As always Good Luck to all at RX tonight..
MM
Gonzo/Fixer
both had S. Miss over N. Tex 23-14 & 27-20. Tonight Fixer has GT 23 SU 15. Theses are not Premium selections. Will post when they release big plays.
BIG AL:
Syracuse as a 3* tonight
Sebastians SUPERLOCK
UNDER
Net Prophet
<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Recommendations only on:
Georgia Tech -4'
UNDER 44
Northcoast
3* SYRACUSE
Steele's writeup in his newsletter for tonight's game.
These two have met just one time, in the 2001 Kickoff Classic and GT (-8) got the SU win, 13-7. GT is 12-5 SU vs current Big East members. This will be GT's 8th consecutive bowl (4-3 SU & ATS) and only 8 other teams have played in 8+ including FSU & VT. GT is 21-11 SU in post season play. This will be GT's 1st appearance in the Champs Sports Bowl (formerly called the Tangerine Bowl) but they did beat WV 35-30 in 1997 when it was called the Carquest Bowl. In GT's last memorable visit to Orlando, the Wreck defeated Nebraska 45-21 in the January 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl to clinch its undefeated season and National Championship. Syr hasn't been bowling since '01 when they upset Kansas St 26-3 (+6) in the Insight Bowl. In fact, the Orange have pulled 2 consecutive outright upsets as a bowl dog under HC Paul Pasqualoni. Syr is 10-3-1 SU & 10-4 ATS in bowls including 5-3 ATS (6-2 SU) under Pasqualoni & 5-3 as a bowl dog. GT played 7 bowl caliber teams and have been outscored 25-17, outgained 363-321 and are 2-5 SU & 3-4 ATS vs them. Syr is 4-4 SU & 6-2 ATS vs bowl teams, but have been outgained by an avg of 428-332 & outscored 26-21. They have faced 2 common foes, Virg & Connecticut. Both lost to VA (GT 30-10, Syr 31-10) and both defeated UC (GT 30-10, Syr 42-30). Tech has faced our #46 toughest schedule & Syr #41. GT fans did not travel well the L/3 bowls as the Jackets headed West in all 3, but should travel well here as they are much closer and have 21 players from Florida and the weather should be much better than LY in Boise. Syr has traditionally been a poor traveller and had trouble even getting fans into the Dome TY, but Orlando is a reasonably priced trip for Orange fans and Syr officials are hopeful they will be well represented. GT should have the crowd edge though. GT played all their games TY on grass & are 5-5 ATS while Syr is 2-1 ATS on grass TY avg just 115 ypg rush (2.9) in those games. GT is 1-4-1 ATS as an AF under HC Chan Gailey including 3 upset losses, but Syr is equally poor as an AD with a 9-21 record under Pasqualoni (2-2 ATS TY). Syr has been outscored by 9.5 ppg & outgained by 79 ypg on the road TY with a 2-4 SU & 3-3 ATS record. The Wreck has 7 senior starters and 14 upperclassmen in the starting lineup, and Syr also has 7 senior starters, but 17 upperclassmen in the starting lineup.
