Syracuse Kicks Off Season at MetLife
8/30/2013 9:44:00 AM | Football
| Syracuse (0-0) vs. Penn State (0-0) | |
| Date & Time | Saturday, Aug. 31 | 3:30 p.m. |
| Location | East Rutherford, N.J. | MetLife Stadium (82,566) |
| Tickets | nycollegeclassic.com | MetLife Box Office |
| Television | ABC/ESPN2 |
| Radio | Syracuse IMG Sports Network |
| Game Notes | Syracuse | Penn State |
| Live Audio | SUathletics.com |
| Live Stats | SUathletics.com |
| Social Media | Facebook | @cuse |
| Twitter Hashtags | #OrangeNation #NYCollegeClassic #BeatPennState |
The Syracuse football team kicks off its season at MetLife Stadium tomorrow, taking on the Nittany Lions of Penn State at 3:30 p.m. (ABC) in the second annual New York's College Classic. Tickets are still available for the event and can be purchased online or on game day at the MetLife Stadium box office.
MetLife Stadium: SU's Home Away from Home
Two more SU games (Notre Dame in 2014 and 2016) are scheduled for MetLife Stadium and the Orange is scheduled to play 10 additional games at the home of the NFL's New York Giants and Jets between 2019 and 2038. Syracuse is 0-1 all-time at the facility, losing to USC in the inaugural New York College Classic last year, 42-29.
Orange in Season Openers
Syracuse is 78-41-4 all-time in season openers. This is the fourth time the Orange has started a season with a neutral-site game at the Meadowlands. Syracuse previously appeared in three Kickoff Classics (1990, 1997, 2001) at old Giants Stadium and posted a record of 1-2 in those games. Syracuse lost to USC in 1990 (34-16), beat Wisconsin in 1997 (34-0) and lost to Georgia Tech (13-7).
This year's Penn State tilt marks the 10th time, and the fourth time in the last six years, Syracuse has started the season against a current member of the Big Ten. The Orange is 1-7-1 all-time in openers versus Big Ten squads. SU's only season-opening win against a Big Ten opponent was the aforementioned drubbing of Wisconsin in the 1997 Kickoff Classic.
In last year's campaign starter, SU scored 28 unanswered points to go ahead of Northwestern 41-35 before a Wildcats' TD with 44 seconds left clinched a 42-41 win for the visitors. Former SU quarterback Ryan Nassib set SU single-game records for passing yards (482), completions (45), attempts (66) and total offense (512 yards) in the contest.
The Penn State Series
Penn State is the Orange's most frequent foe. The two teams have played 70 times dating back to the first meeting in 1922. The series took a hiatus after the 1990 meeting and resumed in 2008, a game Penn State won, 55-13, in the Carrier Dome.
PSU leads the all-time series, 42-23-1, including a 1-0-1 mark in neutral-site games. Both previous neutral meetings occurred in the New York Metro area. The teams tied 0-0 at the Polo Grounds in 1922 and SU lost 35-7 at the Meadowlands in 1979. In 1987, SU posted its largest margin of victory in the series, beating Penn State 48-21 at the Carrier Dome on its way to an 11-0-1 season. Current SU receivers coach Rob Moore caught an 80-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to spark the Orange.
A Win Against Penn State Would...
• Be SU's 699th all-time victory, 15th-most among FBS schools.
• Be Scott Shafer's first career win, making him the 20th SU head coach to win his debut.
• End Penn State's four-game series winning streak and mark SU's first series win since 1988.
• Improve SU's record to 79-42-4 in season-opening games.
