running game, Rutgers almost becomes one dimensional on Offense relying on their QB Hart to make up the difference through the air, and asking their FB Leonard to come up with big catches rather than long runs..
This reliance on Hart to move the ball wont be as easy to do, like it was vs Rutgers last three opponents they faced this year...Syracuse's strength this year is in the Secondary where they have one of the the best SS and FS combos in the league with Ferri(SS, 120 tackles last year) and Smith(FS, 106 tackles and 5 ints last year)...In Syracuse's last game at home vs Cincy led by Sr QB Guidugli...the Cuse Secondary stepped up big intercepting him 4 times on the day and force 6 TOs....They also only allowed QB Guidugli to pass for a total of 155 yards, only 55% completions, and just 1 TD...while sacking him twice and blocking one punt...Solid!
Another advantage that Syracuse Defense may have today is the fact that Rutgers main weapon and leading rusher and receiver FB Leonard may not play due to a thigh injury he suffered in their last game vs Kent...He has missed a lot of practice because of this injury and his status is still unknown at this time...Still, even if he plays tonight, he most likely wont be at a 100% and this will surely affect Rutgers Offensive production both running and passing giving the Cuse an added advantage on the Defense....Rutgers RB Hairstan is also alittle banged up but he is likely to carry the load tonight with or without Leonard in the lineup...
Today it is highly possible that Syracuse could have yet another dominant game on Defense like it had vs Cincy, especially if Rutgers Leonard is a no go...Cant see Rutgers current struggles on Offense finding much success today on the road in the Dome...
Other negative info on Rutgers Offensive production this year....Rutgers has NOT score a TD in the 2nd half of their 3 games....Rutgers has also been outscored 42-19 in second half...
KEY #3 (Cuse's Solid Special Teams): Syracuse today will definately have a BIG edge in the Special Teams area over Rutgers....SS Damond Ferri is averaging 32.0 yards per a kick off return which is 3rd best nationally....Syracuse also has the best tandem kickers in the Big East Conf with FG Kicker Barbers (2nd team All Big East last season) and with Punter Carney (2nd team All Big East last season).
Minor Keys, Info, stats, and trends- which also favors Syracuse in todays game against visiting Rutgers...
-Rutgers lost to Div 1 AA New Hampshire at home 24-35.
-This will be Rutgers first road game of the year..
-Cuse 7-1 SU and ATS in Big East openers
-Cuse a different team in the Dome..
-Cuse 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS vs Rutgers at home since 1992.
-Revenge game for Syracuse.
-Rutgers only 3-13 on the road under 4 year HC Schiano,...last year they were 2-4 defeating only Army and Temple.
-Rutgers also 3-10 in Big East openers since 1991.
-Rutgers star FB Leonard who leads them in rushing and receiving has a thigh inj and is listed as questionable for this game..
In conclusion...today I feel Syracuse will be able to get their Revenge over last seasons loss to Rutgers which ended their Bowl chances....They will also be able to do this because they have all the Key Advantages in all 3 phase of the game on their side, and that is hard to overcome ....Syracuse should also get this one just because of the simple fact that it is being played in the DOME where they play their best ball, while Rutgers on the road continuously struggle to win just like their basketball team does...Rutgers inconsistancy on Offense mixed in with their most productive player currently banged up, just adds that much more reason favoring Syracuse today....Today, I see nothing but Orange getting another solid win at home...Take Syracuse as a BIG GAME PLAY--BIG EAST CONF REVENGE GAME OF THE MONTH selection....Good luck to ALL and LETS GO GET EM!....ALOHA CC. :toast:
***"BIG GAME PLAY"--rated as a BIG EAST CONF REVENGE GAME OF THE MONTH selection on:
SYRACUSE -6
I had this one highlighted immediately after Rutgers defeated Mich St in their first game, and I am glad that this game is finally here...Syracuse has dominated these Knights over the years, winning 27 out of the last 34 games( 27-6-1) played between the two...But, last year Rutgers was able smack the Cuse in their House by the score of 24-7, and in the process dashed the high hopes of the Orangeman at getting to Bowl game, one they have not played in since 2001 season...Even with the Cuse winning their last game inwhich they demolished ND by 26 pts couldnt get them in to a Bowl Game...as it was that loss to Rutgers that spoiled their chances...Because of this I have to feel that some payback from the Cuse is definately in order and REVENGE is definately on their minds....But I also feel that in addition to getting redemption from last years lost, the Cuse will want to send a message out to Rutgers, who btw was picked by many to finish 3 spots above Syracuse in this years in the Big East Conf, that their football program has not worthy of being ranked higher then they are...Today, Revenge and Respect will motivate this Cuse team to get this one big and in a bad way.