GT's 5 losses TY have been vs bowl bound teams, including 3 to Top 10 teams. LY's ACC Rookie of the Year QB Reggie Ball has struggled most of the season as GT has our #76 ranked offense. He is avg 176 ypg (49%) with a 14-17 ratio. RB PJ Daniels, who missed 3 games w/inj, returned vs GA but was limited. He should be healthy here and has 595 yds (4.3) and 6 TD's and owns the NCAA record for rushing yards in a bowl game with 307 LY. One of GT's biggest surprises TY is ACC Rookie of the Year true Fr WR Calvin Johnson (PS#17) who has 46 rec (16.9) and 6 TD's. Johnson's 776 yds rec are the 2nd most by any ACC Fr. GT's OL avg 6-5 297 and is led by 3 seniors. The OL paved the way for 151 ypg (3.8) but allowed 28 sks (8.6%) despite a mobile QB. GT has our #20 ranked D. DT Eric Henderson missed the first 3 games w/inj and GT only managed 3 sks, but since his return the team has racked up 30. Henderson has 39 tkls, but managed 10 tfl and was named 2nd Tm ACC. DT Joe Anoai has 34 tkls & 11 tfl. The DL avg's 6-4 271 and is only allowing 110 ypg rush (3.2). LB Gerris Wilkinson, who was moved to DE LY because of depth, returned to the LB corps and leads the team with 113 tkls and earned 2nd Tm ACC. Chris Reis has 67 tkls, 8 sks & 6 pbu. The LB starters have combined for 35 tfl. Tech's secondary has our #37 pass eff D allowing 190 ypg (54%) with an 11-8 ratio. Thorpe semifinalist FS James Butler was named 1st Tm ACC & is the only Sr starter on D. He is the #2 tkl'r with 85, 2 int & 4 pbu. SS Dawan Landry has 74 tkls, 1 int & 9 tfl.
It was a tale of 2 seasons with Syr beginning the year being pounded by Purdue in the opener and finishing with wins over 3 bowl teams (Connecticut, BCS rep Pitt & BC). In their finale vs BC, Syr ended their 2 year bowl drought with a 43-17 win (+12) which ended BC's BCS hopes (BC was without their starting QB). Syr finished in a 4-way tie at the top of the BE and with the lack of bowl eligible teams TY, Syr had plenty of interest despite their lack of fan following. Pasqualoni began the year with true frosh Joe Fields as the starting QB for the first 2 games, but he eventually gave way to lefty Soph Perry Patterson (PS#30). Patterson is avg 148 ypg (58%) with a 6-9 ratio which is comparable to LY's starting QB RJ Anderson and pretty much every Orangemen QB since McNabb left (serviceable, but unspectacular). Fortunately, the running game was highly productive led by 1st Tm BE RB Walter Reyes (800, 5.6) who missed 3 games with injury including the L/2. Number 2 man Damien Rhodes (856, 5.9) led the team in rushing and would be a starter on almost any other team. Rhodes (2nd Tm BE) was inj'd in the finale vs BC which forced Syr to pull SS Diamond Ferri back over to the offense (RB in '01 & '00). Ferri simply rushed for 141 yds (5.0) with 2 TD's and also played most of the snaps on defense (125 snaps ttl) with a 44 yd int ret for a TD earning him BE Off AND Def POW! The top receiver is Jared Jones (PS#17) with 37 (15.1) as projected starter Steve Gregory (33, 10.7) missed 4 games with inj TY. The OL features two 1st Tm BE players (C Matt Tarullo & OT Adam Terry) and allowed the team to rush for 190 ypg (4.7) while yielding 19 sks in 280 pass attempts (6.8%). The OL averages 6-6 314 with a massive edge over GT's smaller DL (6-4 271). Overall Syr has the edge on offense (#51-76), but GT has a huge edge on defense (#20-70). DE James Wyche earned 2nd Tm BE honors with 5.5 sks & 15 tfl & backup DE Ryan LaCasse chipped in with 5 sks. Wyche & LaCasse combined for over half of the team's total sks (17). The DL averages 6-4 275 with just 1 senior starter. LB Jerry Mackey led the team with 97 tkls & 6 tfl. The secondary is led by Superman SS Ferri (#2 tkl'r w/91, 4 int, 6 pbu) who was Syr's only 1st Tm BE player on defense. The Orange are #77 in our pass eff D rankings allowing 241 ypg pass (60%) with a 21-12 ratio.
