NEW YORK – Decked in a sleek black suit with a piece of paper in hand, Louisville guard Peyton Siva walked up to the podium on the ninth floor of the New York Athletic Club.
Siva unfolded the piece of paper, looked up at the audience and grinned.
“I wrote a very long speech today, as you can see,” Siva said, revealing a completely blank piece of paper and drawing a laugh from those in attendance.
Siva, the Big East preseason Player of the Year, thanked the coaches for the recognition, but didn’t want to take all the credit.
“I’m very humbled by this award,” Siva said. “But I know that there are three other players on my team who could easily be standing in my spot right now.”
The Cardinals are ranked first in the Big East preseason coaches’ poll. After catching fire in March last season en route to a conference championship and a trip to the Final Four, expectations are high for U of L.
That top ranking is an honor for Siva, but he said his team will have to work hard to match those expectations and build off last year’s run.
“It’s a blessing and a curse for us,” Siva said. “You have that bull’s-eye on your back. We’re just going to have to keep that work ethic we had toward the end of last year.”
Louisville head coach Rick Pitino said Siva has improved considerably from his junior to senior year and is a top-five point guard in the nation. He expects Siva to lead the team and be the go-to guy for the Cardinals.
“He’s improved more from his junior to senior year than any other time in his career,” Pitino said. “Usually you see the biggest improvement from freshman to sophomore year.”
Siva can’t do it alone, though, and he’ll look to center Gorgui Dieng to be dominant for the Cardinals.
Dieng was named to the Preseason All-Big East First Team after averaging 9.1 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Cardinals last season.
Siva said Dieng has bulked up during the offseason and is stronger than he was last year.
Reaching to his left and squeezing Dieng’s muscles, Siva jokingly said the Senegal native is “kind of skinny still,” yet he believes Dieng’s length and strength will be key for Louisville this season. After totaling 128 blocks a season ago, Siva believes Dieng has a chance to lead the country in blocks this season.
While many other Big East coaches voted for Siva as Preseason Player of the Year, Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin had a different player in mind.
“You have two guys who received votes for player of the year,” Cronin said. “I voted for Gorgui Dieng. That tells you how good those guys are.”
Siva remembers last season when the Cardinals lost four out of six games. Everything unraveled for a few weeks and the players were down. Then, Louisville embarked on an eight-game winning streak, including a 50-44 Big East championship win over Cincinnati.
That run helped propel the Cardinals to the No. 2 ranking this year, but Dieng isn’t focused on that ranking.
“Rankings don’t mean anything to me,” Dieng said. “Rankings are for the fans. We want to win every game. This year we want to win it all.”
Head coach Rick Pitino said Louisville’s schedule is much more difficult than it was last year. He said his team will be tested to maintain that lofty ranking as one of the country’s elite teams.
Northern Iowa and Stanford or Missouri will present early challenges in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Pitino’s squad then travels on the road to College of Charleston and Memphis before facing off against Kentucky Dec. 29.
That’s all before entering Big East play.
If Louisville is able to make a run deep in March, one reason will be the depth of this year’s team. Pitino called this year’s team the deepest and most athletic team he’s ever had at U of L and said a variety of players can step up in crunch time.
“If they stay humble they’re going to have a great season,” Pitino said. “If they believe what they read, they’re going to fall into the trap. I know these two guys will stay humble. If we can get every single guy on this team to stay humble, we’re going to have a heck of a year.”
Published on October 18, 2012 at 1:19 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
Monday, April 13, 2015
Snapchat develops into recruiting resource for coaches 1 year after NCAA recognition
Picture Jim Boeheim taking a selfie.
Though it sounds ridiculous, it’s not farfetched. Boeheim himself doesn’t have a Snapchat, but many college coaches around the country do. Social media has become an integral part of recruiting in college basketball, and Snapchat is the latest fad.
One year ago Wednesday, the NCAA officially recognized Snapchat as a form of electronic communication to reach out to recruits. The rule went into effect Aug. 1, 2014 and has become widespread in college basketball. Though it has not reached all programs, Snapchat is a means of recruiting that presents both pros and cons according to those who have tracked its emergence.
“At the end of the day, I don’t think kids are making decisions based off who they Snapchat with,” said Evan Daniels, the director of basketball recruiting at Scout.com, “but I think it’s certainly something that can help them get to know the coaches.”
Daniels said Snapchat can be a resource for coaches to show off their program and individual players to recruits. Maybe it’s a postgame celebration or a shot of practice — whatever gets kids excited about playing for a certain school. Recruiting is all about building relationships, Daniels said, and Snapchat has become a way to cultivate those bonds.
Memphis head coach Josh Pastner, for example, uses Snapchat as a recruiting tool, Daniels said. He said Pastner is known for relating to recruits, and Snapchat can be an effective way of doing so.
Some Atlantic Coast Conference coaches enlist their assistant coaches to tackle Snapchat recruiting. Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, for instance, said his assistants are active on the app.
“Thankfully I have a staff that helps me with my technological shortcomings,” Brey said with a chuckle. “They coach me up when I need to be better at stuff.”
Though Brey considers himself inept, he said his daughter is active on Snapchat. Because she’s on Snapchat all the time, he knows other kids are going to be on it too. Nearly everyone he’s recruiting uses the app, so he believes it’s imperative for his staff to do so as well.
Miami’s Jim Larranaga has never come across a recruit who has specifically wanted to Snapchat him. He communicates via phone and text, but many of his assistants use it as a tool.
“High school kids are very tech-savvy, “ Larranaga said, “so we try to do as much as we can with technology.”
Tyler Lydon, a power forward from New Hampshire who is committed to Syracuse, hasn’t connected with coaches on Snapchat personally. He said it would be “kind of weird” to communicate with coaches that way. Snapchat’s more for interacting with friends, he said.
He is intrigued by the idea of a general account with team updates, but he isn’t a proponent of one-on-one Snapchat interaction with coaches.
“If I were uncommitted and a coach were to Snapchat me and say what’s up, I’d probably be cool in the moment,” Lydon said. “But then you think about it and it’s kind of strange.”
Lydon says he doesn’t post anything inappropriate on his Snapchat. He calls himself a laid-back kid and said that’s not his style.
Though Lydon tries to stay away from posting questionable stories on the app, Alex Kline, the owner of The Recruit Scoop, sees a trend emerging where others in Lydon’s position aren’t as wise about what they post on Snapchat.
Kline, who is a junior at Syracuse, said the first thing he thinks of when he hears the word Snapchat is making inappropriate posts without getting in trouble. Recruits can be smart on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, Kline says, but they may act in negligent ways on Snapchat. Though Snapchat has perks in recruiting, Kline sees the trend in a more negative light.
He considers Snapchat a background check to spy on people. Though kids don’t have to accept coaches’ requests, they often do. Snapchat is considered private, but it’s really public, Kline says. He believes many people create a brand on other social media but show their true selves on Snapchat.
