Tag: Syracuse Football

Syracuse Orange: CFN College Football Preview 2021

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Syracuse season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2021: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Syracuse season with what you need to know.

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Syracuse Schedule Analysis
– Syracuse Orange Previews
2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

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2020 Record: 1-10 overall, 1-9 in ACC
Head Coach: Dino Babers, 6th year, 24-36
2020 CFN Final Ranking: 94
2020 CFN Preview Ranking: 52
2019 CFN Final Ranking: 79

Syracuse Orange College Football Preview 2021: Offense

– It was a brutal run. The offense couldn’t move the chains, there weren’t enough downfield plays, there were too many turnovers, there wasn’t any consistency, and overall, the attack averaged a pathetic 265 yards 18 points per game. There’s one big reason for all of this …

The offensive line hasn’t blocked anyone for a very, very long time. The Orange front five gave up 3.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss per game – among the most in the country – so …

– The offensive line can’t help but be better, and it should be. The coaching staff gets just about everyone back – for good and for bad – and now it’s going to play around with the puzzle. There’s just enough versatility to try something out, but no matter what the configuration is, the line will be huge, loaded with veterans, and again, better.

Leading rusher Sean Tucker is back after running for 626 yards and four scores as one of the bright spots on the O. 2019 key backs Abdul Adams and Jarveon Howard return after opting out last year – the Orange should have a solid rotation.

– The quarterback situation will be a fight up until the opener at Ohio. Tommy DeVito has been beaten up over the last few years behind the leaky line, but he’s back for another shot. However, Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader brings both mobility and 6-4, 221-pound size.

Give the quarterbacks time, and the passing game from early in the Dino Babers era will return. Taj Harris led the team with 58 grabs for 733 yards and five scores.

He’s back to stretch the field from the X, and second-leading target Anthony Queeley is a big target on the other side. Nykeim Johnson left for Kent State, but Courtney Jackson has the upside to become a factor on the inside with a bit more time.

– What You Need To Know: Defense
– Top Players | Keys To The Season
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Syracuse Schedule Analysis

NEXT: Syracuse Orange College Football Preview 2021: Defense

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Former Texas offensive lineman Willie Tyler transfers to Syracuse

Offensive lineman Willie Tyler entered the transfer portal on Jan. 19. On Thursday, he announced he would be transferring to Syracuse.

So far, 13 players have entered the transfer portal from last season’s roster. Jalen Green, Keaontay Ingram, and Ja’Quinden Jackson are among some of the biggest names, leaving for other Power Five programs. On Thursday, another former Texas player announced his commitment to an ACC program.

Offensive lineman Willie Tyler entered the transfer portal on Jan. 19 after being expected to compete for a backup role at a guard position. On Thursday, he announced he would be heading to Syracuse to play for Dino Barbers.

Tyler did not play in 2019 or 2020, redshirting after transferring from Iowa Western Community College and then opting out due to COVID-19 concerns.

Here is the statement Tyler released on his Twitter:

First off, I want to starting off by saying thank you to God! Also, thank you to Herman, Hand, and Jake Langi for believing in me and giving me an opportunity here! To all of my brothers at UT it will always be all love! I’m thankful for y’all the most for bringing me in like family from day 1. I’ll meet y’all at the top!

Forver grafteful, 55

Tyler will have three years of eligibility remaining for the Orange. They allowed 38 sacks last season, ranking No. 118 in the country. Syracuse’s offensive line needed an overhaul and Tyler will bring depth and the very least.

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Notre Dame Football vs. ACC teams all-time

How has Notre Dame fared all-time against each member of the ACC? We’ve updated the numbers.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, if you consider yourself a Notre Dame football fan in even the smallest amount you’ve likely heard that the 2020 football season saw Notre Dame play an ACC schedule.

That got me wondering what kind of success Notre Dame has had against ACC foes.  Some have had long histories of playing the Irish while others only really came into the picture since Notre Dame’s “friends with benefits” deal went down just over a half-decade ago.

So how has Notre Dame fared against everyone in the ACC and who won the most recent match-ups?

2021 Syracuse Football Schedule: Analysis, Best and Worst Case Scenarios

Breaking down and analyzing the 2021 Syracuse Orange football schedule with the best and worst case scenarios.

Breaking down and analyzing the 2021 Syracuse Orange football schedule with the best and worst case scenarios.