Ok now that I got that out of the way, here is what I see in this matchup giving Syracuse the edge over Rutgers in this Big East matchup....Todays game will definately showcase some very talented RBs from both teams...Reyes and Rhodes from Syracuse vs Hairston and Leonard from Rutgers...Still, in the end it will be the tamdem of Reyes and Rhodes that will be the Major Keys to Syracuse being able to get its Offense rolling like they did against Cincy in their seasons opener in the Dome...And if you didnt know by now, Syracuse is a different animal in the DOME...Just ask teams like ND and BC who last year got smashed 38-12 and 39-14...or Cincy who lost 19-7 this year in the Dome.
KEY #1 (Cuse's Tandem RBs): Syracuse has one of the nation's top backs in RB Reyes in its back field, who will definately be playing on Sundays after this season is over....But, this year, they get back their other talented RB in Rhodes, out most of last year due to inj....giving Syracuse one of the best tandem RBs combos in the nation this year...Having two solid RBs this year, has allowed Syracuse the opportunity to open up its Offense by utilizing both of them in its schemes...and just depending completely on star Sr RB Reyes....RB Rhodes presence helped to not only helped to take a lot of the pressure off of the of Reyes, who carried the majority of the load last year, but it helped to transfer in the process more pressure on their opponents Defenses...Who last year, simply keyed in on shutting down Reyes...
So far Rhodes is having a productive season both running and catching, and his pressence in the backfield along side Reyes forces teams to now play more disciplined defense...His presence also brought the Cuse's Offense another weapon they can use...which so far, they have been as Rhodes is second on the Offense in receiving and second in rushing behind Reyes...But probably the biggest benefit that Rhodes brings to the Offense is the chance for Reyes to take breaks inorder to remain fresh for the entire game, while at the same time not sacraficing offensive production out of their backfield...This was definately something that wasnt possible last year for this Reyes or this Cuse Offense, and it caught up to them in some close games last year...
This year, the one two punch from Syracuses tandem backfield has not really done to much against quality opponents like Purdue and Virginia, but it did show its effectiveness against lesser opponents like Cincy in their game at home in the Dome...In that game vs Cincy, Rhodes rushed for 88 yards on 11 carries (8.0 ypc), and led the team with 3 catches totaling 86 yards, with one catch for a 68 yard TD...Reyes, on the other hand, complemented Rhodes by rushing for 119 yards (5.0 ypc) and also scoring a TD...In total, Rhodes and Reyes pounded the Cincy Defense for 227 yards on the ground leading to a 19-7 solid victory in the Dome...Outstanding!
Today, I can easily see Rhodes( 206 yards, 5.7 ypc, and 2 TDs) and Reyes(292 yards, 3.7 ypc, 2 TDs) being able to duplicate or even better that output they had vs Cincy...and I dont feel that this #5 ranked Run Defense of Rutgers will be that successful in holding this quality backfield of the Cuse in check like they have done vs Mich St, NH, and Kent...all of whom doesnt have stars in their backfield, except for Kent's QB Cribbs, who btw rushed for 139 yards and passed for 311 yards against them on his own...Plus, another reason for this great run stat is because all of Rutgers opponents have been airing it out on them a lot more than keeping it on the ground...This year Rutgers obvious weakness on Defense is in its Pass Defense where they are giving up an average of 322 yards per game...270 yards to Mich St, 385 yards, 75% completion rate, and 5 TDs to NH's RS Freshman QB Santos, and lastly 311 yards to Kent's QB Cribbs....WOW!
Now, I know that Syracuse's Offense mainly its Passing Offense with its new QBs hasnt been lighting anyone up through the air, but QB Patterson(39 for 67, 422 yards, and 1 TD) has been steadily increasing his efficiency in his last two games completing 62.5% vs Cincy and then completing 65% of his passes vs that top notch Defense of Virginia....What will help Syracuse's Offense is their decision to finally stick with using one QB instead of giving both of them playing time...QB Patterson the better of the two QBs will now be able to run the Offense completely and this should help out a lot with the Syracuse finding more consistency and production from its out of its Offense...Also, this poor and extremely porous Pass Defense of the Knights( ranked 114th in Pass Defense), should also allow him to have one of best games this season as everything for him to accomplish this looks to be working in his favor today....Rhodes and Reyes will create many opportunities for Syracuse's Offense to get on a solid roll like it had in their last game at home vs Cincy and the Rutger's Defense bent on controlling those two should open up the play action pass and other passing plays for big gains...Syracuse's top WR Jones(13 rec, 161 yards) and main target of Patterson should also have a possible break out game vs this secondary...