Though individual Snapchats can only last up to 10 seconds, Snapchat Stories stay up for a full day. Many of these big-time recruits have hundreds of Snapchat friends, including some coaches. If a player is drinking, smoking or acting inappropriately, for example, that coach may be less inclined to reach out.
Kline hasn’t seen any specific examples, though he sees the trend continuing in the coming years.
“People are trendsetters and people are followers, especially in basketball,” Kline said. “Once you’re wearing these Kobes and these Jordans, the next person’s going to do it. I think the same goes for social media.”
Although Snapchat has yet to dominate college basketball recruiting, it appears to be gaining traction around the country. Coaches can interact with recruits, and vice versa, and both parties get a chance to learn about the other.
But that might not always be a good thing.
“Some of these guys are reckless,” Kline said. “Snapchat is the new thing that’s going to expose that.”
Published on February 10, 2015 at 12:22 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
Though it sounds ridiculous, it’s not farfetched. Boeheim himself doesn’t have a Snapchat, but many college coaches around the country do. Social media has become an integral part of recruiting in college basketball, and Snapchat is the latest fad.
One year ago Wednesday, the NCAA officially recognized Snapchat as a form of electronic communication to reach out to recruits. The rule went into effect Aug. 1, 2014 and has become widespread in college basketball. Though it has not reached all programs, Snapchat is a means of recruiting that presents both pros and cons according to those who have tracked its emergence.
“At the end of the day, I don’t think kids are making decisions based off who they Snapchat with,” said Evan Daniels, the director of basketball recruiting at Scout.com, “but I think it’s certainly something that can help them get to know the coaches.”
Daniels said Snapchat can be a resource for coaches to show off their program and individual players to recruits. Maybe it’s a postgame celebration or a shot of practice — whatever gets kids excited about playing for a certain school. Recruiting is all about building relationships, Daniels said, and Snapchat has become a way to cultivate those bonds.
Memphis head coach Josh Pastner, for example, uses Snapchat as a recruiting tool, Daniels said. He said Pastner is known for relating to recruits, and Snapchat can be an effective way of doing so.
Some Atlantic Coast Conference coaches enlist their assistant coaches to tackle Snapchat recruiting. Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, for instance, said his assistants are active on the app.
“Thankfully I have a staff that helps me with my technological shortcomings,” Brey said with a chuckle. “They coach me up when I need to be better at stuff.”
Though Brey considers himself inept, he said his daughter is active on Snapchat. Because she’s on Snapchat all the time, he knows other kids are going to be on it too. Nearly everyone he’s recruiting uses the app, so he believes it’s imperative for his staff to do so as well.
Miami’s Jim Larranaga has never come across a recruit who has specifically wanted to Snapchat him. He communicates via phone and text, but many of his assistants use it as a tool.
“High school kids are very tech-savvy, “ Larranaga said, “so we try to do as much as we can with technology.”
Tyler Lydon, a power forward from New Hampshire who is committed to Syracuse, hasn’t connected with coaches on Snapchat personally. He said it would be “kind of weird” to communicate with coaches that way. Snapchat’s more for interacting with friends, he said.
He is intrigued by the idea of a general account with team updates, but he isn’t a proponent of one-on-one Snapchat interaction with coaches.
“If I were uncommitted and a coach were to Snapchat me and say what’s up, I’d probably be cool in the moment,” Lydon said. “But then you think about it and it’s kind of strange.”
Lydon says he doesn’t post anything inappropriate on his Snapchat. He calls himself a laid-back kid and said that’s not his style.
Though Lydon tries to stay away from posting questionable stories on the app, Alex Kline, the owner of The Recruit Scoop, sees a trend emerging where others in Lydon’s position aren’t as wise about what they post on Snapchat.
Kline, who is a junior at Syracuse, said the first thing he thinks of when he hears the word Snapchat is making inappropriate posts without getting in trouble. Recruits can be smart on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, Kline says, but they may act in negligent ways on Snapchat. Though Snapchat has perks in recruiting, Kline sees the trend in a more negative light.
He considers Snapchat a background check to spy on people. Though kids don’t have to accept coaches’ requests, they often do. Snapchat is considered private, but it’s really public, Kline says. He believes many people create a brand on other social media but show their true selves on Snapchat.
Though individual Snapchats can only last up to 10 seconds, Snapchat Stories stay up for a full day. Many of these big-time recruits have hundreds of Snapchat friends, including some coaches. If a player is drinking, smoking or acting inappropriately, for example, that coach may be less inclined to reach out.
Kline hasn’t seen any specific examples, though he sees the trend continuing in the coming years.
“People are trendsetters and people are followers, especially in basketball,” Kline said. “Once you’re wearing these Kobes and these Jordans, the next person’s going to do it. I think the same goes for social media.”
Although Snapchat has yet to dominate college basketball recruiting, it appears to be gaining traction around the country. Coaches can interact with recruits, and vice versa, and both parties get a chance to learn about the other.
But that might not always be a good thing.
“Some of these guys are reckless,” Kline said. “Snapchat is the new thing that’s going to expose that.”
Published on February 10, 2015 at 12:22 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
SHAPING UP: After rough redshirt freshman year, Cooney finds confidence, shooting stroke for Orange
For the first time all season, Trevor Cooney was mired in a slump.
The same shots that consistently swished through the net for the first 13 games of the season clanged off the rim. He made just 10-of-39 shots in a three-game stretch to start 2014. He looked lost.
But Cooney knew he would bounce back. He bounced back from a frustrating and ineffective redshirt freshman season. A mini rut was nothing he couldn’t handle.
Cooney lit up Boston College for 21 points on Monday night, including three rim-rattling dunks and a drained 3 that proved to be the difference in No. 2 Syracuse’s 69-59 comeback win over the Eagles.
“He had a tremendous offensive game tonight,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said.
Cooney has carried SU from downtown this season, just like his mentor Gerry McNamara did from 2002-2006. After shooting a woeful 26.7 percent from 3 last year, and averaging a shade more than three points per game, Cooney found his stroke. In addition to a 42.3 percentage from downtown this season, he’s also shooting 52 percent from inside the arc and 86.1 percent at the foul line.
Thanks to McNamara’s guidance and an improved offseason regimen centered around quickness and consistency, Cooney has emerged as one of the conference’s more complete players.
“I wanted to come out last year and make shots,” Cooney said, “and I wasn’t really able to do things right last year that I’m doing this year.”
Cooney sat behind Brandon Triche and Michael Carter-Williams as a redshirt freshman, playing just 11 minutes per game. He struggled mightily trying to fill the role as the team’s third guard as Boeheim elected to tighten his rotation.
Cooney played just 20 total minutes in the Orange’s last four NCAA Tournament games.
“When you’re worried about playing time, it’s hard to correct something like your shot,” Cooney said.
Instead of sulking though, Cooney became a sponge. He sat next to McNamara on the bench every game and absorbed everything. The shooting specialists studied the nuances of the game together — chatting, jesting and analyzing from the sideline.
When McNamara transitioned to assistant coach midway through Cooney’s redshirt year, Cooney became the protégé and McNamara his mentor.