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2021 Syracuse Football Schedule

Full schedule analysis with best and worst scenarios below

Sept. 4 at Ohio

Sept. 11 Rutgers

Sept. 18 Albany

Sept. 24 Liberty

Oct. 2 at Florida State

Oct. 9 Wake Forest

Oct. 15 Clemson

Oct. 23 at Virginia Tech

Oct. 30 Boston College

Nov. 6 OPEN DATE

Nov. 13 at Louisville

Nov. 20 at NC State

Nov. 27 Pitt

Dec. 4 ACC Championship (in Charlotte)

Games vs. The Coastal: Pitt, at Virginia Tech

Missed Teams From The Coastal: Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Virginia

Syracuse Orange Football Schedule Analysis: Can the Orange beat Rutgers? Can they possibly beat Liberty this time around after losing last year at home – and badly? Those are two the Orange have to take down as part of an easy September – being 4-0 is a must. After starting out at Ohio, five of the next six games are at home.

The Clemson game is a Friday night hone date, but three of the following four games are on the road. Missing Miami and North Carolina from the Coastal is huge, but facing Virginia Tech in Blacksburg hurts.

Syracuse Orange Football Schedule Best Case Scenario: 8-4. The Orange take care of the home games and get off to a big start before dealing with Clemson. There are problems in the second half of the season, but they pull off one of the key road wins and close out with a victory over Pitt.

Syracuse Orange Football Schedule Worst Case Scenario: 4-8. It’s a disaster from the start. Rutgers rolls to a win, and Liberty pulls off a second straight win in the dome. Throw in a road loss to Florida State, and it’s a grind to get anywhere near four wins, even with a good-effort upset – like at NC State or Louisville – somewhere along the way.

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Syracuse S Andre Cisco to declare for 2021 NFL draft

Syracuse safety Andre Cisco will be leaving school early and declaring for the 2021 NFL draft

One of the top safety prospects in the country won’t be returning to the college football ranks next season.

Syracuse’s Andre Cisco will be declaring for the 2021 NFL draft, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Cisco suffered a season-ending injury earlier this year, and is already setting his sights on the next level once he’s back to full strength. Barring any setbacks with his recovery, Cisco should be one of the first safeties selected in next year’s draft.

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Syracuse S Andre Cisco to miss rest of 2020 season due to injury

Syracuse safety Andre Cisco is out for the rest of the 2020 college football season with a lower-body injury

One of the top safety prospects in all of college football is out for the rest of the 2020 season.

Syracuse’s Andre Cisco will miss the remainder of the year after suffering a lower-body injury, head coach Dino Babers confirmed Monday.

A preseason All-American pick, Cisco is projected to be among the first safeties off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft, should he make the decision to leave school early after this season.

The six-foot, 209-pound Cisco finishes his 2020 campaign with 11 tackles and one interception.

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Kickoff time set for Notre Dame home finale

Last time Syracuse traveled to Notre Dame the Irish suffered an incredibly embarrassing loss. We now have a kickoff time for this visit.

Notre Dame has nine regular season games remaining and their final at Notre Dame Stadium for 2020 will happen the first Saturday in December when the Irish welcome Syracuse to South Bend for the first time since 2008, when the Orange upset the Fighting Irish on a forgettable afternoon for Irish fans.

Syracuse returns to Notre Dame Stadium on December 5 this year and on Tuesday an official kickoff time was announced.

2:30 p.m. ET it is for December 5.

Let’s hope this one won’t result in the student section throwing snow balls at the Notre Dame sideline in an embarrassing defeat.

Syracuse QB throws his first touchdown pass since he beat cancer

Syracuse backup QB Rex Culpepper threw the team’s only TD of the game against Pitt.

In June of 2018, Syracuse quarterback Rex Culpepper was officially cancer free, about three months after he announced he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and after 100 hours of chemotherapy, Syracuse.com reported at the time.

Two years later, Culpepper, now a senior and the Orange’s backup, threw his first touchdown pass since he beat cancer on Saturday against Pitt.

The Orange were trailing the Panthers, 7-3, early in the second quarter, and Culpepper was in for struggling Syracuse starter Tommy DeVito, who Pitt sacked a total of seven times. Culpepper’s first pass of the drive was a nine-yard completion on 2nd-and-20.

