Former Syracuse Quarterback Don McPherson Discusses 'Cuse vs Georgia Tech

on a Thursday why why wait when we have a guest waiting on the line let's go right to our uh guest line and bring in our guy Don mcferson Don and I will be out at Meyers Creek we will be in the Anor Harvard we will be at The Tap Room coming up post game on Saturday uh Donnie great to have you as always all right you've had uh we we kind of digested the game in real time together on Saturday now now that you've had a few G days since what are your main takeaways looking back at what we saw in the game one of the and brown era you know there was there was so much football after that to watch and and including uh the Florida State lost to Boston College and you start to put the pieces together this is going to be a very interesting college football season and I think we can feel really good about how Su came out and played offensively I I think the same things that we said in real time uh the offense was strong lots of weapons they've got to figure out I think how to get into the tempo for Quinn Allen uh in the Run game but but but that's a a good problem to have uh that you're not feeding your your key back enough uh but the key and I think this is going to be a big a big issue big takeaway from last week and a big big challenge going forward is stopping the Run yeah we we saw that they they got ripped up by Ohio Georgia Tech led the ACC in rushing last year with the same people that did all the running last year uh still on the team and then we add in the absence of Marlo wax we just played a little sound from uh from France earlier talking about that saying yeah this is not this is not a onep person job to replace Marlo H H how do you handle this when you look at literally a new linebacker somebody's got to be the communicator how does the defense you know solve that hole here this week I I I think that that that becomes the the central part is is the communication piece um you know Marlo act not just as U the veteran uh Captain the guy coming back you know all the things that he stands for you know the transition to new coaching staff I he's been the constant he's been the consistent and he's therefore he's been the voice to the rest of that defense all the newcomers he's been translating for the newcomers he's been translating for the Freshman he's been literally translating what does SU football from the linebacker and from the defensive standpoint mean so that's probably going to be the biggest challenge physically there's going to be a talented guy who can shoot the Gap there going to be a talented guy who can drop into coverage it's that communication piece and then layer on top of that the fact that he's the emotional leader uh of that of that defense and quite frankly of the team itself he's the guy that everyone looks to so not having him in the lineup is is going to be really interesting as they go through this week of practice as they've gone through this week of practice of finding that guy who's going to step up and be able to be that translator for all those things yeah I agree D it seems like yeah you can find someone to go out at least be a decent percentage of the player Marlo is the the other stuff is the harder thing to to do on a pinch I do Wonder Fran doesn't mentioned this like you know how it is Don like often if you're injured you you don't go to the game in college on the sideline you know it's crowded safety issue and and Marlo is a you know it's a leg situation it sounds like so he's not exactly going to be able to move really well I I'd imagine they'll probably have him there though right like that that's somebody you want on the bench with the guys during uh timeouts to be able to you know help them along throughout the game you know you bring up a good point about the fact that it's his ankle and or and it's you know low extremity injury so he's can be get out of the way something comes you know you know a play comes to the sideline uh you want him there but you know the other thing is during the week of practice his time is better sent better spent in the training room getting treatment than on the practice field and so uh his time is better spent in meetings so he can contribute in meetings and be that translator that I mentioned a moment ago uh but then you know when everybody else is doing physical stuff his physical stuff needs to to be in the training room so he's going to be absent in many ways and I don't know that it makes it makes complete sense to have him inside the Box even on the sideline even outside the box uh during the game because you you don't want to put him at further risk of not being able to get out of the way especially right now when he ankle so tender uh yeah cuz he's not going to be able to move to get out of the way you need to do a sign like hey we we need like three Walk-Ons you stand here and form a fence if he's going to be on the side you have a very important job today and it's protect Marlo at all cost so we can get him back in six weeks I'll be interested because this is one of those things right like Don like with other coaches you know their policies on these things like some coaches allow stuff like that some coaches are like hey you're hurt we're we're just keeping you away uh for whatever we have no idea what France rules on this stuff are I find it fascinating like all the little things we learn about a new head coach this early in the year and and fr Brown expressed some of that you know earlier in the week and and as as he came up the game day all the little things that you don't think about uh even even when he said listen I used to be a defensive backs coach now I'm the coach of the entire team and so you can't spend more time talking to one unit or one player um you know during a game or during practice and you really have to find out all those little things that he's learned on the go and you're right