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General Info (Coming Soon) Boards & Admin  use policy(Meetings/Club reports) (Buy, Sell & Trade) Jacket Football (Coming Soon) 2001 Kickoff Classic Hoops Jacket Links |
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Game Previews Brought to you by Army Jacket
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Head Coach- Paul Pasqualoni (81-36-1 @ SU, 10 seasons/115-53-1 overall, 15 seasons) The Orangemen struggled offensively in 2000 and that left them at home for the holidays for the first time since 1994. Despite a defense that ranked among the best in the nation, coach Paul Pasqualoni and his staff could not find the right combination offensively to score points and win games. In all 5 of Syracuse's losses, the Orangemen failed to tally more than 17 points. In fact, were it not for a 63 outburst against Buffalo and 42 points against a weak BYU team, Syracuse barely averaged 21 points/contest. The worst part is that it wasted several fine defensive efforts. Syracuse lost to Cincinnati although they gave up only 12 points; to Boston College despite allowing only 20; and to Virginia Tech despite allowing only 22. I'm not sure if it's good news or bad news, but most of the offense returns. It is apparent though that with 5 key starters departed from that suffocating D, the offense better improve...and with a schedule that has Tennessee, UCF, ECU, and Auburn in addition to GT before the end of September...it better do it quick. Rush Off.- 207 ypg/18th*...Pass Off.- 171 ypg/92nd...Total Off.- 378 ypg/52nd Returning Starters OFFENSE - OC George DeLeon (16th season @ SU, 12th year as OC) Quarterbacks If you ever find yourself unappreciative of the job George Godsey did stepping in for a legend, go check out the Syracuse board before the summer's over- they're still searching for the next Donavan McNabb. (Ofcourse, it's still a far cry from searching for the next Herschel but that's another post) The first heir-apparent is no more- Madei Williams went from being the next McNabb to 3rd string QB in danger of losing his position to an incoming recruit and bolted for Southern Illinois. That essentially leaves Troy Nunes and R.J. Anderson to battle it out in August to see who gets the starting nod against the Jackets. Despite a knee sprain in the spring game, Nunes emerged from off-season drills as a very slight leader. He took the majority of reps w/ the first team in the final practice before leaving with that injury. Last season, Nunes entered the season as the #1 QB, but struggled to find a rhythm and was benched half through. However, Anderson also struggled and that put Nunes back in the driver's seat for the last game. On the season he completed 94 passes out of 154 attempts for 1,386 yards. He also netted 106 yards on the ground on 78 attempts. The problem for Nunes seems to lie in his decision making...or lack thereof. He threw 14 INT's to 8 TD's, and all indications are it could've been worse. Many more passes were thrown into coverage, he kept the ball when he should've thrown it away, and had a tendency to tuck and run before it was necessary. Despite a strong season ending game by Nunes (against Rutgers) one would've guessed that R.J. Anderson would've had the advantage entering spring drills. Afterall, he was able to unseat the incumbent Nunes as the starter as a true freshman. However, Anderson reportedly showed up for spring drills closer to 260 lbs.- almost 20 lbs. over his listed playing weight. Relegated to the 2nd team, he spent the rest of spring practice playing catch up. Anderson saw plenty of action last fall, playing in 9 games overall and starting the last 4. However, he struggled as well completing only 46% of his passes (42/91) for 512 yards. Like Nunes, his INT's (5) outnumbered his TD's. (2) Many of the fans in upstate NY would like to see hot-shot recruit Cecil Howard (he's been compared to DJ Shockley) get a crack at the Jackets. I can only wish. Puhleeeze start a freshman! Puhleeeze start a freshman! Howard may be a star one day, but I wouldn't put a dime on it being August 26, 2001. Expect to see both Nunes and Anderson (Nunes starting) in the Meadowlands. Runningbacks Mungro steps into the spotlight as Syracuse's featured back, replacing the departed Dee Brown. Last season he finished second on the team in total rushing yards with 797 yards, but first in yards/ carry with a gaudy 6.9 yards/rush average...a Big East record. Short, but stocky, Mungro appears to be more of the bruising type running back who likes to hit linebackers as much as they like to hit him. Mungro added 12 receptions for 157 yards to his stat sheet. Sophomore Diamond Ferri will see his minutes increase this year too. In 9 games of action last fall, he recored 101 yards rushing on 20 attempts and 2 TD's. (Not a bad day if he could do it in one game) He seems to possess a little more speed than Mungro in the open field. However, he'll