Thomas Looks to Improve on Last Week's Performance

Photo via zimbio.com

We all know that Phillip Thomas is an athletic specimen. Him and Shamarko rule the secondary for the Orange, punishing opponents with hard hits. But Phil has admittedly had a tough off-season, mainly because of his broken jaw. Because of this and an unexperienced linebacker core, I was unsure how Thomas would play against Wake Forest.

I asked Thomas if he was happy with his performance against Wake and he simply answered, "no."

"I got burned," he said. And I agreed with him because there were definitely times where Thomas got beat by Wake Forest receivers. While you can blame some of that on the linebackers missing assignments, Phil realizes that he was off his game.

Thomas said his jaw bothered him most of the game and the leg injury in the third quarter that forced him to the locker room didn't help either. He made five tackles, one being for a loss, but says he can play "a million times better."

Phil told me he is going to have a better game against Rhode Island. He has been watching film "day and night" and scouting his opponent tirelessly. He even added a Rhode Island wide receiver on Facebook in order to get in his head. Thomas is making all the stops.

The thing that bothered Thomas most about last Thursday's game against Wake Forest had nothing to do with what happened on the field. It was all about the fans.

We've seen on the news and on blogs everywhere that the fans at the Syracuse game left early. And no one was more disappointed than Phillip Thomas.

"I was pissed," he said. "Either you're with us till the finish, or not with us at all. I remember every face that stayed with us that night."

If you left that game early, Phillip knows. And he isn't the type of person you want on your bad side. He says players from other Big East schools have made fun of him, saying that would never happen at their schools.

So stick around this Saturday to see an improved Phillip Thomas. He is determined and ready to play.

Friday Links: Syracuse vs. Wake Forest Edition

Kansas City Star - Recap: Syracuse vs. Wake Forest - A recap of last night's thriller in the Dome.

SB Nation - Syracuse Vs. Wake Forest: Facts, Tidbits And Opinions - Some commentary from Jared Smith and SB Nation. He gives the Wake Forest QB the MVP.

The Whitless Wonder - What Do You Get When Syracuse And The Yankees Play On The Same Night? - An interesting question from John Whittaker.

Nunes Magician - Syracuse Defeats Wake Forest: Doug Marrone Presser & Quotes - An analysis of Doug Marrone's press conference after the game last night.

Syracuse.com - What they're saying about Syracuse-Wake Forrest: The Demon Deacon Perspective - Read what the Wake Forest writers are saying about the game last night.

Back to the Dome: Syracuse Football vs. Wake Forest

By Conor Hurley

Photo by Jason Rostkowski

The Syracuse University community is buzzing about the football team’s season and home opener vs. Wake Forest this Thursday.

Wait… buzzing about… football???

Yes. For the first time in awhile, there is significant hope and excitement for SU football. Coming off a 7-5 record and a win in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, Ryan Nassib and company are looking to start off their season with a statement win vs. the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Fortunately for the Orange, the football Demon Deacons do not have the same pedigree as their basketball counterparts.

WF finished last in the ACC with a 3-9 2010 campaign, going 1-7 in the division. They do return starters Tanner Price, Josh Adams and Chris Givens on offense at QB, RB and WR, all coming off good seasons. They had the 110^th ranked defense though, giving up 35.8 points per game.

Nassib, coming of a stellar season which included over 2,300 yards passing and 19 TD’s, will look to exploit the holes in the demon deacon defense. And he will not be alone in that quest.

Despite Delone Carter’s departure for the NFL, Antwon Bailey was much more than an adequate backup last season, and is looking to have a breakout 2011 campaign. Wide receivers Van Chew and 

Alec Lemon will also be back and will look to improve on their impressive 2010 seasons.

And you already know Phillip Thomas, Chandler Jones and the rest of the SU defense will do their absolute best to keep the Deacs off the scoreboard.

One outstanding negative for SU football last season was their play in the Dome, disappointingly going 3-4. They were young, fairly inexperienced, and may have not been ready for the big stage and hype in front of the ruckus SU faithful.

This year, I expect the Orange to do much better in the Dome, and tomorrow, I expect the Orange to win 24-3. 

Drummond to UConn - Does That Make Them Title Contenders?

via Twitter

The news that Andre Drummond committed to UConn as a member of the 2011 class spread like a wildfire last night on Twitter. Drummond, a five-star 6’11” center, was planning on doing a post-grad year and being in the recruiting class of 2012. This seemingly random/shocking commitment, broken by himself via Twitter, led to an uproar of “experts” claiming that the Huskies were now title contenders.