“He has been unbelievable,” Cooney said. “He is a great coach on the floor and a great friend off the floor. He has been someone that you can just turn to for anything.”
So Cooney turned his attention to next season. With Carter-Williams and Triche gone, he knew Syracuse needed him to consistently produce in order to be a national contender.
He spent the summer getting into tip-top shape, waking up at 5:30 every morning to work out.
Instead of placing emphasis on bulking up — like he did his freshman year — Cooney focused more on his conditioning, speed and agility.
“This summer I was able to take a step back and really realize what I was doing wrong, and practice the right things,” Cooney said.
His father watched him go from being able to “play linebacker for Syracuse”, to the nimble and agile two-guard that has thrived atop the 2-3 zone this season. Now he is second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in steals.
Cooney lost about eight pounds last summer, cutting down on his late-night Wawa runs and saying goodbye to meatball sandwiches. Instead, it was mom’s cooking. More fruits and vegetables, spaghetti, chicken — what he needed to get his body healthy.
Additional training with family friend and physical therapy assistant John Noonan also helped get Cooney into shape. Going to ATI therapy center at least three times per week, Cooney completed planks, four-to-eight second sprints and exhausting workouts on the treadmill — reaching a maximum of 22 miles per hour.
“Kills you,” Noonan said. “We just kind of gave him the blueprint, and he followed it.”
Delaware native and WNBA star Elena Delle Donne, who’s worked out with Noonan since second grade and trained with Cooney, said Cooney’s drive has always been incredible. She said she could count his misses during workouts on one hand.
“He was one of those people who when I knew he was going to work out, the intensity was going to be raised,” Delle Donne said.
Now his athleticism and motor have reached a new level this year. When teams play him to shoot, he is capable of putting the ball on the floor. When they lay off him — splash. And no matter what, he demands enough attention to open up the Syracuse offense.
Against Boston College Monday night, he soared through the air for three fast-break dunks in a row.
Three points per game-26.7 percent 3-point shooting-Trevor Cooney is history.
Taking jumpers at 4:45 for 7 p.m. games he wouldn’t play in as a freshman finally paid off. Patiently waiting in line to be Syracuse’s next star proved to be the right decision.
And as his all-around game has blossomed, McNamara’s been the driving force to ensure he stays on track. McNamara mastered the intricacies of the zone. He figured out how to get open while draped by athletic defenders.
Now he’s passed those skills onto Cooney.
“He moves as well off the ball as anybody I’ve ever been around,” McNamara said.
Cooney looked up to McNamara as a kid, and now his game has flourished thanks in part to one of his role models. Cooney’s father Brian said McNamara’s “like seven things in one for Trevor.” McNamara’s “been through the fire,” as Trevor’s brother Matt Cooney put it. He can relate to Trevor.
“Gerry was obviously a legend at Syracuse,” Matt Cooney said. “Trevor is hoping to become just a part of what Gerry achieved. If you could just achieve a piece of that it would be a hell of a career.”
Now Cooney – with his reserved swagger and complete game – will look to help Syracuse accomplish something it hasn’t done since 2003, when McNamara was just a 19-year-old freshman…
Win the national championship.
Published on January 15, 2014 at 3:13 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
The same shots that consistently swished through the net for the first 13 games of the season clanged off the rim. He made just 10-of-39 shots in a three-game stretch to start 2014. He looked lost.
But Cooney knew he would bounce back. He bounced back from a frustrating and ineffective redshirt freshman season. A mini rut was nothing he couldn’t handle.
Cooney lit up Boston College for 21 points on Monday night, including three rim-rattling dunks and a drained 3 that proved to be the difference in No. 2 Syracuse’s 69-59 comeback win over the Eagles.
“He had a tremendous offensive game tonight,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said.
Cooney has carried SU from downtown this season, just like his mentor Gerry McNamara did from 2002-2006. After shooting a woeful 26.7 percent from 3 last year, and averaging a shade more than three points per game, Cooney found his stroke. In addition to a 42.3 percentage from downtown this season, he’s also shooting 52 percent from inside the arc and 86.1 percent at the foul line.
Thanks to McNamara’s guidance and an improved offseason regimen centered around quickness and consistency, Cooney has emerged as one of the conference’s more complete players.
“I wanted to come out last year and make shots,” Cooney said, “and I wasn’t really able to do things right last year that I’m doing this year.”
Cooney sat behind Brandon Triche and Michael Carter-Williams as a redshirt freshman, playing just 11 minutes per game. He struggled mightily trying to fill the role as the team’s third guard as Boeheim elected to tighten his rotation.
Cooney played just 20 total minutes in the Orange’s last four NCAA Tournament games.
“When you’re worried about playing time, it’s hard to correct something like your shot,” Cooney said.
Instead of sulking though, Cooney became a sponge. He sat next to McNamara on the bench every game and absorbed everything. The shooting specialists studied the nuances of the game together — chatting, jesting and analyzing from the sideline.
When McNamara transitioned to assistant coach midway through Cooney’s redshirt year, Cooney became the protégé and McNamara his mentor.
“He has been unbelievable,” Cooney said. “He is a great coach on the floor and a great friend off the floor. He has been someone that you can just turn to for anything.”
So Cooney turned his attention to next season. With Carter-Williams and Triche gone, he knew Syracuse needed him to consistently produce in order to be a national contender.
He spent the summer getting into tip-top shape, waking up at 5:30 every morning to work out.
Instead of placing emphasis on bulking up — like he did his freshman year — Cooney focused more on his conditioning, speed and agility.
“This summer I was able to take a step back and really realize what I was doing wrong, and practice the right things,” Cooney said.
His father watched him go from being able to “play linebacker for Syracuse”, to the nimble and agile two-guard that has thrived atop the 2-3 zone this season. Now he is second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in steals.
Cooney lost about eight pounds last summer, cutting down on his late-night Wawa runs and saying goodbye to meatball sandwiches. Instead, it was mom’s cooking. More fruits and vegetables, spaghetti, chicken — what he needed to get his body healthy.
Additional training with family friend and physical therapy assistant John Noonan also helped get Cooney into shape. Going to ATI therapy center at least three times per week, Cooney completed planks, four-to-eight second sprints and exhausting workouts on the treadmill — reaching a maximum of 22 miles per hour.
“Kills you,” Noonan said. “We just kind of gave him the blueprint, and he followed it.”
Delaware native and WNBA star Elena Delle Donne, who’s worked out with Noonan since second grade and trained with Cooney, said Cooney’s drive has always been incredible. She said she could count his misses during workouts on one hand.
“He was one of those people who when I knew he was going to work out, the intensity was going to be raised,” Delle Donne said.
Now his athleticism and motor have reached a new level this year. When teams play him to shoot, he is capable of putting the ball on the floor. When they lay off him — splash. And no matter what, he demands enough attention to open up the Syracuse offense.
Against Boston College Monday night, he soared through the air for three fast-break dunks in a row.
