Week 5 of season specific reminiscing -- 1994

[Eric15]

This was a solid SU team that had no business not playing in a bowl game. The SU/OU opener, despite being a devastating loss, was one of the most exciting games in Dome history. This was probably the first year that Virginia Tech become a player on the national scene, and we took care of business against them.

Any other memories of note?

 

[SU94]

This was a solid SU team that had no business not playing in a bowl game. The SU/OU opener, despite being a devastating loss, was one of the most exciting games in Dome history. This was probably the first year that Virginia Tech become a player on the national scene, and we took care of business against them.

Any other memories of note?

View attachment 165755

Not a great squad, but they played hard. Kevin Mason was the QB, Marvin was the stud wideout. The offense died at the end of the season. Note that CFB was different then. Six of SU's seven wins came by less than 10 points, which is how I think Coach P liked it. No bowl game in those days. The loss at WVU was essentially a (bowl) play-in game for SU and we got blanked.

This was also, I believe, Dan Conley's final season. I checked the stats and could not remember a player, RB Terry Morris. Found this fun recruiting article that many old-timers will enjoy. This is more how it used to be:

19920209 GC Senior Terry Morris signs with SU for football, also HS chess

Clipping found in Democrat and Chronicle published in Rochester, New York on 2/9/1992. 19920209 GC Senior Terry Morris signs with SU for football, also HS chess

www.newspapers.com

 

[ForCuseSake]

Bryce Bevill’s hustle play to turn an Oklahoma TD into an SU safety is still one of my top 5 favorite plays.

That game was fantastic despite the gut wrenching loss.

 

[sutomcat]

Not a great squad, but they played hard. Kevin Mason was the QB, Marvin was the stud wideout. The offense died at the end of the season. Note that CFB was different then. Six of SU's seven wins came by less than 10 points, which is how I think Coach P liked it. No bowl game in those days. The loss at WVU was essentially a (bowl) play-in game for SU and we got blanked.

This was also, I believe, Dan Conley's final season. I checked the stats and could not remember a player, RB Terry Morris. Found this fun recruiting article that many old-timers will enjoy. This is more how it used to be:

19920209 GC Senior Terry Morris signs with SU for football, also HS chess

Clipping found in Democrat and Chronicle published in Rochester, New York on 2/9/1992. 19920209 GC Senior Terry Morris signs with SU for football, also HS chess

www.newspapers.com

Here are the stats for the 1994 team:

1994 Syracuse Football Statistics

Kirby Dar Dar was an okay RB but was made the featured player on offense. Malcolm Thomas was better. Marvin Harrison was the featured receiver but only had 36 catches for the year.

Only Kevin Mason completed a pass. He only had 105 completions for the season. I think he was a good player but the OL was bad at pass blocking and he get sacked a lot, especially late in the year, when his play deteriorated significantly.

Not George DeLeone's best year.

 

[OttoMets]

Kevin Mason > every Syracuse QB between McNabb and Dungey.

That year was a downer in some ways but we didn't know how good we had it.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Maryland was my first Cuse game. I was 8, and my Dad got tickets from a partner at his company. We must have been close to the 50, high up.

I remember Marvin Harrison sprained his ankle early in the game, but scored on a long(ish?) touchdown reception. Few memories other than that, including how Cuse almost barfed up a 21-0 lead en route to winning 21-16.

 

[SU94]

Here are the stats for the 1994 team:

1994 Syracuse Football Statistics

Kirby Dar Dar was an okay RB but was made the featured player on offense. Malcolm Thomas was better. Marvin Harrison was the featured receiver but only had 36 catches for the year.

Only Kevin Mason completed a pass. He only had 105 completions for the season. I think he was a good player but the OL was bad at pass blocking and he get sacked a lot, especially late in the year, when his play deteriorated significantly.

Not George DeLeone's best year.

Just noticed that SU only attempted 4 FG that year (I bet we attempted 4 in a half last year or close to it). Olindo Mare went 3-for-7 that year.

 

[OttoMets]

Just noticed that SU only attempted 4 FG that year (I bet we attempted 4 in a half last year or close to it). Olindo Mare went 3-for-7 that year.

I believe Mare was 2-2 in the first half against Miami to give us a 6-0 lead.

Funky stat.

 

[Eric15]

Kevin Mason > every Syracuse QB between McNabb and Dungey.

