#TBT: Floyd Little Powers Orange to 1966 Win Against FSU
10/29/2015 10:07:00 AM | Football
Future Pro Football Hall of Famer runs for 193 yards and three scores in 37-21 victory over Seminoles
Syracuse plays Florida State Saturday for the third time as conference opponents. The game marks the fourth time the Orange will visit Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. To get you ready for kickoff, Cuse.com takes you back to Nov. 12, 1966 and recaps the first time the Orange and Seminoles met on the gridiron.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In his final game at Archbold Stadium, All-America running back Floyd Little gave the home crowd one last glimpse of his greatness. On a cloudy Saturday afternoon, Little rushed for 193 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns to lead Syracuse to a 37-21 win against Florida State in the first meeting between the two teams.
Thanks mainly to Little, Syracuse ran for 337 yards and finished with 368 yards of total offense. All three of Little's touchdowns came from 24 yards out, including two in the first quarter to take the Orange to a 14-0 lead.
"It was significant because I had hurt my ankle against Navy and I wasn't playing well," Little, who is SU's current special assistant to the athletics director, said. "The coach (Ben Schwartzwalder) said that I didn't have to play if I didn't want to and I ended up having the second-best game I ever had."
The Orange defense held the Seminoles to 269 totals yards and 15 first downs, while intercepting quarterback Gary Pajcic twice.
Syracuse took control early with its first two drives of the game resulting in touchdowns. After forcing a three-and-out on FSU's first series, Little finished a three-play, 31-yard scoring march with his first touchdown. The Seminoles fumbled on their next possession and Little capitalized, taking it into the end zone for his second 24-yard touchdown of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Tony Kyasky returned a punt 44 yards for a touchdown, extending the SU lead to 20-0. The Orange missed the extra point and the score remained 20-0 until a minute to go in the first half when Pajcic found end Thurston Taylor for the Seminoles' first touchdown.
The halftime statistics demonstrated the Orange's dominance on the ground, as it recorded 182 yards rushing to 27 for the Seminoles. Little accounted for 102 of those yards on 11 attempts.
SU came out in the second half much like it did in the first. The Orange went 54 yards in nine plays on its first series, capped by a 1-yard TD run by fellow future Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Csonka on third-and-goal.
A 31-yard field goal by Alex Gousseff later in the quarter made the score 30-7.
The Seminoles outscored Syracuse 14-7 in the final stanza, but the day belonged to Little who scored one last Archbold Stadium touchdown, again from 24 yards out, help close out the 16-point win.
Csonka finished with 17 carries for 65 yards. Herbert Stecker paced the Orange defense with nine tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception.
"I remember it vividly because if you look in the yearbook there's a sign hanging over the men's gym saying 'Booth 3,' which is the dorm I stayed in as a freshman, and 'Thanks Floyd Little,' so it really was an emotional game for me because it was a reminder of all of the things that had happened to me while I was on campus."
RUSHING: Syracuse – Little 25-193, Csonka 17-65, O. Allen 5-55, Cassata 4-28. Florida State - Moreman 7-46, Green 3-11, Mankins 5-4, Hammond 1-(-9), Pajcic 4-(-25).
PASSING: Syracuse – Cassata 2-6-0-26, DelGaizo 1-1-0-5. Florida State – Pajcic 12-25-2-111, 11-16-0-131.
RECEIVING: Syracuse – Shreck 2-26, Jones 1-5. Florida State – Cox 7-100, Taylor 4-48, Fenner 6-42, Sellers 3-15, Hurst 1-8.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In his final game at Archbold Stadium, All-America running back Floyd Little gave the home crowd one last glimpse of his greatness. On a cloudy Saturday afternoon, Little rushed for 193 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns to lead Syracuse to a 37-21 win against Florida State in the first meeting between the two teams.
Thanks mainly to Little, Syracuse ran for 337 yards and finished with 368 yards of total offense. All three of Little's touchdowns came from 24 yards out, including two in the first quarter to take the Orange to a 14-0 lead.
"It was significant because I had hurt my ankle against Navy and I wasn't playing well," Little, who is SU's current special assistant to the athletics director, said. "The coach (Ben Schwartzwalder) said that I didn't have to play if I didn't want to and I ended up having the second-best game I ever had."
The Orange defense held the Seminoles to 269 totals yards and 15 first downs, while intercepting quarterback Gary Pajcic twice.
Syracuse took control early with its first two drives of the game resulting in touchdowns. After forcing a three-and-out on FSU's first series, Little finished a three-play, 31-yard scoring march with his first touchdown. The Seminoles fumbled on their next possession and Little capitalized, taking it into the end zone for his second 24-yard touchdown of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Tony Kyasky returned a punt 44 yards for a touchdown, extending the SU lead to 20-0. The Orange missed the extra point and the score remained 20-0 until a minute to go in the first half when Pajcic found end Thurston Taylor for the Seminoles' first touchdown.
The halftime statistics demonstrated the Orange's dominance on the ground, as it recorded 182 yards rushing to 27 for the Seminoles. Little accounted for 102 of those yards on 11 attempts.
SU came out in the second half much like it did in the first. The Orange went 54 yards in nine plays on its first series, capped by a 1-yard TD run by fellow future Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Csonka on third-and-goal.
A 31-yard field goal by Alex Gousseff later in the quarter made the score 30-7.
The Seminoles outscored Syracuse 14-7 in the final stanza, but the day belonged to Little who scored one last Archbold Stadium touchdown, again from 24 yards out, help close out the 16-point win.
Csonka finished with 17 carries for 65 yards. Herbert Stecker paced the Orange defense with nine tackles, a fumble recovery and an interception.
"I remember it vividly because if you look in the yearbook there's a sign hanging over the men's gym saying 'Booth 3,' which is the dorm I stayed in as a freshman, and 'Thanks Floyd Little,' so it really was an emotional game for me because it was a reminder of all of the things that had happened to me while I was on campus."
| Score By Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Florida State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Syracuse | 14 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 37 |
| Scoring Summary | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
| SU | Little 24-yard run (Little run) | 8-0 |
| SU | Little 24-yard run (kick failed) | 14-0 |
| SU | Kyasky 44-yard punt return (kick failed) | 20-0 |
| FSU | Taylor 4-yard pass from Pajcic (Loner kick) | 20-7 |
| SU | Csonka 1-yard run (Gouseff kick) | 27-7 |
| SU | Gouseff 31-yard field goal | 30-7 |
| FSU | Green 8-yard run (Loner kick) | 30-14 |
| SU | Little 24-yard run (Gouseff kick) | 37-14 |
| FSU | Hurst 7-yard pass from Hammond (Loner kick) | 37-21 |
| Team Stats | SU | FSU |
| First Downs | 20 | 15 |
| Rushing Yardage | 337 | 27 |
| Passing Yardage | 31 | 242 |
| Total Offense | 368 | 269 |
| Passes | 3-7 | 23-41 |
| Passes Intercepted By | 2 | 0 |
| Punts-Avg. | 4-34.7 | 4-33.7 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-0 | 2-1 |
| Penalty Yards | 62 | 46 |
RUSHING: Syracuse – Little 25-193, Csonka 17-65, O. Allen 5-55, Cassata 4-28. Florida State - Moreman 7-46, Green 3-11, Mankins 5-4, Hammond 1-(-9), Pajcic 4-(-25).
PASSING: Syracuse – Cassata 2-6-0-26, DelGaizo 1-1-0-5. Florida State – Pajcic 12-25-2-111, 11-16-0-131.
RECEIVING: Syracuse – Shreck 2-26, Jones 1-5. Florida State – Cox 7-100, Taylor 4-48, Fenner 6-42, Sellers 3-15, Hurst 1-8.
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