Three points per game-26.7 percent 3-point shooting-Trevor Cooney is history.
Taking jumpers at 4:45 for 7 p.m. games he wouldn’t play in as a freshman finally paid off. Patiently waiting in line to be Syracuse’s next star proved to be the right decision.
And as his all-around game has blossomed, McNamara’s been the driving force to ensure he stays on track. McNamara mastered the intricacies of the zone. He figured out how to get open while draped by athletic defenders.
Now he’s passed those skills onto Cooney.
“He moves as well off the ball as anybody I’ve ever been around,” McNamara said.
Cooney looked up to McNamara as a kid, and now his game has flourished thanks in part to one of his role models. Cooney’s father Brian said McNamara’s “like seven things in one for Trevor.” McNamara’s “been through the fire,” as Trevor’s brother Matt Cooney put it. He can relate to Trevor.
“Gerry was obviously a legend at Syracuse,” Matt Cooney said. “Trevor is hoping to become just a part of what Gerry achieved. If you could just achieve a piece of that it would be a hell of a career.”
Now Cooney – with his reserved swagger and complete game – will look to help Syracuse accomplish something it hasn’t done since 2003, when McNamara was just a 19-year-old freshman…
Win the national championship.
Published on January 15, 2014 at 3:13 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
Murrell continues journey to become strong defender for SU
A few hours before every home game, Jordan Murrell zones everything else out and focuses on a different kind of game before he steps onto the soccer field.
After a 10-minute run and dribbling warm up, Murrell sits in his apartment and zeroes in on the TV screen. Eyes locked in, fingers in place, he goes to work as music by Trey Songz, Usher or Chris Brown plays in the background.
It’s Call of Duty time.
“People ask me why I do that,” Murrell said. “It just calms me mentally. I’m not too bad. I try to keep up with the rest of the world that plays all the time.”
So far this season that pregame preparation has worked for the sophomore Murrell, who has excelled as a defender for Syracuse. Murrell has anchored an Orange defense that has held opponents to nine goals on the season. He has also chipped in with some timely offense, contributing two goals and five assists.
Shining on a soccer field is nothing new for Murrell, who was born and raised in England. Judith Murrell, Jordan’s mother, said her son was wearing shin pads at 18 months old and became infatuated with the game when he watched his older brother, Joel, play.
One day, Joel was taking a team photograph and Jordan got a little jealous. He saw an opening and quickly darted into the picture, going as fast as his 18-month legs would motor.
“We knew then that he was focused and driven about playing soccer,” Judith Murrell said.
Murrell continued to hone his game on the streets of England. He said players ranged from 3 to 25 years old, so he got accustomed to playing against stronger, faster opponents at a young age.
He used to come home from school, grab his soccer ball and head out to the streets for hours.
“When I could walk I got a ball put in my feet,” Murrell said. “I used to play outside in front of my house from when I got home from school until the lights went off and I had to go inside.”
At the age of 12, Murrell left his life in England to move to Ontario, Canada. His stepfather, who was originally from Canada, decided the move would be the best way for Murrell and his two younger sisters to get a superior education.
When he arrived in Canada, Murrell continued to improve on the field and elevated his game to the next level. He joined the Unionville Milliken Soccer Club, where he played under Filipe Bento.
Bento recalls one game where he drew up a play in a frenzy to try to tie the score in the waning minutes. He called Murrell over and gave him quick, last-second instructions on how to take the free kick.
Worried that he didn’t provide Murrell with enough details, Bento was blown away when he executed the kick to perfection. Murrell sent a perfectly placed pass toward the goal and a teammate found the back of the net for the decisive goal.
“He was always very intelligent,” Bento said. “We could see that he had promise and a future in soccer. He had something different that the other kids didn’t have.”
That intelligence and talent has translated to two successful seasons at Syracuse, and he has his eyes on a Big East championship and an NCAA tournament berth this year.
Against formidable conference foes Rutgers and Louisville, Murrell ignited the Orange with three assists — all of them coming off corner kicks.
Against Rutgers, Murrell lined up for a corner two minutes into overtime. He zeroed in on teammate Lars Muller and lofted the ball toward the goal.
Bull’s-eye.
Murrell hit Muller in stride and the forward’s header beat the keeper, giving Syracuse a win in its first overtime game of the season. Earlier in the game, Murrell set up Jordan Vale beautifully on a corner and Vale timed it perfectly for a score.
Head coach Ian McIntyre moved Murrell to left back because of his on-ball defense and ability to move forward and attack after making a stop. That strategy has worked flawlessly as Murrell has stopped defenders with poise and confidence.
Though Murrell played well for Syracuse last season, McIntyre has seen considerable improvement from the sophomore, who has grown into a vocal leader on a team that has done a 180.
“I think he’s more consistent and mentally tougher,” McIntyre said. “He has more resilience to his game. We’ve moved him to left back because of his quality on the ball. As he showed the other night, he’s got a very sweet left foot.”
Published on October 17, 2012 at 2:54 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
After a 10-minute run and dribbling warm up, Murrell sits in his apartment and zeroes in on the TV screen. Eyes locked in, fingers in place, he goes to work as music by Trey Songz, Usher or Chris Brown plays in the background.
It’s Call of Duty time.
“People ask me why I do that,” Murrell said. “It just calms me mentally. I’m not too bad. I try to keep up with the rest of the world that plays all the time.”
So far this season that pregame preparation has worked for the sophomore Murrell, who has excelled as a defender for Syracuse. Murrell has anchored an Orange defense that has held opponents to nine goals on the season. He has also chipped in with some timely offense, contributing two goals and five assists.
Shining on a soccer field is nothing new for Murrell, who was born and raised in England. Judith Murrell, Jordan’s mother, said her son was wearing shin pads at 18 months old and became infatuated with the game when he watched his older brother, Joel, play.
One day, Joel was taking a team photograph and Jordan got a little jealous. He saw an opening and quickly darted into the picture, going as fast as his 18-month legs would motor.
“We knew then that he was focused and driven about playing soccer,” Judith Murrell said.
Murrell continued to hone his game on the streets of England. He said players ranged from 3 to 25 years old, so he got accustomed to playing against stronger, faster opponents at a young age.
He used to come home from school, grab his soccer ball and head out to the streets for hours.
“When I could walk I got a ball put in my feet,” Murrell said. “I used to play outside in front of my house from when I got home from school until the lights went off and I had to go inside.”
At the age of 12, Murrell left his life in England to move to Ontario, Canada. His stepfather, who was originally from Canada, decided the move would be the best way for Murrell and his two younger sisters to get a superior education.
When he arrived in Canada, Murrell continued to improve on the field and elevated his game to the next level. He joined the Unionville Milliken Soccer Club, where he played under Filipe Bento.
Bento recalls one game where he drew up a play in a frenzy to try to tie the score in the waning minutes. He called Murrell over and gave him quick, last-second instructions on how to take the free kick.
Worried that he didn’t provide Murrell with enough details, Bento was blown away when he executed the kick to perfection. Murrell sent a perfectly placed pass toward the goal and a teammate found the back of the net for the decisive goal.
