Tag: orange

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Syracuse vs Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

For the first time in the Brent Pry era, Virginia Tech appears to be playing good football. The Hokies thoroughly handled Wake Forest before going into their bye week. The big concern now is how will the Hokies show up post-bye week. Will they look rusty? Or will they be able to maintain the momentum they had prior to the week off?

SP+ Rankings

Virginia Tech

Overall: 66th
Offense: 86th
Defense: 39th
Special Teams: 36th

Syracuse

Overall: 48th
Offense: 67th
Defense: 40th
Special Teams: 65th


Syracuse is pretty solid all around on offense. Jason Beck, former UVA QB coach under Bronco Mendenhall, remains at Syracuse and he has done a good job with QB Garrett Shrader. They like to balance the run with the pass and lean on Shrader and RB LeQuint Allen to get yards on the ground. Allen is a capable runner but thus far this season has not been a home run threat. The longest run that Syracuse has this season is 39 yards. The Hokies need to focus on bottling up those two in the run game and make Garrett Shrader beat them with his arm.

Syracuse’s big weakness on defense is defending the pass. They rank 111th in the country in passing yard allowed. This week, Kyron Drones needs to show that he is more than just a runner. After throwing for over 300 yards against Wake Forest, Drones needs to show he can do it again. While the Syracuse run defense isn’t great, the pass game is where the Hokies will want to attack them. Once again, the Hokies need to set up the pass game with an effective run game behind Drones and Tuten.

This matchup does not scare me, particularly at home. I’m more worried about the Hokies getting off to a slow start after the bye week. This is the type of game where a slow start could doom Tech. The formula for this game needs to be for the defense to feed off a great atmosphere to get off to a good start until the offense can get into a rhythm. This would be a good week to get the pass catching weapons involved like Jaylin Lane, Dae’Quan Felton and Stephen Gosnell. This looks like a close game but I like the Hokies at home on Thursday night.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Syracuse 24

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Syracuse Q&A with Nunes Magician

This week we are joined by Syracuse blog Nunes Magician. You can follow them on Twitter at @NunesMagician.

Tell us about yourself and your blog.

We’ve been around Syracuse sports for a long time and we try to balance the coverage between serious analysis and #jokesandgarbage.  

What are your thoughts on Syracuse so far this year?

The 4-3 record is what most expected the Orange would be right now, but the last three games have sapped a lot of optimism from the fanbase. Without Oronde Gadsden on the field. Syracuse’s offense has struggled to move the ball through the air against ACC opponents. The Orange defense has played well, despite the final scores the last two weeks. 

What’s your favorite memory from the Syracuse-Virginia Tech series? 

These teams have played some wild games but nothing tops the Donovan McNabb game-winning pass to Steven Brominski back in 1998. You don’t see a lot of football plays decided on the final play and that’s one of the defining moments of McNabb’s Syracuse career. 

What do you think of the ACC’s new scheduling format?

It looked like a good step towards addressing the issue of schools not facing one another- Syracuse hasn’t hosted Miami since joining the league. However, expansion looks like it’ll change again and hopefully this time Syracuse won’t keep Florida State as an annual rival. 


How do you view the current state of the Virginia Tech football program? 

It’s interesting to be honest. Before the season I thought this would be a tough challenge for Syracuse. After the teams both played Purdue, it seemed like it would be a game Syracuse could win comfortably. After the last two weeks I think Virginia Tech is finding an identity, which is something the Orange have struggled to maintain since Dino Babers took over. 

What is your outlook for the future of the ACC?

Short-term there shouldn’t be a major concern about the ACC collapsing. Expansion should provide a bit of security, but it all feels like everyone is waiting for the SEC and Big Ten to grow again.  

What conference do you see Syracuse belonging to in the next 5-10 years?

I think Syracuse will be in the ACC, but it’ll look different in 10 years. Wouldn’t surprise us to see UConn and maybe WVU back with Syracuse, BC, Duke, Pitt, Wake and maybe Virginia Tech? The long-term viability of the league seems to hinge more on what UNC and UVA decide to do, than what Clemson and FSU do. 

What are your expectations for the Virginia Tech game?

The team that gets out to an early lead will dictate the game. Syracuse needs a fast start to take the crowd out and also force the Hokies to play catch up. I do think the bye helps the Orange after this rough stretch, but it should be a game that is in the balance until the final five minutes. This sets up as a huge game for both programs as they jockey for bowl eligibility and positioning.  

What’s your prediction for the game?

I’ll admit that as a homer I think Syracuse bounces back and wins 27-23. The week off helps Garrett Shrader get out and run a bit more and that dimension opens up some offense for the Orange. 

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Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech Preview and Prediction

You can’t win if you can’t score. The Hokies defense put up a solid effort against Pitt. But the offense couldn’t stay on the field and the defense wore out. We’ll continue to see that unless this offense gets any better as the season goes on.