That year was a downer in some ways but we didn't know how good we had it.

In my opinion: Underclassman Nassib < Mason < Upperclassman Nassib

 

[adk(roc)CUSE]

Another one right in the middle of the season ticket years for my dad and I, also my freshman year at Utica college. My father would pick me up on his way through from Eagle Bay to Syracuse. I remember I had printed something up that said "Beat Oklahoma" and posted it on my dorm room door. I was disappointed it didn't rally more of my college mates.

To this day my father and I will occasionally bring up how surreal the moment the Dome went from an absolute frenzy to dead silence when the late OU kick went through. It's reference we use to this day when we see a crowd go silent at a sporting event.

If I remember correctly Rutgers scored late and went for two and the win. I think one of our linebackers made a nice play to avoid disaster. But I could be wrong.

The Virginia Tech game was a fun one, a bunch of people had come down from my home town and ended up sitting a few rows behind us in 329 by chance.

I remember the Maryland game was the first time my freshman year girlfriend went to a Syracuse game. I was disappointed because there were large open spots in the crowd, the Miami and BC beat downs the two weeks prior took a lot of steam out of the season. Pretty sure there was not 48K there as it says, or even close really. Maybe 41?. This was a time you expected every game to be 45+.. Was this Dan Coneys last home game after so many injuries?

 

[lincolncuse]

Just noticed that SU only attempted 4 FG that year (I bet we attempted 4 in a half last year or close to it). Olindo Mare went 3-for-7 that year.

Pretty sure Terry Morris played a lot at fullback as an upper classman

 

[lincolncuse]

Another one right in the middle of the season ticket years for my dad and I, also my freshman year at Utica college. My father would pick me up on his way through from Eagle Bay to Syracuse. I remember I had printed something up that said "Beat Oklahoma" and posted it on my dorm room door. I was disappointed it didn't rally more of my college mates.

To this day my father and I will occasionally bring up how surreal the moment the Dome went from an absolute frenzy to dead silence when the late OU kick went through. It's reference we use to this day when we see a crowd go silent at a sporting event.

If I remember correctly Rutgers scored late and went for two and the win. I think one of our linebackers made a nice play to avoid disaster. But I could be wrong.

The Virginia Tech game was a fun one, a bunch of people had come down from my home town and ended up sitting a few rows behind us in 329 by chance.

I remember the Maryland game was the first time my freshman year girlfriend went to a Syracuse game. I was disappointed because there were large open spots in the crowd, the Miami and BC beat downs the two weeks prior took a lot of steam out of the season. Pretty sure there was not 48K there as it says, or even close really. Maybe 41?. This was a time you expected every game to be 45+.. Was this Dan Coneys last home game after so many injuries?

It was definitely Conley who made the saving tackle against Rutty. I remember following that game on the ESPN crawl then rewatched it years later on Time Capsule. Great back and forth game. Rutty has those 2 good running backs Terrill Willis? and someone else

 

[Scooch]

I believe Mare was 2-2 in the first half against Miami to give us a 6-0 lead.

Funky stat.

Yep. We had a 6-0 halftime lead. I took a picture of the scoreboard, figuring it probably wouldn't hold up.

Hard to believe that we were #10 in the country in early November, and then didn't even make a bowl. The (perhaps apocryphal) story I heard was that some bowl rep told SU we didn't even need to beat WVU, we just had to look fairly decent, and we'd get an invite. Then we got shut out. No invite.

Also, traveled to Boston for the BC game. Pulled up to Alumni Stadium to find their eagle statue had been spray painted orange. Pretty much everything that happened after that was horrific.

 

[Chip]

Oklahoma game was a gut punch, similar to Tennessee 4 years later. It was ours, until it wasn't.

Virginia Tech game was great. Deleone abused the 8 man front running the ball.

First half of Miami game was such a crazy atmosphere, and the defense led by Conley was lights out.

Starting with the 2nd half of the Miami game, our offense basically stopped being able to do anything. For the rest of the season.

I attended the BC game. It was only 31-0, but felt like 100-0. Complete domination. Mamula was faster than Mason, which crushed the option game.

We stumbled so bad down the stretch. Bowls were more about momentum at that point, since there weren't as many. And we had none. 0 points in the 2nd halves of the last 4 games.

