Happy holidays from our ITLH family! To celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, we’ll be using the Syracuse football 2017 season as the vessel.
Regardless of your religious beliefs, we’d love to wish all of our Inside the Loud House fans a huge happy holidays this season. While the Syracuse football season didn’t go exactly according to plan, we’re hoping this 12 days of Christmas list can you cheer you up.
The dome dudes are led by their head man Dino Babers. He just completed his second season in Orange and so far he’s accumulated a (8-16) coaching record. We’ve seen #PayDino campaigns and even #FireDino campaigns. So it’s safe to say, it’s been a rocky two-year tenure for Babers and company.
While Dino continues to emphasize trusting the process, SU fans understandably are hesitant to buy in. They’ve been burned too many times in the past, hopefully this time around will work out, but nothing is assured.
This slideshow is designed to make you smile, laugh, and possibly cry and go into the fetal position. If we can accomplish any of those things, this was a raving success and we won’t have to close up shop. Feel free to make up your own 12 days of Christmas and submit them in the comments below or on any of our social media portals: @LoudHouseFS on Facebook and Twitter.
3 + 2 + 7 = 12 aka Devin C. Butler finished with 327 yards receiving in 2017.
Why would we start off this Christmas slideshow with the third leading receiver on the Orange? Because it’s not about last season, it’s about the future. For those who don’t know, I do sports talk radio for The Score 1260, as my day job.
I spoke to Syracuse football Insider Mike McAllister on the show and he’s very high on Butler’s potential. Every year so far in Babers’ system, someone has been the beneficiary of the Orange is the New Fast machine. McAllister says Butler is the next guy in line.
Insert Amba Etta-Tawo (94 receptions 1,482 yards and 14 touchdowns). Insert Steve Ishmael (105 receptions 1,347 yards and seven touchdowns). Insert Devin C. Butler?
So far in his career he has 35 receptions for 341 yards and one touchdown. The good news is he has two years of eligibility, so for the first time we could see Butler ‘seize the day’ two years in a row with the same prospect. But with marginal numbers, we may have to see it to believe it in 2018.
Could we see the 11th player in Cuse football history record a double digit sack season?
Wait what? I looked into the history books and we’ve only seen this feat accomplished 10 times if you can believe it. So maybe we can see it for the 11th time in 2018? Well wait a minute, detective Esden did some more digging into the history books and made a startling discovery.
In some record books, Jay Bromley (current New York Giants star) recorded a double digit sack season (10 sacks, 2013). While in others, Bromley only had nine sacks. I cross referenced everywhere and I’ve come to the conclusion that he did not have 10 sacks.
So until proven otherwise, the Orange have had only nine players accomplish the double-digit sack feat and no one has done it since Dwight Freeney, who did it twice in 2000 (13 sacks) and in 2001 (17.5 sacks). How in the heck hasn’t that happened since?
That includes Chandler Jones who only had 10 sacks overall in his college career (three seasons). Despite the marginal production, he was a first round pick of the New England Patriots. Eventually Jones won a Super Bowl with New England and currently he’s an All-Pro for the Arizona Cardinals out in the desert. When will we see it again?
1 + 0 + 2 + 7 = 10 aka 1027 plays run on offense this season
That’s right we went pretty deep on the 10th day of Christmas here on Inside the Loud House. So lets talk about this Orange is the New Fast Product. Which for those about to pull out your calculator at home, that equates to over 85 plays per game on offense.
So yeah this machine is running on a treadmill with dangerous efficiency. The Orange average over 5 yards per play and over 450 yards on offense. Dino Babers in that introductory press conference promised all kinds of things: broken records, torn hamstrings of officials, and a changed culture.
Babers said in his final press conference of the season that you are starting to see some of those cultural differences materializing, for instance the upsets in both of his seasons thus far (No. 17 Virginia Tech and No. 2 Clemson). But the real culture change the fan base wants to see is the blitz for six.
It’s the conversation at the start of every season: how can the Orange win six games and get into a bowl game? Bowl games are relevancy in college football. If that’s true Cuse hasn’t been relevant since 2013, but most fans would suggest it’s been longer than that. Babers has fulfilled several promises, but it’s time to get this team to a bowl game in 2018 or else the honeymoon is over.
Nine games played in 2017 for Eric Dungey
It’s been the same song and dance for three seasons. Syracuse football star quarterback Eric Dungey hasn’t been able to complete a full season in Orange. It’s one of the most frustrating things to deal with as a SU fan.