SP+ Rankings

Virginia Tech

Overall: 52nd
Offense: 68th
Defense: 33rd
Special Teams: 88th

Syracuse

Overall: 58th
Offense: 69th
Defense: 40th
Special Teams: 109th

Syracuse runs the ball well. They are one of the best rushing offenses in the country. They have an elite running back in Sean Tucker and a quarterback who can get yards on the ground. This is the type of offense that has given the Hokies trouble in recent years. Expect the Orange to keep the ball on the ground and pound it right at the Hokies defense.

Syracuse defense is bend but don’t break. They give up a lot of completed passes but not a lot of yards. They keep the game in front of them. This is the type of defense that should be able to feast on the Hokies’ offensive approach this season. Virginia Tech will have to take some chances downfield to have success against Syracuse’s defense.

The two defenses are similar but Syracuse does one thing well and that’s run the ball. Last week, my pick was easy Pittsburgh had the better QB. This week, Syracuse has the better running back. Sometimes you don’t have to overthink it. The Hokies will score some points because this isn’t exactly an elite defense. But Syracuse will do enough with their running game to pull out a win. Lou Groza award winner Andre Szmyt for the win.

Prediction: Syracuse 24, Virginia Tech 21

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Syracuse Preview and Prediction

Hokies took care of business against UNC. Three straight blowouts can really inject a lot of life into a fan base. After the Tennessee game, fans were wondering if this team would make a bowl game. Now folks are talking New Year’s Six bowl. A lot can change in a couple of weeks.

On to Syracuse. Long-time Hokies fans still have nightmares about the Carrier Dome. That dome has seen a lot of weird games between the Hokies and the Orange. It also has not been particularly kind to the Hokies. But those games were a long time ago. Different coaching staffs and two different programs at this point in time. The players on these teams were young children the last time these teams played.

This Syracuse team reminds me a lot of the Tulsa team the Hokies played in the Independence Bowl. A great offensive passing attack with one really good play-making wide receiver (Amba Etta-Tawo). And not much of anything else. Didn’t that Tulsa team only lose to the Hokies by 3? They did. But Bud Foster’s D is playing much better this year than they were in the bowl game.

Virginia Tech

S&P+ Overall Ranking: 19th
S&P+ Offensive Ranking: 96th
S&P+ Defensive Ranking: 4th
S&P+ Special Teams Ranking: 22nd

Syracuse

S&P+ Overall Ranking: 68th
S&P+ Offensive Ranking: 43rd
S&P+ Defensive Ranking: 96th
S&P+ Special Teams Ranking: 71st

The Hokies have the clear advantage on defense. Even though Syracuse has an excellent passing attack, the Hokies should be able to slow it down. Syracuse also reminds me of ECU, who was able to have some success in the passing game. But the Hokies were still able to limit ECU below their season average. Syracuse does not take a lot of shots downfield. They are a dink and dunk West Coast offense but they still put up a lot of yards.

Key matchup to watch: Virginia Tech’s cornerbacks vs. Amba Etta-Tawo. Etta-Tawo is one of the best wide receivers in the ACC and one of the best the Hokies will see all season. He leads the ACC in receiving yards. It will be a tough task for the Hokies corners to cover him all day.

Syracuse has lost to every decent team they’ve played this year. Their only wins were against Colgate and UConn. All their losses have been blowouts. Syracuse excels in the passing game and at punt returns (#1 in the nation!) but does not do much of anything else well.

I expect the Hokies to have a bit of a letdown in this game. It’s just so hard to play so well for four consecutive games. Eventually you’re going to have one that’s not exactly a masterpiece. This is a classic trap game on the road sandwiched in between two games against ranked opponents. Even if the Hokies don’t play their best, I still think they can win comfortably. Syracuse is not a great team. In fact, they’re not very good overall. Imagine if this team was playing last year’s Tulsa team, they’d probably win… by a lot. The talent advantage is clearly on the Hokies’ side in this matchup.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 31, Syracuse 17

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Grading the Unis – Western Michigan Edition

Helmet: B+

The Hokies have finally joined the shiny/chrome fad in college football. In this case, it was well-executed with a subtle touch in the VT logo as opposed to the Christmas ornaments we’ve seen teams across the country wear in recent years. Looked good.

Jersey: B

I like the orange jerseys in spite of our W-L history wearing them. Pulling these out for the orange effect game seems appropriate. They should only to wear them when the Hokies are at least 3 TD favorites. Otherwise, things can get dicey.

Pants: A

The pants looked great with the orange jerseys! Flawless execution.

Overall: B+

This combo is similar to the one I like to use when I play as the Hokies in NCAA 14. I think it’s a good look and it’s the best possible execution of the orange jerseys without looking like a bunch of pumpkins or like Syracuse. I’m not sure who is coming up with the uni combos this year but they’re doing a great job. No major stumbles thus far. Keep up the good work!