“He was always very intelligent,” Bento said. “We could see that he had promise and a future in soccer. He had something different that the other kids didn’t have.”
That intelligence and talent has translated to two successful seasons at Syracuse, and he has his eyes on a Big East championship and an NCAA tournament berth this year.
Against formidable conference foes Rutgers and Louisville, Murrell ignited the Orange with three assists — all of them coming off corner kicks.
Against Rutgers, Murrell lined up for a corner two minutes into overtime. He zeroed in on teammate Lars Muller and lofted the ball toward the goal.
Bull’s-eye.
Murrell hit Muller in stride and the forward’s header beat the keeper, giving Syracuse a win in its first overtime game of the season. Earlier in the game, Murrell set up Jordan Vale beautifully on a corner and Vale timed it perfectly for a score.
Head coach Ian McIntyre moved Murrell to left back because of his on-ball defense and ability to move forward and attack after making a stop. That strategy has worked flawlessly as Murrell has stopped defenders with poise and confidence.
Though Murrell played well for Syracuse last season, McIntyre has seen considerable improvement from the sophomore, who has grown into a vocal leader on a team that has done a 180.
“I think he’s more consistent and mentally tougher,” McIntyre said. “He has more resilience to his game. We’ve moved him to left back because of his quality on the ball. As he showed the other night, he’s got a very sweet left foot.”
Published on October 17, 2012 at 2:54 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
Silent but deadly: Freshman wing Johnson brings reserved personality to SU bench
B.J. Johnson stood firmly in place with his hands behind his back on the outskirts of the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center gym during media day on Oct. 18.
From his standard, squeaky-clean white, size 14 Jordans up to his No. 2 jersey and orange headband, everything was traditional. No Ron Patterson wacky hair. No DaJuan Coleman outlandish tattoos. No Jerami Grant irreversible grin.
His mother Sharon Dash watched intently from two feet to his right. Johnson’s aunt, uncle and cousin surrounded her. Dash listened as her son mentioned that he can’t swim, his favorite villain is the Joker and he loves any kind of rice.
She knew all of that. But a more challenging question stumped her.
“What’s the most fascinating thing about B.J.?” a reporter asked.
She seemed puzzled by the question. She said she misses her “sweetheart” dearly while he’s at school. When she first opened the door to the Melo Center, she said, “Where’s my son? Where’s my son?” And she loved going to every one of his games at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania.
But she couldn’t pinpoint anything that stood out about him.
“He’s just such a plain kid,” Dash said. “Baby, you’ve got to get interesting.”
Then Johnson flashed a golden smile, revealing a slight gap between his two front teeth. He swayed back and forth, clearly uncomfortable by the entire situation. Johnson, who’s only 17, is as quiet as they come, according to his relatives. But his reserved nature and tendency to fly under the radar made him lethal in high school and may help him earn a spot in the Syracuse rotation.
The banter continued. Dash and her sister Michelle Scott quipped about just how quiet Johnson is.
“I think he talks too much,” Scott said.
“Noooo,” Dash responded, incredulously looking at her sister, taking a step back and jerking her head downward in disbelief.
“I was being facetious,” Scott responded wryly.
But Johnson’s father Bobby Johnson, who played professional basketball in Portugal and Germany, is the antithesis of quiet. When Bobby grew up in South Philadelphia, the culture was completely different. Jawing and trash talk was incessant. It was the expectation. You had to go out there and play and shut those people up, Bobby Johnson said. If you didn’t, you’d never come back on the floor again.
Johnson and his father used to wake up at 6 a.m. and head to Lower Merion to work out for an hour. Johnson was dedicated throughout, Bobby said, but he didn’t always show enthusiasm on the court.
“At one point in time I thought you had to stick a pin in him to get him to wake up,” Bobby Johnson said. “He was always laid back, and I would always tell him, ‘When you come out on the floor, we don’t need that cool sh*t.’”
He didn’t hear his son swear until he was 15 or 16.
“I think the first time I actually heard him yell out the four-letter word he was playing at one of the practices and he was like ‘F*ck!’” Bobby Johnson said. “I was like, ‘OK, you do care.’”
Before Lower Merion’s state championship game against Chester (Pa.) High School, Johnson and his father drove to the rehabilitation center because Johnson had sprained his ankle and needed treatment. Bobby tried to elicit some sort of enthusiasm out of his son — to make sure he was ready for the biggest game of his high school career.
After losing to Chester three years in a row, Johnson and the Aces were out for revenge. But Johnson was calm, unfazed by the pressure of the situation.
“I got ‘em, dad,” he said coolly.
“He got ‘em!” Bobby said. Lower Merion beat Chester 63-47, ending the Clippers’ 78-game in-state winning streak. Johnson finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds. But the fire was never fully there.
When Bobby Johnson first watched his son play at Lower Merion, he sat there wondering if the other fans would get riled up like he did.
“When I first went to the games, the Lower Merion people are sitting there like it’s a cricket match,” Bobby said. “I remember being like, ‘What the — ain’t anybody going to get the guys going?’”
Months later, removed from one of the most dominant stints at Lower Merion since Kobe Bryant’s hey-day, Johnson comes to SU as the No. 17 small forward in the class of 2013. Yet on media day, few reporters come his way. He stands far from the center of attention as reporters crowd around stars C.J. Fair and Grant.
Most people don’t expect Johnson to play much this season. He may not. But his quiet confidence will help prepare him if he does. He’s not a blue-chipper, 5-star guy, Bobby said, but he works every day.
“Sometimes it’s better to be that guy that comes in under the radar and just does what he needs to do,” Bobby said. “Then all of a sudden everybody’s saying, ‘I knew he would be that guy.’”
Bobby Johnson recalls asking his son a question back in high school.
“It was funny because I asked B.J., ‘Suppose this summer you really blew up and had Roy Williams knocking on your door. Would you want to go to North Carolina?
“And he was like, ‘No.’
“I said ‘If Coach K was knocking on your door, would you want to go to Duke?’
“And he was like, ‘No.’
“He had a plan, and it’s what he wanted to do.”
Now Johnson’s ready to live out the dream he has had since seventh grade: star at Syracuse. Jim Boeheim said Johnson has surprised the coaching staff up to this point. He’s young, but he can ball.
“I’m just really excited to be here and for the season to start,” Johnson said. “That’s pretty much all I’ve been waiting for and now it’s here.”
Published on November 6, 2013 at 3:28 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
From his standard, squeaky-clean white, size 14 Jordans up to his No. 2 jersey and orange headband, everything was traditional. No Ron Patterson wacky hair. No DaJuan Coleman outlandish tattoos. No Jerami Grant irreversible grin.
His mother Sharon Dash watched intently from two feet to his right. Johnson’s aunt, uncle and cousin surrounded her. Dash listened as her son mentioned that he can’t swim, his favorite villain is the Joker and he loves any kind of rice.
She knew all of that. But a more challenging question stumped her.
