Every week after the Syracuse football game ITLH will give out the top Orange Peels awards for the game. Here’s who stood out in Week 1 after the 50-7 victory.
You can’t ask for much more than what the Orange accomplished in Week 1 of the 2017 season. They scored a bunch of points (expected) and just thoroughly dominated the inferior opponent. From the get go, Central Connecticut State didn’t stand a chance.
While it wasn’t Lamar Jackson scoring three touchdowns in two minutes fast, it was still very decent for the Orange. The Orange rode that wave through the game and were on auto pilot by the end of the second quarter.
You never want to see a team take the foot off the throat, but with the slew of injuries starting to pile up, Dino Babers really didn’t have a choice. Speaking of Babers, he obviously didn’t pull all of his tricks out of the playbook, he didn’t have too. Eric Dungey was efficient in the game and the big time players made big time plays.
So who made the biggest plays of the game? Who separated themselves among the other Orange players on the squad? We break it all down right here on ITLH, your premiere home for Syracuse football coverage.
Important addition to the Dome turf this year so Coach Mac can always be with us pic.twitter.com/w1o4VWswiK
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) September 1, 2017
3. Coach Dick MacPherson
Starting off the beat and path, got to give a shoutout to Syracuse University for their tributes to legendary coach Dick MacPherson. Not only are the players wearing special patches all season long on their uniforms. But an important addition to the football field is the Coach Mac field turf logo.
Lets go down memory lane for just a moment, he coached the Orange from 1981-1990. Despite the somewhat short career in Central New York he earned a place in the College Football Hall of Fame. He finished his Orange career with an overall record of 66-46-4.
There are several career highlights, but perhaps the biggest singular moment came in 1984 when the Orange knocked off No. 1 Nebraska in the Carrier Dome.
Although 1987 was pretty special, that being the undefeated season. So many great memories: the magical two point conversion call to preserve the historic season. It’s all so phenomenal and we miss coach everyday. Every week this season we’ll be able to reminisce when we see the patches and on field tributes.
https://twitter.com/CuseFootball/status/903784527818043392
2. Steve Ishmael WR
Ishmael has always had all the talent in the world. It’s never been able to come together for him in Orange. Everyone thought that Dino Babers an offensive mastermind would be able to get the
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most out of Ishmael. At least in year No. 1 that wasn’t the case.
Entering year No. 2 under Babers, expectations again were high. He lived up to those expectations and some in the first game of the 2017 season. For all the fantasy football freaks out there here are the statistical highlights: 12 receptions for 134 yards.
But beyond that, Babers and company seemed like they came into this game saying hey we’re going to get this kid the ball early and often. With the final stats you can’t blame them, they’re trying to find their Amba Etta-Tawo and guess what they found him.
While this is just the first game of the season and the level of opponent has to be considered. All in all, a great start from the Orange offense. They seemed to be clicking on all cylinders, a lot of that has to do with the continuity of the team. SU returned 95% of their offensive yardage from last season, per Cuse.com.
1. Moe Neal RB/WR
Wow just wow. This kid can make plays, regardless of the competition. Last season on his first offensive touch he brought it to the house for a touchdown. Not a bad encore in 2017 with the same result but this time through the air as a receiver.
Throughout the offseason the Syracuse coaching staff flirted with converting Neal to a slot WR and then again in the backfield. But here’s the thing, it doens’t matter where you line him up because he’s going to make plays for you. He proved that in the season opener.
Neal is listed at 5’11 and 180 pounds, but he looks smaller than that. The sophomore from Gastonia, North Carolina is exactly what this Orange offense needs. Someone who can align anywhere in the offensive formation and opposing defenses have to know where he is.
Next: Syracuse Football: Positional grades heading into 2017 season
Although Neal made his damage through the air, while on the ground the Orange left much to be desired. In this case the final stats don’t really tell the tale. The Orange may have gained over 100 yards on the ground, it wasn’t efficient or consistent. If the Cuse had trouble running the football against this level of opponent, they could have a ton of issues when the competition increases.