This game has the feel of the PSU game in 87

[elimunelson]

Would have beaten PSU by 50 if Mac hadn't called off the dogs.

Gawd love them, Gawd love us.

First game i can remember of Syracuse was the 1991 season. Was finally in highschool and the frantic atmosphere they showed of the games up there piqued my interest. The Dome was a madhouse back in the day and unique in college football. Wins get us back there.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

My first games were Floyd Little's first year. My dad took me to 3 home games that year, and I was hooked, even though I was only about 5, going on 6. First we had Jim Nance as the fullback, then Larry Csonka.

We stayed good until I was about 10 or 11, and as the football team collapsed and had to be rebuilt, the basketball team was just coming to prominence.

Basketball has never gone away, of course, but football has had 2 peaks, and 2 valleys so far in my 50+ years as a fan. I'm hoping for that third peak. As Toga used to say about basketball - "one championship before the pine box." I was born in the year of the football championship, 1959.

I would like to see us just return to being a good team, capable of winning any game. Not necessarily EVERY game, but any game. Give me a team that can win a consistent 8+ games every year, and a 10 win season a couple times a decade, and that would be just fine for me. Football would be FUN again. We would matter again.

Consistently good rather than occasionally great? I think I've heard that somewhere before! Maybe we do have the right man for the job after all. Although, I'm ready for a little more evidence to go with my belief. It's time.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Consistently good rather than occasionally great? I think I've heard that somewhere before! Maybe we do have the right man for the job after all. Although, I'm ready for a little more evidence to go with my belief. It's time.

Consistently good translates to occasionally great. You don't have a 10 win season once a decade if you are 4-8 in all the other years.

 

[All4SU]

Rob Moore forgetting to go out into the field for the first play! A classic!

 

[kirbivore]

Going into the game undefeated , and having struggled for a few seasons, we pulled off a huge win against PSU. Set us up for a magical season. I’ll never forget being at that game.

I can feel it

I was 10. I remember watching that game at my grandparents house on Seymour St. in the 'burg.

 

[NYCorange]

I was born in '88, so I vaguely remember the last couple of the McNabb years. I didn't actually watch the games, but I was aware of the results. My first real memories of SU football are the Walter Reyes years. The best stretch was the Marrone/Nassib years. I have faith in Babers though!

 

[Chip]

Rob Moore forgetting to go out into the field for the first play! A classic!

I love Donnie McPherson yelling where's Rob Moore. I wish he would have yelled where's Rob Moore, does he not want this touchdown?

Or, Rob Moore you're dead.

 

[donniesyracuse]

Would have beaten PSU by 50 if Mac hadn't called off the dogs.

But Ted Gregory played deep into the Colgate game for some reason. Ugh

 

[Townie72]

Almost certainly my all time favorite SU football game. And I know other games were maybe more significant in the History of the program. (e.g Nebraska in 84(?))

PSU had kicked our azz (mostly) for 16 consecutive years. We hadn't beat them since 1970. And during the 1960's, when I became a fan, PSU was our rival (at a Georgetown level).

I kept the tape of that game around for many years and watched if things hadn't gone well at work. When Rob Moore blew past the PSU defender that had fallen down I went up into the air about three feet.

It's on YouTube. If you haven't watched it, do so.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Almost certainly my all time favorite SU football game. And I know other games were maybe more significant in the History of the program. (e.g Nebraska in 84(?))

PSU had kicked our azz (mostly) for 16 consecutive years. We hadn't beat them since 1970. And during the 1960's, when I became a fan, PSU was our rival (at a Georgetown level).

I kept the tape of that game around for many years and watched if things hadn't gone well at work. When Rob Moore blew past the PSU defender that had fallen down I went up into the air about three feet.

It's on YouTube. If you haven't watched it, do so.

Yes, one of the all-time great SU games. I used to trade Dead tapes with a Penn State fan, and in 1987, they were coming off some tremendous success, competing for the national title practically every year at that time. It was a huge statement win for the program.

 

[Townie72]

Yes, one of the all-time great SU games. I used to trade Dead tapes with a Penn State fan, and in 1987, they were coming off some tremendous success, competing for the national title practically every year at that time. It was a huge statement win for the program.

And we just didn't edge them, we pummeled them.

The TV shots of an agitated and confused Joe Paterno on the sidelines may be the best twenty seconds of sports TV ever aired. (Although there may be a tinge of bias on my part.)