be pushed hard by redshirt freshman Walter Reyes. By all accounts, the rookie had an exceptional spring. Apparently this kid is the total package with good moves, good speed, and good toughness. He just lacks the experience. Kyle Johnson (FB) - 6-1, 238 lb. R-Sr., Chris Davis (FB) - 5-11, 230 lb. Jr. Kyle Johnson returns to reclaim his 1999 starting role after missing most of last season with a knee injury. The NCAA granted Johnson a 6th year of eligibility. He also sat out spring practice and some reports out of Syracuse are beginning to question his ability to go for the first game. It's hard to say at this point if he'll even play, much less start...but the Orange have him pencilled in there, so I do too. If Johnson is unable to go, a major component of the Syracuse offense is going to be missing. Davis filled in admirably as a blocker when Johnson went down, but doesn't pose the same threat running the ball, allowing defenses to key on the tailback. (Think Big Ed Wilder last season.) The situation is a big enough concern that Syracuse coaches brought in a Keith "Thump" Belton, a JUCO transfer, and moved linebacker Barry Baker back to fullback, the position he was originally recruited for. Wide Recievers Malik Campbell leads what can only be described as an underachieving receiver corps. At first glance, they appear to have all the tools, but this unit did not get it done in 2000. (Granted, the problems at QB had something to do with that but...) Campbell is the leading returnee w/ 26 receptions (319 yards) but had only one TD. Jackson and Tyree are capable of stretching the field. Both topped Cambell's receiving yards on fewer catches; Jackson with 337 yards on 20 receptions while Tyree recorded 333 yards on just 14 catches. However, only 4 of those combined 34 catches went for scores. Jackson added 53 rush yards on 9 attempts to his yardage totals. With his speed, some kind of option or inside handoff would not surprise me. (Think KC torching UVa for 50 yards!) Johnny Morant was supposed to step in and help immediately as a true-freshman. As is the case more often than not...it didn't work out that way. Morant burned his redshirt playing in 3 games, but he didn't crack the stats page in 2000 and it's largely because the talented youngster has a propensity for making the spectacular grab, but dropping the easy ones. Tight Ends With expected starter Graham Manley sitting out spring practice recovering from offseason surgery (should be ready to go by 8/26), David Hohensee and Jeremie Frazier split the reps w/ the first team squad. Hohensee is the prototypical blocking TE, while Frazier is called on more in passing situations. In an effort to boost the offensive threat of this position, the staff can also call on Sophomore Joe Donnelly or former FB Len Cusumano. Manley caught 11 passes for 106 yards a year ago. Offensive Line Despite the uncertainty that surrounds the rest of the Syracuse offense- can Nunes develop into a consistent QB, can Mungro handle being the #1 back, can the receivers step up their game?- the one constant that gives the Orange faithful hope things will be OK is an offensive line that returns 4 quality starters. Entering 2000, the Orangemen had one only returnee.(Joe Burton) Now Syracuse can enjoy the opposite side- an abundance of returning starters that helped pave the way for the Orange rushing attack to place 18th in the country. I see two question marks existing right now. First, former DL Giovanni DeLoatch is projected as the starter at RT, but backup Kevin Sampson (6-4, 277 lb. R-So.) should also get plenty of snaps at this position. However, neither has played much here. DeLoatch saw time in 8 games last season, but most of it was on special teams. Only against Rutgers did he get plenty of playing time at RT. Sampson actually has more game-time at the position with 6 games of experience (1 start) but his size becomes a concern at the OT spot and is probably a big reason DeLoatch has the edge right now. The second question is depth. (Actually I'm just looking for a weakness in an otherwise strong unit) This could be a concern for Pasqualoni and his crew. RG Erik Kaloyanides (6-4, 298 lb. R-Jr) represents the best of the 2-deep. He's played in 3 games in 1999, and 9 of 11 in 2000. C Chris Buda (6-2, 292, R-So.) has 4 games under his belt. LG Matt Tarullo (6-5, 311 lb.) and LT Adam Terry (6-7, 291 lb.) are both redshirt freshman who'll likely see their first collegiate action against GT. Syracuse allowed 20 sacks a year ago. In one of those strange little quirks, they allowed 7 to Rutgers and Temple, while giving up only 2 against VT and Miami. Go figure?!?! DEFENSE - DC Chris Rippon (9th season @ SU, 3rd season as DC) Defensive Line Dwight Feeney! Dwight Feeney! Dwight Feeney! Remember his name because we are going to have to account for this guy at all times. This unanimous All Big East player had 13 sacks in 2000. More impressive is he did it in just 7 