Tech has our #58 ranked special teams. Another surprise player for GT is walk-on rFr K Travis Bell, who was a Groza semifinalist. He hit 15 of 16 FG's (93.8%, 2nd best % in GT history) with a long of 47 and was 24 of 24 on PAT. P Ben Arndt has 71 punts (38.6%) with a net of 36.0 with 20 inside the 20. GT is allowing just 6.0 yds on PR's, but allowing 23.1 on KR's. Levon Thomas is the top KR avg 22.1 and Patrick Carter is the top PR avg 8.4. Syr has our #21 ranked spec tms which has won quite a few games for the Orange over the years. Second Tm BE P Brendan Carney avg'd 43.1 ypp with a net of 36.9 & 3 blk's allowed. Syr also blocked 3 punts TY. PK Collin Barber struggled during the year and hit only 14 of 22 FG's with a long of 46, hitting only 4-10 from 40+. KR Ferri excelled with a 27.1 avg, but the top PR Landel Bembo only avg 3.5 ypr. Syr allowed 8.4 on PR's and 19.7 on KR's.
All season long Pasqualoni has endured criticism and rumors about his imminent dismissal. After AD Jake Crouthamel announced his retirement at the end of the season, most figured it was just a matter of time before Pasqualoni would be let go, but the team forced a stay of execution by beating BC and claiming a share of the BE Title. Pasqualoni will be allowed to finish out his contract next year and will be evaluated by the new AD. The Orange are excited to be in this bowl after missing post season play the L/2Y and said they got the 2nd best bowl trip (after Pitt's Fiesta bid) in the BE. Four of Syr's 5 losses were to bowl teams that were ranked in the Top 10 at some point during the season. The Orange rode their 3rd string RB to a huge victory in the finale, but hopefully Reyes & Rhodes will be healthy here. Although this matchup pits two 6-5 teams, both have played strong schedules and are probably better than their records indicate. GT figures to have the crowd and surface edges, along with the stronger defense and more experienced QB which is why they are favored. Syracuse does not play as well away from the Dome but has the stronger offense and Pasqualoni is a solid bowl coach at 6-2 SU. Bowl dogs are usually the way to go in pre-Jan 1 bowl games and with the spread over a FG the Orange looks like a solid play.
FORECAST: SYRACUSE (+) 23 Georgia Tech 21
RATING 3* Syracuse
<!-- / message -->
Phil Steele has: top opinion on SYRACUSE
reg on the Over, Above is his newsletter.
<!-- / message -->
MM
Gonzo/Fixer
both had S. Miss over N. Tex 23-14 & 27-20. Tonight Fixer has GT 23 SU 15. Theses are not Premium selections. Will post when they release big plays.
BIG AL:
Syracuse as a 3* tonight
Sebastians SUPERLOCK
UNDER
Net Prophet
<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Recommendations only on:
Georgia Tech -4'
UNDER 44
Northcoast
3* SYRACUSE
Steele's writeup in his newsletter for tonight's game.
These two have met just one time, in the 2001 Kickoff Classic and GT (-8) got the SU win, 13-7. GT is 12-5 SU vs current Big East members. This will be GT's 8th consecutive bowl (4-3 SU & ATS) and only 8 other teams have played in 8+ including FSU & VT. GT is 21-11 SU in post season play. This will be GT's 1st appearance in the Champs Sports Bowl (formerly called the Tangerine Bowl) but they did beat WV 35-30 in 1997 when it was called the Carquest Bowl. In GT's last memorable visit to Orlando, the Wreck defeated Nebraska 45-21 in the January 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl to clinch its undefeated season and National Championship. Syr hasn't been bowling since '01 when they upset Kansas St 26-3 (+6) in the Insight Bowl. In fact, the Orange have pulled 2 consecutive outright upsets as a bowl dog under HC Paul Pasqualoni. Syr is 10-3-1 SU & 10-4 ATS in bowls including 5-3 ATS (6-2 SU) under Pasqualoni & 5-3 as a bowl dog. GT played 7 bowl caliber teams and have been outscored 25-17, outgained 363-321 and are 2-5 SU & 3-4 ATS vs them. Syr is 4-4 SU & 6-2 ATS vs bowl teams, but have been outgained by an avg of 428-332 & outscored 26-21. They have faced 2 common foes, Virg & Connecticut. Both lost to VA (GT 30-10, Syr 31-10) and both defeated UC (GT 30-10, Syr 42-30). Tech has faced our #46 toughest schedule & Syr #41. GT fans did not travel well the L/3 bowls as the Jackets headed West in all 3, but should travel well here as they are much closer and have 21 players from Florida and the weather should be much better than LY in Boise. Syr has traditionally been a poor traveller and had trouble even getting fans into the Dome TY, but Orlando is a reasonably priced trip for Orange fans and Syr officials are hopeful they will be well represented. GT should have the crowd edge though. GT played all their games TY on grass & are 5-5 ATS while Syr is 2-1 ATS on grass TY avg just 115 ypg rush (2.9) in those games. GT is 1-4-1 ATS as an AF under HC Chan Gailey including 3 upset losses, but Syr is equally poor as an AD with a 9-21 record under Pasqualoni (2-2 ATS TY). Syr has been outscored by 9.5 ppg & outgained by 79 ypg on the road TY with a 2-4 SU & 3-3 ATS record. The Wreck has 7 senior starters and 14 upperclassmen in the starting lineup, and Syr also has 7 senior starters, but 17 upperclassmen in the starting lineup.
