Most Heroic SU QB games

[tbonezone]

i can remember the WVU toothless faithful being really upset about that game and the fact that graves wasn't ejected. if memory serves major harris and the mountaineers gave us a major beatdown following year.

 

[orangenauburn]

i can remember the WVU toothless faithful being really upset about that game and the fact that graves wasn't ejected. if memory serves major harris and the mountaineers gave us a major beatdown following year.

They did. 43-0. They also went 11-0 regular season with an outside chance as outright national champs but were curb stomped by Florida.

From Wikipedia:
"Further controversy surrounded the inclusion of one-loss Florida State in the national title game over undefeated West Virginia, who was ranked No. 2 (ahead of Florida State) by the final regular season coaches' poll but not the AP (Nebraska was No. 2 in the AP)."

 

[Ringostar57]

Rick Cassata against UCLA 1967 32-14 win.

 

[capeorange]

The run down extended one handed horse collar was the epitomy of effort and heart by McNabb

Start at 1:23 mark

How many times did we see McNabb roll to his right and throw to the left side of the end zone? And every time you knew it was going to work.

 

[FrancoPizza]

92., marvin graves fist fighting with west virginia and then hitting gedney for the win. classic.

Great ending but if there was ever a game where the officials wanted us to win it’s this one.

 

[sufandu]

i can remember the WVU toothless faithful being really upset about that game and the fact that graves wasn't ejected. if memory serves major harris and the mountaineers gave us a major beatdown following year.

Major Harris was gone by then.

I think '93 may have been the year they set the record for most yards rushing in the dome. We had just switched from the 3/4 defense to a 4-3. P wanted to get more speed on the field by copying the Miami model, so he moved our big LBs we had just recruited like Dulayne Morgan to DE and moved some safeties to LB. I believe Nate Hemsley was one of them. We were young and undersized at LB until those guys grew up.

 

[tbonezone]

Major Harris was gone by then.

I think '93 may have been the year they set the record for most yards rushing in the dome. We had just switched from the 3/4 defense to a 4-3. P wanted to get more speed on the field by copying the Miami model, so he moved our big LBs we had just recruited like Dulayne Morgan to DE and moved some safeties to LB. I believe Nate Hemsley was one of them. We were young and undersized at LB until those guys grew up.

you are correct. it was also the first year of the BEN SCHWARTZWALDER trophy.

"The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy is a college football trophy that went annually to the winner of the game. The trophy was introduced in 1993 and is named after former WVU football player and Syracuse head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who had died in April of that year. The trophy itself weighs 55 pounds and was sculpted by Syracuse player Jim Ridlon ."
"...The next game was a revengeful game. In 1992, West Virginia played the University of Syracuse, when a massive fight occurred. In a controversial decision, three Mountaineers were ejected, while only one Orangeman was ejected. That led to the Syracuse win. In the '93 version of the game, after missing two field goals, the Mountaineers were up 7–0 at halftime. But in the second half, the Mountaineer exploded. After a 90-yard run by Robert Walker, the Mountaineers won 43–0."

JAKE KELCHNER was QB.

 

[cayugacuse]

I will probably get laughed at here but Zach Mahoney's game against LSU in 2015. SU lost 34-24. LSU ranked 8th with Leonard Fournette going for 244 and 2 TD's...Tre'Davious White taking a punt return 69 yards for a score. Dungy was knocked out of the game the previous week and walk-on Mahoney gets the nod to start his first game. He played amazing to at least make a game of it considering the circumstances imo.

 

[OrangePA]

Yep. Both games I had to question Dino as maintaining a “family/ohana” atmosphere because Eric was pushing himself to the point of serious injury that Im not sure he recovered from his senior year

Dino bashing in this thread?

 

[sutomcat]

Rick Cassata against UCLA 1967 32-14 win.

Good one.

I am going with Wilmeth Sidat-Singh and his legendary game against Cornell in 1938. SU was down to Cornell 10-0 with 9 minutes to go in the game, when he threw 3 TDs passes to stun the Big Red. SU ended up winning 19-17.

Cornell was actually a major power in college football at the time and went to the Rose Bowl that season.

 

[Trueblue25]

Dino bashing in this thread?

Not really. More just acknowledging how physically worn down and selfless Dungey was being. He was not going to stop unless pulled.