The talent is obviously there and we’ve seen what Dungey can do when he’s healthy. But the problem is he can’t stay healthy. Unfortunately his legacy may forever be ‘what coulda, shoulda, woulda been’ and that’s sad because he has the potential.
Which leads us to this holiday season and guess what, the Orange have a present under the tree. Unfortunately or fortunately, the Orange already peeked at the presents and they have to put on their surprise face on Christmas day when Tommy DeVito runs out the tunnel inevitably.
If history and patterns are anything, that scene is going to come sooner rather than later in this Orange feature film in 2018. I’d love to be wrong and I speak on behalf of all of Orange Nation, we wish Dungey not only a happy holiday season, but also long term health beyond his Syracuse career.
Eight 100+ yard receiving games for Steve Ishmael in 2017
In Steve Ishmael’s first three seasons combined he accumulated: 114 receptions for 1,544 yards and 11 touchdowns. The diagnosis on his first three years was untapped potential. I haven’t talked to Steve, but I would speculate that 2016 really bothered him.
Last season was supposed to be the year of Ish. Instead it was the year of Amba Etta-Tawo. Wait who?
That would be the response of anyone before the 2016 Syracuse football season kicked off. A relative unknown from Maryland who couldn’t get on the field due to his inconsistent hands ended up transferring to Syracuse University looking for a last chance opportunity.
He got that and some. Etta-Tawo finished with the single greatest season in program history. That was supposed to be Ishmael, but he was an after thought more times than not. So Ishmael put that chip on his shoulder and he himself had an even better season than Amba did the very next year.
Ishmael finished with 105 receptions for 1,347 yards and seven touchdowns. That nearly eclipsed his other three years combined in Orange. Another record, that eight number which isn’t only his legendary jersey number, but it’s also the amount of times he finished with over 100 plus receiving yards. More than any other receiver in SU history.
3 + 4 = 7, which means 34 extra points converted for Cole Murphy in 2017
After four up and down seasons in Orange, Cole Murphy is done as SU’s placekicker. In his career he only missed five extra points (95.9% conversion rate) and was 59-of-83 in his career (71.1% conversion rate).
His last season in Orange was the best of his career and that was huge for a guy who had the worst year of his career in 2016. While he wasn’t perfect (what kicker is?), he was a true professional.
Although he was perfect when it mattered most in a critical game on Friday October 13th inside the loud house, Murphy converted his two clutch field goals and gave Syracuse a program changing victory over the No. 2 ranked Clemson Tigers.
He also had another magical game at Miami, where the Orange almost pulled off consecutive top-10 upsets. This time Murphy went four-for-four, but the rest of the team couldn’t help him out. Now though, Murphy’s career is over and SU will have to rely on another leg to get them to where they want to go. Quick shout out to everything that Murphy has done for this program and hopefully we can get a kicker that can bring the same energy and passion that he did.
Blitz for Six
We talk about this before every season. How can the Orange get six wins? Next season looks promising as long as the Orange can handle business in the nonconference. Although there are signs for optimism.
Dino Babers in every stop he’s made during his collegiate road tour, he’s gotten his teams to bowl games. While it hasn’t ever taken this long, there are a lot of positive signs. The recruits are coming slowly but surely. The players that were freshman are set to become key pieces this year with a few years under their belts.
Plus that Babers’ culture is being established. We’ve talked about it throughout this holiday journey. It’s important to get there. What is there? Some insight dot com bowl? Maybe even the Pinstripe Bowl? Is it the College Football Playoff? No. But that’s where SU is at in their current trajectory.
Everyone keeps saying that Babers is going to use this SU job as a springboard, but I’d venture to guess that no one is running to grab a 8-16 coach from Central New York.
Five years since SU has had a 1,000 yard rusher
That’s pathetic. This is a program memorialized by their legendary running backs from: Floyd Little to Ernie Davis and yes even Jim Brown. I know the game is no longer three yards and a cloud of dust but come on man.
There’s a difference between ground and pound and having a balanced offensive approach. This year the guy was supposed to be Dontae Strickland, but more times than not, he was rendered useless. I thought at times it could be Moe Neal, but that was also a resounding no.
Looking forward to next season, who can step up? First name that jumps out is Neal and he’s a home run hitter, but you’ve got to think whether realistically he can handle a true work horse load. Most likely not. So that means you’re going to have to do a running back by committee which likely means that embarrassing streak will continue next season.
