Pitarresi: A landmark game for Paulus, SU
It wasn't so much the numbers.
Greg Paulus had very good numbers - 24 of 35 passing for 346 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Syracuse needed all of them and a lot more, including Max Suter's last minute interception of the previously impeccable Mike Kafka and Ryan Lichtenstein's 41-yard field goal as time expired, to earn its victory over Northwestern at the Carrier Dome Saturday. It's a win that could mean a great deal in terms of confidence for the Orange, although this remains a team that has considerable shortcomings, including a very leaky pass defense.
But, Paulus? He proved Saturday he can play football in a big time way against a big time team. In his two previous outings, his first two football games in five years after his distinguished basketball career at Duke, he played adequately, with several bad decisions and one egregious one thrown in. This time, he played like a champ, and there was more to him than just those numbers.
Paulus was his most impressive in the last eight minutes of the game. He completed all five of his passes for 69 yards in a 70-yard drive that tied the game at 34-34 with 6:07 to play. Then, after a very unproductive set of plays that ended with SU pushed back to its own 6 yard line, he got a chance to win the game when Suter made his sensational pick and returned the ball 22 yards to the Northwestern 39. He hit Mike Willams for eight yards, Delone Carter ran six yards, and then hit Donte Davis for seven. Then he took a few steps to his left and fell down to position the ball in the middle of the field, and then Lichtenstein, just a freshman, hit the game-winning kick.
That was great leadership, great field generalship. The kid show something there, far beyond the final numbers, which were very good.
Again, it has to be said. Whatever the rest of the season looks like, whatever mistakes he might make, Paulus' almost unprecedented transformation from basketball point guard to starting football quarterback is not a stunt or a ticket-selling gimmick. The kid can play.
My favorite score from Saturday? Washington 16, Southern Cal 13.
I'm not really sure why I can't stand USC or Pete Carroll. Maybe it is the 51 percent graduation rate, one of the worst in college football. Maybe it is that they've just won too much. Maybe I just like Washington better. I'm just glad the Trojans lost.
Greg Paulus had very good numbers - 24 of 35 passing for 346 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.
Syracuse needed all of them and a lot more, including Max Suter's last minute interception of the previously impeccable Mike Kafka and Ryan Lichtenstein's 41-yard field goal as time expired, to earn its victory over Northwestern at the Carrier Dome Saturday. It's a win that could mean a great deal in terms of confidence for the Orange, although this remains a team that has considerable shortcomings, including a very leaky pass defense.
But, Paulus? He proved Saturday he can play football in a big time way against a big time team. In his two previous outings, his first two football games in five years after his distinguished basketball career at Duke, he played adequately, with several bad decisions and one egregious one thrown in. This time, he played like a champ, and there was more to him than just those numbers.
Paulus was his most impressive in the last eight minutes of the game. He completed all five of his passes for 69 yards in a 70-yard drive that tied the game at 34-34 with 6:07 to play. Then, after a very unproductive set of plays that ended with SU pushed back to its own 6 yard line, he got a chance to win the game when Suter made his sensational pick and returned the ball 22 yards to the Northwestern 39. He hit Mike Willams for eight yards, Delone Carter ran six yards, and then hit Donte Davis for seven. Then he took a few steps to his left and fell down to position the ball in the middle of the field, and then Lichtenstein, just a freshman, hit the game-winning kick.
That was great leadership, great field generalship. The kid show something there, far beyond the final numbers, which were very good.
Again, it has to be said. Whatever the rest of the season looks like, whatever mistakes he might make, Paulus' almost unprecedented transformation from basketball point guard to starting football quarterback is not a stunt or a ticket-selling gimmick. The kid can play.
My favorite score from Saturday? Washington 16, Southern Cal 13.
I'm not really sure why I can't stand USC or Pete Carroll. Maybe it is the 51 percent graduation rate, one of the worst in college football. Maybe it is that they've just won too much. Maybe I just like Washington better. I'm just glad the Trojans lost.
posted by John Pitarresi at
1:28 PM
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