 

[tbonezone]

Cornell was actually a major power in college football at the time and went to the Rose Bowl that season.

how long was the team trip from ithaca to pasadena by conestoga wagon ?

 

[orangepassion]

Good one.

I am going with Wilmeth Sidat-Singh and his legendary game against Cornell in 1938. SU was down to Cornell 10-0 with 9 minutes to go in the game, when he threw 3 TDs passes to stun the Big Red. SU ended up winning 19-17.

Cornell was actually a major power in college football at the time and went to the Rose Bowl that season.

Tom, you seem to remember it well- Do you still have your write-up from the game? How many tubas?

 

[orangenauburn]

you are correct. it was also the first year of the BEN SCHWARTZWALDER trophy.

"The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy is a college football trophy that went annually to the winner of the game. The trophy was introduced in 1993 and is named after former WVU football player and Syracuse head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who had died in April of that year. The trophy itself weighs 55 pounds and was sculpted by Syracuse player Jim Ridlon ."
"...The next game was a revengeful game. In 1992, West Virginia played the University of Syracuse, when a massive fight occurred. In a controversial decision, three Mountaineers were ejected, while only one Orangeman was ejected. That led to the Syracuse win. In the '93 version of the game, after missing two field goals, the Mountaineers were up 7–0 at halftime. But in the second half, the Mountaineer exploded. After a 90-yard run by Robert Walker, the Mountaineers won 43–0."

JAKE KELCHNER was QB.

Originally a ND commit who was out played by ... (Rick Mirer).

 

[MGDCuse]

Good one.

I am going with Wilmeth Sidat-Singh and his legendary game against Cornell in 1938. SU was down to Cornell 10-0 with 9 minutes to go in the game, when he threw 3 TDs passes to stun the Big Red. SU ended up winning 19-17.

Cornell was actually a major power in college football at the time and went to the Rose Bowl that season.

This was the Hoo-Doo game. We finally broke their curse. We hadn't beaten them since 1924. I was gonna post this one as well but you beat me to it. Syracuse super fan Don Waful called it the greatest game he ever saw in his 80+ years of going to Cuse football games.

 

[orangenauburn]

Any Troy Nunes game

At least from a fans perspective

 

[sutomcat]

Tom, you seem to remember it well- Do you still have your write-up from the game? How many tubas?

Sadly, that writeup, written in long hand using a fountain pen, was destroyed in the Archbold Gym fire of 1947.

I believe long time mentor All4SU drove me to that game in his trusty Model T (I was just a wee lad).

Perhaps he remembers?

 

[MGDCuse]

Sadly, that writeup, written in long hand using a fountain pen, was destroyed in the Archbold Gym fire of 1947.

I believe long time mentor All4SU drove me to that game in his trusty Model T (I was just a wee lad).

Perhaps he remembers?

I was wrong. The HooDoo game was against Colgate. You'd think I would know this by now as SWC75 schooled me on this a few months ago, and my Grandfather was a member of this team. Still, a great game.

 

[All4SU]

Sadly, that writeup, written in long hand using a fountain pen, was destroyed in the Archbold Gym fire of 1947.

I believe long time mentor All4SU drove me to that game in his trusty Model T (I was just a wee lad).

Perhaps he remembers?

I remember that day well. I picked you up after your long day of apple picking. You were wearing short pants and a pork pie hat. You had to sit on a turnip crate so you could sit up high enough to see out. We drove down Salina street and you took furious notes recording everything you saw along the way.

We got to the game early, me with a flask of rot gut whiskey tucked in my raccoon skin coat. We stopped at a tailgate on the way up the hill, and I believe it was Dick (who would later move to
Michigan) who gave you your first taste of ginger ale!

We were anxious to see how first year coach Reaves Baysinger would have the boys ready for the new season. You watched the warmups with the serious intent of a old school journalist, writing copious notes in your Felix the Cat notebook.

As the band marched by, prior to the game you leaned over the railing just a little too far, and fell over landing right in one of the tubas. The tuba player, unaware of what had just happened, continued his March alongside the other 99 members of the band and a girl. You ended up riding the tuba all over the field in an event that will never be forgotten in SU marching band folklore. And perhaps the start of your fascination with the sousaphone!

SU won the game that day, defeating Temple 28-12. And so began a lifelong devotion to Syracuse football!

