The Syracuse Orange are bowl-bound. They will make their second trip in three years to the Bronx, NY at Yankee Stadium in the Pinstripe bowl on Dec. 29
The Orange played in the inaugural Pinstripe bowl when they defeated Kansas State 36-34 in a last-second thriller. This year, their opponent will be former Big East foe West Virginia, who moved to the Big 12 after last season. After starting out 5-0 with Geno Smith at the helm and a frontrunner forhe Heisman trophey, the Mountaineers dropped their next five to finish the year 7-5.
The last time the Orange and the Mountaineers squared off was last year in the Carrier Dome when Syracuse stunned the No. 15 Mountaineers 49-23.
The Orange enter the contest with the 21st-ranked offense led by talented seniors Ryan Nassib and Alec Lemon. The revamped offense has also featured running back Jerome Smith, who has continued his strong play late in the year. Syracuse has an all-time bowl record of 13-9-1, including the 1-0 bowl record under Coach Dough Marrone. They are also 6-1 all-time at Yankee Stadium.
Expect this game to be a shootout, despite the probability of cold, blustery weather. Smith once threw for eight touchdowns this year against Baylor, and they feature standout wide receivers in Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, who pose a threat to any defense.
For those interested in purchasing tickets and travel packages, they should visit www.suathletics.com/bowlcentral [11] for more information.
