Author: Dan Papillo
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Starts Sleepy, Loses To Stanford 70-61
An 11 p.m. start on a Wednesday night on the East Coast is absolutely criminal, and Syracuse men’s basketball, just like the rest of us, were asleep to start the game. SU found some form later on, but not enough to take down Stanford, falling to the Cardinal 70-61 out in Palo Alto. Let’s dive…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Falters Late to Pittsburgh 77-73
It was a valiant effort, but yet another instance of Syracuse not playing a complete game cost them yet another winnable conference matchup. This time, SU fell to Pitt 77-73 in a Saturday matinee from the JMA Wireless Dome, let’s dive into it. Eddie Lampkin Jr. – B+ Coming into this game, the biggest conversation…
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ESPN Big Board Contains Multiple SU Players
The 2024 college football season has officially come and gone. Congrats to Kyle McCord’s alma mater Ohio State on taking home the national title, but now it’s time for everyone’s favorite part of the year. ESPN’s Mel Kiper released his first big board of 2025, and there is a plethora of Syracuse talent on it.…
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Don’t Write Off Syracuse Basketball Just Yet
Yes, I know Syracuse’s men’s basketball season so far has not lived up to any sort of expectations fans had for 2024. The Orange currently sit at 9-9, 3-4 in conference play, and have a GAUNTLET of a schedule coming up. Who’s on that gauntlet you may ask? An elite Clemson team, Pitt who was…
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Fran Brown Takes Home Two First Year Coach Awards
It’s no secret that Fran Brown did wonders for Syracuse football in his first season at the helm. Ten wins, a destination for quarterback transfers, an elite recruiter, what can’t the man do? Despite finishing fourth in the ACC Coach Of The Year voting, you just knew there was going to be some hardware coming…
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Should Kyle Cuffe Be Starting?
The current state of Syracuse basketball is… something to say the least. Currently sitting at 8-8 with the thick of ACC play coming up, it’s time for the best starting lineup to materialize for Adrian Autry. Despite a lot of struggles from guards Jaquan Carlos and even Choppa Moore, an unlikely hero has stepped up…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Wins Holiday Bowl Over Washington State 52-35
It was a poetic ending for year one of the Fran Brown era, as 21st-ranked Syracuse football defeated Washington State 52-35 in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl down in San Diego, California. In what could be the last game for many contributors this season (including QB Kyle McCord,) the team put on a show. Let’s dive…
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Syracuse Expected To Land LSU Transfer Quarterback
It’s still 2024, but there’s been a lot of discourse about what 2025 may hold for Syracuse football. The biggest need for a program on the rise is someone to man the offense. Fran Brown hit the jackpot on his first go-around with Kyle McCord, which almost seems impossible to replicate. But, that doesn’t mean…
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What Does A Holiday Bowl Win Do For Syracuse?
We’ve officially hit the halfway point of December, which means that the postseason for college football is right around the corner. There are still twelve more days until we see Syracuse football square off with Washington State in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl, but there’s a lot at stake for a game like this especially for…
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Syracuse To Play Washington State In Holiday Bowl
The news we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. Despite other reports, No. 21 Syracuse football will be traveling to San Diego, California on Friday, December 27th for a matchup with the Washington State Cougars in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl. I wrote about this in our bowl projections article last week, but I personally…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Manhandled By #3 Tennessee 96-70
You can’t sit here and say that’s not what you expected to happen. After a 4-2 start to the season, Syracuse men’s basketball traveled out of New York for its first true road game of the season. Unfortunately for them, it was to Knoxville for a clash in the ACC/SEC Challenge with #3 Tennessee. To…
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What Bowl Game Will Syracuse Play In?
