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.”
I would have to think Syracuse won the disenchanted fan base race a long time ago.
Not so if you go by who has been good more lately.
A couple of additional stats..
Fan disenchantment: Louisville 1st., Syracuse 2nd.
Bonehead moves by coach: Louisville 1st., Syracuse 2nd.
Team mascot appeal: Syracuse ist (gotta love that cute lil Orange!) Louisville 2nd.
Worst odds of going to a bowl game: tie for last. The only bowling either of these teams is doing will be with 16 lb. balls on wooden lanes)
Basketball coaches capacity for making asses out of themselves: Louisville 1st. Syracuse 4th (Huggins at WVU and Calhoun a UConn beat out Boeheim. No one can top what Rick pulled off with Ms. Sypher)
Cellar Dwellars’ Smeller