Syracuse team news and notes.

#6
#6
The more I learn about Syracuse, the more confident I feel. I could be wrong, but I'm really not expecting it to be close. I don't believe they'll be able to score more than 21 points and I think we'll score at least in the 30s. Even their own media (while trying to sound confident) are pinning their hopes on Joey throwing two or more interceptions. He may have thrown a bunch of those in the past, but that was on other teams, in different offenses with different coaches. He is the QB in Josh Heupel's offense now. And one characteristic of Heupel's offenses is that his QBs do not throw a lot of INTs.

Yeah, Syracuse won 10 games last season. But if you look closely at who they played, it wasn't as big an accomplishment as it sounds, IMO. Plus, they lost a ton of players and have huge question marks all over the field -- much more so than we do. There is a reason why they are ranked 12th (out of 17 teams) in the ACC preseason rankings. We've played 3 comparable or better ACC teams in each of the past 3 seasons. The results? 3-0, with a combined score of 134-50.

We SHOULD dominate both sides of the line of scrimmage. I don't think they'll slow down our running game, which will keep the pressure off Joey and the receivers. At least in this game, we shouldn't need the passing game to be hitting on all cylinders. I expect we will execute pass plays that we feel confident about and Joey will probably pass for 150-200 yards. I think our special teams will shine.

I haven't seen any Vol fans who are predicting a loss, while it seems like the majority of Syracuse fans are hoping we'll somehow beat ourselves. We are 3-0 in the all-time series and should be 4-0 after Saturday.
 
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#13
#13
While I'm not predicting a Syracuse win, I do think we cover the spread and keep it close. Main reason for this is the offense...Kyle McCord led the nation in passing last season and put up monster numbers, only to be cut by the Eagles today after being drafted. Jeff Nixon, our OC, is criminally underrated and is going to be a head coach sooner rather than later. His system is beautiful and allowed McCord to flourish, even though he may have not had that top tier talent that his stats and draft stock suggest. I really think Angeli can step in and run the system at a very high level. Nixon is that good

Our 2 top receivers will be Darrell Gill (4.40 speed) and Johntay Cook (4.30 speed). Gill led the ACC in yards per catch last season (18.4), he just simply was the 4th option and didnt get starting opportunities. With a full season, he is an ALL-ACC talent. Combine that with Cook out in space (5 Star WR in 2023), and we could be dangerous on Offense again.

Biggest question mark is the Defense obviously. Personally, I dont think it could get much worse and is due for improvement. Key transfers were brought in at DT, LB and CB and should in theory be an upgrade.
 
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#14
#14
Vfl2407 said:
Hey man, I just heard a reporter from Syracuse said he expects about 8,000 of your fans to be in Atlanta.
That sound about right to you?
That would be a lot considering the distance.
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That does sound about right to me. Syracuse does have a surprisingly large fanbase, especially down South in Florida from people fleeing the cold. 8,000 is actually on the low end of what some people wanted/expected, its been a hot topic this week on how we should have more fans there. I'd expect anywhere from 5k to 10k. 8 seems right on the money
 
#15
#15
cusefan3 said:
While I'm not predicting a Syracuse win, I do think we cover the spread and keep it close. Main reason for this is the offense...Kyle McCord led the nation in passing last season and put up monster numbers, only to be cut by the Eagles today after being drafted. Jeff Nixon, our OC, is criminally underrated and is going to be a head coach sooner rather than later. His system is beautiful and allowed McCord to flourish, even though he may have not had that top tier talent that his stats and draft stock suggest. I really think Angeli can step in and run the system at a very high level. Nixon is that good

Our 2 top receivers will be Darrell Gill (4.40 speed) and Johntay Cook (4.30 speed). Gill led the ACC in yards per catch last season (18.4), he just simply was the 4th option and didnt get starting opportunities. With a full season, he is an ALL-ACC talent. Combine that with Cook out in space (5 Star WR in 2023), and we could be dangerous on Offense again.

Biggest question mark is the Defense obviously. Personally, I dont think it could get much worse and is due for improvement. Key transfers were brought in at DT, LB and CB and should in theory be an upgrade.
Click to expand...
I'll also add that we'll have a 17 year old starting at CB, who was 16 just a few months ago. Demetres Samuel Jr, remember the name. The staff truly feels he was a top 10 player in the Class of 2026, he reclassified and joined this year. Major talent that is going to be playing some WR as well. I should probably be terrified of a 17 year old starting, but im just gonna enjoy the ride
 
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#16
#16
cusefan3 said:
While I'm not predicting a Syracuse win, I do think we cover the spread and keep it close. Main reason for this is the offense...Kyle McCord led the nation in passing last season and put up monster numbers, only to be cut by the Eagles today after being drafted. Jeff Nixon, our OC, is criminally underrated and is going to be a head coach sooner rather than later. His system is beautiful and allowed McCord to flourish, even though he may have not had that top tier talent that his stats and draft stock suggest. I really think Angeli can step in and run the system at a very high level. Nixon is that good

Our 2 top receivers will be Darrell Gill (4.40 speed) and Johntay Cook (4.30 speed). Gill led the ACC in yards per catch last season (18.4), he just simply was the 4th option and didnt get starting opportunities. With a full season, he is an ALL-ACC talent. Combine that with Cook out in space (5 Star WR in 2023), and we could be dangerous on Offense again.

Biggest question mark is the Defense obviously. Personally, I dont think it could get much worse and is due for improvement. Key transfers were brought in at DT, LB and CB and should in theory be an upgrade.
Click to expand...
Cuse could keep it close if UT turns the ball over, however, if UT plays a clean game, then the Vols cover the spread by 17-20 imo. Welcome to the board!
 
#17
#17
cusefan3 said:
While I'm not predicting a Syracuse win, I do think we cover the spread and keep it close. Main reason for this is the offense...Kyle McCord led the nation in passing last season and put up monster numbers, only to be cut by the Eagles today after being drafted. Jeff Nixon, our OC, is criminally underrated and is going to be a head coach sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...
I completely agree.
 
#18
#18
cusefan3 said:
While I'm not predicting a Syracuse win, I do think we cover the spread and keep it close. Main reason for this is the offense...Kyle McCord led the nation in passing last season and put up monster numbers, only to be cut by the Eagles today after being drafted. Jeff Nixon, our OC, is criminally underrated and is going to be a head coach sooner rather than later. His system is beautiful and allowed McCord to flourish, even though he may have not had that top tier talent that his stats and draft stock suggest. I really think Angeli can step in and run the system at a very high level. Nixon is that good

Our 2 top receivers will be Darrell Gill (4.40 speed) and Johntay Cook (4.30 speed). Gill led the ACC in yards per catch last season (18.4), he just simply was the 4th option and didnt get starting opportunities. With a full season, he is an ALL-ACC talent. Combine that with Cook out in space (5 Star WR in 2023), and we could be dangerous on Offense again.

Biggest question mark is the Defense obviously. Personally, I dont think it could get much worse and is due for improvement. Key transfers were brought in at DT, LB and CB and should in theory be an upgrade.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response…our strength on D is shutting down the run but that means we tend to give up more through the air and that will play to your strengths. Tennessee has led the league in rushing the last two years and I’m sure the plan will be to spread out the D and run the ball…should be an interesting game.
 
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