SYRACUSE FORUM THREAD -- Interesting Read / ZERO RESPECT FROM MINNESOTA

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It's true. MN fans giving ZERO respect to SU. Just like Top 20 WVU last year before the bowl game...until Syracuse annihilated them. Fear the Orange.
 

I certainly know I don't respect Syracuse. We should beat them. We should beat them handily. Now it's up to our guys to go out there and make a statement that they are a changed team! Go Gophers!
 

texasbowl1 said:
It's true. MN fans giving ZERO respect to SU. Just like Top 20 WVU last year before the bowl game...until Syracuse annihilated them. Fear the Orange.
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reasons why we don't respect you and why we aren't thrilled with playing you

1. this is the third time in 5 years that we will play you, we wanted a team like Oregon State or Wazzu who isn't very good but we at least haven't played them in a very long time, we just played you guys last year and are getting stale
2. we won 8 games in a better conference, you won 6 games in a worse conference.
3. since we won 8 games we were possibly hoping for a BWW of gator bowl birth against a good SEC team or solid big 12 team but we won 2 more games this year yet we got stuck in the same bow as last year
4. we beat you last year by 7 and we are 2 wins better then last year, you are 2 losses worse then last year, we also beat you in 2009
5. we beat both Penn state and Northwestern, 2 teams that you lost to and you lost to NW by 21(although they were a lot better when you played them when they were healthy)
6. you're D is a bad matchup for our O

i think those are legit reasons for why we don't respect you and why we aren't that excited about playing you
 

While I think we should win by a couple touchdowns.....in an opposite situation.....we'd probably be saying a very similar thing as they are.

What the heck is the deal with that 56-0 loss to Georgia Tech though??? At least the 59-3 loss to FSU makes a little sense.
 


texasbowl1 said:
It's true. MN fans giving ZERO respect to SU. Just like Top 20 WVU last year before the bowl game...until Syracuse annihilated them. Fear the Orange.
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So a Syracuse Fan who thinks that the Texas Bowl will be selling tickets by the thousands to see a 6-6 team for upstate New York now thinks that what some people type on a Gopher Fan Board will will have an affect on the outcome of the game.

O for two Orangeman.

Maybe you think the over confidence displayed by Syracuse Fans in 2009 and 2012 caused the Orange to lose to the Gophers both Home and Away. Oh, it didn't.
 

Can't say I blame them for taking offense. Some of the things I've seen written by Gopher fans have been cringe-worthy. A decade ago, playing Syracuse in a bowl game would've been a huge deal. Two years ago, playing in any bowl game would've been a huge deal. The prevailing notion that Syracuse (and this bowl) is somehow beneath us is ludicrous. I'm confident Jerry will get the team more fired up for this game than the fans are.
 

Jike Spingleton said:
Can't say I blame them for taking offense. Some of the things I've seen written by Gopher fans have been cringe-worthy. A decade ago, playing Syracuse in a bowl game would've been a huge deal. Two years ago, playing in any bowl game would've been a huge deal. The prevailing notion that Syracuse (and this bowl) is somehow beneath us is ludicrous. I'm confident Jerry will get the team more fired up for this game than the fans are.
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I think it has more to do with this not being an exciting match up. We just played Syracuse last year. Part of the fun of playing in a bowl game is being able to play a team you normally don't.

They're probably a better team than some think, but it's just not an exciting match up. They're a 6-6 team from a bad ACC conference.
 

I am not sure anyone said anything about predicting ticket sales or that the message board will predict the outcome. The statement simply pointed out that a very good and highly rated WVU team (and their fans) took Syracuse lightly last year and got blown out of the bowl game. If you want any indication of bowl game success, learn that Syracuse hase overachieved in bowl games, going 11-3 over their last 14 bowls...some good teams, some subpar teams...but to disrespect a team that is opposing you on the field in a recipe for disaster. Fine for the fans to continue the banter and spew their confidence. However, just do not be surprised if you get beaten as it is certainly far from being out of the realm of possibility.
 