GT's 5 losses TY have been vs bowl bound teams, including 3 to Top 10 teams. LY's ACC Rookie of the Year QB Reggie Ball has struggled most of the season as GT has our #76 ranked offense. He is avg 176 ypg (49%) with a 14-17 ratio. RB PJ Daniels, who missed 3 games w/inj, returned vs GA but was limited. He should be healthy here and has 595 yds (4.3) and 6 TD's and owns the NCAA record for rushing yards in a bowl game with 307 LY. One of GT's biggest surprises TY is ACC Rookie of the Year true Fr WR Calvin Johnson (PS#17) who has 46 rec (16.9) and 6 TD's. Johnson's 776 yds rec are the 2nd most by any ACC Fr. GT's OL avg 6-5 297 and is led by 3 seniors. The OL paved the way for 151 ypg (3.8) but allowed 28 sks (8.6%) despite a mobile QB. GT has our #20 ranked D. DT Eric Henderson missed the first 3 games w/inj and GT only managed 3 sks, but since his return the team has racked up 30. Henderson has 39 tkls, but managed 10 tfl and was named 2nd Tm ACC. DT Joe Anoai has 34 tkls & 11 tfl. The DL avg's 6-4 271 and is only allowing 110 ypg rush (3.2). LB Gerris Wilkinson, who was moved to DE LY because of depth, returned to the LB corps and leads the team with 113 tkls and earned 2nd Tm ACC. Chris Reis has 67 tkls, 8 sks & 6 pbu. The LB starters have combined for 35 tfl. Tech's secondary has our #37 pass eff D allowing 190 ypg (54%) with an 11-8 ratio. Thorpe semifinalist FS James Butler was named 1st Tm ACC & is the only Sr starter on D. He is the #2 tkl'r with 85, 2 int & 4 pbu. SS Dawan Landry has 74 tkls, 1 int & 9 tfl.
