To help look forward to the game tonight between the Syracuse Orange and the West Virginia Mountaineers I spent some time with the voice of the Orange – Matt Park – to ask a few burning questions.
Voice of the Orange, Matt Park ’97 is in his eighth season with the Syracuse ISP Sports Network and sixth as the play-by-play voice of the football and men’s basketball teams and host of the Doug Marrone and Jim Boeheim Shows. The native of Chittenango, N.Y., has also broadcast professional baseball since 1996, including stints in Syracuse, Rochester, Binghamton, Auburn and a fill-in assignment with the San Diego Padres.
He also owns two years of college football experience on CSS-TV and was the voice of the UNC-Greensboro men’s basketball team for two campaigns.
An adjunct professor at SU’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, Park directs the Sportscaster U. career development program for professional athletes.
1. Syracuse is currently sitting at 4-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big East. Talk about what a win over West Virginia on national television would do – not only for the season at hand but for Syracuse but as well as the program overall.
In the short term, it more than makes up for a game given away to Rutgers with five turnovers in the Big East opener. To be at 5-2 with a win over the best team in the conference would be just the boost needed at this point. Larger picture, beating a top-15 team in the Dome and on a large television stage would go a long way toward winning back more fans.
2. When you look at the match up between West Virginia and Syracuse, what leaps off the paper is the Orange’s troubles in defending the pass. Considering the opponent, what must Syracuse do to pull off the upset?
They’ve got to avoid allowing the big play: be disciplined in their defensive assignments and tackle.
3. Thus far in the season, how would you grade the performance overall by the Orange?
A 4-2 record is one game off what most people would think was the best possible 6-game record going into the season. The loss sticks out as especially disappointing in that it was the first one in the Doug Marrone era that was gift wrapped. A couple of the teams Syracuse has beaten (Wake Forest, Toledo) are probably a little better than the fan base would give them credit for. It’s been a little disappointing that they haven’t shown the ability to completely outclass anyone (Rhode Island, Toledo), but this is still a progression to where Marrone wants to get the program in terms of talent and competitiveness.
4. Who would you say have been the most impressive players thus far in the season?
Quarterback Ryan Nassib has been excellent. He’s showing the benefit of having the same offense and play caller for the second straight year. He gets into the right play and is clearly the leader of the team. When he’s settled, he’s an accurate passer. He’ll be better as his number of weapons improve.
You can’t deny the production of Antwon Bailey, who has four 100-yard rushing games so far, three in a row, and has been very reliable — with the notable asterisk of fumbling on his first and last carries of the Rutgers loss. Tight end Nick Provo is emerging as a downfield threat. Left tackle Justin Pugh is continuing his all-conference-type play.
Defensively it’s hard to single anyone out because the projected star, DE Chandler Jones, has missed all but the first game and injuries have forced a great deal of lineup shuffling. Many players have had great moments and, obviously, there is room to improve to get back to last year’s standard.
5. Finally, your thoughts on Syracuse heading to the Atlantic Coast Conference?
I think it’s a move that has to be made, given the current climate. As a founding member of the Big East, Syracuse would have loved to seen the league thrive. There were just too many questions and challenges to stability. Joining the ACC puts the University with many of its peers and brings back series (Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech; retaining Pittsburgh, possibly Connecticut) that are as longstanding and natural as what it had in the Big East. Establishing a non-league basketball series with Georgetown, maybe the occasional football game against West Virginia, etc. will make it the best of both worlds.
Follow Regie Eller on Twitter @CFBRocker.
