The Schwartzwalder Trophy is on the line for Cameron Lynch and the Orange on Friday
Photo by: Charles Wainwright
SU And West Virginia Square Off Friday
10/20/2011 12:06:00 AM | Football
Game Day Central | Live Stats | Orange All Access
Read The Game Notes | Buy Tickets
In one of the oldest and richest rivalries in Syracuse football history, the Orange (4-2) will battle No. 11/14 West Virginia (5-1) on Friday (8:00 p.m., ESPN) for the coveted Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy. Fans can listen to the game on Syracuse ISP Sports Network (TK-99.5 FM in Syracuse), Orange All Access. For game highlights, head coach Doug Marrone's postgame press conference and student-athlete interviews, sign on to Orange All Access following the game.
At halftime on Friday, SU will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ernie Davis winning the Heisman Trophy. Davis made history in 1961 when he became the first African-American to receive the award. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Davis played for the Orange from 1959-61. He was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns, but died tragically of leukemia before ever playing a down in the NFL.
During the game, Syracuse will recognize its 2011 Letterwinners of Distinction. This year's honorees are Kris Beyer '86 (swimming), Frank Hamblen '69 (basketball), Joe Krivak '57 (football), James Kuhn '70 (fencing), Felisha Legette-Jack '89 (basketball), Roy Oyer '66 (football), Anthony Paskevich '66 (football, lacrosse) and Leo Rautins '83 (basketball).
The Schwartzwalder Trophy
The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy, which has gone to the winner of the annual pairing since 1993, is named for the Hall of Fame coach who guided the Orange to a 153-91-3 overall record in 25 seasons (1949-73). He is SU's all-time winningest coach and led the Orange to its only national championship in football in 1959.
Schwartzwalder started at center for West Virginia and graduated from WVU in 1933. Syracuse has claimed the trophy seven times since 1993. The Orange ended an eight-year series reign by the Mountaineers in 2010 with a 19-14 win in Morgantown.
Syracuse-West Virginia Series
The series with West Virginia is the second-oldest for Syracuse against a current BIG EAST opponent, dating back to 1945. Syracuse won the first meeting, 12-0,, and the two teams have met every year since 1955. SU holds the edge in the all-time series with the Mountaineers, 31-27, including a 17-9 advantage in games played in Syracuse and an 8-7 record in games contested at the Carrier Dome.
The Orange's last Dome victory came in 2001 by the score of 24-23. Since then, West Virginia has won four in a row at the Loud House. Since the teams began vying for the Schwartzwalder Trophy in 1993, the Mountaineers hold an 11-7 series advantage.
In The Clutch
In all four of Syracuse's wins, senior quarterback Ryan Nassib has led the Orange on game-winning or game-tying drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. For the season, Nassib is 42-of-59 (.712) for 430 yards and five touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime. He is 28-of-35 for 290 yards and four touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime in SU's four victories.
Halfway through the season, Nassib is on track to have the most prolific passing season in the history of Syracuse football. Nassib is currently 124-of-192 for 1,294 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is on pace for 248 completions, 384 attempts and 2,588 yards. All three numbers would be school records. He is on schedule to tie the SU season record for passing touchdowns (22) and finish second in completion percentage and passing yards per game.
Ground Game Gets Going
Syracuse has nearly doubled its rushing output in the last three games. In the first three outings, the Orange averaged 76.7 rushing yards per game and averaged 3.0 yards per carry and two rushing touchdowns. In the last three games, those numbers have jumped to .149.7 yards rushing per game, 4.0 yards per carry and four touchdowns.
Senior running back Antwon Bailey has four 100-yard rushing performances in 2011, tied with Pittsburgh's Ray Graham and Connecticut's Lyle McCombs for the most in the BIG EAST this season. He has a current streak of three consecutive 100-yard rushing games. Bailey rushing for a season-high 124 yards versus Rutgers on October 1.
First-Time Starters Make Impact
The Orange has had 10 players make their first career starts on defense this season. Five players, including defensive tackle Jay Bromley, nose tackle Deon Goggins, linebackers Dan Vaughan and Dyshawn Davis, and cornerback Ri'Shard Anderson, made their first collegiate starts in the season opener against Wake Forest on September 1. Since then, defensive end Torrey Ball, corner Keon Lyn, safety Jeremi Wilkes, defensive tackle Corey Boatman and linebacker Siriki Diabate have each received starting nods due to injuries on the first string.
Despite their relative lack of experience, those 10 have combined for 188 tackles, 26.5 of the defense's 43.0 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. Vaughan leads the newcomers with 41 tackles (second on the team), including a career-best 15 versus Rutgers. Although not a starter, rookie linebacker Cameron Lynch (28 tackles) has also made an impact.
Magic Number
Since defensive coordinator Scott Shafer took over in 2009, the Orange defense has held its opponent to less than 100 yards rushing 11 times and Syracuse is 8-3 in those games, including its 36-29 season-opening victory in which Wake Forest managed just 80 yards rushing on 43 attempts (1.9 per attempt).
Kobena Proving To Be A Dangerous Return Man
Kick returner Jeremiah Kobena is fourth in the BIG EAST in yards per return (23.9). Kobena has run back 25 kicks for 598 yards, including a career-best 79-yard return at Tulane on October 8 that set up Syracuse's first touchdown. His 598 return yards in the fourth-highest total by a Syracuse freshman in school history.
Against the Green Wave, Kobena ran back four kicks for 176 yards (44.0 average). His 176 return yards rank fifth on the SU single-game record list and are the second-most by any BIG EAST player in one game this season. Pittsburgh's Buddy Jackson has 178 yards against Utah.
