Battle At The Bottom

by Paul Sykes

When a football game is notable because it’s a battle between the cellar dwellers of the Big East Conference, well, one has to be a hard-nosed football fanatic and love the school to take it seriously.

That is unless one admits the clash between Louisville and Syracuse could be a real donnybrook. These teams and coaches are backed into their respective corners and are desperate for respect.

Tale of the tape:

Offense

• Scoring — Syracuse seventh in the Big East with 20.3 points per game, Louisville last at 19.
• Total Offense — Louisville sixth with 360.3 yards per game, Syracuse last, 309.6.
• Rushing — Louisville sixth with 1,339 yards, Syracuse last, 1,021.
• Passing — Louisville fifth with 211.6 yards per game, Syracuse last, 196.1.

Defense

• Scoring Defense — Louisville seventh allowing 26.4 points, Syracuse last, 28.4.
• Total Defense — Louisville sixth allowing 360.8 yards per game, Syracuse last, 376.2.
• Rushing Defense — Syracuse first, allowing 106.4 yards per game, Louisville last, 150.2.
• Passing Defense — Louisville fourth, allowing 204.4 yards per game, Syracuse last, 269.8.

Give Louisville a 6-2 advantage in the totals but remember Charlie Brown’s response to Lucy, “Tell your statistics to shut up.”

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