I know we’re all still riding the high of Saturday’s 42-38 upset over #6 Miami, but year one of the Fran Brown era is not over yet for Syracuse football. The Orange finished the regular season at 9-3, and are going bowling for the third straight season. But rejoice ‘Cuse fans, there will not be…
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Legends Classic Day Two: Syracuse Falls to Texas Tech 79-74
The dust has settled, and at the end of the day, Syracuse is the biggest loser of the Legends Classic tournament at the Barclays Center down in Brooklyn. SU fell to Texas Tech 79-74 in the third-place game tonight, and once again some vices continue to cause struggles. Instead of doing a report card like…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Falls Short To Texas 70-66
It was certainly a valiant effort, but the same demons from games past came out once again, and Syracuse fell to Texas 70-66 in the semifinal game of the Legends Classic for its first loss of the season. It was a tale of two halves with so much to dive into, so let’s get right…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Takes Care Of Cal 33-25
For the first time since 2011, Syracuse football played a game in the Golden State. This time around, it was for the first time since 1968 with the University Of California. Coming off a disappointing 37-31 loss to Boston College, the Orange handled business and took down the Golden Bears 33-25. Who stood out? Who…
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Kiyan Anthony Officially Commits To Syracuse
Fizz Nation, I owe you all a sincere apology. On Wednesday, I said that “I don’t see a world where Kiyan Anthony chooses Syracuse.” Well, I was met with a lot of disagreement about that take, and here I am, sitting wrong. Just a few minutes ago, four-star recruit Kiyan Anthony announced on the “7…
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Why I Think Kiyan Anthony Isn’t Choosing Syracuse
Syracuse basketball’s season is off to an… interesting start to say the least. The record reads 2-0, but beating Le Moyne and Colgate by a combined six points isn’t something to write home about. Aside from that, the biggest moment of SU basketball’s season might just be something that has nothing to do with the…
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Did Syracuse Get Screwed On That Onside Kick Penalty?
Picture this: it’s the fourth quarter. You kick the field goal to cut the lead to one possession, and all you need to do is recover an onside kick. It’s no easy task, as onside attempts are 12% successful on average in the NCAA. You have all the hope in the world, and it gets…
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How Should Syracuse Fans Feel After Opener vs Le Moyne?
Woof. I mean, that was almost catastrophic for Syracuse basketball in last night’s 86-82 win over Le Moyne. This was a Dolphins team that just went D1 last year and had nothing to play for, (not allowed to play in NCAA Tournament) yet they gave it their everything. SU was TRAILING Le Moyne at halftime…
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Fizz Five 10/23: Syracuse Battles #19 Pitt, Basketball Schedule Breakdowns
Nico Horning and Dan Papillo headline this week’s Fizz Five podcast. The pairing breaks down SU football and dives into Syracuse basketball’s non-conference schedules. 1) SU Football Coming Off Bye Week (1:02)2) Syracuse vs #19 Pitt Preview (6:05)3) Men’s Basketball Schedule Breakdown (11:49)4)Women’s Basketball Schedule Breakdown (17:32)5) Newest Commit for SU MBB (22:00)
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Syracuse Lands Australian Guard For Class Of 2025
The weather may be wonderful in Central New York this week, but the leaves are starting to fall, which means we’re oh-so-close to basketball season. 2024 has a lot to be desired for Syracuse fans, especially with the debut of highly touted freshman Donnie Freeman. But looking ahead, now’s the time that we start to…
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Gametime For Big SU Football Matchup Pushed Back
There’s no question that this week’s matchup against #19 Pittsburgh is absolutely ginormous. The Thursday night clash in the Steel City has significant playoff implications, but could also be the first win for the Orange at Pitt since 2001. This game is so important, that it’s impacting other games on the schedule. Syracuse’s matchup slated…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Outduels NC State 24-17
It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Syracuse took down NC State 24-17 in a game that felt like a must-win according to some. SU improves to 5-1 on the year and 2-1 in ACC play. Let’s break it down: Kyle McCord: A- What can we even say at this point? The Ohio State transfer continues to…
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Could Syracuse vs NC State Steal The Spotlight Saturday Night?