 

[shu 49]

Another one right in the middle of the season ticket years for my dad and I, also my freshman year at Utica college. My father would pick me up on his way through from Eagle Bay to Syracuse. I remember I had printed something up that said "Beat Oklahoma" and posted it on my dorm room door. I was disappointed it didn't rally more of my college mates.

To this day my father and I will occasionally bring up how surreal the moment the Dome went from an absolute frenzy to dead silence when the late OU kick went through. It's reference we use to this day when we see a crowd go silent at a sporting event.

If I remember correctly Rutgers scored late and went for two and the win. I think one of our linebackers made a nice play to avoid disaster. But I could be wrong.

The Virginia Tech game was a fun one, a bunch of people had come down from my home town and ended up sitting a few rows behind us in 329 by chance.

I remember the Maryland game was the first time my freshman year girlfriend went to a Syracuse game. I was disappointed because there were large open spots in the crowd, the Miami and BC beat downs the two weeks prior took a lot of steam out of the season. Pretty sure there was not 48K there as it says, or even close really. Maybe 41?. This was a time you expected every game to be 45+.. Was this Dan Coneys last home game after so many injuries?

Up herein eagle bay working right now. I remember Dans last year and I think he played well even though he was hurting. Disappointing year in my books.

 

[adk(roc)CUSE]

Up herein eagle bay working right now. I remember Dans last year and I think he played well even though he was hurting. Disappointing year in my books.

If the Village Square is open swing in and say hello to the folks. I'll be back up over the Fourth. Was a great place to grow up.

The BC and West Virginia efforts were the first time I remember being frustrated with Coach P. A snowball that would grow over the next 8 seasons. Little did I know...

 

[All4SU]

Yep. We had a 6-0 halftime lead. I took a picture of the scoreboard, figuring it probably wouldn't hold up.

Hard to believe that we were #10 in the country in early November, and then didn't even make a bowl. The (perhaps apocryphal) story I heard was that some bowl rep told SU we didn't even need to beat WVU, we just had to look fairly decent, and we'd get an invite. Then we got shut out. No invite.

Also, traveled to Boston for the BC game. Pulled up to Alumni Stadium to find their eagle statue had been spray painted orange. Pretty much everything that happened after that was horrific.

Of course there were far fewer bowl games then.

 

[elimunelson]

Yep. We had a 6-0 halftime lead. I took a picture of the scoreboard, figuring it probably wouldn't hold up.

Hard to believe that we were #10 in the country in early November, and then didn't even make a bowl. The (perhaps apocryphal) story I heard was that some bowl rep told SU we didn't even need to beat WVU, we just had to look fairly decent, and we'd get an invite. Then we got shut out. No invite.

Also, traveled to Boston for the BC game. Pulled up to Alumni Stadium to find their eagle statue had been spray painted orange. Pretty much everything that happened after that was horrific.

and Mamula just sacked Kevin Mason moments ago. Guy hasn't stopped for 25 years!

I was at that game and it is so sentimental for me b/c it was my first post divorce BC game since I went from sending a deposit to go to BC in fall of 1994 to eventually enrolling at SU and becoming a fan after that Oklahoma game. I was not happy that fall because i was slightly homesick and didn't know how going back to Chestnut Hill would feel. I would run into friends who would be telling me to come home, etc. The game started and i was firmly in the camp of Syracuse and the rest is history.

I met my dad in the parking lot before the game and had not seen him since August so it was a fantastic homecoming for us. He was still rooting for BC at the time and has since converted to the Orange.

 

[elimunelson]

Here are the stats for the 1994 team:

1994 Syracuse Football Statistics

Kirby Dar Dar was an okay RB but was made the featured player on offense. Malcolm Thomas was better. Marvin Harrison was the featured receiver but only had 36 catches for the year.

Only Kevin Mason completed a pass. He only had 105 completions for the season. I think he was a good player but the OL was bad at pass blocking and he get sacked a lot, especially late in the year, when his play deteriorated significantly.

Not George DeLeone's best year.

Agreed on Dar Dar/Malcolm. I thought Jim Turner was an NFL player w his speed.

 

[Scooch]

and Mamula just sacked Kevin Mason moments ago. Guy hasn't stopped for 25 years!

