Syracuse post game thread

[ZooCougar]

Taking Syracuse to OT on the road is incremental progression. I look forward to more. Not throwing in the towel when the season is 8 days old.

Hey everybody! Pack the rent! We have incremental progression! We came from trailers!

 

[ScottVib]

2 and 11 with the ball with about 3:50 to play, I turn to my buddy and say, “the whole stadium knows we are going to run, this is a perfect time for play action.” When I watched the next two run plays, I knew we were going to lose.

This was the biggest play-call I was hoping they'd do differently, although I was hoping for a screen pass, take advantage of the overcommitment to getting in the backfield and dump a comparatively safe pass over the rush.

That said... I don't think the play-calling was the issue... it was the execution. Fagnano went cold (and Syracuse started to pressure him), there were a couple of drops, the only yards gained prior to that drive in the 4th quarter came via the run, Fagnano was 0-5 passing at that point and they'd run 8 times for 57 yards (if you take out the Edwards big gainer it's still 7 for 32). They didn't convert enough on third down to give the defense a break and Syracuse which had hit a few chunk plays throughout the game, was able to take advantage.

 

[JMick]

We’re gonna lose to Delaware too.

These coaches don’t have a killer instinct.

You can tell the players fed off the staffs energy. They were the most aggressive I've seen them in 10+ years in the first half. Sprinting to spots, blocking down field, gang tackling, etc. Then in the second half we looked so timid.

 

[Hoophound]

You can tell the players fed off the staffs energy. They were the most aggressive I've seen them in 10+ years in the first half. Sprinting to spots, blocking down field, gang tackling, etc. Then in the second half we looked so timid.

Totally fixable. Just stop doing it. Declare the philosophy change and tell everyone in the locker room to live by it. I always want to go down swinging. If we lose occasionally because of gun slinging, so be it.

 

[TMB4405]

Also if we are going to run read option he has to keep it once in a while. Felt like we should have mixed that in a few times on some of those straight runs. There was a lot of room.

 

[UConnDan97]

Are you seriously using Randy Edsall as a benchmark?

This loss is on Jim Mora. Total lack of ambition.

No. You seem to have a reading comprehension problem. I said the benchmark is bowl games. And he's doing that, all while hamstrung by having less money in the Wild Wild West of NIL amateur athletics.

I'll type it once more for the really slow learners: Mora is NOT the problem...

 

[ZooCougar]

No. You seem to have a reading comprehension problem. I said the benchmark is bowl games. And he's doing that, all while hamstrung by having less money in the Wild Wild West of NIL amateur athletics.

I'll type it once more for the really slow learners: Mora is NOT the problem...

Today, Mora was the problem.

It was a complete capitulation.

 

[businesslawyer]

I feel gutted like a fish. Most deflating loss in UConn football history. Could have changed the Program around with a quality win on the road against a P4 team...And we gave it away

No. Not even close. Back when the program mattered, there were a number of these. None recently because it’s been a long time since games mattered

 

[UCan3]

idk if this is a compliment to uconn or an insult to uconn - I take it as an insult, as if being legitimately challenged by UConn nearly to the point of defeat, is such an embarassment to Fran Brown that he makes his kids run sprints after the game? i think it's a shot at UConn; THIS is what P4 teams think of us, even MEDIOCRE ones like syracuse, no matter what they say on the mic. I guarantee if this same game happens against even a meh ACC team like Wake or Stanford, the sprints don't happen.

If you put Fran on the spot and asked him, I'm sure he'd say it has "nothing" to do with us - he's just molding his guys. I call BS. he thinks we're beneath him.

This is why we needed to kick their ***es. nothing less than a WIN against them will shut them up, change perceptions, and actually make Big12 schools take us seriously in the next vote. We failed.

It is definitely an insult. Making a team run sprints is like “I know you just won in overtime, but the team you just played, sux.”

I can’t imagine a more disrespectful action by the opposing team.

The Syracuse fan board - insults all day long after this one - they are flowing…. No class over there - not even a Little.

We earned this one however in every way.

 

[businesslawyer]

This was the biggest play-call I was hoping they'd do differently, although I was hoping for a screen pass, take advantage of the overcommitment to getting in the backfield and dump a comparatively safe pass over the rush.

