#6 Syracuse at Texas, 1993

[Chip]

VT 62-0 sez hi!

Then GRob happened...when we get better (and we will under Dino) we'll be the least arrogant fanbase ever...it has been all knocked out of us.

1994 > 1999

1999 > 2002

2002 > GRob era

Quite a journey.

 

[rrlbees]

VT 62-0 sez hi! Then GRob happened...when we get better (and we will under Dino) we'll be the least arrogant fanbase ever...it has been all knocked out of us.

That game was in '95. I remember cause I was on a cruise. Think it was 63-0?

 

[OrangePA]

Bring back those terrible opponents, not getting shutout twice in a year.

Life was more fun when Rutgers, Temple and Pitt did nothing more than cash checks (actually I'm not sure they even cashed them).

Oh so that's why we won so many games?

Didn't we also beat teams like Texas, Wisconsin, Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, Va Tech, Florida, et al?

 

[OrangePA]

That game was in '95. I remember cause I was on a cruise. Think it was 63-0?

Actually I think it was 1999 with Troy Nunes.

Va Tech had Michael Vick - went undefeated and lost in the NC Championship Game.

I think we went to the Music City Bowl that year.

I'll take those seasons in a heartbeat over what we have seen the past two years.

It still amazes me how so many on this board try to pick apart all the success Pasqualoni and his players had - even after all these years of bad football and irrelevance.

 

[SmilinBob]

Coach P had a very good tenure as coach at SU. SU had a slight dip 93 and 94 but they bounced back nicely until Don left. Freeney had his incredible year in 2001 which was wonderful.

 

[TexanMark]

That game was in '95. I remember cause I was on a cruise. Think it was 63-0?

It was '99

We were ranked and lost 62-0

Good website to refresh the nightmares
http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/active/s/syracuse/index.php

 

[OburgOrange]

Coach P had a very good tenure as coach at SU. SU had a slight dip 93 and 94 but they bounced back nicely until Don left. Freeney had his incredible year in 2001 which was wonderful.

Freeney carried the team on his back that year

 

[SmilinBob]

Freeney carried the team on his back that year

That was by far the greatest impact I've ever seen on the Hill by a defensive player in 1 year.

 

[OburgOrange]

That was by the greatest impact I've ever seen on the Hill by a defensive player in 1 year.

He had an incredible year. He won games all by himself

 

[TexanMark]

He had an incredible year. He won games all by himself

I'll never forget that Auburn game that happened after 9-11. Freeney played his best game of his career that night.

 

[OburgOrange]

I'll never forget that Auburn game that happened after 9-11. Freeney played his best game of his career that night.

I'll never forget that Auburn game that happened after 9-11. Freeney played his best game of his career that night.

Yup. I was there. Had three Auburn fans sitting behind me who were on their phones to the airlines at the end of the 3rd quarter trying to get out of town ASAP! Good times

 

[Chip]

Oh so that's why we won so many games? Didn't we also beat teams like Texas, Wisconsin, Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, Va Tech, Florida, et al?

In 1994?

I think you're moving the goalposts, and I enjoyed those days more than you'll ever believe. I didn't become a direction doubter until 1999.

But it's ok to be disappointed once in awhile. Balances the soul.

 

[OrangeDW]

That game was in '95. I remember cause I was on a cruise. Think it was 63-0?

In 1995 we were 6-1 and lost at VT 31-7. We ran all over them in the first quarter and Konrad had a nice TD run. We had a McNabb broken play 70 yard TD taken back by a penalty. The rest of the game we couldn't move the ball at all on the ground, had a dropped TD pass, fumbled option pitch, fumbled punt return, etc. and were completely dominated up front.

In 1999 we were 5-1 with the only loss being the close one to Michigan, and just got completely destroyed from the beginning 62-0. The only details I remember were Pat Woodcock getting destroyed by a big hit, and Keith Bulluck had popped off before the game.