Drummond will team up with Alex Oriakhi to form one of the better big man combinations in the country. Shabazz Napier, Jeremy Lamb and Roscoe Smith will likely be the starting lineup for Jim Calhoun’s squad. Add in freshmen DeAndre Daniels and Ryan Boatwright also and it’s clear they will be a very good team.

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But let’s leave it to other writers and “experts” to over-blow this story:

PeteThamelNYT - The announcement by @AndreDrummond03 exponentially increases UConn's national title chances. Blockbuster college hoops news.

Really, Pete? Getting a commitment from a five-star player increases Uconn’s title chances? I thought it’d decrease them, so thanks for clarifying.

JonRothstein - UCONN stocked with talent like they were in 2004 or 2006. The Huskies are LOADED --- and are now the team to beat in the Big East.

Really, Jon? The Huskies have no one on their roster who has averaged over 11 points per game. But their more talented than the 2004 team that produced four first round NBA Draft picks? Hmm.

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Let’s keep in mind that Kemba Walker no longer sports a Husky jersey. Not only will his scoring and play making need to be made up for, but so will his intangibles. Walker was an exceptional leader. Without him in the fold, UConn will rely on Lamb, Napier and Drummond to put points on the board. But freshman bigs in the Big East are typically inconsistent and underwhelming.

Since 2006, only six Big East freshman 6’8” or taller have averaged over 8 points and 6 rebounds. Even though Drummond isn’t your typical freshman, the odds are against him being dominant in the rugged Big East.

“He’s a special talent, his addition is a major one for UConn and will certainly impact college basketball,” Alex Schwartz of Northstar Basketball said, “I just don’t know that it put UConn at the same level as UK and UNC.”

So, yes, Drummond will help UConn. But does this suddenly put the Huskies up there with UK and UNC as title contenders? No.

So listen to your parents and don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.

Friday Links

Nunes Magician - Syracuse Football: Get To Know Your Orange Pariah - #5 Marcus Sales - Another Get to know your Orange Man series from Nunes but this one obviously has some interesting circumstances.

The Daily Campus - Men's basketball opener highlights top games - UConn's student newspaper appears to be afraid of the Orange.

SU Athletics - Orange Opens 2011 Campaign - The nationally ranked Syracuse Field Hockey team opens up it's season tomorrow against Monmouth at home.

LA Times - NCAA Football Preview - Syracuse Orange - The LA Times does a piece previewing this season's Syracuse football team. I guess those west coasters love the Orange.

Gridiron Grit - College Football 2011 Predictions - Syracuse Orange - This sports site predicts the Orange will miss a bowl this year. And according to this article the entire receiving core returns. Apparently he knows something about Marcus Sales that we don't. Was he in the car that night?! Just another random guys predictions.

The Top Five Syracuse Sporting Events That I Attended In-Person

By Dane Lopes, SU ‘95

Dane Lopes, SU '95 and Matt Brabants, SU '96

So many amazing Syracuse sporting events to choose from! I attended Syracuse University from 1992-1995 and was there for the heyday of the Syracuse Football program and the beginning of the Donovan McNabb era at SU. In those days going to a Bowl Game was expected and it was a common occurrence for SU to be ranked in the top 25 in both football and basketball at the same time. The basketball team has continued their excellence under Coach Jim Boeheim and the football team has seen a rebirth under Coach Doug Marrone. Living in the tri-state area I’ve had the opportunity to attend so many Syracuse games after graduation from SU - from SU basketball in The Garden to football games in the Meadowlands (the 1997 Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium comes to mind where #17 SU dismantled #24 Wisconsin 34-0) to Big East games versus local opponents, narrowing down my Top Five I attended in-person was a challenge, but here goes:

5. Carmelo Anthony’s Orange Debut

Carmelo Anthony’s first game for the Orange was played in Madison Square Garden in the Pre-Season NIT on November 14, 2002. In his Orange debut, Melo displayed his dominating talent knocking down 27 points with 11 boards on the big stage. Melo excelled in The Garden which would become his future home court with the New York Knicks. Okay, so Syracuse lost the game 70-63, but we got to see the much-hyped and amazingly talented Carmelo Anthony in his Orange debut. We all know how that 2002- 2003 season ended, with Syracuse going 30-5 and raising the 2003 National Championship trophy in the New Orleans Super Dome.