I was at that game and it is so sentimental for me b/c it was my first post divorce BC game since I went from sending a deposit to go to BC in fall of 1994 to eventually enrolling at SU and becoming a fan after that Oklahoma game. I was not happy that fall because i was slightly homesick and didn't know how going back to Chestnut Hill would feel. I would run into friends who would be telling me to come home, etc. The game started and i was firmly in the camp of Syracuse and the rest is history.

I met my dad in the parking lot before the game and had not seen him since August so it was a fantastic homecoming for us. He was still rooting for BC at the time and has since converted to the Orange.

I spent a lot of time on the BC campus as a kid. My next door neighbor was the VP of Student Affairs there, so his son and I spent hours at the RecPlex and went to a bunch of football and hoops games. Had a Flutie jersey, rooted for Shawn Halloran and Troy Stratford, all that .

I got into BC but went to SU, obviously. You made the right choice.

 

[Scooch]

Of course there were far fewer bowl games then.

True. But there were 19, so an 8-3 SU team would likely have been in one. Even an exciting 7-4 team had a shot. But getting blanked in 2 of our last 4 games didn't cut it.

 

[NJCuse97]

I checked the stats and could not remember a player, RB Terry Morris. Found this fun recruiting article that many old-timers will enjoy. This is more how it used to be:

19920209 GC Senior Terry Morris signs with SU for football, also HS chess

Clipping found in Democrat and Chronicle published in Rochester, New York on 2/9/1992. 19920209 GC Senior Terry Morris signs with SU for football, also HS chess

www.newspapers.com

Terry was a good guy. I think he kinda lost his love for the game. He was on specials and was RB/FB. As I remember, he liked art and architecture. We used to hang out at Shaw in the mornings (a lost treasure for students like me). In the days before Lampe/Manley eating options, most athletes would have to check in with coaches every morning and then eat at Shaw. Architecture students would pull all-nighters and then eat as soon as Shaw opened (closest dining to Slocum). It would literally be us and the football team. This year was the first after Shaw was renovated. Seats near the TVs were valuable and the two groups started mixing more. This is when/how I became friendly with D Darius, Terry, Malcom Thomas, Shelton Prescott, Antonio Anderson, Brian Picucci the year before. It was there the previous spring that I was sitting with Donovin Darius after check in and Kevin Mason approached with his hand in a cast to yell at him for breaking his hand. I am pretty sure it was his non-throwing hand. The guy was a bit snake bitten.

As for Bryce Bevel, I will never forget that save in the Oklahoma game. We called him Bryce “The Play” Bevel after that. Their kicker hit a 50 yard FG as time expired. A bit like Pitt last season. Kicker played beyond his ability.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL; Rutgers Goes for the Victory and Falls Short by a Yard (Published 1994)

www.nytimes.com

The next season, before the Rutgers game, coach Mac was brought in to give the team a pre-game. He tells the team that all he’s heard is that Rutgers shouldn’t have lost to us and it was only two inches. He then tells them that getting the win is more important than how close the game is and there’s only one place it matters if you’re two inches short. We won by ten on the road.

 

[NJCuse97]

The BC and West Virginia efforts were the first time I remember being frustrated with Coach P. A snowball that would grow over the next 8 seasons. Little did I know...

That snowball would catch fire!

 

[joct]

Oklahoma game was a gut punch, similar to Tennessee 4 years later. It was ours, until it wasn't.

Virginia Tech game was great. Deleone abused the 8 man front running the ball.

First half of Miami game was such a crazy atmosphere, and the defense led by Conley was lights out.

Starting with the 2nd half of the Miami game, our offense basically stopped being able to do anything. For the rest of the season.

I attended the BC game. It was only 31-0, but felt like 100-0. Complete domination. Mamula was faster than Mason, which crushed the option game.

We stumbled so bad down the stretch. Bowls were more about momentum at that point, since there weren't as many. And we had none. 0 points in the 2nd halves of the last 4 games.

If I remember in the Oklahoma game, after SU took the late lead on a long TD, it was the first ever penalty after a celebration, as that rule just went into effect that season. The rules were in response to Miami (and others, but mostly Miami) pushing things so far. Half the bench ran down to party, with lots of helmets off. The flag moved the Kickoff back, so OU started at like the 45 or so when all they needed was a FG to win.

 

[kirbivore]

Bryce Bevill’s hustle play to turn an Oklahoma TD into an SU safety is still one of my top 5 favorite plays.

That game was fantastic despite the gut wrenching loss.

Lack of discipline on the celebration penalty