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

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The reality is if our offense shows a pulse we will win this game by multiple scores. Cuse statistically looks like a tough match up. Their biggest problem is the game isn't played on a message board. Our team is very well coached, will not take them lightly and our defense and run offense keeps getting better.

They like to point out their defense hasn't allowed a 100 yard rusher this year. FSU and maybe others didn't care about running and just destroyed them through the air. Our guy Cobb ran for over 100 against Michigan State at their place so I'm not gonna get all flustered about great Syracuse's defense is. If we can win the turnover battle we'll win by 10+. Our fans were in the same position this time last year trying to justify how we would beat a superior opponent so I don't blame them. We've done well in the underdog role this year being dogs in basically our last 8 games sans PSU, so this will be new territory for the team. I expect a tough game with us pulling away in the 2nd half.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
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).
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I would care more about this if we didn't lose head to head....
 

Personally, I'm not disrespecting Syracuse at all. Frankly, I'm happy to be playing in a bowl game and even more pleased that we're actually favored to win it (when was the last time that happened?). Either way, I'm just hoping for better behavior from both sides than what we got from those idiots from Texas Tech a year ago.
 

Here are each team's stats against BCS opponents:

Syracuse:
338 yards per game (151 passing, 187 rushing)
Give up 413 yards per game (262 passing, 150 rushing)

Last six games:
309 yards per game (145 passing, 164 rushing), -29 from total (worse)
Give up 369 yards per game (210 passing, 159 rushing), -44 from total (better)

Minnesota:
320 yards per game (160 passing, 160 rushing)
Give up 371 yards per game (191 passing, 180 rushing)

Last six games:
353 yards per game (167 passing, 186 rushing), +33 from total (better)
Give up 359 yards per game (179 passing, 180 rushing), -12 from total (better)
 

FIrst. Anyone who thinks we will blow out Syracuse is crazy. While a good team, this year's Gophers are not explosive enough to blow out a BCS team. I suspect that we will be favored by about 3.5 and that is about what I think we will win by.

Second. Why do fans get so enraged by fans of other teams on message boards? Of course we think we will win. The Cuse fans think they will win also. So be it.

Go over to the Iowa rivals board and they all think they will beat LSU. I tihnk that is unlikely but so be it. That's why they play the games. The Syracuse fans do seem pretty angry though, that board seems similar to buckyville in tone.
 


They lost 56-0 to Georgia tech and 48-27 to Nerdwestern.

This thread can be locked up.
 

LongOpherDo said:
They like to point out their defense hasn't allowed a 100 yard rusher this year. FSU and maybe others didn't care about running and just destroyed them through the air. Our guy Cobb ran for over 100 against Michigan State at their place so I'm not gonna get all flustered about great Syracuse's defense is. If we can win the turnover battle we'll win by 10+. Our fans were in the same position this time last year trying to justify how we would beat a superior opponent so I don't blame them. We've done well in the underdog role this year being dogs in basically our last 8 games sans PSU, so this will be new territory for the team. I expect a tough game with us pulling away in the 2nd half.
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I just looked up stats from a few of their tougher games (I know I'm cherry-picking). I didn't see a 100+ yard rusher, but here are the TEAM totals for those games:

vs. Northwestern: 44 carries for 206 yards
vs. Clemson: 44 carres for 156 yards
vs. Georgia Tech: 67 carries for 394 yards
vs. Florida State: 19 carries for 225 yards

Obviously, FSU is FSU and could have put up 300+ if they wanted to (but there aren't many teams they couldn't do that to). Georgia Tech has gotta be tough to gameplan for, and probably even tougher to stop. A good YPC game against Clemson, but I don't have a clue about Clemson's rushing attack. And Northwestern was a different team back then. One thing that is clear is that these teams used quite a few RBs, where we mainly use Cobb.

I think Cobb runs for 100+, simply for the fact that our gameplan will be to pound the ball, and the score won't get so out of hand in favor of Syracuse where we would go away from running the ball. I could see Cobb having 30+ carries and breaking a couple off 15-20 yarders.

It's going to be a competitive game. If our passing attack shows up like that four game stretch in the BIG 10, we win by two scores. If not, it could be a toss-up. Unlike last year, I'm more worried about their rushing attack than their passing attack.
 

I look at how Georgia Tech ran allllllll over Syracuse, which is obviously the Gophers' strength, and I see a game very similiar to the San Jose St. one. Gophers run for 250+ and win by 3 scores
 

Since I will have no impact on the game I am going to go Schnauzer all over this and completely over look the Orange. If we should happen to lose I will start a Fire Gary Andersen website.
 



mnsports1 said:
I would care more about this if we didn't lose head to head....
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Preaching the choir with me on that one, but unfortunately that game is in the books. I'd still enjoy matching their record after hearing their delusional fan base talk about how they are a top-10 team.
 

Syracuse fan logic: Why does everyone say the NBA Eastern Conference is bad? The Pacers and Heat are good, and there's 8 playoff teams in there.
 


Go4Gr8 said:
i think this game will be closer than expected.
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That would depend on an individual's expectation. The spread is -3.5, so that expectation is it will be a close game.
 