Although my dark horse candidate to snap the streak is second year Orange player Markenzy Pierre. He saw limited action in 2017 and sadly when he got in, he either fumbled or didn’t get enough carries to really show what he’s made of.
For those wondering who was the last 1,000 yard rusher so you can get the question right at trivia night at your local pub: it’s Jerome Smith, 2012, with just over 1,100 yards.
The legacy of No. 4
Players come and go in college football, it’s the nature of the beast. But it’ll be hard for the Orange to ‘simply’ replace one of their modern all-time greats in Zaire Franklin. Undoubtedly he’ll get some looks from NFL teams at the next level because of his intangibles, awareness, and overall ability.
Over 300 career tackles, eight and a half sacks, five forced fumbles, and two interceptions in his career. A leader on and off the field and the first captain for three straight years. That shouldn’t be taken lightly. Although spoiler alert, SU will never be able to replace Franklin, but hopefully they can get a guy half as good.
But how do you ultimately replace someone who’s been so invaluable for the Syracuse football program? Well a little luck. We sat down with the man who quite literally is tasked with replacing him in Lakiem Williams.
He will not only be replacing Franklin’s position, but he’ll also don his number. If you’d like to read more about his decision to take No. 4 and to learn more about him you can do so here: Syracuse Football Recruiting Sitdown: JUCO Linebacker Lakiem Williams. It was a fantastic conversation.
Three straight 4-8 seasons
While Scott Shafer’s last season isn’t Dino Babers’ fault, that doesn’t make any difference to Syracuse football fans. These last 15 years have been mediocre. There’s no other way to slice the bologna on this one.
We’ve heard the cries and complaints of Syracuse fans. Some have bought in and are willing to wait for Babers to get his guys assimilated into the program. While others are saying bowl or bust in 2018.
I lean more towards the latter. It’s not realistic anymore to expect ridiculously long leashes in college football, specifically at a place like Syracuse. No bowl game since 2013, fans are starving for relevancy.
Syracuse is labeled a basketball town. It’s obvious why: Jim Boeheim has brought this city a National Championship (2003), seemingly every year this team is participating in March Madness, and there are multiple thrilling moments in every roller coaster season. It makes sense why SU basketball fans would be more lenient, this football program is resting on the laurels of yesteryear with the legacy of 44, it’s time for this modern day Orange to create their own legacy.
Two four star recruits in the 2018 recruiting class
This is the first time the Syracuse football program has had two four star recruits in the same class since 2012. That’s a huge indicator that perhaps the Orange aren’t having success on the field right now, but the future is promising.
The quote we always talk about with Bill Parcells is:
"“If they want you to cook the dinner, at least they ought to let you shop for some of the groceries.”"
That was the excuse for Babers in year one. Scott Shafer was just fired and a lot of his recruits were up in the air and there was huge question marks. Babers in some respects overachieved in that first year in Orange.
Although Parcells is also a proponent of “you’re what your record says you’re”, which would be 8-16 in two seasons under head coach Dino Babers. The second season was a lot of shoulda, coulda, and woulda.
2018 looks a lot more promising, the Babers effect is continuing to spread across recruiting and this team, in terms of their culture. The two four-star recruits both come via the offensive line, Tyrone Sampson and Qadir White, which I’m sure makes Dungey click his heels in excitement.
One wish for Santa Claus this holiday season from Syracuse football fans
There’s been #PayDino, there’s been #FireDino, and there’s been rumors that Babers would leave for a big time job here eventually. Here’s a PSA Babers, before you decide next year whether you’re going to stay for the long haul or ditch us like your unwanted prom date, remember this.
When you go to a higher power school that has all the bells and whistle and more money then you’d know what to do with, there’s a caveat.
"‘You play to win the game’"
At Syracuse, Babers just has to be average: win half of your games on a semi-consistent basis and you’ll be loved forever. If you go to an insert big name school, the expectation will go from average to consistently great. For example, winning eight or nine games in LSU is a disappointing season.
Next: Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History
Is that something you want? Do you want those kind of expectations? At the end of the day, no inordinate amount of money will keep Babers here. If he has a desire for National Championships, then he’s going to leave because that realistically isn’t anywhere in SU’s future. But before you make that decision, make sure you 100% think through what you really want. On that note, happy holidays everyone and have a blessed holiday, hope you enjoyed this list!