 

[rrlbees]

Actually I think it was 1999 with Troy Nunes. Va Tech had Michael Vick - went undefeated and lost in the NC Championship Game. I think we went to the Music City Bowl that year. I'll take those seasons in a heartbeat over what we have seen the past two years. It still amazes me how so many on this board try to pick apart all the success Pasqualoni and his players had - even after all these years of bad football and irrelevance.

Ah yea. Different cruise. 95 was something like 35-7.

 

[SWC75]

I didn't re-watch the video but I remember a kick-off return for a touchdown by Texas where they had only 9 men on the field, so the returner had 8 blockers against 11 yards and yet was still untouched.

 

[SWC75]

In 1995 we were 6-1 and lost at VT 31-7. We ran all over them in the first quarter and Konrad had a nice TD run. We had a McNabb broken play 70 yard TD taken back by a penalty. The rest of the game we couldn't move the ball at all on the ground, had a dropped TD pass, fumbled option pitch, fumbled punt return, etc. and were completely dominated up front.

In 1999 we were 5-1 with the only loss being the close one to Michigan, and just got completely destroyed from the beginning 62-0. The only details I remember were Pat Woodcock getting destroyed by a big hit, and Keith Bulluck had popped off before the game.

The 1995 Va Tech game was a replay of the 1991 FSU game. We came out aggressive with quick-hitting plays, using Konrad who was supposed tob e the next Csonka to march down the field and score. he seemed like the ultimate weapon against their 8 man line- a 250 pound guy who could break through the line and out-run defenders to the goal line. I think he would have been like Pitt's James Connor if we'd used him as a feature back.

But he never saw the ball after that first scoring drive and we kept running the near-side option against an 8 man line and the Hokies scored 31 straight unanswered points. P-D never did figure out how to use Konrad, often employing him as a blocking back for a smaller back with less ability. Nobody's wore #44 since.

 

[SWC75]

He had an incredible year. He won games all by himself

Freeney quartered the field. The other team didn't want to run plays to his side or throw deep. So everything was short and away from him. He should have been the first defensive player to win the Heisman.

 

[SWC75]

Oh so that's why we won so many games?

Didn't we also beat teams like Texas, Wisconsin, Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, Va Tech, Florida, et al?

It was quite an era. From 1983-98, we beat Nebraska, Penn State, Louisiana State, Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, Colorado, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Clemson, Miami, Wisconsin and Michigan. We also tied Auburn and Michigan State. Then there were those two shoudla been victories over Oklahoma. And yes, if Dino Babers can get us back to that level, he'll be an icon here.

But we'll still complain about games we shouldn't have lost or games we should have been competitive in. We're football fans. Fans always dream of something better. And the successes make the failures harder to accept.

 

[CuyahogaCuse]

It was quite an era. From 1983-98, we beat Nebraska, Penn State, Louisiana State, Georgia, Florida, Ohio State, Colorado, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Clemson, Miami, Wisconsin and Michigan. We also tied Auburn and Michigan State. Then there were those two shoudla been victories over Oklahoma. And yes, if Dino Babers can get us back to that level, he'll be an icon here. But we'll still complain about games we shouldn't have lost or games we should have been competitive in. We're football fans. Fans always dream of something better. And the successes make the failures harder to accept.

Spot on. It's about perception and expectations. Coach P's tenure was an enigma. Huge wins over national powers, but too many head scratchers.

When you're coming off a Fiesta Bowl victory and you are #6 in the land, and you lay an egg against an unranked opponent, it doesn't meet expectations. As we've been through more times than necessary, it was a disturbing pattern in what was otherwise, arguably, the tenure of one of the top three coaches to pace the sidelines for the Orange.

Too often, Paul Pasqualoni did not meet expectations, and ultimately, it got him fired.

Greg Robinson did not meet much lower expectations, and he was shown the door, thankfully.

Scott Shafer's 14 wins in three years resulted in a pink slip, despite very different expectations than those attributed to Coach P.

