Thursday, November 26, 2015

BC-Syracuse preview

One day this game will have juice. It is not this year. Even if the Orange rally around Shafer, do you think BC fans are going to get emotional about this loss? I view it as a must win, but to the rest of the college football world doesn't care and few of either teams fans do. Hopefully in the near future both teams come into this game with something on the line.

What's on my mind (not totally related to this game)
A few Addazio critics are pointing out the similarities between Shafer's record and Addazio's. To me it is not a fair comparison. Syracuse hired Shafer to continue Marrone's success. BC hired Addazio for a rebuild. Addazio's win percentage is not following the ideal path of a traditional rebuild, but he still deserves more time to see this out.

Three Simple Keys
1. Win the turnover battle.  The turnover battle didn't determine the winner last week, but with Syracuse's Offense it probably will. BC cannot cough it up and make things easier for the Orange.
2. Get 200 yards on the ground. If Smith get the majority of the snaps, then this becomes vital. BC needs to move the ball.
3. Build a lead. We've lost enough close games this year, plus we lost a close game in a our last trip to the Carrier Dome. Don't let this come down to the last possession. That's why BC cannot led Syracuse ride the emotional wave.

Gambling Notes
-- Shafer is 1-1 against BC
-- BC has never gone winless in conference play
-- BC is 3-11 in the Carrier Dome
The current line is BC-3

Factoid
BC has not lost eight in a row since 1978.

Scoreboard Watching
Am I the only one curious to see how Notre Dame responds to their struggles against us? We probably did enough to keep them out of the Playoff, but a big win over Stanford might help them rise back up into the Top 4.

I hope to see...
BC shutout Syracuse. Think of what this season would have been like without the Defense. I would like to see them go out on top.

BC is in trouble if...
If they come out flat. I don't gather that Shafer is beloved, but you never want to let them ride the emotion of his last game.

Overall
I've called this a must win, but I do think BC will win. I think Syracuse will lose whatever emotion they have early in the game and the BC defense will control. Then Smith and Fadule do enough to get BC comfortably ahead.
Final Score: BC 21, Syracuse 10

6 comments:

Guido said...

BC should win if the game planning is appropriate. Let Jeff throw on first down to his underrated receivers like Callanan. These kids have not had the opportunity to develop since the "O" has not thrown to these kids only on 3rd down when the "D" has been ready for the pass. Short passes to tight ends like Sweeney will work. He is a big kid who will catch the ball. I will be shocked if BC does not win . Quite frankly , I believe this is a big game since it "Sets the table for next year". I will also be disappointed if we lose .The defense DESERVES a win. THEY HAVE BEEN SO AWESOME THE ENTIRE YEAR. And the "D" will be VERY,VERY SMALL NEXT YEAR - A CONCERN FOR ME AS A FAN. I hope that you are overeating - this is the day to forget about your diet !!!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING !!!!!

dixieagle said...

Just saw this in our local (Alabama) paper in reference to ND dropping in the new poll:

"BC always seems to make the Fighting Irish look bad - even when Notre Dame wins." This warmed my heart.

I might be crazy, but I think we pull off the W against Syracuse.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

mod34b said...

How a team plays in conference is a fair measure of the team.

BC averages a shockingly low 8.0 points per game in ACC play.

How bad is 8.0 points? It is bad. Really, really bad.

Here is the ACC team with the lowest points per game average for the last 25 years ( i know that BC was not in ACC for 25 years, but this is just to put our piddling 8 points in historic context)

2015 8.0 BC ?
2014 12.1 WF
2013 15.5 Syr
2012 16.5 WF
2011 17.4 BC
2010 16.8 BC
2009 15.4 UVA
2008 15.6 UVA
2007 16.3 Duke
2006 15.5 Duke
2005 11.9 Duke
2004 15.3 Duke
2003 17.3 Duke
2002 14.1 UNC
2001 20.5 Duke
2000 17.8 Duke
1999 13.8 UNC
1998 16.1 MD
1997 13.6 MD
1996 9.9 WF
1995 16.1 WF
1994 10.5 WF
1993 19.1 WF
1992 20.7 Duke
1991 12.2 WF
1990 21.8 Duke

Right - in the last 25 years no team in the ACC has scored less than 8 points per game in conference play.

To find that team you must go back to UVA 1977. They averaged a woeful 5.6 points per ACC game.

to avoid being the worst ACC offense in a generation, BC will need to score 24 vs Syracuse. If Bc can score 39 points it can avoid being the second worse ACC offense in a generation.

mod34b said...

correction: 28 points not 39

mod34b said...

The syracuse defense is horrible (120/128). As horrible as our offense (128/128).

The battle of the uglies


we could win that battle and maybe score 25 points? i really doubt that, but maybe

so there is that

Hoib said...

ATL

Didn't know our record was that bad at the dome. Hope we can move the needle a little in the right direction tomorrow.