games, missing the last 4 games of 2000 with an illness. For the year, Feeney totaled 32 tackles with over half of them (18) going for a loss. He also had 8 quarterback hurries to go with his 13 sacks and forced a fumble. The mission for Georgia Tech is to minimize the damage Feeney can cause and that's going to be made a whole lot easier by the fact that his 3 teammates along the defensive front will be first year starters. Gachelin at NT played in 10 games a year ago, racking up 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Ferraro saw playing time in all 11 games, recording 12 tackles and recovering a fumble. Josh Thomas is the wild card. The sophomore broke his foot against Cincinnati and missed the rest of the year, but a tremendous spring should have him starting ahead of R-Sr. Mark Holtzman. The 6-4, 260 lb. Holtzman played in 11 games in 2000 and had 19 tackles. The coaches also tried Holtzman inside at the tackle position some this spring. The other backups on the defensive line are all described as having tremendous potential. Read: Zero experience. The 3 players listed as 2nd string DT's have a collective 2 games on the field. Brian Hooper (6-1, 281 lb.) was redshirted in 2000, while Charles Simpson (6-1, 318 lb.) and Tre Mathis (6-3, 330 lb.) only saw action in the rout of Buffalo to open the season. DE Julian Pollard (6-5, 241 lb.) is an early enrollee from the 2001 signing class who is being counted on to contribute immediately. The coaches are also hoping that Billy Wilson (6-4, 245 lb.), another early enrollee who was recruited to play LB can make the move to DE sooner rather than later. Linebackers The starting group looks solid, especially with Clifton Smith roaming the middle. As a sophomore, Smith earned All Big East honors while leading the Orangemen with 108 tackles. He also forced 3 fumbles and recovered one. The highlight of his 2000 season was a career high 18 stops against Miami, along with a blocked PAT. Stepping in as weak-side LB will be JR Johnson. The 2nd year starter had 60 tackles a season ago. On the other side, Maurice Minter hopes to find a home at the strong side LB spot. Recruited as a WR, he made the move to defense in 2000 playing in the secondary and recorded 11 tackles in 11 games. But...once again, questions of depth abound. In addition to STARTING a former WR/DB in the LB spot, Coach Rippon must find some more able bodies to fill in the gaps. Behind Minter, they've got Jose Harris, a 6-4, 236 lb. JUCO transfer who's been playing FB the last two years. Smith will be backed up by Rodney Wells, a R-Sr. who's spent more time on special teams than on the defense, or James Dumervil, a R-Fr. Johnson's primary backup, Rich Scanlon (6-1, 228 lb. R-So.) sat out spring practice recovering from a shoulder injury. That prompted the coaches to move SS Charles Burton (6-1, 231 lb. R-Sr.) up to LB with just a week left in spring ball. However, the move seems to have worked out well. Jameel Dumas is another LB who could enter into the mix, but as of right now, he's in the academic dog-house and his status for August 26th is unknown. Defensive Backs Despite the loss of Will Allen to the NY Giants, the secondary should lead the way for the 2001 Syracuse D. Keeon Walker was third on the team in tackles w/ 85, while Willie Ford checked in with 49 tackles, 5 TFL, an interception and 11 passes broken up. Not to be outdone, Harris had 55 tackles and 6 passes defended with an interception. The one criticism that can be leveled at this group though was that they got only 4 interceptions in 2000, and two of them were by the departed Allen. As a backup, Hunter checked in w/ 27 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4 passes broken up. The drop off in experience from the 1st to 2nd unit isn't as severe in the secondary as it is on the rest of team, but it's noticeable nonetheless. Maurice McClain (6-1, 172 lb. R-Jr.) will relieve Quentin Harris. He saw the field 10 times a year ago, recording 6 tackles. BJ Darnell (5-7, 167 lb. Jr.) and Latroy Oliver (5-8, 190 lb. R-Jr.) will spell the starting CB's. Oliver has played in 20 games, staring two, but Darnell only saw playing time against Buffalo last season. With Burton moved to LB, the primary backup to Keeon Walker will be R-Fr. Cedric Edmonds. (5-9, 190 lb.) The thing that does strike me about the 2nd teamers is their size...they are all significantly smaller than their counterparts on the 1st team. Special Teams Apparently Mike Shafer will handle the punting duties- there's no other punter on the roster. In 2000, he punted 51 times for a 40 yard average. Over half (27 total) were either fair-caught or downed inside the 20. However, as a kicker, Shafer was horrible. He made just 7 of 20 FG attempts, the longest from 37 yards out. He was 35 of 37 on PAT's. R-Fr. Colin Barber is being given every opporunity to win the 1st team kicker's job...and if he doesn't, 2001 signee Justin Sandusky will get his