Today I see Syracuse's balanced Offensive attack (134 ypg rushing, and 135.8 ypg passing) finding a lot of success with their secondary option(passing) having an big edge over the Knights main weakness(pass defense) and that should allow them to control the game with their balanced attack from start to finish.
KEY #2 (Cuse Pass Defense): Syracuse's Defense has faced some Top Offenses in the Country so far this year...and beside giving up some big plays to Virginia and Purdue, Syracuse hasnt looked all that bad....This game vs Rutgers is an obvious step down in the quality of Offenses that they have faced, but Rutgers does possess some solid players in RB Leonard(leading rusher and receiver) and QB Hart (262 ypg passing, 60.5%)...Still, this game is now at home where Syracuse's Defense has always been known to give opposing Offenses a tough time...and where they take a lot of pride in protecting their turf, and Rutgers currently are struggling to find consistant balanced play.
Today, the Defense who after facing the bruising ground attack of Virginia (4th in Run Off) where they gave up a whopping 225 yards on the ground...should finds things a lot more easier vs this Rutgers ground attack that is ranked 11th worst in the nation, ONLY averaging 104 yards per a game and ONLY 2.6 ypc so far this year...Because of their poor running game, Rutgers almost becomes one dimensional on Offense relying on their QB Hart to make up the difference through the air, and asking their FB Leonard to come up with big catches rather than long runs..
This reliance on Hart to move the ball wont be as easy to do, like it was vs Rutgers last three opponents they faced this year...Syracuse's strength this year is in the Secondary where they have one of the the best SS and FS combos in the league with Ferri(SS, 120 tackles last year) and Smith(FS, 106 tackles and 5 ints last year)...In Syracuse's last game at home vs Cincy led by Sr QB Guidugli...the Cuse Secondary stepped up big intercepting him 4 times on the day and force 6 TOs....They also only allowed QB Guidugli to pass for a total of 155 yards, only 55% completions, and just 1 TD...while sacking him twice and blocking one punt...Solid!
Another advantage that Syracuse Defense may have today is the fact that Rutgers main weapon and leading rusher and receiver FB Leonard may not play due to a thigh injury he suffered in their last game vs Kent...He has missed a lot of practice because of this injury and his status is still unknown at this time...Still, even if he plays tonight, he most likely wont be at a 100% and this will surely affect Rutgers Offensive production both running and passing giving the Cuse an added advantage on the Defense....Rutgers RB Hairstan is also alittle banged up but he is likely to carry the load tonight with or without Leonard in the lineup...
Today it is highly possible that Syracuse could have yet another dominant game on Defense like it had vs Cincy, especially if Rutgers Leonard is a no go...Cant see Rutgers current struggles on Offense finding much success today on the road in the Dome...
Other negative info on Rutgers Offensive production this year....Rutgers has NOT score a TD in the 2nd half of their 3 games....Rutgers has also been outscored 42-19 in second half...
KEY #3 (Cuse's Solid Special Teams): Syracuse today will definately have a BIG edge in the Special Teams area over Rutgers....SS Damond Ferri is averaging 32.0 yards per a kick off return which is 3rd best nationally....Syracuse also has the best tandem kickers in the Big East Conf with FG Kicker Barbers (2nd team All Big East last season) and with Punter Carney (2nd team All Big East last season).
Minor Keys, Info, stats, and trends- which also favors Syracuse in todays game against visiting Rutgers...
-Rutgers lost to Div 1 AA New Hampshire at home 24-35.
-This will be Rutgers first road game of the year..
-Cuse 7-1 SU and ATS in Big East openers
-Cuse a different team in the Dome..
-Cuse 6-0 SU and 5-1 ATS vs Rutgers at home since 1992.
-Revenge game for Syracuse.
-Rutgers only 3-13 on the road under 4 year HC Schiano,...last year they were 2-4 defeating only Army and Temple.
-Rutgers also 3-10 in Big East openers since 1991.
-Rutgers star FB Leonard who leads them in rushing and receiving has a thigh inj and is listed as questionable for this game..
In conclusion...today I feel Syracuse will be able to get their Revenge over last seasons loss to Rutgers which ended their Bowl chances....They will also be able to do this because they have all the Key Advantages in all 3 phase of the game on their side, and that is hard to overcome ....Syracuse should also get this one just because of the simple fact that it is being played in the DOME where they play their best ball, while Rutgers on the road continuously struggle to win just like their basketball team does...Rutgers inconsistancy on Offense mixed in with their most productive player currently banged up, just adds that much more reason favoring Syracuse today....Today, I see nothing but Orange getting another solid win at home...Take Syracuse as a BIG GAME PLAY--BIG EAST CONF REVENGE GAME OF THE MONTH selection....Good luck to ALL and LETS GO GET EM!....ALOHA CC. :toast:
