first game

September 6, 2009 - 3:23pm
A near capacity crowd turned out to watch the kickoff of the Doug Marrone era.

Doug Marrone's tenure as Syracuse University head football coach began Saturday against Minnesota, and the Carrier Dome was nearly packed with a reported crowd of 48,614.

After the recent disappointing seasons, fans were treated to a solid effort by SU, which led Minnesota 20-17 for most of the second half. Late in the fourth quarter Minnesota tied the game at 20, and ultimately won 23-20 in overtime.

For more on SU's season opener, check out our sports blogger, Halftime Snack.