 

[TheCusian]

I was kinda agreeing with premise of the OP - but I don’t remember that game as well (I was 10). Is this game similar to Miami in McNabb’s senior year?

Very good QB vs a team from FL we haven’t beaten much?

 

[MGDCuse]

Dammit! You guys are the worst sometimes. Now you've got me watching the game instead of painting my house. Been a loooong time since I've watched it.

 

[Chip]

Almost certainly my all time favorite SU football game. And I know other games were maybe more significant in the History of the program. (e.g Nebraska in 84(?))

PSU had kicked our azz (mostly) for 16 consecutive years. We hadn't beat them since 1970. And during the 1960's, when I became a fan, PSU was our rival (at a Georgetown level).

I kept the tape of that game around for many years and watched if things hadn't gone well at work. When Rob Moore blew past the PSU defender that had fallen down I went up into the air about three feet.

It's on YouTube. If you haven't watched it, do so.

This game was a little before my time as a die hard, I was a CNY local who hadn't started at SU yet (I think I was in 9th grade). One thing I recall was the pep rally before PSU. It was a huge event. And that's how I always remember we were 5-0. Because I have that memory of Coach Mac etched in my brain. Paraphrasing: "Let's go 6-0, and I can't think of anyone better to beat to get there!"

 

[GoSU96]

I was kinda agreeing with premise of the OP - but I don’t remember that game as well (I was 10). Is this game similar to Miami in McNabb’s senior year?

Very good QB vs a team from FL we haven’t beaten much?

God no.

And neither is the PSU game.

Both of those teams were obviously top 20 and had plenty of equal or better talent on offense and defense.

There's buzz and this is a big game, but we don't know yet how good this team really is.

 

[Townie72]

God no.

And neither is the PSU game.

Both of those teams were obviously top 20 and had plenty of equal or better talent on offense and defense.

There's buzz and this is a big game, but we don't know yet how good this team really is.

"we don't know yet how good this team really is" -

That's the operative point here. I and others, I suspect, didn't yet understand just how good the 1987 team was at that point in the season when SU whipped PSU.

But if you go back and look at that 1987 roster, you can see just how packed it was with really good players. (I just did that).

I wish it were true, but this team isn't the 1987 caliber team.

A better parallel might be with the 184 Nebraska game. Although Nebraska had beat us by a lot the previous year. This was the game that put us into the consciousness of lots of people.

I don't think the 1987 team would have happened without the 1984 Nebraska game and the "Four Wheel Drive" defensive line.

Tim Green was, in my mind, one of the really pivotal players in SU football history.

 

[Trueblue25]

You’ve...never watched Syracuse as a good football program have you? Jeez.

We’ve gotta make a run now. Enough is enough.

Feeling like that may change my friend.

 

[OburgOrange]

I called it .


I’ll be humble

 

[MaxwellCuse]

I called it .


I’ll be humble

And a darned good call it was. I've got to confess, I just couldn't buy into your scenario so I kept my mouth shut. I really believed two things going into the FSU game: 1) Our guys were going to come up short and another season was going to turn south and; 2) ED was going to get knocked out of the game. Well, I'm happy to say I was 100% wrong about #1. While I was right about #2 it sounds like the cause of Eric's removal from the game was a fluke injury that should not be season-ending, and it gave our backup some quality minutes and a victory, which should pay dividends down the road. All in all, not the horrible day I feared.

 

[HtownOrange]

I called it .


I’ll be humble

You did. And it does feel like the PSU post-game.

 

[Delmar]

OBurg, you know your stuff about as well as anybody on this board, but I have to disagree with you on this one. That game happened later in the season, and the team had all the signs of being stellar. We were ranked 13th going into that game. PSU was number 10. That Penn State was a helluva a lot better than the Florida State we beat today, and the '87 SU team was much better than the '18 Orange. I remember being disappointed that Coach Mac let up and allowed PSU to score two late touchdowns. Paterno said as much in the post game press conference.

The defining win of our turn around has yet to happen.

In a related note, Auburn lost today, making this Saturday all the more enjoyable. My tech support guy is an Auburn grad. When we first met, I told him, "At Syracuse, we call your coach Pat Tie." He shook his head and said, "So do we. Why would anyone play for a tie in the Sugar Bowl?"

What does feel similar is feeling really, really good after a win over a perennial power. That team may not be all that good, but beating the uniform feels great.