BearcatReport.com - The 2009 Schedule: Syracuse

August 2, 2009

Chuck Saffell
Special to BearcatReport.com

ABOUT THE SCHOOL: The only private school that participates in football in the Big East is Syracuse. Although officially founded in 1870 the school's roots go back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary which opened in 1832 in Lima, NY. The administration wanted to enlarge Genesee and add a college, but Lima was not a desirable location since it was not a stop on the railroad line. The city of Syracuse was looking to bring a university to town at around the same time and Genesee was moved and renamed. The Orange compete in eight sports for men and twelve for women. While they have had success in both men's basketball and football over the years, the lacrosse team is by far the school's most successful program with ten National Championships in the modern era (would be eleven, but the 1990 championship was vacated due to an ineligible player).

HEAD COACH: Doug Marrone was hired in December of 2008 to replace Greg Robinson who was fired with two games remaining in the season. Marrone was born in New York City and played offensive line for Syracuse. After a short career playing professional football he returned to Syracuse to finish his degree and began coaching in 1992. He has been an assistant at Cortland State, the US Coast Guard Academy, Northeastern, Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Tennessee on the collegiate level and in the NFL with the Jets and the Saints. This will be his first job as a head coach.

2008 IN REVIEW: For the seventh straight season the Orange failed to post a winning record. The only wins came in games with Northeastern and Louisville at home and the highlight of the season, a 24-23 victory against Notre Dame in South Bend. As a result Robinson was fired during his fourth season as head coach, finishing with just a 10-37 (3-25 in the Big East) record in that time.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Syracuse finished eighth of eight teams in total offense in the Big East (270.2 yards per game); last in scoring offense (18.1 points per game); fifth in rushing offense (148.7 yards per game); and last in passing offense (121.5 yards per game). On defense they finished last in total defense (414.5 yards per game); last in scoring defense (32.7 points per game); last in rushing defense (189.4 yards per game); and seventh in pass defense (225.1 yards per game). They forced 16 turnovers (8 fumble recoveries and 8 interceptions) and committed 17 (9 lost fumbles and 8 interceptions) which placed them third in the conference with a turnover margin of -1.

Cameron Dantley was the leading passer with 1298 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Donte Davis led a less than impressive group of receivers with just 312 yards and 2 touchdowns. Curtis Brinkley was the lone star on the offensive side of the ball, rushing for 1193 yards and finding the endzone 7 times.

2009 OUTLOOK: Marrone has a tough job ahead of him to repair the damage that has been done to a once proud program. One would think the Orange are auditioning for a move to the Big Ten with the way the season opens. They play Minnesota at home, go on the road to play Penn State, and then welcome Northwestern to the Carrier Dome. The new coach has his best chance to get his first victory in a week four matchup with Maine. The Big East schedule is about as good as it gets with four home games against West Virginia, Cincinnati, South Florida and Rutgers.

Dantley returns, but could spend his senior season as the backup. Redshirt freshman Ryan Nassib worked his way up to the starting position with a strong showing in spring practice. Obviously inexperience is a concern with Nassib. An interesting addition to the stable of quarterbacks is former Duke basketball player Greg Paulus. He was a Gatorade National High School Player of the Year as a quarterback, but being away from the game for the last four years is going to be tough overcome. Nassib seems to be the best choice for a program that is rebuilding since the other two guys are in their last year of eligibility. However, Marrone has said he will go with whoever gives them the best chance to win right now.

Sophomore Antwon Bailey appears to be the top choice to replace Brinkley at running back. He didn't see a lot of playing time in 2008, but did show up big against Notre Dame, rushing for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns. He will see some competition from former Mr. Ohio Football Delone Carter who carried the ball just 23 times last season after coming back from a dislocated hip that caused him to sit the entire 2007 season.

The receiving corps takes a huge step forward with the return of Mike Williams. In 2007 Williams had 60 catches for 837 yards and 10 touchdowns, but spent last year at Springfield Technical Community College after an academic related suspension. In addition to Williams, sophomore Marcus Sales and last year's leading pass catcher Davis will see most of the playing time. With Williams demanding most of the attention from opposing defenses, both should see the opportunity to improve on the dismal numbers from a year ago. Senior Mike Owens will start at tightend in his third year at the position after moving from linebacker. Last year he had 19 receptions for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The offensive line returns three starters from 2008. The new members to the starting five are junior Adam Rosner at right guard and redshirt freshman Nick Speller at left tackle. Last season's unit was solid in run blocking, allowing Brinkley to put up big numbers, but struggled to provide any pass protection. Expect more of the same in 2009, especially with an inexperienced player at left tackle. Depth could also be an issue if any injuries occur.

The star of the defensive line is senior defensive tackle Arthur Jones who had 60 tackles, including 13 for loss last season and is on the radar of most NFL teams. He missed spring practice after a surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle he suffered while lifting weights in the off season. Junior Andrew Lewis will man the other tackle spot the first year in which he will see significant time on the field. At the ends will be Arthur Jones' brother Chandler, who had a good spring despite being undersized at just 238 pounds238 pounds, and junior Jared Kimmel. Kimmel is trying to recover from his second surgery on the same knee in time for fall camp. Outside of Arthur Jones, this group has a lot of question marks and doesn't look to be much better than a year ago when they were one of the worst in the nation at stopping the run and gave opposing quarterbacks all day to find open receivers.

Middle linebacker Derrell Smith transitioned well last year, accumulating 73 tackles, after moving over to the defense from running back. The other two spots at linebacker could be a problem for Syracuse. The staff is hoping that another former running back, junior Doug Hogue, can handle the switch as well as Smith did as he plays his first year at the strongside spot. The weakside is also a potential problem spot. JUCO transfer Derek Hines who played safety at his former school will be thrown straight into the starting lineup due to the transfer of Parker Cantey.

The good news in the secondary is that four players who have starting experience are back. The bad news is that they were one of the worst teams in the country defending against the pass. At cornerback will be junior Nico Scott and sophomore Kevyn Scott. Nico Scott started eight games in 2008 but only made 22 tackles, no interceptions, and broke up just one pass. Kevyn Scott had a solid debut last year with 32 tackles in time at safety and corner where he started the last five games. At free safety is Mike Holmes who is starting for his third year. He is definitely the best player the secondary has and finished 2008 with 68 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 4 fumble recoveries. Max Suter will be the strong safety after making 32 tackles and 2 sacks while starting four games a year ago.

Punter Rob Long returns after averaging nearly 44 yards a kick and being named to the All Big East second team in 2008. The placekicking will fall on the shoulders of true freshman Shane Raupers and if he fails, there is no one behind him to pick up the slack due to the transfer of Patrick Shadle. Max Suter and Mike Holmes will be returning kicks. One of them will need to step it up in the punt return game for a team that finished 114th in the country in that area last year.

Cincinnati NEWS

[More]

Latest Headlines:

Resources:

Font Size:

FEATURED PRODUCT