I don't think it's about zero respect at all. Trust me, these players and coaches and fans remember (now I'm going to be sick) NMSU and NDSU. Syracuse is a solid if not often spectacular FBS school.

I just don't really respect the match-up. Growing up B1G, it's mostly about PAC12 or BIG12 teams and matchups. It's a physical geography and mental outlook on the world thing. Indiana or Michigan or Ohio State may send graduates east, but Minnesota faces westward. Our ancestors that moved on, moved west. The west coast is filled with U grads.

Syracuse really shouldn't think we don't respect them just because we have no idea how to find them on a map and don't really care about anything farther east than Happy Valley.
 

This is exactly the type of team that is most dangerous to play in a bowl game. They are galvanized with all the acerbic comments in this and other sites, they'll use it as motivation.

We can't take them lightly.

Moderator, the background audio viagra commercial, is there a way to turn it off? That is quite annoying?
 

That bad conference you reference currently has the favored team to win the National Championship and another in a BCS bowl, not to mention the MOST teams of any conference in a bowl game this year. Look at the power rankings...the ACC is not much different than the Big 10.
 

Jike Spingleton said:
Can't say I blame them for taking offense. Some of the things I've seen written by Gopher fans have been cringe-worthy. A decade ago, playing Syracuse in a bowl game would've been a huge deal. Two years ago, playing in any bowl game would've been a huge deal. The prevailing notion that Syracuse (and this bowl) is somehow beneath us is ludicrous. I'm confident Jerry will get the team more fired up for this game than the fans are.
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1. Completely agree they should take offense.
2. A blow-out would be a HUGE surprise and those predictions baffle me too. The Gophers have proven through the years they can lose to anybody.
3. After winning more games than most people thought they'd win, people began to expect more. The losses to Wisconsin and MSU put the Gophers where they are heading.

All that said, hard to think that any team that finishing 8-4 and got bowl eligible weeks back wouldn't be disappointed playing any team that had to win their last game to get to 6-6.

Oh and G.in Iowa is right. Playing a team that we've beat twice in the last four years doesn't help either.
 



texasbowl1 said:
I am not sure anyone said anything about predicting ticket sales or that the message board will predict the outcome. The statement simply pointed out that a very good and highly rated WVU team (and their fans) took Syracuse lightly last year and got blown out of the bowl game. If you want any indication of bowl game success, learn that Syracuse hase overachieved in bowl games, going 11-3 over their last 14 bowls...some good teams, some subpar teams...but to disrespect a team that is opposing you on the field in a recipe for disaster. Fine for the fans to continue the banter and spew their confidence. However, just do not be surprised if you get beaten as it is certainly far from being out of the realm of possibility.
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I find it kinda odd that you actually believe what fans say on a message board will affect the game in any way. I guarantee Kill and the staff will not allow the team to take Syracuse lightly. WVU fans may have taken them lightly, but what proof do you have that the team did? Just because one team upsets another, doesn't mean the favorite didn't respect their opponent.

Again, I think you're taking it the wrong way. People are just mad because it isn't an exciting match up for us. We played you guys last year and we're going back to the same bowl in back to back years. We had one of the best years we've had in a long time, yet we're in the same type of bowl game against the same type of team as usual.

Last year, most on this board saw the Syracuse win as a big win for us.
 

From the Cusefan.com site:

ImperialOrange said:
Meh. They won by 7 last year in a game where we beat ourselves and they've beaten nobody this year that should give them such a superiority complex. They are 8-4 with 4 cupcake wins and no major wins, we are 6-6 with 2 cupcake wins and no major wins. Its pretty much a toss up which makes them talking as if they were ohio state a bit perplexing.
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Penn State, Northwestern, and Nebraska would like a word with you.
 