That said... I don't think the play-calling was the issue... it was the execution. Fagnano went cold (and Syracuse started to pressure him), there were a couple of drops, the only yards gained prior to that drive in the 4th quarter came via the run, Fagnano was 0-5 passing at that point and they'd run 8 times for 57 yards (if you take out the Edwards big gainer it's still 7 for 32). They didn't convert enough on third down to give the defense a break and Syracuse which had hit a few chunk plays throughout the game, was able to take advantage.

Both not enough execution and over conservative play calling contributed.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

I can't appreciate a 'good game" when im this invested in the team that loses. If my wife fell in love with another guy I wouldnt say "okay, hes a pretty good dude"

Yeah especially if he’s Syracuse.

 

[Tucker]

Listening to the radio broadcast, the announcers made it seem there were multiple calls that should have helped us. They went so far to say ACC refs doing it to us again. Was this the case or more of homer announcing?

 

[AllHusky]

Prevent defense? Always a loser and proven out yet again, why change from what was successful? Awful loss.

Dance with who brung ya

 

[JMick]

No. You seem to have a reading comprehension problem. I said the benchmark is bowl games. And he's doing that, all while hamstrung by having less money in the Wild Wild West of NIL amateur athletics.

I'll type it once more for the really slow learners: Mora is NOT the problem...

NIL isn't even a topic in this loss besides the fact that our staff is clearly better at identifying and getting talent than Syracuse is. Our players were better. Both coaching staffs sucked but we lost the game because of how it was managed not because their players were better

 

[JMick]

Listening to the radio broadcast, the announcers made it seem there were multiple calls that should have helped us. They went so far to say ACC refs doing it to us again. Was this the case or more of homer announcing?

I mean they did get 5 downs one possession

 

[giddyup]

No. You seem to have a reading comprehension problem. I said the benchmark is bowl games. And he's doing that, all while hamstrung by having less money in the Wild Wild West of NIL amateur athletics.

I'll type it once more for the really slow learners: Mora is NOT the problem...

Mora let his OC and DC throw away the game. Thats on him. Never ever again can we play stall ball and hope to sneak away with a win. What an utter sheet show failure.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Absolutely. I am disgusted. We had the win in our sight and never threw a pass until the last possession.

We had two consecutive three and outs in the second hals where we only threw the ball and took about 45 seconds in total off the clock.

everyone keeps saying we turtled. maybe a bit on the last drive but the two before that we were passing on first down for no reason when the run game was going well

This. We out thought ourselves a lot on offense in the second half and the all out blitz on fourth down (where they scored their first TD) made no sense to me.

I don't like losing and the only thing that may have made this worse would have been if BC (or maybe Duke) had been the opponent. Even then it may not have been worse.

There's a lot of season left, so on to Delaware..... Which has me thinking, who is older, our starting QB or Bill Bellichick's girlfriend? They have to be basically the same age.

 

[UCan3]

Listening to the radio broadcast, the announcers made it seem there were multiple calls that should have helped us. They went so far to say ACC refs doing it to us again. Was this the case or more of homer announcing?

There was some bad calls, yes. Homer calls, yes.
But not enough that you could use them to defend what happened today.

We know playing with no conference affiliation this is how it goes.

Today was par for the course - not better but not worse - than the -7 we play each game. I for one, am not going to complain.

 

[Jetskies]

Listening to the radio broadcast, the announcers made it seem there were multiple calls that should have helped us. They went so far to say ACC refs doing it to us again. Was this the case or more of homer announcing?

in the spectrum of unfair game calling by ACC refs against uconn, i would have to say I think today's game doesn't rank so high. They could have easily not given us the PI committed against Bell in the end zone in OT - that would have been a clear indication of their bias, which we've seen in games past. it's in those critical moments, where not getting the call shows their stripes. They gave it to us.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

For all the flowers I previously gave him saying that he proved me wrong, this game is incredibly frustrating. 7th year player and starting QB, you’d think he’d be able to complete some decent passes to wide open players in a must win game.

Yeah, but he started his collegiate career as a walkon at an FCS school for a reason. He is very limited and sadly, so is our football program until we seriously upgrade our QB position.

 

[mike012]

We blew this game. The refs did not. A second half game plan of lay down and die. Doesn’t work that often.

 

[superjohn]

Are you seriously using Randy Edsall as a benchmark?

