Looking ahead to our first road trip

[ulfr]

in the '09 campaign. I noticed that Syracuse has landed a new coach and will formally introduce him in an hour. Since I am strongly considering making the trek out to scenic western NY (no really its not a bad drive that time of year), I am interested what if any opinions the great football minds of GopherNation have to share?

I think their first choice of Skip Holtz was far more formidable considering the awesome job he has done at ECU getting the Pirates through a strong season and a notching a couple of statement victories. Marrone is more enigmatic, not unlike our own Mr Brewster was on his hiring, coming from the pro game.

Here is hoping we don't provide the "break out" victory for the season.

 

[grunkiejr]

in the '09 campaign. I noticed that Syracuse has landed a new coach and will formally introduce him in an hour. Since I am strongly considering making the trek out to scenic western NY (no really its not a bad drive that time of year), I am interested what if any opinions the great football minds of GopherNation have to share?

I think their first choice of Skip Holtz was far more formidable considering the awesome job he has done at ECU getting the Pirates through a strong season and a notching a couple of statement victories. Marrone is more enigmatic, not unlike our own Mr Brewster was on his hiring, coming from the pro game.

Here is hoping we don't provide the "break out" victory for the season.

Interesting selection. I would be amazed if Turner Gill wasn't at the top of their short list but never got much media discussion because he said no immediately. He will end up taking a bigger job when he moves to the BCS so I don't think Syracuse interests him.

New Orleans has one of the more explosive offenses in the NFL. It is very wide open so I imagine that they will move to a spread philosophy under Marrone. The thing is that New Orleans head coach gets most of the credit for the offense so I don't really know what to expect from the OC. Who knows whether he can recruit. I'm sure he won't be too happy when we go in there next year and take a TE from Upstate NY that will probably be one of if not the best recruit in the state.

I went to Syracuse for work once, it didn't impress me at all. It was a sleepy town that looked like it was booming 50 years ago but with manufacturing on the decline time has passed it by. It actually reminded of Duluth without the Lake (and please don't take that negatively Duluth residents, the Lake makes Duluth a beautiful city).

 

[NateDawgUM]

Syracuse is very rust belt.

That said, my parents met there when my dad was in med school and my mom was in nursing school. I have family in the Rochester area and the Albany area, so this trip will probably turn into a reunion of sorts if I make it next season.

My mom's mother is a huge Orange fan.

I don't think we'll have any idea of what to expect from Syracuse. It's always tough to face a coach in his opening game. We should come away with a victory but a BCS opponent on the road is always a difficult match-up.