The idea that what is said on a forum by some fans reflects the attitude of a team is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard.
 


how is this even a thread. Its natural for fans to talk trash, but like GophersinIowa has been stating is that not trying to disrespect Syracuse, Gophers fans just wanted some fresh blood from an opponent we have not faced before or faced in a long time. I'm confident that the bowl game will be a close and exciting one. Heres to being bowling in the first place.
 

die hard gopher said:
reasons why we don't respect you and why we aren't thrilled with playing you

1. this is the third time in 5 years that we will play you, we wanted a team like Oregon State or Wazzu who isn't very good but we at least haven't played them in a very long time, we just played you guys last year and are getting stale
2. we won 8 games in a better conference, you won 6 games in a worse conference.
3. since we won 8 games we were possibly hoping for a BWW of gator bowl birth against a good SEC team or solid big 12 team but we won 2 more games this year yet we got stuck in the same bow as last year
4. we beat you last year by 7 and we are 2 wins better then last year, you are 2 losses worse then last year, we also beat you in 2009
5. we beat both Penn state and Northwestern, 2 teams that you lost to and you lost to NW by 21(although they were a lot better when you played them when they were healthy)
6. you're D is a bad matchup for our O

i think those are legit reasons for why we don't respect you and why we aren't that excited about playing you
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Syracuse fan here. Responses:

1. I can see your points here and they are valid. It's a bit disappointing because pretty much all the Syracuse fans that I spoke with were thrilled to be playing you guys. Sure beats playing North Texas or Buffalo.

2. Do you really think the B1G is a better conference? Objectively speaking, they are probably about even. And truth be told, you guys went 4-4 in the Big Ten. We went 4-4 in the ACC. The only difference is that you guys played 8 BCS teams and we played 10. If we replaced our two OOC BCS teams with cupcakes, we'd be a similar 8-4.

3. I agree with you here. You guys had a great year and it's unfortunate that the politics kept you from a bigger bowl against a bigger program.

4. You guys won by 7 last year sure, but I thought Syracuse actually outplayed you. Remember 1st and goal from the 1 where we turn the ball over. Two more turnovers within your 30 yard line too. You could make the argument for good defense sure, but a home game where a team spots your 4 turnovers and is playing without their 1st round draft pick left tackle, you beat by 7, is probably a closer game than many here seem to remember.

5. Regarding our games against Penn State and Northwestern, those were when our current starting QB wasn't playing. The guy starting then (great guy by the way) has 2 TDs and 9 Picks. I'm sure this sounds like lots of excuses, but we feel that we are a different team now. Congrats on beating Penn State and Northwestern though. Definitely legit wins there. By the way, what the heck happened to Northwestern? They seemed like a legit top 15 team when we played them and then they lose 7 straight.

6. You say that our D is a bad matchup for your offense; in what way? We are blitz heavy that like to stack the box against the run, while (recently at least) pressing up man coverage on the outside. Teams with burners for receivers got behind our corners. Those without, suffered. We have the longest streak in the nation without allowing a 100 yard rusher. We shut down the nation's #1 running back last week. You guys appear to be run dominant. What is the bad matchup here? Here are the national rankings (crude stats, I know):

Rush Offense:
Syracuse - 194 yards/game (38th)
Minnesota - 201 yards/game (33rd)

Pass Offense:
Syracuse - 182 yards/game (99th)
Minnesota - 142 yards/game (113th)

Rush Defense
Syracuse - 138 yards/game (24th)
Minnesota - 154 yards/game (48th)

Pass Defense
Syracuse - 230 yards/game (53rd)
Minnesota - 217 yards/game (34th)

Offense
Syracuse - 87th
Minnesota - 107th

Defense
Syracuse - 39th
Minnesota - 41st



Granted, a lot of those stats are circumstantial, but nothing I see there screams Minnesota in a blowout as so many are predicting.
 