This loss is on Jim Mora. Total lack of ambition.

He is, always measure yourself against the worst ever.

 

[AllHusky]

Listened on the radio and watched the chat.

1-Couldn’t catch the ball, both O and D. Sounds like we had at least 2 maybe 3 ez interceptions

2-Got nauseous in 3rd quarter when both sides of the ball stopped being agressive

3-Wayne-O who calls it like he sees it, said 3 blatant pass interferences went uncalled when any one would have salted the game away.

Game set match. Bummer.

 

[FightOnCT]

Mora let his OC and DC throw away the game. Thats on him. Never ever again can we play stall ball and hope to sneak away with a win. What an utter sheet show failure.

It’s been an ongoing problem since last year from Duke to Wake Forest, even to Georgia State where we were up 20 late in the game and ended up giving them a chance for an onside kick. When you’re leading against a team with the talent to beat you, you try to keep it out of reach so they don’t have a comeback chance.

 

[SportsFan88]

idk if this is a compliment to uconn or an insult to uconn - I take it as an insult, as if being legitimately challenged by UConn nearly to the point of defeat, is such an embarassment to Fran Brown that he makes his kids run sprints after the game? i think it's a shot at UConn; THIS is what P4 teams think of us, even MEDIOCRE ones like syracuse, no matter what they say on the mic. I guarantee if this same game happens against even a meh ACC team like Wake or Stanford, the sprints don't happen.

If you put Fran on the spot and asked him, I'm sure he'd say it has "nothing" to do with us - he's just molding his guys. I call BS. he thinks we're beneath him.

This is why we needed to kick their ***es. nothing less than a WIN against them will shut them up, change perceptions, and actually make Big12 schools take us seriously in the next vote. We failed.

It’s the ultimate insult to us and our football program

 

[king conn]

No. You seem to have a reading comprehension problem. I said the benchmark is bowl games. And he's doing that, all while hamstrung by having less money in the Wild Wild West of NIL amateur athletics.

I'll type it once more for the really slow learners: Mora is NOT the problem...

Didn't Mora say we are in the top 5 or so in NIL spending for G5 schools?

Haven't other G5 schools beat p4 schools year to year? And as an independent, we have many more opportunities than those other G5 programs. I don't think there was a NIL warchest for Northern Illinois when they beat Notre Dame last year. Yet they weren't hamstrung.

If the goal is to be a solid G5 program we are there now. But we are one of the few FBS athletic programs that still has a shot at a power conference invite, however small that shot may be. We need to get a win against them occasionally at least, especially when a P4 team is trying to hand you one like today.

 

[JcHusky95]

Coaching malpractice, playing not to lose instead of playing to win

Agreed! Unfortunately this loss may be a program killer imo. It would have been a statement win, for the P4 judges. Instead it’s probably the worst loss of the decade

 

[Fairfield_1st]

My bottom line is that game was nothing but a disappointment. You had the game won, then Gordo clenched his butt cheeks and went into prevent offense way too soon. You can't run it every frickin play when there's 8 minutes to go in the game. He owes the team an apology. To a lesser degree, there were some dropped passes and bad passes that also hurt, but for me, gordo gets the deflated game ball. Unacceptable.

 

[Scoe]

idk if this is a compliment to uconn or an insult to uconn - I take it as an insult, as if being legitimately challenged by UConn nearly to the point of defeat, is such an embarassment to Fran Brown that he makes his kids run sprints after the game? i think it's a shot at UConn; THIS is what P4 teams think of us, even MEDIOCRE ones like syracuse, no matter what they say on the mic. I guarantee if this same game happens against even a meh ACC team like Wake or Stanford, the sprints don't happen.

If you put Fran on the spot and asked him, I'm sure he'd say it has "nothing" to do with us - he's just molding his guys. I call BS. he thinks we're beneath him.

This is why we needed to kick their ***es. nothing less than a WIN against them will shut them up, change perceptions, and actually make Big12 schools take us seriously in the next vote. We failed.

Ugh Exactly why I wanted this win so bad, this is clearly grandstanding as I stated earlier likely trying to win brownie points with the fanbase and boosters.

 

[JcHusky95]

It’s the ultimate insult to us and our football program

Unfortunately this program deserved it after today. 37k on stands last week. I wonder if we make 25k next home game