One could argue that the list of coaches who consistently met or exceeded expectations over the course of their careers here is very short. Ben. Mac. Marrone. Different eras. Different expectation levels. But successful enough tenures to go out on their own terms.

Here's hoping Dino Babers has Mac and Coach P-like victories (hello Clemson, FSU, LSU, Notre Dame and Wisconsin, I'm looking at you) with a minimum of head scratching defeats (insert Wake Forest, MAC team du jour and bottom half ACC teams). If that's what happens, we'll return to glory.

 

[OrangeDW]

The 1995 Va Tech game was a replay of the 1991 FSU game. We came out aggressive with quick-hitting plays, using Konrad who was supposed tob e the next Csonka to march down the field and score. he seemed like the ultimate weapon against their 8 man line- a 250 pound guy who could break through the line and out-run defenders to the goal line. I think he would have been like Pitt's James Connor if we'd used him as a feature back.

But he never saw the ball after that first scoring drive and we kept running the near-side option against an 8 man line and the Hokies scored 31 straight unanswered points. P-D never did figure out how to use Konrad, often employing him as a blocking back for a smaller back with less ability. Nobody's wore #44 since.

Agreed on Konrad. He was a versatile player for us: very good blocker, runner, and receiver, but I always got excited when either he or McNabb carried, or when McNabb dropped back to throw(the broken plays often worked the best), or when McNabb ran the option. Everything else(straightforward carries to our tailbacks) usually felt like placeholder plays where we were just biding our time before we ran our best stuff. Our offenses were very good then regardless, but I would've liked to see Konrad featured more too.

 

[SWC75]

Spot on. It's about perception and expectations. Coach P's tenure was an enigma. Huge wins over national powers, but too many head scratchers.

When you're coming off a Fiesta Bowl victory and you are #6 in the land, and you lay an egg against an unranked opponent, it doesn't meet expectations. As we've been through more times than necessary, it was a disturbing pattern in what was otherwise, arguably, the tenure of one of the top three coaches to pace the sidelines for the Orange.

Too often, Paul Pasqualoni did not meet expectations, and ultimately, it got him fired.

Greg Robinson did not meet much lower expectations, and he was shown the door, thankfully.

Scott Shafer's 14 wins in three years resulted in a pink slip, despite very different expectations than those attributed to Coach P.

One could argue that the list of coaches who consistently met or exceeded expectations over the course of their careers here is very short. Ben. Mac. Marrone. Different eras. Different expectation levels. But successful enough tenures to go out on their own terms.

Here's hoping Dino Babers has Mac and Coach P-like victories (hello Clemson, FSU, LSU, Notre Dame and Wisconsin, I'm looking at you) with a minimum of head scratching defeats (insert Wake Forest, MAC team du jour and bottom half ACC teams). If that's what happens, we'll return to glory.

Hopefully Babers will create some new, higher expectations. But you've got to win to do that. Until then they are just hopes, not expectations.

 

[FrancoPizza]

P-D never did figure out how to use Konrad, often employing him as a blocking back for a smaller back with less ability. Nobody's wore #44 since.

konrad was a great blocker. As a runner not so much. He didn't have the vision that you see with great runners... and always went down too easy after contact. Elusive? Not really. Shifty? Nope. But he was big, strong, and had good speed for his size. We all wanted him to be the next great back, but in hindsight he was used pretty well on par with his abilities.

 

[Scooch]

It's very strange that we didn't make a bowl game in 1994 going 7-4 -- but I guess 20 years ago it was actually an accomplishment to make a bowl game.

IIRC, the story was that a bowl rep was at our '94 finale against WVU and I believe the thought was that if we showed anything and were competitive we would have gotten a bid, win or lose. Needless to say we looked helpless and there was no bid.

 

[dan7800]

I remember watching the game with my father. It seems like yesterday

 

[SU94]

Every SU game, listed by year. Have at it ...

http://www.jhowell.net/cf/scores/Syracuse.htm