Syracuse's run D is a little inflated by the fact that they have 31 sacks. They're sack-adjusted yards per carry against is 4.8 ypc. Compare that to say, Nebraska, whose sack-adjusted yards per carry against is 4.72 ypc, and we ran for 271 yards against the Huskers. I'm not saying we'll run it down their throats but I don't buy what Syracuse fans are saying that this is a good matchup for them because they're stout against the run. Their defense should be a breath of fresh air to go against after playing Wisconsin and Michigan St., and we had moments in those games where we moved the ball.

What that 31 number does suggest is they can rush the passer, so we'll want to avoid 3rd and longs as much as possible.
 

Spread opened at -4.5. That's pretty even.
 

Just came across this gem on that Syracuse Forum...

"That's funny, Syracuse will be one of the hardest-hitting teams, if not the hardest, that the Gophers will face this year. I'd rather them think we're soft though."

Preposterous Statement of the Year nominee?
 


Total Defense
1. Michigan State
6. Wisconsin
7. Iowa
36. Nebraska
38. Michigan
39. Syracuse

Thunderlips said:
"That's funny, Syracuse will be one of the hardest-hitting teams, if not the hardest, that the Gophers will face this year. I'd rather them think we're soft though."
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Jennifer-Lawrence-ok-thumbs-up.gif
 

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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Good points. It will be a good game.
 

wow - great to see everyone breaking this down...before we book this win on paper I have two words......"touchdown Jackrabbits!!!"
 

Gopher07 said:
Total Defense
1. Michigan State
6. Wisconsin
7. Iowa
36. Nebraska
38. Michigan
39. Syracuse
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That list does show the absurdity of the assertion that Syracuse will be the toughest defense all year. One intersting thing to note though, we are perfect against teams with a worse defense than Syracuse, and 1-4 against teams with a better defense than Syracuse. We had a thread on this earlier in the season, but defensive ability of our opponents has seemed to be the best predictor of our success.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
That list does show the absurdity of the assertion that Syracuse will be the toughest defense all year. One intersting thing to note though, we are perfect against teams with a worse defense than Syracuse, and 1-4 against teams with a better defense than Syracuse. We had a thread on this earlier in the season, but defensive ability of our opponents has seemed to be the best predictor of our success.
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He didn't say hardest. He said hardest-hitting. Maybe those guys really tackle well.
 

I was at a bar watching a Gophers game and there were some jerks who kept saying "touchdown Jackrabbits" all through the game. While it wasn't a performance that Gopher fans were particularly proud of, the Gophers did beat the Jackrabbits 13-10. No one is treating this game like the Gophers merely have to show up and collect the win.
 

holereader said:
wow - great to see everyone breaking this down...before we book this win on paper I have two words......"touchdown Jackrabbits!!!"
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I have two words as well. Tim Brewster. If fans expect to win, that means the program is heading the right way. I expect the Gophers to win and will be steamed if they don't.
 

I went over there and took a look at that thread. It was amusing. There is less respect shown for Minnesota there than there is for Syracuse here. It's an old pattern. "Our opponent's fans have the nerve to think they will win! HOW DARE THEY!" Yes, Gopher fans think that the Gophers will win. That's not disrespect, and it's not outrageous. I expect Syracuse fans think they will win too. It's just not worth getting outraged over.
 

I think it will be a good game. I don't expect either team to put more than 3 touchdowns on the board. Turnovers will dictate the game result. The incentive for Syracuse is payback from last season and not having a losing record
(6-7) For the Gophers it is a 9 win season and to show the jack wagons at the BWW and Gator Bowl they made the wrong choice. Image wise, Syracuse has more to gain with a win over the Gophers as they will probably go in at
6-9 point dogs. I would be surprised if Syracuse brought a lot of fans. It is a " basketball " school and Houston isn't
exactly the garden spot of the world.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
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.
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oooooook ?

GD2, I love the Gophers too, but this is not only condescending, it's overblown. We can be disappointed with the Texas Bowl against a team we already played twice the past 5 seasons, but beyond that this isn't a bad matchup. Gophs should be slight favorites, I'd say -3.5.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
That list does show the absurdity of the assertion that Syracuse will be the toughest defense all year. One intersting thing to note though, we are perfect against teams with a worse defense than Syracuse, and 1-4 against teams with a better defense than Syracuse. We had a thread on this earlier in the season, but defensive ability of our opponents has seemed to be the best predictor of our success.
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Defensive ability of our opponents - in the B1G season only - had a big effect on the playcalling. Preseason was a bunch of dull offensive football; that carried over into Iowa and Michigan; then there was the epiphany by Limegrover/Kill; and about 13 or 14 of the next 16 quarters we saw genius offensive playcalling filled with imagination and a lot of different plays and looks at work.

For whatever reason, that imagination seemed to disappear to some extent in the final two games. Perhaps UW and MSU just made Limegrover uncomfortable in trying "riskier" plays, but the offense returned some to the early season format and the points scored may have reflected the loss of ingenuity. Those very good Ds yielded to the smash mouth ball, but didn't break. I think the loss of Engel had a lot to do with both the lack of imagination and the relative lack of execution, as it was obvious Nelson didn't have as good a rapport with the other receivers. I'm hoping that Limegrover goes all out in the Texas Bowl, and that Nelson finds his new go-to receiver (Jones?).
 

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