SU to Celebrate A Magical Day
9/24/2010 2:58:18 PM | Football
A confident Syracuse football team did not let any outside opinions bring them down on that day in the Carrier Dome – September 29, 1984. Entering the game with their own positive thoughts, which they put on paper as directed by their head coach, Dick MacPherson, Syracuse beat #1 Nebraska. The numbers were stacked against the Orange with the Huskers entering the game having won 25 of their last 26 games. The 17-9 Orange win left an indelible mark on the Syracuse football program and the world of college football.
On Saturday, Sept. 25, members of the 1984 team will return to Syracuse to be honored for their positive impact on the Orange program, including that historic victory that took place in the Carrier Dome almost 26 years ago. Just a year prior to this game, Nebraska dominated the Orangemen by 56 points.
“This is the greatest day of our lives,” former SU offensive tackle and current Orange head coach Doug Marrone said after the game in which he was a junior starter.
The 47,280 fans in the Dome were treated to Syracuse's first win against a top-ranked team in the history of the program. It marked Syracuse's most notable victory since the 1959 Cotton Bowl, when the Orangemen defeated Texas 23-14 and won the national championship. Prior to the win against Nebraska, the highest ranked opponent Syracuse had beaten was fourth-ranked UCLA in 1967.
The crowd that day included about 2,500 Nebraskans, who had traveled across the country to see their team perform since buying Nebraska home game tickets was nearly impossible. Nebraska entered the game scoring an average of 40.7 points on 531.0 yards of offense.
After Nebraska scored the first touchdown halfway through the first quarter on a 25-yard pass, it did not score again until the final play of the game. SU's Don McAulay hit a field goal in the second quarter, making it 7-3. Neither team scored again until Orange quarterback Todd Norley found Mike Siano for a 40-yard touchdown pass to give SU the lead for good. With just 1:29 left in the game, Orange fullback Harold Gayden scored on a one-yard run to give SU a 17-7 lead. Nebraska scored a safety on the game's final play, making the score 17-9.
The 1984 Orange made program history in front of a group that had its place in Syracuse football history, as well. The 1959 National Championship Syracuse team had gathered to celebrate their historic season and Cotton Bowl victory the same day.
“I'm really overcome, it's the first game I've ever cried at,” said former All-American halfback of the 1959 team Gerhard Schwedes after the game.