 

[baggerbob]

I remember that day well. I picked you up after your long day of apple picking. You were wearing short pants and a pork pie hat. You had to sit on a turnip crate so you could sit up high enough to see out. We drove down Salina street and you took furious notes recording everything you saw along the way.

We got to the game early, me with a flask of rot gut whiskey tucked in my raccoon skin coat. We stopped at a tailgate on the way up the hill, and I believe it was Dick (who would later move to
Michigan) who gave you your first taste of ginger ale!

We were anxious to see how first year coach Reaves Baysinger would have the boys ready for the new season. You watched the warmups with the serious intent of a old school journalist, writing copious notes in your Felix the Cat notebook.

As the band marched by, prior to the game you leaned over the railing just a little too far, and fell over landing right in one of the tubas. The tuba player, unaware of what had just happened, continued his March alongside the other 99 members of the band and a girl. You ended up riding the tuba all over the field in an event that will never be forgotten in SU marching band folklore. And perhaps the start of your fascination with the sousaphone!

SU won the game that day, defeating Temple 28-12. And so began a lifelong devotion to Syracuse football!

Too bad I can't give you 99 more likes for remembering that old Syracuse band 99 men, and the golden girl.

 

[Noexcuse]

It depends on how one defines "heroic". IMO Bill Hurley has to be included in this conversation.

Hurley engineered a heroic comeback against Penn State at Archbold in 1977. Penn State was up 21 going into the 4th quarter and Hurley brought SU back with 2 touchdowns and had two chances to tie it. The first saw the refs negate long gains with penalty calls for holding. Then after a botched call on an SU fumble recovery deep in Penn State territory and Penn State punt, Hurley made a perfect pass to a wide open Bruce Semall reception who saw the ball go right through his hands. Tough loss.

 

[ForCuseSake]

2 hour 35 minute mark

Thanks for posting the video; great to relive that.

Favorite part of that clip is Graves, after he tossed the go ahead TD to Gedney, celebrates by catching a cup thrown at him by a member of the Tooth Brigade and pretends to take a sip from it.

 

[tep624]

Very under the radar: 2001 Troy Nunes in the Dome vs. East Carolina (led by senior David Garrard).

This was right after 9/11. RJ gets hurt so Nunes comes in. Many people in the Dome disgustingly boo him, and he goes and plays the best game of his career and leads us to victory.

I always liked the OT game against Virginia Tech Nunes Senior year in 2002. So many kooky things going on with that game:

We were 1-6 a little more than halfway through the season, couple of close OOC losses to North Carolina and a top 25 Auburn team in OT, and a horrible loss at Temple. I remember legitimately thinking we maybe win 2 games that season.

My memory is kind of foggy but I remember RJ getting benched in favor of Nunes and we suddenly win 3 straight including the VT game against a top 10 VT team in the dome in triple OT I think. But it totally came out of nowhere, I remember thinking we were going to get absolutely plowed by VT. David Tyree had like 550 yards receiving on the season and 230 of it came in that game lol.

Then we got pounded by BC and Miami to close out the season and that was that, 4-8. But we were on the razor's edge of being a bowl team, basically had 2 losses by a total of 4 points.

 

[Chip]

Major Harris was gone by then.

I think '93 may have been the year they set the record for most yards rushing in the dome. We had just switched from the 3/4 defense to a 4-3. P wanted to get more speed on the field by copying the Miami model, so he moved our big LBs we had just recruited like Dulayne Morgan to DE and moved some safeties to LB. I believe Nate Hemsley was one of them. We were young and undersized at LB until those guys grew up.

Correct on the Harris being gone.

But I don't think correct on the switch to 4-3. I don't think that happened until 1995 when Ed Orgeron (yes, that one) joined the staff. I recall him talking Pasqualoni into it, trying the Miami model.

1993 was when Conley went out early with an injury, and we were just so thin and young at the 2 inside linebacker spots. Even moved Kevin Mitchell back there, which made us weaker at NT.

That 1993 WVU game was awful. It was one week after Miami beat us 49-0, and WVU downed the ball inside our 5 instead of making it 50-0. I also recall it being announced over the PA that they were no longer serving alcohol to people wearing WVU apparel.

 

[Chip]

Marvin Graves in the 1992 Fiesta Bowl, playing in a sand box, was pretty heroic.