“What’s the most fascinating thing about B.J.?” a reporter asked.
She seemed puzzled by the question. She said she misses her “sweetheart” dearly while he’s at school. When she first opened the door to the Melo Center, she said, “Where’s my son? Where’s my son?” And she loved going to every one of his games at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania.
But she couldn’t pinpoint anything that stood out about him.
“He’s just such a plain kid,” Dash said. “Baby, you’ve got to get interesting.”
Then Johnson flashed a golden smile, revealing a slight gap between his two front teeth. He swayed back and forth, clearly uncomfortable by the entire situation. Johnson, who’s only 17, is as quiet as they come, according to his relatives. But his reserved nature and tendency to fly under the radar made him lethal in high school and may help him earn a spot in the Syracuse rotation.
The banter continued. Dash and her sister Michelle Scott quipped about just how quiet Johnson is.
“I think he talks too much,” Scott said.
“Noooo,” Dash responded, incredulously looking at her sister, taking a step back and jerking her head downward in disbelief.
“I was being facetious,” Scott responded wryly.
But Johnson’s father Bobby Johnson, who played professional basketball in Portugal and Germany, is the antithesis of quiet. When Bobby grew up in South Philadelphia, the culture was completely different. Jawing and trash talk was incessant. It was the expectation. You had to go out there and play and shut those people up, Bobby Johnson said. If you didn’t, you’d never come back on the floor again.
Johnson and his father used to wake up at 6 a.m. and head to Lower Merion to work out for an hour. Johnson was dedicated throughout, Bobby said, but he didn’t always show enthusiasm on the court.
“At one point in time I thought you had to stick a pin in him to get him to wake up,” Bobby Johnson said. “He was always laid back, and I would always tell him, ‘When you come out on the floor, we don’t need that cool sh*t.’”
He didn’t hear his son swear until he was 15 or 16.
“I think the first time I actually heard him yell out the four-letter word he was playing at one of the practices and he was like ‘F*ck!’” Bobby Johnson said. “I was like, ‘OK, you do care.’”
Before Lower Merion’s state championship game against Chester (Pa.) High School, Johnson and his father drove to the rehabilitation center because Johnson had sprained his ankle and needed treatment. Bobby tried to elicit some sort of enthusiasm out of his son — to make sure he was ready for the biggest game of his high school career.
After losing to Chester three years in a row, Johnson and the Aces were out for revenge. But Johnson was calm, unfazed by the pressure of the situation.
“I got ‘em, dad,” he said coolly.
“He got ‘em!” Bobby said. Lower Merion beat Chester 63-47, ending the Clippers’ 78-game in-state winning streak. Johnson finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds. But the fire was never fully there.
When Bobby Johnson first watched his son play at Lower Merion, he sat there wondering if the other fans would get riled up like he did.
“When I first went to the games, the Lower Merion people are sitting there like it’s a cricket match,” Bobby said. “I remember being like, ‘What the — ain’t anybody going to get the guys going?’”
Months later, removed from one of the most dominant stints at Lower Merion since Kobe Bryant’s hey-day, Johnson comes to SU as the No. 17 small forward in the class of 2013. Yet on media day, few reporters come his way. He stands far from the center of attention as reporters crowd around stars C.J. Fair and Grant.
Most people don’t expect Johnson to play much this season. He may not. But his quiet confidence will help prepare him if he does. He’s not a blue-chipper, 5-star guy, Bobby said, but he works every day.
“Sometimes it’s better to be that guy that comes in under the radar and just does what he needs to do,” Bobby said. “Then all of a sudden everybody’s saying, ‘I knew he would be that guy.’”
Bobby Johnson recalls asking his son a question back in high school.
“It was funny because I asked B.J., ‘Suppose this summer you really blew up and had Roy Williams knocking on your door. Would you want to go to North Carolina?
“And he was like, ‘No.’
“I said ‘If Coach K was knocking on your door, would you want to go to Duke?’
“And he was like, ‘No.’
“He had a plan, and it’s what he wanted to do.”
Now Johnson’s ready to live out the dream he has had since seventh grade: star at Syracuse. Jim Boeheim said Johnson has surprised the coaching staff up to this point. He’s young, but he can ball.
“I’m just really excited to be here and for the season to start,” Johnson said. “That’s pretty much all I’ve been waiting for and now it’s here.”
Published on November 6, 2013 at 3:28 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
Lamolinara excels in goal with help of jokester, erratic Daly
When Dominic Lamolinara walks out on the field before Saturday’s game against Princeton, he’ll know a familiar face will be firing shots his way in warm-ups.
Syracuse reserve Brenny Daly has become Lamolinara’s go-to warm-up guy this year after Lamolinara struggled to find a shooter that suited his needs last season. Daly’s erratic, unpredictable shot and his outlandish personality have helped Lamolinara earn the starting nod in net and improve his game all season. The duo will head out to the field once again on Saturday when No. 8 Syracuse (6-2, 2-1 Big East) faces No. 7 Princeton (6-2, 2-1 Ivy League) at Princeton Stadium in New Jersey.
“Dom and I have a great relationship,” Daly said. “We’re really good friends on and off the field. He’s playing great. He credits me a little bit, which I’ll take, but he’s playing awesome.”
Lamolinara and Daly first met in high school in the Baltimore area. Lamolinara was a standout goalie at St. Mary’s and Daly was a dominant midfielder at McDonogh, two schools that are approximately 40 miles away from each other. Daly redshirted last season and Lamolinara, after transferring from Maryland, started three games for Syracuse, splitting time with Bobby Wardwell.
Lamolinara struggled all season to find a warm-up guy that was exactly what he was looking for. Billy Ward, Dylan Donahue and Henry Schoonmaker, three of SU’s most prolific scorers, all gave it a shot.
But there was something wrong. They were all too accurate. They placed their shots exactly where Lamolinara asked them to. He wanted more unpredictability ― someone he could count on to do the exact opposite of what he expected: Daly.
The always-grinning, always-joking, often-bearded 5-foot-10-inch reserve. He’s only played three games this season, but every time Lamolinara trots onto the field prior to the opening faceoff, Daly’s the one rifling shots at him.
Lamolinara requested Daly in the fall. They had been friends and gotten along swimmingly, so Lamolinara figured he’d be a perfect choice for the job. Now they hang out off the field all the time, chowing down at Chipotle whenever possible.
“We always had that relationship,” Lamolinara said. “We were the Baltimore boys.”
Lamolinara remembers the first day of fall practice, a frigid Saturday. He and Daly were starting to develop even more of a rapport. Lamolinara was freezing, so he told Daly not to hit him with the ball.
Daly did not oblige. He rarely does. Daly, who Lamolinara called “the John Belushi of the team,” is always making a wisecrack or pulling a prank.
“He hit me and he hit me like three or four times,” Lamolinara said. “It kind of pissed me off. He was laughing. He thought it was hilarious.”
