Can Syracuse slow down West Virginia's high-powered offense?
The third annual bowl game at Yankee Stadium may technically be a matchup between the Big 12âs West Virginia Mountaineers and the Big Eastâs Syracuse Orange. But the reality is that this is a grudge match between former Big East rivals who first played in 1945 and have played every year since 1955.
Since 1993, the winner of the rivalry has been awarded the Floyd âBenâ Schwartzwalder Trophy â a hulking 55-pound award that was sculpted by Syracuse player Jim Ridlon and named after the former West Virginia player and Syracuse head coach. This time around, the George M. Steinbrenner Trophy â named after the late, great seven-time World Series champion New York Yankees owner â will also be on the line.
The Orange lead the all-time series, 32â27, including victories over the Mountaineers in each of their past two meetings following an eight-game win streak by WVU over SU from 2002-09. Last season, Syracuse dominated West Virginia, 49â23, scoring more points in the series than it had since 1960. Two years ago, the Orange went on the road for a 19â14 win in Morgantown.
Pinstripe Bowl â West Virginia (7â5) vs. Syracuse (7â5)
Date and Time: Dec. 29 at 3:15 p.m. ET
Network: ESPN
Location: Bronx, N.Y.
When the West Virginia Mountaineers have the ball:
The short right field porch at Yankee Stadium wonât come into play at this yearâs Pinstripe Bowl, but there could be plenty of home runs hit judging by the Mountaineersâ recent history. This season, WVUâs scoring offense ranked No. 7 nationally, averaging 41.6 points per game. And that doesnât include last yearâs bowl, when West Virginia crushed Clemson, 70â33, in a game that broke nine Orange Bowl records.
Itâs easy to forget, but WVU quarterback Geno Smith was the clear Heisman Trophy frontrunner following a 5â0 start to the season in which he threw 24 TDs and zero INTs. A five-game slide followed, abruptly ending Smithâs award-worthy campaign. But the senior from Miami still finished the season with 4,004 yards, 40 TDs and six INTs â with the help of prolific receivers Stedman Bailey (106 catches for 1,501 yards, 23 TDs) and Tavon Austin (110 catches for 1,259 yards, 12 TDs).
For all his success, however, Smith has struggled in his two starts against Syracuse, completing a combined 44-of-78 passes for 516 yards, three TDs and five INTs while going 0â2 against the Orange. Smith will also be without center Joe Madsen for the Pinstripe Bowl, as the senior was ruled academically ineligible.
âWith Syracuse, we have some unfinished business,â said WVU coach Dana Holgorsen. âTheir scheme got us a little bit. Weâll see how much improvement we made on specific looks. Theyâre very much a dial-up-a-defense kind of team, so you donât know what youâre going to get.
âSeventeen of the first 18 blitzes last year were different, so we have to identify that and get in the right play. (Geno Smith) has matured a bunch. And from a scheme standpoint, he is going to be able to see that and make some pretty good checks â I feel comfortable about that.â
When the Syracuse Orange have the ball:
Doug Marrone was Drew Breesâ offensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints before taking over at Syracuse. While Orange senior signal-caller Ryan Nassib may not be a Super Bowl MVP, he could be a Pinstripe Bowl MVP soon enough. After passing for 3,619 yards, 24 TDs and nine INTs, Nassib will be leaned on to match scoring strikes with WVUâs Smith â who is ranked by many as the top quarterback prospect in Aprilâs 2013 NFL Draft.
âThe Pinstripe Bowl is going to be a great game with two high powered offenses going head-to-head,â said Nassib. âIt is going to be a lot of fun for me and the other seniors. This is like our Super Bowl.â
West Virginiaâs defense allowed 38.1 points per game, ranking No. 114, or seventh-worst, in the country. The Mountaineers allowed 45 or more points in six games and could struggle to slow down Nassibâs favorite receivers Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales, as well as the Orangeâs backfield duo of Jerome Smith and Prince-Tyson Gulley.
Final Analysis
Syracuse has a 6â1 record at Yankee Stadium, including a 3â0 win over Pittsburgh in the first college football game played at the old ballpark in 1923. But given a month to gameplan, the coach-QB duo of Holgorsen and Smith could call their shot â maybe not quite like last yearâs Ruthian 70-point Orange Bowl effort â at the home of the Bronx Bombers.
Prediction: West Virginia 45, Syracuse 38
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