4. 1994 – Basketball – Syracuse vs. Kentucky

#4 Kentucky came into the Carrier Dome with an 18-4 record to face the #14 Syracuse Orange (15-3). Tony Delk led the Wildcats in scoring on the year averaging 16.6 PPG and he didn’t shy away from throwing up the rock in this game with 27 points on 16 shots. Thankfully for the Orange Adrian Autry was not going to be outdone as he scored 30 points on 10 of 15 shooting. In addition to Autry, John Wallace (18 points), Lucious Jackson (10), Otis Hill (10) and my freshman writing studio partner, and all-time Syracuse scoring leader, Lawrence Moten (18) were all in double-figures.

3. 1996 NCAA Final Four

Capping an amazing NCAA tournament run #4 Syracuse advanced to the 1996 Final Four held at the Brendan Byrne Arena at the New Jersey Meadowlands. Senior John Wallace put the Orange on his back and carried them through the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse faced a loaded Mississippi State team in the Final Four, led by Erick Dampier, and while the Orange were outrebounded by the Bulldogs 41-21, Syracuse was uncharacteristically sound from the free throw line, making 20 of 24, going on to win the game 77-69 and advancing to the National Championship Game versus Kentucky.

2.  2011 New Era Pinstripe Bowl

The inaugural Pinstripe Bowl played in Yankee Stadium marked the return of Syracuse Football to national prominence (and the return of Bronx-born Doug Marrone to his hometown). Coach Doug Marrone pulled a rabbit out of the hat with his rapid turn-around of the Orange football program leading them to a Bowl Game in just his second year as head coach. Syracuse had a huge home-field advantage with Yankee Stadium filled to the rafters with Orange faithful. Behind the backing of the fans, Syracuse went on to beat Kansas State 36-34. The game had a controversial ending when K-State WR Adrian Hilburn scored a touchdown with a minute and change to go and was flagged for excessive celebration backing up the K-State 2-point conversion attempt to tie the game to the 18 yard line. K-State came up short on the 2-point conversion and SU went on to win the nail-biter 36-34. Current Indianapolis Colt RB Delone Carter capped off his SU career, winning the Pinstripe Bowl MVP based on his 199 yard rushing and two TDs. Not to be lost in the shuffle was the outstanding performance by WR Marcus Sales who caught five passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns in the game.

1. 1991 Football - Syracuse vs. Florida

My second home game as a Syracuse freshman saw #17 Syracuse facing undefeated #5 Florida in the Carrier Dome. Coming into the game there was talk of a Florida Gators National Championship as #5 Florida had outscored their previous two opponents (San Jose State and #17 Alabama) 94-21, including a 35-0 route of Alabama. The game was televised nationally on ABC and Syracuse set the tempo when Kirby Dar Dar ran the reverse on the opening kickoff and took it to the house. Syracuse went on to beat the Gators 38-21 handing the Gators their only loss during the regular season. Syracuse went on to finish the season 10-2 and winning the 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl and finishing the season the #11 ranked team in the country under first-year head coach Paul Pasqualoni.

A Facebook Page Every Syracuse Fan Should "Like"

Via Sportsapalooza

Ever since Big East Media Day, Cuse Nation has been buzzing about one hairy fixture on the face of an enthusiastic Syracuse Football player. That player is Mikhail Marinovich and that hairy fixture is his new, sleek, manly mustache.

People are calling it "Mustache Mania" and I personally can't wait to see that bad boy take the field this fall. So many people are latching on to this frenzy that a "Mikhail Marinovich's Mustache" Facebook page has recently been created to promote the furry masterpiece that'll strike fear into the hearts of quarterbacks everywhere.

Marinovich is a defensive end for the Orange. Last season he earned three sacks and recovered a fumble. He made ten solo tackles and assisted on 20. There is one reason why those numbers will improve this season. Many people say that when you cut your hair, you become weaker. This is the reverse effect. Due to Marinovich's new mustache, he will become stronger, faster and a better overall football player.

Do you support the stache? There are a few ways you can show it. One way is the like the Facebook Page. Another way is to buy the "Mustacheovich" t-shirt from Sportsapalooza. The final way is to show up to Syracuse University football games and cheer on the team. I know Mikhail will appreciate it.