That defensive statistic is deceiving in the fact that our 107th place offense played a large roll in our defense being ranked lower than it should have been.
ACC is putrid bad conference this year overall once you get past FSU and Clemson at the top. Duke was an abberation and would have gotten creamed by just about our whole division in the Legends division. Our side of the Big10 conference was much stronger than the Ohio State side this year as proved out when Michigan State handled Ohio State with a much better defense. If we would have had our number 1 receiver (torn ACL) our main receiver and could have completed just a few more passes(Quarterback missed a wide open tight end for a score high) we had a strong chance to beat Michigan state, put more yardage on them then anyone else this year. Gophers had three red zone tries with the ball inside the 10 yard line and came away with 3 points plus turned the ball over on downs in scoring postition against Michigan State. Our Gophers are a pretty dang good football team(especially the defense) and we have a reason to be confident we can win the bowl game. I'm not overlooking Syracuse but the competition you guy's played wasn't near as tough as ours this year. We still have to show up and win the game, our guy's should be motivated to start next year off right by putting a good thumping on someone.

When it comes to overall strength your going to find that out that the Big 10 conference was pretty good this year when Ohio State beats Clemson pretty good. Auburn is going to whip the snot out of FSU(Florida State played nobody of any circumstance) just how poor the overall ACC was this year. Some of the better teams we lost
to in the Big 10 Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State these are three of our four losses and we were in with a chance to win in the Fourth quarter. The Michigan loss was a one score game until Michigan pulled ahead in the Fourth quarter and we were starting a reds shirt freshman quarterback not our starter that game and did not have our coach due to seizure disorder. Gophers would have had a good chance to beat just about every team in the ACC conference this year(Even North Carolina at thier place) with the exception of maybe FSU and they would not have lit us up like most of the ACC.
I would argue that Michigan State and Iowa the way they are both playing now could beat FSU. Lets put it this way the only two Big 10 teams that are going to lose their bowl games
are likely Nebraska against Georgia that's a done deal and Michigan is going to get rolled in the Buffalo Wild Wings bowl because their hole team is playing like it is in the crapper and those fans want to fire their coach.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I find it kinda odd that you actually believe what fans say on a message board will affect the game in any way. I guarantee Kill and the staff will not allow the team to take Syracuse lightly. WVU fans may have taken them lightly, but what proof do you have that the team did? Just because one team upsets another, doesn't mean the favorite didn't respect their opponent.

Again, I think you're taking it the wrong way. People are just mad because it isn't an exciting match up for us. We played you guys last year and we're going back to the same bowl in back to back years. We had one of the best years we've had in a long time, yet we're in the same type of bowl game against the same type of team as usual.

Last year, most on this board saw the Syracuse win as a big win for us.
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Coach Kill won't even let the kids think for a second they can overlook this team no matter what us fans think (I personally believe we should win).

I feel like I usually agree with you GophesInIowa but about not being excited for the bowl selection I disagree. Yes we are going back to the same bowl even though we had 2 more wins. But last year we shouldn't have gotten this bowl and only did because Ohio St and Penn St were ineligible. Getting this back to back is still a HUGE improvement from where we were just a couple years ago. Going into the last 2 games we all knew if we wanted a "better bowl" we needed to win 1 of these games. We didn't.. which is where my disappointment is because we had chances in those games. But I am not disappointed about getting back to this bowl game.

As a gopher fan I am excited that we have the chance to win this bowl game in a state where we do a lot of recruiting and where a lot of our players are from against a team in the conference with a possible national champion. This bowl game is just another brick. Win this game and keep the program moving in the right direction. And then next year we win another game or 2 and we get a better bowl.

Looking forward to cheering the Gophers on in a few weeks!
 

I don't disrespect Syracuse at all, and as many other Gophers fans in this thread have stated, what Orange fans might be perceiving as 'disrespect' is in fact just a sense of massive disappointment. Part of the fun about the whole bowl game process (and especially these lesser bowls) is the novelty aspect of it, the excitement of going somewhere new and playing a team you might very, very rarely (or possibly even never, ala Boston College) have played....but where exactly is the novelty factor here? Here we are, going back to the same old crappy bowl and facing off against a team we've played plenty recently. As a fan, that's disappointing, and it's boring, with a novelty and excitement factor of approximately about 4 on a scale of 100.