Daly isn’t only unpredictable when he tries to be, though. Lamolinara said if he asks for a shot top-right it will often go bottom-right. Daly can fire the ball at an absurdly fast speed, but he has very little control, Lamolinara said.
And that’s exactly what the goalie needs. So far the results have been tremendous. Lamolinara has replaced Wardwell as Syracuse’s starting goalie, allowing just 6.77 goals per game and saving 60.4 percent of shots that come his way, close to the best in the country.
Daly often apologizes repeatedly when he’s having a bad day and his shots are way off target, but Lamolinara always tells him to stop. It helps.
“I just tell him to calm down, it’s good, it’s helping me out,” Lamolinara said. “I think it’s taken six months for him to finally believe it.”
Daly even scored his first career goal against Providence, firing a shot from close to 17 yards out that elicited an uproar from the bench.
Lamolinara said Daly started running back on defense because he had no idea the shot went in. Then he heard the commotion from the bench and reveled in the glory as his teammates went crazy.
“Everybody loves Brenny. I couldn’t really explain it,” Lamolinara said. “He’s just that funny kid on the team. When he does well, everybody gets really excited.”
Ward loves playing with Daly, too. He said Daly is so outgoing that he could talk to a wall.
“If you left Brenny by himself with a wall he’d have a great time with it,” Ward said. “If you left him a half hour by himself he’d be having the time of his life. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”
Daly and Lamolinara chat before every practice and every game. Daly fires close to 65 shots. Lamolinara saves them ― two-thirds of them, Daly said ― as the two joke around for 15 minutes.
“I finally found a warm-up guy that I like,” Lamolinara said. “I’m sure I’ll keep him throughout the year. I’ll probably keep him next year as well.”
Published on April 4, 2013 at 1:26 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
Syracuse reserve Brenny Daly has become Lamolinara’s go-to warm-up guy this year after Lamolinara struggled to find a shooter that suited his needs last season. Daly’s erratic, unpredictable shot and his outlandish personality have helped Lamolinara earn the starting nod in net and improve his game all season. The duo will head out to the field once again on Saturday when No. 8 Syracuse (6-2, 2-1 Big East) faces No. 7 Princeton (6-2, 2-1 Ivy League) at Princeton Stadium in New Jersey.
“Dom and I have a great relationship,” Daly said. “We’re really good friends on and off the field. He’s playing great. He credits me a little bit, which I’ll take, but he’s playing awesome.”
Lamolinara and Daly first met in high school in the Baltimore area. Lamolinara was a standout goalie at St. Mary’s and Daly was a dominant midfielder at McDonogh, two schools that are approximately 40 miles away from each other. Daly redshirted last season and Lamolinara, after transferring from Maryland, started three games for Syracuse, splitting time with Bobby Wardwell.
Lamolinara struggled all season to find a warm-up guy that was exactly what he was looking for. Billy Ward, Dylan Donahue and Henry Schoonmaker, three of SU’s most prolific scorers, all gave it a shot.
But there was something wrong. They were all too accurate. They placed their shots exactly where Lamolinara asked them to. He wanted more unpredictability ― someone he could count on to do the exact opposite of what he expected: Daly.
The always-grinning, always-joking, often-bearded 5-foot-10-inch reserve. He’s only played three games this season, but every time Lamolinara trots onto the field prior to the opening faceoff, Daly’s the one rifling shots at him.
Lamolinara requested Daly in the fall. They had been friends and gotten along swimmingly, so Lamolinara figured he’d be a perfect choice for the job. Now they hang out off the field all the time, chowing down at Chipotle whenever possible.
“We always had that relationship,” Lamolinara said. “We were the Baltimore boys.”
Lamolinara remembers the first day of fall practice, a frigid Saturday. He and Daly were starting to develop even more of a rapport. Lamolinara was freezing, so he told Daly not to hit him with the ball.
Daly did not oblige. He rarely does. Daly, who Lamolinara called “the John Belushi of the team,” is always making a wisecrack or pulling a prank.
“He hit me and he hit me like three or four times,” Lamolinara said. “It kind of pissed me off. He was laughing. He thought it was hilarious.”
Daly isn’t only unpredictable when he tries to be, though. Lamolinara said if he asks for a shot top-right it will often go bottom-right. Daly can fire the ball at an absurdly fast speed, but he has very little control, Lamolinara said.
And that’s exactly what the goalie needs. So far the results have been tremendous. Lamolinara has replaced Wardwell as Syracuse’s starting goalie, allowing just 6.77 goals per game and saving 60.4 percent of shots that come his way, close to the best in the country.
Daly often apologizes repeatedly when he’s having a bad day and his shots are way off target, but Lamolinara always tells him to stop. It helps.
“I just tell him to calm down, it’s good, it’s helping me out,” Lamolinara said. “I think it’s taken six months for him to finally believe it.”
Daly even scored his first career goal against Providence, firing a shot from close to 17 yards out that elicited an uproar from the bench.
Lamolinara said Daly started running back on defense because he had no idea the shot went in. Then he heard the commotion from the bench and reveled in the glory as his teammates went crazy.
“Everybody loves Brenny. I couldn’t really explain it,” Lamolinara said. “He’s just that funny kid on the team. When he does well, everybody gets really excited.”
Ward loves playing with Daly, too. He said Daly is so outgoing that he could talk to a wall.
“If you left Brenny by himself with a wall he’d have a great time with it,” Ward said. “If you left him a half hour by himself he’d be having the time of his life. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”
Daly and Lamolinara chat before every practice and every game. Daly fires close to 65 shots. Lamolinara saves them ― two-thirds of them, Daly said ― as the two joke around for 15 minutes.
“I finally found a warm-up guy that I like,” Lamolinara said. “I’m sure I’ll keep him throughout the year. I’ll probably keep him next year as well.”
Published on April 4, 2013 at 1:26 am
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
Monday, September 9, 2013
Courtesy of Susan Du/The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern
quarterback Kain Colter celebrates as cornerback Brandon Reddish (4)
and the rest of the Syracuse defense look on. Colter rushed for 102
yards to go along with 116 through the air.
CATASTROPHE: Syracuse unable to slow Northwestern offense in rout
EVANSTON, Ill. — It was as if Kain Colter and Brandon Reddish were stuck together by Elmer’s glue.
Neither budged. Neither mustered up extra juice as the Northwestern quarterback and Syracuse cornerback fused into one blob less than six inches away from the goal line.
But Colter improvised and outwitted the Syracuse defense, as he did all game. He simply stuck the ball past Reddish’s left ear and into the end zone. Touchdown, Northwestern.
The Wildcat offense toyed with and out-crafted the Orange defense all night, propelling No. 19 Northwestern (2-0) to a 48-27 win over Syracuse (0-2) at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill., on Saturday in front of 38,033. Colter and Trevor Siemian provided a dynamic one-two quarterback punch that the Orange defense couldn’t handle. Even playing without running back Venric Mark, the Wildcats athletes torched SU all night long.
“Just a tough night,” Syracuse defensive tackle Jay Bromley said.