I’ll be the first one to admit it, this slate of college football on Saturday could be the best one we’ll see all year. Just to rifle them off, you have the Red River Showdown (#1 Texas and #18 Oklahoma,) #2 Ohio State and #3 Oregon, #9 Ole Miss and #13 LSU, and so many…
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Fizz Five 10/4: SU, #25 UNLV Preview, Kiyan Anthony Down To Top Three
Alex Burstein and Dan Papillo headline this week’s Fizz Five podcast. The pairing breaks down SU football and dives into Syracuse basketball’s recruiting whereabouts. 1) Syracuse, #25 UNLV Preview (1:06)2) Jackson Meeks ACC WR of the Week (5:44)3) Aaron Womack Commits to SU Hoops (10:51)4) Kiyan Anthony’s Top Three (14:56)5) Storylines Around The Hill (18:56)
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The Demetres Samuel Conundrum
There’s been so much to talk about on the actual team, that recruiting has almost been neglected. Fran Brown is growing as an actual football coach, but finding prospective talent is still his greatest strength. That was on display yesterday, as Syracuse landed a four-star safety recruit. But this story has a lot more than…
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Who Might We See For Syracuse Against Holy Cross?
Let’s be honest here for a second. As much as we want to build up games to be as interesting and exciting as possible, Syracuse is taking on Holy Cross on Saturday. The Crusaders are 1-3 at the FCS level, and stand little to no chance against the Orange. Because of this, we may have…
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Is Fran Brown Doing A Good Job Managing The Clock?
We’re a quarter of the way through Fran Brown’s first season as head coach of the Orange, which means we have a fair enough sample size to begin judging his coaching ability. The team is 2-1, coming off of a gut-wrenching loss to Stanford on Friday night. One thing that many are extremely critical of,…
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How Does Syracuse Football Match Up Against California Teams?
Boy, this bye week felt like an eternity. Syracuse football is back in action this Friday night against Stanford, aiming to build on its 2-0 start. It’s the first-ever matchup between these two programs, probably because they play in complete opposite parts of the country. This had me thinking, how has SU performed against teams…
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Oronde Gadsden II Continues To Prove He Is The Best Tight End In The Country
It’s no secret that Kyle McCord has a plethora of options to throw the ball to when he drops back in the pocket. In Saturday’s 31-28 win over #23 Georgia Tech, McCord established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation with another career-high performance. Alongside him though is who I believe to…
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Fizz Five 9/6: Kyle McCord’s Early Success, Previewing Georgia Tech, and SU Fan Controversy
Dan Shalam and Dan Papillo come together to prepare you for SU’s Week Two ranked showdown against #23 Georgia Tech. 1. McCord’s Strong Start (1:03-5:00)2. Struggling Run Defense (5:00-9:43)3. LeQuint Allen’s Usage (9:43-13:38)4. Receiver Standouts (13:38-17:40)5. “Blue Out” Controversy (17:40-END)
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How Spread Out Can McCord’s Offense Realistically Be?
Week one for Syracuse football saw a 38-22 victory over the Ohio Bobcats. While there’s so much to take away from this one, the main storyline going in was the play of new QB Kyle McCord. The Ohio State transfer was as good as advertised, throwing for 354 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs.…
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Fizz Report Card: Syracuse Finds Groove, Takes Down Ohio 38-22
It wasn’t pretty, but the Fran Brown era of Syracuse football started on the right foot. The Orange struggled early, but overpowered the Bobcats to start the season 1-0. Kyle McCord: A- The Ohio State transfer probably had the most pressure on his back coming into this one, with many expecting him to be the…
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Fran Brown’s First Press Conference Broken Down
The summer heat may still be lingering in Central New York, but football is finally in the air. Syracuse football kicks off its new “era” on Saturday against the Ohio Bobcats, and head coach Fran Brown took to the podium for the first time this season. There was a lot to say, let’s dive right…
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Date For Dwight Freeney’s Jersey Retirement Released
After being inducted into Canton earlier this month, Syracuse Athletics announced that legendary defensive lineman Dwight Freeney will have his jersey retired into the rafters of the JMA Wireless Dome. The announcement was a long time coming, but it left a lot of fans wondering when they should purchase tickets to watch this ceremony (they…
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Former Syracuse Football Captain Signs With NFL Team
I think we can all agree that professional sports are a better place with more orange sprinkled in them. In its over a century-long history, Syracuse football has had over 250 players reach the pro level. Last night, that number grew by one, as a former captain of the program has found a home in…
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