chance in August. Malik Campbell handles most of the punt-return chores. He was excellent in 2000, handling 32 kicks for 338 (10.6 avg) total return yards. Backup TB Diamond Ferri also worked out at fielding punts during spring practice. Kick-off returns is not as clear. Last year that job fell to CB Will Allen and WR Pat Woodcock. With both gone, the staff is looking at several possibilities. My best guess is backup WR Johnny Morant and backup TB Walter Reyes, but it's strictly a guess. Speedster Maurice Jackson could also make an impact for the Orangemen here. Coaching - It's hard to imagine slamming a coach that's won 81 games in 10 years, has a 5-2 bowl record, finished in the Top 25 6 times, and sent 23 players to the NFL...all while graduating better than 70% of his players. But that's exactly what you'll get if you stop by one the Orangemen message boards. To hear them tell it, Pasqualoni would have a hard time coaching himself out of a wet paper bag. He's the poster boy for "victim of your own success." If he'd gone 6-5, 7-5, 8-4 in his first 3 seasons, and just completed back to back 10 wins seasons, the Orange faithful would propably be hailing him as the second coming of Ben Schwartzwalder. (SU's all time win leader w/ 153 if you didn't know) Instead, he did that in reverse and many of the good people in upstate NY would like for him to start packing now....and for goodness sake take DeLeon with him. The staff under Pasqualoni has been stable by normal coaching standards. 5 of the 9 assistants have been at Syracuse 4 years or more, and a 6th is entering his 3rd season. Two newcomers will be making their Orange debut on August 26th. Steve Dunlap ended 17 years at West Virginia (13 as DC) when Don Nehlen retired and new coach Rich Rodriguez did not keep him on. He'll coach linebackers. Brian Stewart becomes the 4th DB's coach in 4 years. He's been at Missouri the last 3 seasons. What this all means Since questions still surround Nunes and Anderson's ability to run the offense, I see Syracuse taking the safe route. They don't want this to turn into a track meet w/ GT. They'll try and use a power rushing game with a short, controlled passing attack to shorten the game- keep the clock moving. This will minimize Gathers/Rogers' ability to get to the QB and make the pass coverage of our LB's, a problem in 2000, very important. The key for our defense is to keep Syracuse out of those 3rd and short situations where they can keep the chains moving. Stuffing the run at the line is always a good start. They absolutely cannot allow Mungro to get 4-5-6 yards/carry like he did last season. I'd also like to see the Jackets disguise some of their zone coverages. Both Syracuse QB's showed poor decision making skills in 2000- a couple of picks would be nice. Should Syracuse get a drive going, red-zone defense will be more important than it usually is. We need to force Pasqualoni into choosing b/t a 4th down conversion and sending the unreliable Shafer (or a freshman) in to try a FG. On the other side of the ball, it'd be wonderful if we were successful with a couple of quick strikes (I really want a long, dull, boring rout) but I suspect it won't be that easy. I don't think it's the best strategy either. While I don't want to let Syracuse hang around and start thinking they can actually win this thing, GT needs to take advantage of our superior depth and that means we are going to need to pound on them a little. Tech also needs to take advantage of Syracuse's weakest link on the defense- the line. Asserting ourselves there will force the DB's to cheat up in run support...and that's just when some of our receivers are the most dangerous. The punting game's are about even. Dyke's slight edge in kicking over Shafer is offset by M.Campbell's better return skills. Tech holds a decided edge in field goal kicking, but let's hope that is not a factor. On another note, I don't see "home field" for Syracuse being much of a factor. While they'll obviously have more fans there, given their current state of mind, I'm not sure that's a plus. Like I said above, the prevailing attitude is the season is already a lost cause and Pasqualoni is a lame-duck. Besides, the fact this game is outdoors, and on grass instead of in the Carrier Dome probably balances out any advantage more fans might bring. I might be wrong...but I'm pretty sure SU didn't win a game on grass last year. (Road victories were W.Va and Temple- both play on turf, right?) And by all means...DO NOT TURN THE BALL OVER! We all know how that evens things up (and then some) in a hurry. This game is not going to be as easy as some people think. (Actually, most of those "people" are Syracuse fans- I think GT fans have given SU a healthy amount of respect) I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the Orangemen keeping this thing close well into the 2nd half...but I do expect a Tech victory.
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