That brilliant goal-line maneuver by Colter upped Northwestern’s lead to 27-7 with 2:38 left in the first half. After scrambling more than 15 yards and weaving through Syracuse defenders like they were stuck in sand, Colter simply did what he had to do to score.
He made the right play. Just like he did all night, and just like his entire team did.
Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer said the one thing Syracuse couldn’t afford to do was give Northwestern opportunities.
“And we damn well did,” he said.
The beatdown started in the first 51 seconds of the game. Four plays, four completions. Two catches, a facemask penalty and two more catches. All in less than a minute.
And the bleeding didn’t stop there. Siemian came in and bumped the lead to 17-0 just 2:22 into the second quarter. After throwing three passes in a row to Tony Jones for 47 total yards, Siemian delivered a 20-yard strike to Dan Vitale for a touchdown. The rout was on, and it was just beginning.
Anyone who tried to contain Jones failed miserably. Keon Lyn and Reddish both slotted up against him, and both got burned. Jones finished with nine receptions for 185 yards and a touchdown.
A week after Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson laid down a beating on the Syracuse defense, Jones followed suit.
And on the rare instance that the defense had Jones locked up downfield, Colter made plays with his feet.
With Northwestern leading 20-7, SU linebackers Dyshawn Davis and Cameron Lynch pursued Colter in the backfield. A sack seemed inevitable, but Colter escaped once again.
He danced his way through the defense for a 33-yard gain before Bromley eventually wrapped him up.
“He’s as advertised,” Bromley said. “He’s a mobile quarterback. He’s elusive, and he’s a hard guy to tackle.”
And then there was Siemian – the more polished thrower of the two. His touchdown pass to Christian Jones with two seconds left in the first half essentially iced the game.
There was no way Syracuse was coming back from a 34-7 halftime deficit — not the way Colter and Siemian were playing. Not the way the Syracuse defense was visibly exhausted in the second quarter.
Syracuse’s secondary looked winded. The Orange had taken a good, old-fashioned whooping.
“Everyone’s going to point at the quarterback position,” Shafer said, “but goddamn it, it was both sides of the ball.”
NU’s numbers speak for themselves: 270 passing yards, 6-for-6 in the red zone, 22-of-24 passes completed — all in the first half.
Compare that to 119 passing yards for Syracuse, only one trip to the red zone, and SU’s seven incompletions and the glaring gap on the scoreboard doesn’t sound so unfathomable.
“They’re just good,” Syracuse defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough said.
In fact, Northwestern was so good that Shafer told his team at the break to come out and win the second half — not the game, but merely the final 30 minutes.
Syracuse did, but it still lost the game.
The frame was merely a formality. Colter, Siemian and Jones had wreaked all the havoc they needed to wreak. The damage was done, and so were Syracuse’s hopes at an upset.
Colter finished with 87 rushing yards and 116 passing yards while Siemian threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns. It was a golden combination – one that’s been talked about for Syracuse, but one
Shafer hasn’t implemented quite yet.
That combination sent Syracuse packing halfway across the country with a 0-2 record.
Said Shafer: “We played a poor football game.”
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
Neither budged. Neither mustered up extra juice as the Northwestern quarterback and Syracuse cornerback fused into one blob less than six inches away from the goal line.
But Colter improvised and outwitted the Syracuse defense, as he did all game. He simply stuck the ball past Reddish’s left ear and into the end zone. Touchdown, Northwestern.
The Wildcat offense toyed with and out-crafted the Orange defense all night, propelling No. 19 Northwestern (2-0) to a 48-27 win over Syracuse (0-2) at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill., on Saturday in front of 38,033. Colter and Trevor Siemian provided a dynamic one-two quarterback punch that the Orange defense couldn’t handle. Even playing without running back Venric Mark, the Wildcats athletes torched SU all night long.
“Just a tough night,” Syracuse defensive tackle Jay Bromley said.
That brilliant goal-line maneuver by Colter upped Northwestern’s lead to 27-7 with 2:38 left in the first half. After scrambling more than 15 yards and weaving through Syracuse defenders like they were stuck in sand, Colter simply did what he had to do to score.
He made the right play. Just like he did all night, and just like his entire team did.
Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer said the one thing Syracuse couldn’t afford to do was give Northwestern opportunities.
“And we damn well did,” he said.
The beatdown started in the first 51 seconds of the game. Four plays, four completions. Two catches, a facemask penalty and two more catches. All in less than a minute.
And the bleeding didn’t stop there. Siemian came in and bumped the lead to 17-0 just 2:22 into the second quarter. After throwing three passes in a row to Tony Jones for 47 total yards, Siemian delivered a 20-yard strike to Dan Vitale for a touchdown. The rout was on, and it was just beginning.
Anyone who tried to contain Jones failed miserably. Keon Lyn and Reddish both slotted up against him, and both got burned. Jones finished with nine receptions for 185 yards and a touchdown.
A week after Penn State wide receiver Allen Robinson laid down a beating on the Syracuse defense, Jones followed suit.
And on the rare instance that the defense had Jones locked up downfield, Colter made plays with his feet.
With Northwestern leading 20-7, SU linebackers Dyshawn Davis and Cameron Lynch pursued Colter in the backfield. A sack seemed inevitable, but Colter escaped once again.
He danced his way through the defense for a 33-yard gain before Bromley eventually wrapped him up.
“He’s as advertised,” Bromley said. “He’s a mobile quarterback. He’s elusive, and he’s a hard guy to tackle.”
And then there was Siemian – the more polished thrower of the two. His touchdown pass to Christian Jones with two seconds left in the first half essentially iced the game.
There was no way Syracuse was coming back from a 34-7 halftime deficit — not the way Colter and Siemian were playing. Not the way the Syracuse defense was visibly exhausted in the second quarter.
Syracuse’s secondary looked winded. The Orange had taken a good, old-fashioned whooping.
“Everyone’s going to point at the quarterback position,” Shafer said, “but goddamn it, it was both sides of the ball.”
NU’s numbers speak for themselves: 270 passing yards, 6-for-6 in the red zone, 22-of-24 passes completed — all in the first half.
Compare that to 119 passing yards for Syracuse, only one trip to the red zone, and SU’s seven incompletions and the glaring gap on the scoreboard doesn’t sound so unfathomable.
“They’re just good,” Syracuse defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough said.
In fact, Northwestern was so good that Shafer told his team at the break to come out and win the second half — not the game, but merely the final 30 minutes.
Syracuse did, but it still lost the game.
The frame was merely a formality. Colter, Siemian and Jones had wreaked all the havoc they needed to wreak. The damage was done, and so were Syracuse’s hopes at an upset.
Colter finished with 87 rushing yards and 116 passing yards while Siemian threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns. It was a golden combination – one that’s been talked about for Syracuse, but one
Shafer hasn’t implemented quite yet.
That combination sent Syracuse packing halfway across the country with a 0-2 record.
Said Shafer: “We played a poor football game.”
Contact Trevor: tbhass@syr.edu | @TrevorHass
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