Syracuse Football: Week 1 review, week 2 preview and other positive news

Our football guru looks back and ahead as the Syracuse football 2021 season is underway.

Syracuse football started off its 2021 season with a bang, and I’ve got a lot to report on, both in taking a look at this past weekend’s win, as well as looking ahead to this coming Saturday’s home debut versus Rutgers.

Some News Items To Discuss

• I need to preface this by saying that I initially did not watch the game live. I have been struggling with my anxiety lately and Saturday night I had an attack and needed to just concentrate on breathing and relaxing. I can’t sit here and lie knowing I did not watch it live like most everyone else. I turned off my social media and the TV and relaxed my brain for a bit. I am however catching up on as much as I can to give you the best information I can for this post and to enjoy myself as well now that I was in a better headspace on Sunday morning. My apologies to anyone reading this because this may not be my most thorough post but I do think there are still many things I did get to learn about when I woke up on Sunday morning and was able to see and discuss. My thank you to those who understood and sent me supportive messages to wake up to as well.
• Syracuse football is now 1-0 and that is what matters most if records are what you judge a team on. If this team had lost this game, there would be calls to fire Coach Dino Babers, bench Tommy DeVito and people just trashing the program. Some people will never be satisfied and if that is how you choose to live your life, that is your choice but I celebrate the fact that Syracuse football won and did so on the road, which I feel should not be underrated as well.
• Are you a season ticket holder? If so, keep your lanyards at home this year as they are mobile tickets so make sure you log in to get them and bring your phone with you as well to show the ticket takers. Also if you need gas energy for your work or home, you are eligible for a discount using Agway Energy Services. If you are not, there is still time to get your tickets for the game or others if you can’t make it on September 11th.
• Andre Szmyt is one field goal away from tying Cole Murphy’s all-time made field goals record after hitting two from 20 yards and 29 yards respectively against Ohio.
• This year’s Dino Babers Show, which usually airs on TK99, will be live on Thursdays at Heritage Hill Brewhouse in Pompey if you ever want to go out and be a part of the audience. I attended one of his first ones as head coach when he did them at Hotel Syracuse and had fun…also Coach liked my SU fedora.
• Syracuse football defensive lineman Josh Black lost his cell phone in Ohio if anyone found one or maybe a local cellular company is looking for an in, which thanks to NIL, they can now.
• Does anyone else enjoy listening to The Commodores- Easy (Like A Sunday Morning) the day after a Saturday?

Week 1 Review: Syracuse Wins 29-9

• Sean Tucker and the offensive line deserve a lot of credit. Before the game, Nate Mink of Syracuse.com posted an article stating that The Rhino Chris Elmore thinks Sean Tucker could have a 44 worthy season. I agree and even wrote about that myself as well. The retiring of 44 was done by a previous administration wanting to come in and change over the entire Syracuse football program to make it the USC of the East Coast and retired it unaware of why the use of it was so special to many fans and to make a nice big ceremony likely to raise money. In his game against Ohio, Sean Tucker proved he can be that special player like many of us thought (25 carries for 181 yards and 1 touchdown averaging 7.2 yards per carry) and I am excited to see his future play out here in Orange no matter what number he wears especially behind an offensive line that did a great job in a physical contest against Ohio. In his post-game press conference, Sean was quick to credit the offensive line and they deserve it. No other position faced as much scrutiny this past offseason as the offensive line did and they stepped up to give him space to run. I also talked about this in a post before the season and I am so glad to see they stepped up and did well and I honestly expect them to only get better as the season plays out so long as key members can remain healthy.
• Duce’s Wild! This game looked to be a Darian “Duce” Chesnut party. I saw a lot of people talking about him preseason and I definitely think he lived up to the hype. I know he did a couple of things that made people, including Coach Babers who said he lost his voice over the first play, wince a bit, but he was a stud in a secondary that will need him after losing three productive guys to the NFL last season (and even made his mom proud as you can hear telling him “Good game, son” in his post-game press conference). If you want to learn more about the character of Duce, Mike Curtis of Syracuse.com has a great story about Duce’s play in the game compartmentalizing and dedicating his play to the memory of a friend which you can read here. I take credit for writing about the offensive line and Tucker but Duce did not get much love from me leading up until the season and I apologize for the oversight based on how he played but so happy he is Orange.
• Tommy DeVito proved he deserved to start. He was a very good game manager who even got a rushing TD himself. I don’t know how this season will play out as far as who will be the quarterback and leader of this team for the majority of the season but I do know Coach Babers named Tommy as the starter for the Ohio game and while his stats may not blow you out of the water, his name was called and he stepped up to lead this team to a 1-0 record to start the season.
• The defense got a safety and a one-handed interception so I can’t ignore them. I am here for the positives takes because that is who I am so if you are looking for a column on the penalties they were flagged for, it’s not here and I thought Coach Babers also covered that in his post-game comments as well. What I am here for though is to say that Ohio RB De’Montre Tuggle came into this game with an impressive resume and they were able to contain him for the most part which included that safety and limiting Ohio to only field goals throughout the game.

Week 2 Preview: Rutgers Isn’t A Pushover

• Next Saturday at 2 pm, Syracuse football will play their Dome opener against a Rutgers team that beat Temple 61-14. And while it could be easy for some to say Temple isn’t exactly a powerhouse, this Rutgers team is one I saw many people writing off as a struggling team in 2021 and you don’t win games that impressively if you are that bad no matter who you play. I do not believe in taking any team lightly and whether you love him or you don’t, walking into that Dome next week underestimating Coach Greg Schiano would be a foolish thing to do and I don’t think Coach Babers and staff are that foolish let alone hopefully our fans.
• Ah, Dome Sweet Dome! Fans are allowed back into the Carrier Dome for the first time in almost two years for a football game. Social media was flooded with images of opening day at several fields this past week and those sites were very impressive. I do hope that especially since Syracuse football looked good against Ohio and won and with a newly renovated Carrier Dome, fans will mask up and flock to show this team some support. The Virginia Tech crowd alone was amazing and I think maybe even played a role in their upset over UNC in a season where many questioned the future of the Virginia Tech football program. So bring your mask, your vaccination cards or proof of negative test, your debit or credit card if you plan to get any concessions or merchandise, and your best Syracuse Orange attire which this season will include a pair of Fan Hands for me and my son (this is not a paid advertisement but more of a way my son and I can bring the noise while wearing masks), and go cheer on our Orange.
• Syracuse football vs. Rutgers is scheduled to be a 2 pm start on the ACC Network for those who can’t make it to the Carrier Dome. I don’t want to guilt or shame those who won’t be there because I do not know your reasons or story but I do hope if you are able to, you will be there. The game will also be available on Cuse.com or on radio station TK99 locally if you wish to listen to Matt Park, Adam Terry and Brian Higgins like I prefer myself if I can’t be there. Be sure to follow Matt’s social media as well as the official Cuse account in case any changes are made.
• Can the running game only get better? Against Ohio, “the Rhino” Chris Elmore was a game-day scratch and when asked about his status against Rutgers after the game, Coach Babers decided to play chess and say he would hold off on his status so that Rutgers would not know. I guess if there is one guy you have no idea how to plan for, it’s a guy who you have listed at TE, OL, FB and Lord knows where else he has played or could. And in my mind, the “super senior” is a huge asset to this team on and off the field who I think will provide the leadership and play we need. Also before the season, when many of us were giving Sean Tucker his just due, Coach Babers told us not to sleep on Cooper Lutz and he showed up to get a touchdown as well against Ohio. Can a balanced running game with hopefully a healthy Rhino help Syracuse football prevail?

LET’S GO ORANGE!!!!