Post by elp525 on Oct 18, 2011 5:16:15 GMT -5
Monday October 17, 2011
by The Associated Press
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The first bye week of the season came at an opportune time for Syracuse - it allowed an injury-riddled lineup to recuperate.
Too bad Big East rival West Virginia (5-1, 1-0 Big East) had last week off, too, and the 11th-ranked Mountaineers are coming to town on Friday night.
"Obviously, we have a great challenge," third-year Coach Doug Marrone said Monday. "We're probably playing the best team, at least since I've been here, coming into Syracuse to play."
Nobody around here is going to argue that.
With quarterback Geno Smith at the helm, the No. 11 Mountaineers are ranked fourth nationally in passing offense (380.5 yards per game) and 11th in total offense (503.5 ypg), while their defensive unit is 16th (301.2 ypg). WVU's lone loss was at home to top-ranked LSU, which overcame Smith's school-record 468 yards of offense.
"Geno Smith's playing extremely well right now," Marrone said. "He's made great improvement in what he's been able to do. That's really been the key for them."
Although Syracuse (4-2, 0-1) is closing in on becoming eligible for the postseason for the second consecutive year under Marrone, two of its wins were in overtime and the Orange could easily be 5-1 or 0-6. It's been that fine of a line for a team that has been very inconsistent.
"You can't right now just scrap everything you've been doing and try to do something else," Marrone said. "We're trying to make sure that we evaluate what we're doing well, try to keep doing those things well, and continue to get better and try to put our players in the best position where they can make plays."
After struggling early in the season, Syracuse has begun to exert some force on the ground. Antwon Bailey is averaging just under 100 all-purpose yards per game and has three consecutive games with over 100 rushing yards while quarterback Ryan Nassib has been a steady leader. Nassib has 11 touchdowns against four interceptions, with three of those picks coming in a double-overtime loss to Rutgers.
"Right now from a coaching standpoint, we have a better sense of what we've done well and haven't," Marrone said, "what we need to continue to improve on."
Defense comes quickly to mind as a phase of the game that needs to improve - a lot. Syracuse ranks last in the Big East in scoring defense (27.3 points per game), total defense (397.3 ypg), and passing defense (293 ypg).
The Orange defense has been hit hard by injuries and, consequently, victimized by too many big plays. In Syracuse's last victory, 37-34 over Tulane just over a week ago, the Green Wave had three scoring plays that totaled 158 yards but lost on a field goal by Ross Krautman as time expired.
Syracuse also is averaging six penalties for nearly 60 yards per game, and that's hurt on both sides of the ball. The Orange offense is converting 40.5 percent on third down, sixth in the conference, and its defense is allowing a league-worst 43.4 percent conversion rate on third down.
"We haven't been able to get ourselves out of unmanageable situations," Marrone said. "We jump offsides and it's first-and-15, and it's been very difficult for us to go ahead and convert."
At least there's one bright spot. Defensive end Chandler Jones will return against WVU after missing five games.
"He's been practicing, getting a little bit better each day," said Marrone, who had the Orange on the field for four days of practice last week. "We all can understand that when a young player comes back - even a veteran player - it still takes some time.
"You can still see a little rust."
NOTES: At halftime on Friday night, Syracuse will celebrate the 50th anniversary of former Orange great Ernie Davis winning the Heisman Trophy. Davis made history in 1961 when he became the first African-American to receive the award. ... Syracuse hasn't beaten WVU at home since 2001.
by The Associated Press
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The first bye week of the season came at an opportune time for Syracuse - it allowed an injury-riddled lineup to recuperate.
Too bad Big East rival West Virginia (5-1, 1-0 Big East) had last week off, too, and the 11th-ranked Mountaineers are coming to town on Friday night.
"Obviously, we have a great challenge," third-year Coach Doug Marrone said Monday. "We're probably playing the best team, at least since I've been here, coming into Syracuse to play."
Nobody around here is going to argue that.
With quarterback Geno Smith at the helm, the No. 11 Mountaineers are ranked fourth nationally in passing offense (380.5 yards per game) and 11th in total offense (503.5 ypg), while their defensive unit is 16th (301.2 ypg). WVU's lone loss was at home to top-ranked LSU, which overcame Smith's school-record 468 yards of offense.
"Geno Smith's playing extremely well right now," Marrone said. "He's made great improvement in what he's been able to do. That's really been the key for them."
Although Syracuse (4-2, 0-1) is closing in on becoming eligible for the postseason for the second consecutive year under Marrone, two of its wins were in overtime and the Orange could easily be 5-1 or 0-6. It's been that fine of a line for a team that has been very inconsistent.
"You can't right now just scrap everything you've been doing and try to do something else," Marrone said. "We're trying to make sure that we evaluate what we're doing well, try to keep doing those things well, and continue to get better and try to put our players in the best position where they can make plays."
After struggling early in the season, Syracuse has begun to exert some force on the ground. Antwon Bailey is averaging just under 100 all-purpose yards per game and has three consecutive games with over 100 rushing yards while quarterback Ryan Nassib has been a steady leader. Nassib has 11 touchdowns against four interceptions, with three of those picks coming in a double-overtime loss to Rutgers.
"Right now from a coaching standpoint, we have a better sense of what we've done well and haven't," Marrone said, "what we need to continue to improve on."
Defense comes quickly to mind as a phase of the game that needs to improve - a lot. Syracuse ranks last in the Big East in scoring defense (27.3 points per game), total defense (397.3 ypg), and passing defense (293 ypg).
The Orange defense has been hit hard by injuries and, consequently, victimized by too many big plays. In Syracuse's last victory, 37-34 over Tulane just over a week ago, the Green Wave had three scoring plays that totaled 158 yards but lost on a field goal by Ross Krautman as time expired.
Syracuse also is averaging six penalties for nearly 60 yards per game, and that's hurt on both sides of the ball. The Orange offense is converting 40.5 percent on third down, sixth in the conference, and its defense is allowing a league-worst 43.4 percent conversion rate on third down.
"We haven't been able to get ourselves out of unmanageable situations," Marrone said. "We jump offsides and it's first-and-15, and it's been very difficult for us to go ahead and convert."
At least there's one bright spot. Defensive end Chandler Jones will return against WVU after missing five games.
"He's been practicing, getting a little bit better each day," said Marrone, who had the Orange on the field for four days of practice last week. "We all can understand that when a young player comes back - even a veteran player - it still takes some time.
"You can still see a little rust."
NOTES: At halftime on Friday night, Syracuse will celebrate the 50th anniversary of former Orange great Ernie Davis winning the Heisman Trophy. Davis made history in 1961 when he became the first African-American to receive the award. ... Syracuse hasn't beaten WVU at home since 2001.