Of course there are fans here whom are being disrespectful towards Syracuse by saying they're an automatic blowout (and for a Gophers fan to say that, wow, what hubris), but there are fans like that on every board, with the common factor between all of them being that none of those blowhard types are out there playing on the field and thus have absolutely nothing to do with what takes place out there.

I just shudder to think of all the empty seats that are going to be on prime display on national TV in Reliant Stadium- but hey, that's the Texas Bowl's problem, not ours.
 

rawphenomenon said:
5. Regarding our games against Penn State and Northwestern, those were when our current starting QB wasn't playing. The guy starting then (great guy by the way) has 2 TDs and 9 Picks. I'm sure this sounds like lots of excuses, but we feel that we are a different team now. Congrats on beating Penn State and Northwestern though. Definitely legit wins there. By the way, what the heck happened to Northwestern? They seemed like a legit top 15 team when we played them and then they lose 7 straight.
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They had the lead in two of their conference games with under 10 seconds to go, and Nebraska threw a hail mary from midfield for the game winning touchdown, and Michigan got a field goal off (even though they might not have had all their guys set) with the clock running in the final seconds to send it to overtime where the Wolverines won in triple OT. They also lost to Iowa in overtime, and I think had a fourth quarter lead against Ohio State. They seem to be a decent team, they just lost in heartbreaking and spectacular fashion multiple times. Hell they only lost to us by 3 (though they had a lot of calls go their way including a bogus offensive pass interference that took 6 points off the board for Minnesota. Their own fans acknowledge that they got a lot of calls that game). Pretty crazy how their season has gone for sure. They have lost some key players to injury. As I recall, part of the reason they were so good last season was because of fantastic injury luck.
 

The negativism has come from fans, not from coaches or players. It will probably be a competitive game, tho it would have been nice to turn the tables on Texas Tech (and better for the box office there). I'm fine with Syracuse - we've had some close games with them in recent years.
 

bottlebass said:
Coach Kill won't even let the kids think for a second they can overlook this team no matter what us fans think (I personally believe we should win).

I feel like I usually agree with you GophesInIowa but about not being excited for the bowl selection I disagree. Yes we are going back to the same bowl even though we had 2 more wins. But last year we shouldn't have gotten this bowl and only did because Ohio St and Penn St were ineligible. Getting this back to back is still a HUGE improvement from where we were just a couple years ago. Going into the last 2 games we all knew if we wanted a "better bowl" we needed to win 1 of these games. We didn't.. which is where my disappointment is because we had chances in those games. But I am not disappointed about getting back to this bowl game.

As a gopher fan I am excited that we have the chance to win this bowl game in a state where we do a lot of recruiting and where a lot of our players are from against a team in the conference with a possible national champion. This bowl game is just another brick. Win this game and keep the program moving in the right direction. And then next year we win another game or 2 and we get a better bowl.

Looking forward to cheering the Gophers on in a few weeks!
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That makes sense. When I say "not excited" or "disappointed", I think it is just all relative to where we felt we could have gone. We're excited to go to a bowl game, but we've known we were going for over a month now. I just think people got excited about the possibilities of playing in a more prestigious bowl against a better known program (again no disrespect to Syracuse, people could say the exact same thing about MN). When neither one happened, it was a downer.

I think as time passes and the game gets closer, fans will get more excited about the game.
 

We confess, Minnesota has a lot to prove...

rawphenomenon said:
Syracuse fan here. Responses:

1. I can see your points here and they are valid. It's a bit disappointing because pretty much all the Syracuse fans that I spoke with were thrilled to be playing you guys. Sure beats playing North Texas or Buffalo.

2. Do you really think the B1G is a better conference? Objectively speaking, they are probably about even. And truth be told, you guys went 4-4 in the Big Ten. We went 4-4 in the ACC. The only difference is that you guys played 8 BCS teams and we played 10. If we replaced our two OOC BCS teams with cupcakes, we'd be a similar 8-4.

3. I agree with you here. You guys had a great year and it's unfortunate that the politics kept you from a bigger bowl against a bigger program.