His second throw on 3rd-and-11 was a high-flying deep pass to junior wide receiver Taj Harris for a 69-yard touchdown — the Orange’s only touchdown of the game, which gave them a 10-7 lead with the extra point.

Syracuse ultimately lost, 21-10, with Culpepper and DeVito continuing to trade off throughout the game.

But the senior’s first touchdown pass since being declared cancer-free was the obvious highlight. Against the Panthers, Culpepper completed 4-of-9 passes for 88 yards.

Here’s a look at Culpepper in 2018 celebrating being cancer free, via Syracuse.com:

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General public in stands for Notre Dame/Syracuse?

Could the general public be allowed in for Notre Dame’s game against Syracuse this year? Not saying yes, but there is a logical path to it.

Earlier in the week we found out that unless you’re a Notre Dame student, part of the faculty and staff at the University or the parent of a Notre Dame football player or their opponent, that you wouldn’t be seeing a game at Notre Dame Stadium this fall.

That could be changing though, for one afternoon at least.

Might I add the keyword being “could”.

And might I add that “could” can’t be put in bold enough letters.

As pointed out by the South Bend Tribune’s Eric Hansen, the Notre Dame game against Syracuse will be played on December 5, after students will have been sent home for break that goes through the new year.

So would it be possible to fill the empty seats currently reserved for students with fans from the general public?

Here’s what Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick told Hansen:

“We don’t know yet,” Swarbrick said of the ticket policy for the first scheduled Irish home game in December since a 40-14 rout of SMU in 1953. “We’ll need to see how we do and how this works, and we’ll work with (St. Joseph County deputy health officer) Dr. (Mark) Fox as we get closer to that to see what might be acceptable.

“A lot of it is going to depend on how Indiana and St. Joe County are doing (with their COVID-19 metrics) when we reach that point in time. If we’re doing really well, I’m hopeful that we might be able to offer the opportunity to lots of area people to attend a game. But it all depends on factors that we can’t control right now.”

To quote the iconic film Dumb and Dumber, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance?!?!”

I wouldn’t count on it by any stretch of the imagination but it’s at least possible.  Like I’ve said since March, this thing has been so incredibly unpredictable from week to week that thinking we know what will be happening three months from now is unrealistic.

But there is at least a chance of seeing the Irish at Notre Dame Stadium this season if you’re not a student or staff member.

Even if it is against what should be a poor Syracuse team in Notre Dame’s first December home game since the Eisenhower administration.

Related:  Predicting Notre Dame’s 2020 game-by-game schedule results

Saints try out two defensive backs after losing rookie to injured reserve

The New Orleans Saints tried out free agent cornerbacks Christopher Fredrick and Kemon Hall after rookie Tino Ellis went to injured reserve.

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The New Orleans Saints reported two free agent visits on Saturday’s daily NFL transactions wire: cornerbacks Christopher Fredrick and Kemon Hall. So who are they?

Fredrick (listed at 5-foot-11 and 198 pounds) is an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, where he started 43 consecutive games at cornerback. He was credited with 23 pass defenses (including eight interceptions) in 49 games played, as well as five fumbles (three forced, two recovered). What’s interesting is that Fredrick also ran with the special teams units throughout his Syracuse career, experience which should help his odds of catching on with an NFL roster.

Hall (listed at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds) is a North Texas product who spent the 2019 season on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, but hasn’t yet found a team in 2020. After transferring from Itawamba Community College in Mississippi, he started 25 straight games in the Conference USA and recorded 28 passes defensed (6 of which were interceptions), with a forced fumble thrown in for good measure. That suggests some real playmaking ability, but he’ll have to have wowed the Saints in his free agent tryout to get a shot on the 80-man roster.

But why were the Saints bringing in more help for the secondary, which has impressed in training camp practices? It’s possible they simply need more bodies to help round out the daily rotation after rookie cornerback Tino Ellis (Maryland) was designated to the injured reserve list earlier this week.

With Ellis out of action, that leaves the Saints with the following healthy cornerbacks:

  • Marshon Lattimore
  • Janoris Jenkins
  • P.J. Williams
  • Patrick Robinson
  • Justin Hardee
  • Johnson Bademosi
  • Keith Washington Jr. (rookie, West Virginia)

They haven’t signed anyone yet, but keep an eye out in case either of these free agents ends up joining the Saints for the rest of training camp. Earlier this week, they signed reserve tight end Ethan Wolf after a similar workout session.

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