this is a big one you know how do you deal with uh your Marquee your star your your your heart and soul of your defense and and and and the team generally how do you deal with that guy having to sit and and and how do you anoint um you know someone to sort of step into those shoes so BR this is this is another big one that he's going to have to contend with and certainly something I'm sure he did not want to deal with here in week two of the season if at all this year as we got Don mcferson uh with us Don of course they'll be with me a post game this week out at Myers Creek in the Inner Harbor uh what' you make of Kyle McCord's game I mean it was I don't want to say it was a tail of two halves it was a tale of one possession and then like the rest of the game right like he he shook off that that first drive as fast as you could imagine yeah he's a veteran you know people forget he was he's been around a long time and he's played in a very one of the big Bigg programs there is in college football Ohio State though he's he's a veteran he knows how to deal with a little bit of adversity and and how to bounce back and I I think the thing that I'm sure to to you know somewhere deep in the recesses of his of his head and his heart he knew that you know this program has been and Fran Brown has said it many times and you know as as this program goes it's how K mcord goes so so there's a lot of pressure there that he's bearing um and he settled down nicely I thought he settled down nicely and threw some good balls I think still is showing a little bit I could be reading more into this but it's the old QB I means looking at at how he is if that first Read's not there I think he still has to get some confidence in his own line to sort of um you know start using his arm to get himself out of trouble in in pressure situations but um I thought he bounced back really well from that first couple of series and uh you know without a preseason in college football I think everyone's allowed to have a bad couple Series in the beginning of their game all right he got it out of the way after those first three throws he was exactly he was pretty darn good after throwing for 354 and four scores in his first time starting first time playing it all for Syracuse we got Don mcferson with us all right Don Saturday uh somebody's going to go through something that you got to go through before and it's a very select group right of players that have had their jersey retired at Syracuse so Dwight fre is getting this Honor on on Saturday take take me back to that day for you what what's that day like what are what are the emotions like uh when when you're out there and you you saw the nine and Dwight Dwight's going to see the the 54 go up there on the wall you know it's it's actually as you were talking I just got goosebumps because it's a surreal moment um especially when you're standing out in the field and you know I've said this many times about about our game I one of the things I love about the game of football is no player ever walks on that field by themselves and and and as you get older you know I I've been on the phone I have three different phone calls say with former former teammates um just about hey who's coming up this weekend and who's staying where and what's going on and there's a very much a family feeling when you play college football and and to have your individual Jersey up there uh it was it it it felt I people don't want to hear this it felt almost inappropriate to me U to to I like I wish I wish underneath that nine could have been I have a towel if I walk into the next room here I can I can put the towel in my hand um of when I played in the All-Star games of all the names of all my old linemen because I I don't get there without them and and you know that's why I was just saying a minute ago about how Kyle McCord's confident confidence in his own line is so important so so Dwight fre is gonna be standing there tomorrow on Saturday and and he's GNA have he's going to have the the The Ghost and the spirit of all the guys he played with um around him he's going to have the ghost of the DBS who kept W get wide receivers occupied so he can get to the corner back I mean he's going to have all those things in his head of of being on the Dome floor now he here a couple years ago for for for the hall of fame um and and I had a similar experience the Hall of Fame and then a couple years later the jersey and you go out there and you you really want your guys with you because you know um that you didn't get there without them so it it's it's humbling and um and to see to see that your your name and number go up um into the rafters as we say even though there's no Rafters anymore um it it really is very quite humbling and and it feels as a team guy it feels it feels inappropriate it feels like I I need I need all those other numbers next to me yeah Dwight Dwight also tucked that gold jacket in the middle too when he we got the NFL off him there he's he's not been playing around with the Hors here the last few years exactly but we don't care about that stuff we only care about the stuff he did in Orange yeah he he he maybe needs a towel just with a list of all the guys he sacked like you can have Mike Vic on there and Tom Brady on there he's got a he's got and that's just College I imagine he probably got both of the pros as well but he's got a pretty good list I I find this interesting too Don because you know you look at all the numbers and the names up there like you're up there it goes back the 44s up there we know everybody that represents you go back even further going back there's Larry zanka and then Dwight will be I guess Dwight will be the most recent guy right now how does that bind you guys Through the Ages because you know you didn't play with Dwight you're you're 20 some OD years older with them but how does an honor like this tie you guys through Through