4. You guys won by 7 last year sure, but I thought Syracuse actually outplayed you. Remember 1st and goal from the 1 where we turn the ball over. Two more turnovers within your 30 yard line too. You could make the argument for good defense sure, but a home game where a team spots your 4 turnovers and is playing without their 1st round draft pick left tackle, you beat by 7, is probably a closer game than many here seem to remember.

5. Regarding our games against Penn State and Northwestern, those were when our current starting QB wasn't playing. The guy starting then (great guy by the way) has 2 TDs and 9 Picks. I'm sure this sounds like lots of excuses, but we feel that we are a different team now. Congrats on beating Penn State and Northwestern though. Definitely legit wins there. By the way, what the heck happened to Northwestern? They seemed like a legit top 15 team when we played them and then they lose 7 straight.

6. You say that our D is a bad matchup for your offense; in what way? We are blitz heavy that like to stack the box against the run, while (recently at least) pressing up man coverage on the outside. Teams with burners for receivers got behind our corners. Those without, suffered. We have the longest streak in the nation without allowing a 100 yard rusher. We shut down the nation's #1 running back last week. You guys appear to be run dominant. What is the bad matchup here? Here are the national rankings (crude stats, I know):

Rush Offense:
Syracuse - 194 yards/game (38th)
Minnesota - 201 yards/game (33rd)

Pass Offense:
Syracuse - 182 yards/game (99th)
Minnesota - 142 yards/game (113th)

Rush Defense
Syracuse - 138 yards/game (24th)
Minnesota - 154 yards/game (48th)

Pass Defense
Syracuse - 230 yards/game (53rd)
Minnesota - 217 yards/game (34th)

Offense
Syracuse - 87th
Minnesota - 107th

Defense
Syracuse - 39th
Minnesota - 41st



Granted, a lot of those stats are circumstantial, but nothing I see there screams Minnesota in a blowout as so many are predicting.
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I think the chest thumping Gopher fans are in the minority. Most of us are just thankful we have made credible strides.

Which program will be first to end the season in the top 25?
 

I don't think our team will take Syracuse lightly (let's not forget, we trailed Western Illinois this year). However, Bowl games in general sometimes seem to get overlooked by coaches. I always hear talk about what a great chance this is for the TV exposure, a chance to play in front of potential future recruits in Texas, and the extra 15 practices to gear up for next season. I want us to remember that first and foremost this is a football game. This team's last football game. A football game that I want us to win. We have spring ball and August training camp to get ready for next year. I want our focus to be on winning this game.

Also, we still have a chance to match Wisconsin's record on the year. Admittedly, they played ASU and we didn't, but let's not forget, the three B1G teams we played that Wisconsin didn't had a combined 17-8 conference record and a conference title, while the three B1G teams Wisconsin played and we didn't had a combined 9-16 conference record with a conference runner-up (both records include the MSU-OSU game).
 

GophersInIowa said:
That makes sense. When I say "not excited" or "disappointed", I think it is just all relative to where we felt we could have gone. We're excited to go to a bowl game, but we've known we were going for over a month now. I just think people got excited about the possibilities of playing in a more prestigious bowl against a better known program (again no disrespect to Syracuse, people could say the exact same thing about MN). When neither one happened, it was a downer.

I think as time passes and the game gets closer, fans will get more excited about the game.
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I hear ya, we were 1 win from playing in january for the first time in like 50 years (??? don't quote me on that number). I was negative after the Iowa loss but as the season played out I've seen too many things with this team to be positive about and am not only excited for the bowl game but am already looking forward to next season and being able to compete with the best in the B1G.
 

I think RawPhenom guy had a really good post, and like others have said this should be a very competitive game. I was really hoping for a different destination. I bet the Syracuse and Gopher fans that make it to Houston will not only have a great time, but they will also have more fun/intelligent conversations before and after the game (compared to last year with Texas Tech).
 

I'm just glad we play the Syracuse football team and not their message board fans. Those guys sound really mad.
 

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