Sometimes, less is not more. With fewer players, a limited playbook and no roof over their heads, Syracuse football had little to fight with against the Panthers Saturday afternoon.
SLICES:
CURSE OF GREG: The legacy of Greg Robinson still haunts the program into November. The new Greg in town, Mr. Paulus, found himself bent over the sink, splashing water on his face to wake up from the nightmarish first half Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh: the deft ball fake freezes even his own receivers, the tipped pass turns into an interception TD return (by another Greg, Pitt's Williams), the intentional grounding penalty, and then holding the ball for a long sack. Splash that water, three more games left.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Ohio State at Penn State – Halftime Snack was so consumed with the World Series, we forgot to put out a national focus prediction. Even though the baseball crown traveled north to a new, yet familiar, home, the party remains in Pennsylvania. Terrell Pryor, a legendary two-sport schoolboy from the Keystone State, brings the Ohio State Buckeyes home with him to face another strong Joe Paterno team. Darryl Clark is a Donovan McNabb clone, headed toward a Big Ten Player of the Year award, while the real Super 5 [9] tries to go to 3-0 in the NFC East against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. The Buckeyes need a big play to win at State College. Look for it to come from the OSU defense.
WHO PLAYS IN THE DOME? Pitt special teams battled the sun Saturday afternoon, making adventures out of three kick returns. First Cameron Saddler catches a kick off and immediately steps out of bounds, then Aaron Smith drops a fair catch on a punt, followed by Sadler trying to use his facemask to field a punt of his own. Even Lucy came out with a tee to hold the kick for Charlie Brown [10]: Pitt needed a man to hold the opening kickoff.
BREEDERS’ CUP: New York Racing Association is in a bad spot in trying to acquire a chance to host the richest day in horse racing [11]. The weather in the northeast part of the U.S. usually ranges between cold and colder, yet this weekend temperatures approached 60 degrees with a high sun. Global warming is helping someone.
CONGRATULATIONS, COACH: To accumulate 800 victories, you must motivate. Coach Boeheim probably wanders through, up and around DeWitt on his nightly drive home. The Jesuit [12] of Le Moyne stares down the hill and Dolphins cascade over his hood [13] as Coach B prepares for the home opener versus Albany Monday night. He made a sacrifice (played man-to-man defense) and has felt loss (three top scorers from ’08-’09), but Coach Boeheim will again have the last laugh, winning at least once in the NCAA Tournament at season’s close.
THEY SAID IT: "The year is not what we want it to be. We're 3-6 now, we can still finish this year at 6-6." SU head coach Doug Marrone, recalling what he said to the team after the game. On cue, the SU logo background at the post-game press conference fell down behind him.
"I've never looked up there. Only to see the down and distance, the time and the score." Quarterback Greg Paulus when asked if he ever looks up to see himself at the JumboTron.