the Ages here you know it you into the into the pride of of of the orange like into the pride of of the alma ma to you know knowing that you know all of us uh stepped in and through uh maybe maybe not you know some of the old buildings don't exist and and uh you know one of the things that kind of bothers me a little bit about college football and I'm going to I'm going to editorialize my my answer to you here for a second is is that you know I I worked out in what was then called Manley Fieldhouse and now it's the L Center um I I played in the dome three years I got to the Dome three years after you know we saw archb Stadium uh disappear and and there's one thing about about Athletics and higher ed is if you went to new house um years ago it's still new house they're not going to re rename new house they're not going to rename uh you know Whitman they're not going to rename some of the buildings on campus Krauss right and and Carnegie they're not going to rename those buildings but they'll rename Athletics and and an Athletics complex or or building or a stadium they'll do a sponsorship because what we do is in so many ways in service to the university in the way that none of the academics are units are so our history and our Traditions are so important to who we are as former players and so when you see your name up there and you see zanka you know that zanka played an arch ball you know he you know we know the guys who played you know the the 44s you know all all of them playing for Ben and we and and there's that link to that history and so so those those numbers going up in the rafters and seeing the generations of that's what binds us that's a piece that's consistent throughout the years while the business has changed and no one like you know Z could not imagine and John Mackey could you know John Macky who fought for free agencies in the NFL canot imagine transfer portal in college and so you know you see the history of our game through those names uh that represented an era and and that's what kind of what where our consistency is um in a very different way that we contribute to the community that is Syracuse University yeah it's uh always fun too with these events you get them back you think about the history and all the games of the we got to get Marvin Graves up there to to kind of complete the the udah McNab era to to to get all all the three quarterbacks up there right absolutely I this a couple weeks ago a post about Marvin Graves he's the best pure pressor we ever had in this year I think he's fantastic he I I mean I I say this I didn't I don't quite remember this will this will make us sound slightly different in age here D I don't quite remember your career I I start remembering Marvin and it's like man I mean but all three of you guys were were fantastic to you know to heat your own in that in that ER all right Don before we let you go we got a game here coming up against Georgia Tech on Saturday noon kick inside the Dome uh we've heard Brent key all week I I don't know how many times he said the word physical Fran Brown physical physical physical physical they're all telling us I guess what's going to happen on Saturday do do you think the physicality decides this game or or do you think it's something else I think it's going to be the physicality I I definitely I think the physicality is a mental thing that this team needs to wake up to very quickly and I was sharing with a with a friend of mine who didn't see the game I said they weren't physical they they didn't come out and play hard and tough the way Fran Brown has been saying that he's coaching them to play and Fran Brown even said that remember your coaching remember your training I think you're going to see a team that's going to come out and be physical I hope it's smart physical the scary thing about that is that you start to get some undisciplined uh mistakes when guys are trying to be too much um and I I tell you I the other part about physical is they got to be smart because KES King is an excellent quarterback to exploit where Syracuse's defense is right now he's a quarterback he's a second leader rusher he's 77% compete in his uh pass completion and he's a second leader Rush on that team that's doing a pretty good job of running the football he's going to be the key yes they have to be physical but they have to be smart in how they pursue Haynes King because he can hurt them in his ability to not just to scramble but to get vertical and get yards you know yards past the line of scrimmage yeah he's very good at doing the opposite of what you're trying to stop he'll he'll get you over the top if you're if you're in a run situation and if not he can he can run on you he's he's really good their sideline analyst was on Orange Nation earlier Don and you know he gave like a bunch of stats about dual threat quarterbacks last year that was like the only two guys in the country that metch a bunch of thresholds were Jaden Daniels who won the Heisman and and hay King like th those are the only two that fit in these rushing passing categories last year that's right and he's he's he's elusively I mean deceptively uh fast uh he's very Elusive and and the other thing I just noticed watching him play he's smart and when he picks and chooses when to go you know when to take off and I think that's the really big key that that the defense is going to have to be really disciplined and this is a part of you know missing Marlo wax and and getting guys in the right position on defense because you want to make sure you can contain him give him a lot to look at but when he starts to get improvised you you want guys to be in position because he's really really smart and how he picks and chooses his spots that is a fact that is a fact I think we're going to get a good one on Saturday looking forward to it Donnie all right I'll see you post game we'll be out at Myers Creek looking forward to chat