Read The Game Notes | Buy Tickets
In one of the oldest and richest rivalries in Syracuse football history, the Orange (4-2) will battle No. 11/14 West Virginia (5-1) on Friday (8:00 p.m., ESPN) for the coveted Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy. Fans can listen to the game on Syracuse ISP Sports Network (TK-99.5 FM in Syracuse), Orange All Access. For game highlights, head coach Doug Marrone's postgame press conference and student-athlete interviews, sign on to Orange All Access following the game.
At halftime on Friday, SU will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ernie Davis winning the Heisman Trophy. Davis made history in 1961 when he became the first African-American to receive the award. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Davis played for the Orange from 1959-61. He was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns, but died tragically of leukemia before ever playing a down in the NFL.
During the game, Syracuse will recognize its 2011 Letterwinners of Distinction. This year's honorees are Kris Beyer '86 (swimming), Frank Hamblen '69 (basketball), Joe Krivak '57 (football), James Kuhn '70 (fencing), Felisha Legette-Jack '89 (basketball), Roy Oyer '66 (football), Anthony Paskevich '66 (football, lacrosse) and Leo Rautins '83 (basketball).
The Schwartzwalder Trophy
The Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy, which has gone to the winner of the annual pairing since 1993, is named for the Hall of Fame coach who guided the Orange to a 153-91-3 overall record in 25 seasons (1949-73). He is SU's all-time winningest coach and led the Orange to its only national championship in football in 1959.
Schwartzwalder started at center for West Virginia and graduated from WVU in 1933. Syracuse has claimed the trophy seven times since 1993. The Orange ended an eight-year series reign by the Mountaineers in 2010 with a 19-14 win in Morgantown.
Syracuse-West Virginia Series
The series with West Virginia is the second-oldest for Syracuse against a current BIG EAST opponent, dating back to 1945. Syracuse won the first meeting, 12-0,, and the two teams have met every year since 1955. SU holds the edge in the all-time series with the Mountaineers, 31-27, including a 17-9 advantage in games played in Syracuse and an 8-7 record in games contested at the Carrier Dome.
The Orange's last Dome victory came in 2001 by the score of 24-23. Since then, West Virginia has won four in a row at the Loud House. Since the teams began vying for the Schwartzwalder Trophy in 1993, the Mountaineers hold an 11-7 series advantage.
In The Clutch
In all four of Syracuse's wins, senior quarterback Ryan Nassib has led the Orange on game-winning or game-tying drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. For the season, Nassib is 42-of-59 (.712) for 430 yards and five touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime. He is 28-of-35 for 290 yards and four touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime in SU's four victories.
Halfway through the season, Nassib is on track to have the most prolific passing season in the history of Syracuse football. Nassib is currently 124-of-192 for 1,294 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is on pace for 248 completions, 384 attempts and 2,588 yards. All three numbers would be school records. He is on schedule to tie the SU season record for passing touchdowns (22) and finish second in completion percentage and passing yards per game.
Ground Game Gets Going
Syracuse has nearly doubled its rushing output in the last three games. In the first three outings, the Orange averaged 76.7 rushing yards per game and averaged 3.0 yards per carry and two rushing touchdowns. In the last three games, those numbers have jumped to .149.7 yards rushing per game, 4.0 yards per carry and four touchdowns.
Senior running back Antwon Bailey has four 100-yard rushing performances in 2011, tied with Pittsburgh's Ray Graham and Connecticut's Lyle McCombs for the most in the BIG EAST this season. He has a current streak of three consecutive 100-yard rushing games. Bailey rushing for a season-high 124 yards versus Rutgers on October 1.
First-Time Starters Make Impact
The Orange has had 10 players make their first career starts on defense this season. Five players, including defensive tackle Jay Bromley, nose tackle Deon Goggins, linebackers Dan Vaughan and Dyshawn Davis, and cornerback Ri'Shard Anderson, made their first collegiate starts in the season opener against Wake Forest on September 1. Since then, defensive end Torrey Ball, corner Keon Lyn, safety Jeremi Wilkes, defensive tackle Corey Boatman and linebacker Siriki Diabate have each received starting nods due to injuries on the first string.
Despite their relative lack of experience, those 10 have combined for 188 tackles, 26.5 of the defense's 43.0 tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks. Vaughan leads the newcomers with 41 tackles (second on the team), including a career-best 15 versus Rutgers. Although not a starter, rookie linebacker Cameron Lynch (28 tackles) has also made an impact.
Magic Number
Since defensive coordinator Scott Shafer took over in 2009, the Orange defense has held its opponent to less than 100 yards rushing 11 times and Syracuse is 8-3 in those games, including its 36-29 season-opening victory in which Wake Forest managed just 80 yards rushing on 43 attempts (1.9 per attempt).
Kobena Proving To Be A Dangerous Return Man
Kick returner Jeremiah Kobena is fourth in the BIG EAST in yards per return (23.9). Kobena has run back 25 kicks for 598 yards, including a career-best 79-yard return at Tulane on October 8 that set up Syracuse's first touchdown. His 598 return yards in the fourth-highest total by a Syracuse freshman in school history.
Against the Green Wave, Kobena ran back four kicks for 176 yards (44.0 average). His 176 return yards rank fifth on the SU single-game record list and are the second-most by any BIG EAST player in one game this season. Pittsburgh's Buddy Jackson has 178 yards against Utah.
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