after the triple-OT
win at North Carolina in 2003
Countdown to Kickoff: Syracuse in Overtime
8/30/2004 6:26:19 AM | Football
Syracuse won the first overtime game in school history with a 24-17 victory against Pittsburgh in 2000. After both teams missed field goals in the first overtime, SU quarterback Troy Nunes connected with receiver David Tyree for a 23-yard touchdown and a 24-17 lead. The Orange defense held the Panthers on their fourth-down attempt to give SU the victory.
The first overtime game in SU football history was in the Carrier Dome against North Carolina State in 1997. The 13th-ranked Orange and the Wolfpack played to a 24-24 deadlock in regulation. Syracuse scored first in overtime when Donovan McNabb connected with tight end Roland Williams to give the Orange a 31-24 lead. NC State responded with a touchdown of its own but instead of going for the tie, the Wolfpack successfully converted a two-point conversion for the 32-31 win.
In 1999, Syracuse and Rutgers played an extra session in Piscataway. After SU missed a field goal on its offensive series, the Scarlet Knights scored three by kick for the 24-21 victory.
In 2002, Syracuse two overtime two times, both of which took three extra periods to decide. The first was at Auburn. Both teams missed field goals in the first extra session and then traded touchdowns in the second overtime. Syracuse scored a field goal on its third OT possession to take a 34-31 lead, but Auburn found the endzone on its final possession for the 34-31 victory.
Syracuse rebounded in its next overtime game against second-ranked Virginia Tech in the Carrier Dome. After SU quarterback Troy Nunes threw an interception on SU’s first possession, the Hokies missed on a 36-yard field goal attempt. The teams traded touchdowns in the second overtime. SU scored on a six-yard touchdown pass from Nunes to tight end Joe Donnelly to tie the game at 42. SU had the ball first in the third overtime and tailback Damien Rhodes put the Orange on top with a 25-yard touchdown run and then he converted the two-point conversion to give SU a 50-42 lead. SU safety Maurice McClain intercepted VT quarterback Brian Randall’s pass in the endzone to clinch the SU victory.
In last season’s opener at North Carolina, Syracuse used three overtime periods to beat the Tar Heels. SU running back Walter Reyes scored 14 of Syracuse’s 15 points in the three overtimes and linebacker Kelvin Smith sealed the victory by tackling UNC’s Jacques Lewis at the one-yard line on the Tar Heel’s two-point conversion attempt to give SU the 49-47 victory. Reyes scored a touchdown on a five-yard run in the first overtime, but UNC countered with its own seven-point score. After the defenses held in the second overtime, Reyes took the ball on first down in the third overtime and scored a touchdown. He also scored the two-point conversion, giving SU a 49-41 lead. UNC’s Darian Durant gave the Tar Heels a touchdown with a 10-yard pass to Mitchell, making the score 49-47. Then, on UNC’s two-point conversion attempt, Smith made the defensive stop on the one-yard line giving SU the two-point win.
Syracuse begins the season on Sunday, September 5 at Purdue. The game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ABC. SU then plays at Buffalo on September 11 at 6:00 p.m. The Orange kicks off the home portion of the schedule on Saturday, September 18 against Cincinnati at 12:00 p.m. SU will also host Rutgers (Oct. 2 at 12:00 p.m.), Florida State (Oct. 9), Connecticut (Oct. 30) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 6).
For ticket information, call the Carrier Dome box office at 1-888-DOMETIX. Tickets are available at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B), by telephone (888-DOMETIX) or on the Internet dometix.com
