Ahh, the fabulous world of Twitter, where it becomes painfully obvious that you forgot the name of Pittsburgh's running back, twice ... you know, the one who you said would dominate SU's running game (this has been fixed, thanks to @obscuredv1sions). It's also a world where SU football players actually read my tweets, but don't get to the part where I say I will give five reasons the Orange will actually win the game, tomorrow.
Anyways, before Andrew Lewis tries to hunt me down and kill me, let's get to the five reasons Syracuse will be celebrating on Saturday ... a little earlier than originally scheduled.
1. Defense, defense, defense
SU allowed just 219 yards to South Florda, on the road, in its first Big East test of the season. Now factor in a bump to the defense from a hopefully sold-out Carrier Dome crowd cheering them on, and a Syracuse offense that's still looking for an identity. All that adds up to a big day for the Orange defense on Saturday.
2. Syracuse learned how to win
Doug Marrone said the team needed to figure out how to win games before last week's big road victory. The Orange did just that, growing up in a 98 yard drive that could alter the course of the program. They'll take that newly-found confidence into this game, and it should make a huge difference. The sky is the limit, and the Orange won't be afraid of anyone.
3. The snowball effect
The 2005 Syracuse team was more talented than its record showed. They had multiple NFL players and were coming off a bowl campaign the year before. But a few tough losses early on (West Virginia, UVA) quickly turned the whole year into a lost season, and a team that probably could have gone at least 4-7 collapsed in a 1-10 season. I'm not saying Pitt will go 2-10 this year, but things sure could spiral out of control when 18-23 year old kids start facing adversity.
4. The coaching matchup
A friend of mine once said to me during a Pitt/SU game, "As long as I look across the sidelines and see Dav Wansdstett, I think we have a chance to win." The problem with that was we had Greg Robinson on our sidelines, so we couldn't take advantage of the matchup. Now, you could argue we have the better coach for once, and that's a serious cause for optimism.
5. I'll be there
It's not like I'll make much of a difference (although I will be loud), but the point is, I'm driving seven hours from D.C. for this game, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one doing something like this. If the Dome is rocking like it's capable of, the odds of SU winning improve tenfold.
If you're feeling a bit more pessimistic, check out the previous post on why SU won't win the game on Saturday.
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