It was a tale of 2 seasons with Syr beginning the year being pounded by Purdue in the opener and finishing with wins over 3 bowl teams (Connecticut, BCS rep Pitt & BC). In their finale vs BC, Syr ended their 2 year bowl drought with a 43-17 win (+12) which ended BC's BCS hopes (BC was without their starting QB). Syr finished in a 4-way tie at the top of the BE and with the lack of bowl eligible teams TY, Syr had plenty of interest despite their lack of fan following. Pasqualoni began the year with true frosh Joe Fields as the starting QB for the first 2 games, but he eventually gave way to lefty Soph Perry Patterson (PS#30). Patterson is avg 148 ypg (58%) with a 6-9 ratio which is comparable to LY's starting QB RJ Anderson and pretty much every Orangemen QB since McNabb left (serviceable, but unspectacular). Fortunately, the running game was highly productive led by 1st Tm BE RB Walter Reyes (800, 5.6) who missed 3 games with injury including the L/2. Number 2 man Damien Rhodes (856, 5.9) led the team in rushing and would be a starter on almost any other team. Rhodes (2nd Tm BE) was inj'd in the finale vs BC which forced Syr to pull SS Diamond Ferri back over to the offense (RB in '01 & '00). Ferri simply rushed for 141 yds (5.0) with 2 TD's and also played most of the snaps on defense (125 snaps ttl) with a 44 yd int ret for a TD earning him BE Off AND Def POW! The top receiver is Jared Jones (PS#17) with 37 (15.1) as projected starter Steve Gregory (33, 10.7) missed 4 games with inj TY. The OL features two 1st Tm BE players (C Matt Tarullo & OT Adam Terry) and allowed the team to rush for 190 ypg (4.7) while yielding 19 sks in 280 pass attempts (6.8%). The OL averages 6-6 314 with a massive edge over GT's smaller DL (6-4 271). Overall Syr has the edge on offense (#51-76), but GT has a huge edge on defense (#20-70). DE James Wyche earned 2nd Tm BE honors with 5.5 sks & 15 tfl & backup DE Ryan LaCasse chipped in with 5 sks. Wyche & LaCasse combined for over half of the team's total sks (17). The DL averages 6-4 275 with just 1 senior starter. LB Jerry Mackey led the team with 97 tkls & 6 tfl. The secondary is led by Superman SS Ferri (#2 tkl'r w/91, 4 int, 6 pbu) who was Syr's only 1st Tm BE player on defense. The Orange are #77 in our pass eff D rankings allowing 241 ypg pass (60%) with a 21-12 ratio.
Tech has our #58 ranked special teams. Another surprise player for GT is walk-on rFr K Travis Bell, who was a Groza semifinalist. He hit 15 of 16 FG's (93.8%, 2nd best % in GT history) with a long of 47 and was 24 of 24 on PAT. P Ben Arndt has 71 punts (38.6%) with a net of 36.0 with 20 inside the 20. GT is allowing just 6.0 yds on PR's, but allowing 23.1 on KR's. Levon Thomas is the top KR avg 22.1 and Patrick Carter is the top PR avg 8.4. Syr has our #21 ranked spec tms which has won quite a few games for the Orange over the years. Second Tm BE P Brendan Carney avg'd 43.1 ypp with a net of 36.9 & 3 blk's allowed. Syr also blocked 3 punts TY. PK Collin Barber struggled during the year and hit only 14 of 22 FG's with a long of 46, hitting only 4-10 from 40+. KR Ferri excelled with a 27.1 avg, but the top PR Landel Bembo only avg 3.5 ypr. Syr allowed 8.4 on PR's and 19.7 on KR's.
All season long Pasqualoni has endured criticism and rumors about his imminent dismissal. After AD Jake Crouthamel announced his retirement at the end of the season, most figured it was just a matter of time before Pasqualoni would be let go, but the team forced a stay of execution by beating BC and claiming a share of the BE Title. Pasqualoni will be allowed to finish out his contract next year and will be evaluated by the new AD. The Orange are excited to be in this bowl after missing post season play the L/2Y and said they got the 2nd best bowl trip (after Pitt's Fiesta bid) in the BE. Four of Syr's 5 losses were to bowl teams that were ranked in the Top 10 at some point during the season. The Orange rode their 3rd string RB to a huge victory in the finale, but hopefully Reyes & Rhodes will be healthy here. Although this matchup pits two 6-5 teams, both have played strong schedules and are probably better than their records indicate. GT figures to have the crowd and surface edges, along with the stronger defense and more experienced QB which is why they are favored. Syracuse does not play as well away from the Dome but has the stronger offense and Pasqualoni is a solid bowl coach at 6-2 SU. Bowl dogs are usually the way to go in pre-Jan 1 bowl games and with the spread over a FG the Orange looks like a solid play.
FORECAST: SYRACUSE (+) 23 Georgia Tech 21
RATING 3* Syracuse
<!-- / message -->
Phil Steele has: top opinion on SYRACUSE
reg on the Over, Above is his newsletter.
<!-- / message -->
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