Cold October

It’s already getting pretty cold in upstate New York. Take Saturday, for instance. We went to the Dome to see SU’s surprising football team take on the Pitt Panthers. The Orange came to this game with a 4-1 record, and a road win to open their conference schedule. Now I know that they had been beating the likes of Maine and Colgate, but four wins was the most we ever saw during the entire John Robinson era. Plus, Pitt came to town with a 2-3 record, so 40,000 Orange fans, including all the alums who came back for homecoming, were optimistic about the team’s chances.

Forget about it. It might have been sunny outside, but it was cold in the Dome. Pitt’s lines, both of them, pushed the Orange around all day. Carter and Bailey, who had been averaging over five yards a carry, were ineffective. After the team fell behind in the second quarter, the passing game came alive, but Nassib was picked off twice, one of those returned for a Pittsburgh TD. And the pass defense looked particularly inept. Pitt’s receivers were open all day, and twice turned short passes into long gains; one going for an 80 yard TD on the first play from scrimmage.

We left when it was 35-14, and by the time the bus had arrived at Skytop, the Orange had surrendered 45 points. Big East teams have struggled against all other BCS conferences this year; the conference has the stature of a mid-major as far as football goes. I recall back in the late 80s and early 90s, Cuse was playing the likes of Ohio State, and Florida, and Texas. We saw SU totally dominate Florida; Kirby DarDar ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, and they ran up over 30 points in the first half. But can you imagine the Orange taking on one of those teams today? Worse, I’m afraid that as weak as the Big East is this year, we’re still going to struggle to find conference victories.

One thing that’s not cold is the pitching in this year’s post-season. Halliday, Oswalt, and Cliff Lee. Hot, Hot, Hot. I expected Lincecum to be hot, but Matt Cain? Who is Matt Cain anyway, aside from the guy who shut out the Phillies earlier today, giving the Giants a lead in the NLCS? Every championship team has an ace, or someone who steps up and helps bring home a World Series title. But I don’t recall any recent year with so many aces throwing so many blanks in one post-season.

I expect it will stay cold through the rest of October, and even in early November, but I’m hoping things start to heat up thereafter, mostly in the Dome. High expectations for this year’s hoops season. I’m hearing encouraging reports about Fab Memo, about Triche’s jump shot, about a big front line, even about James Southerland. It’s a little bit like when we heard two years ago about how Wes Johnson was eating everyone up in practice. Let’s hope the rumors are true. If so, maybe it will be a warm winter after this disappointing cold fall.