CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL
SYRACUSE vs. GEORGIA TECH
Dec-21 7:45/ESPN
Syracuse 6-5 (4-2) T1st-Big East
Georgia Tech 6-5 (4-4) T6th-ACC
Why watch this game of two teams that barely finished over .500? Well that is a good question for those people who aren’t rooting for either of the two teams involved. The Champs Sports Bowl, formerly the Tangerine Bowl, is not the most appealing match up of the bowl season.
Syracuse finished the season on a high note after defeating Boston College handily. They managed to kill BC’s chances of representing the Big East in a BCS bowl just before they abandon the conference for the ACC. The win did manage to put them in a four-way tie for first place in the conference. However a disgusting loss to Temple on the second last week of the season ruined their chances of what would have been a great four game winning streak to end the season and a BCS bowl bid.
Syracuse has a strong rushing game averaging over 190 yards a game on the ground. Their quarterback, Perry Patterson, is only a sophomore and is inconsistent and makes mistakes you would expect from a younger pivot. Syracuse has a lot of hope for him but it is unlikely that he is the second coming of Donovan McNabb. Running back Walter Reyes should be back from injury for the bowl game and expect him and Domenic Rhodes to be handed the ball a great deal to relieve the pressure on Patterson.
Georgia Tech enters the bowl game after a season where they won the games they were supposed to win and lost the games they were supposed to lose. All five of their losses were to bowl teams. They almost pulled off a big upset against state rival Georgia in the last week of the season but lost 19-13. With a revamped ACC it seems that Georgia Tech has some rebuilding to do if they want to compete in what has become a very tough conference. They do have a great post-season bowl record of 21-11.
Georgia Tech will have to depend on their 19th ranked defence to win this game. They have performed well this season against the run allowing only 109.5 yards a game on the ground. If they are able to stop the Orangeman’s ground attack they should be able to win this game by forcing Patterson to throw the ball more then he would like.
Players to watch:
Syracuse:
Diamond Ferri-Safety. Normally people do not focus to much on safeties unless they are the next coming of Ronnie Lott aka Sean Taylor. But Ferri, a senior, did double duty against BC and played running back. Ferri managed to run for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Oh and to top that off he also returned an interception for a touchdown. While it is unlikely Ferri will see anytime at running back in the bowl game his performance against BC is one for the ages. He is considered an NFL prospect at his normal position, safety. Most projections have him going sometime in the second day of the draft (4th ro 7th round). Any NFL team should be lucky to get a player with such heart and desire as Ferri.
Georgia Tech:
Reggie Bell-Quarterback
From all account Bell is a very exciting player that can turn around a game at a moment’s notice. The problem is that he does not always turn around the game in the right direction. He finished the regular season with 17 interceptions and a completion percentage under 49%. The Yellow Jackets will need him to ensure he limits his turnovers if they want to win this game.
Who will win?
It seems likely that any momentum Syracuse had from its big win over BC has faded away with the weeks of rest and the Yellow Jackets will win this game that both teams are essentially playing for pride.
==========================================================================
Recap of Game
It was a blow-out right from the start. An early interception touchdown return and some big plays by Georgia Tech’s offence had them up 21-6 by the end of the first quarter. Syracuse was unable to get its running game going and an injury to Walter Reyes did not help. The game was over by half-time when Georgia Tech was up 35-6.
Without a passing attack Syracuse depended on Perry Patterson’s arm which was erractic at best. While the stats may not look ok those were padded when Tech put in his backups.
Georgia Tech was able to get alot of big plays against the Orangeman defence. I was VERY imprssed with Freshman Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson, mainly from his acrobatic grab over two defenders to get a 51 yard reception.
Syracuse just did not seem into the game. Diamond Ferri however did not give up and made a great play when he stripped the ball from a G-Tech receiver after he had caught the ball.
If you are a Yellow Jackets fan you are looking forward to next year. If you are an Orangeman fan you are wondering who will be coaching you team next year.
