#TBT: Orange Routs Clemson in 1996 Gator Bowl
11/12/2015 10:00:00 AM | Football
McNabb, Harrison and Thomas power SU to 41-0 victory
As the Orange gears up to face No. 1 Clemson, Cuse.com revisits the first contest between the Orange and Tigers – the 50th Gator Bowl, played on Jan. 1, 1996.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Led by game MVP Donovan McNabb and star wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Syracuse rolled to a 41-0 shutout of Clemson at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The Orange's margin of victory marked the largest in Gator Bowl history.
McNabb accounted for four touchdowns against the Tigers to cap a stellar freshman campaign. He completed 13 passes in the contest for 309 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a score. Harrison was on the receiving end of two of McNabb's TD passes and set Syracuse bowl game records with seven receptions for 173 yards.
The Orange defense was equally impressive. Syracuse held the Tigers to 12 first downs and 159 total yards on 58 plays (2.7 yards per play). Defensive back Kevin Abrams intercepted Clemson starting quarterback Nealon Greene twice, and the Orange secondary did not allow a pass play longer than 15 yards.
Syracuse bolted out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. Malcom Thomas capped a six-play scoring drive less than two minutes into the contest with a 1-yard touchdown run. McNabb scored on a 5-yard run later in the quarter, and hooked up with Harrison on a 38-yard scoring pass with eight seconds remaining in the stanza.
The Orange continued its dominance in the second half. McNabb found Sir Mawn Wilson for a 57-yard gain down to the Clemson 2-yard line in the early part of the third quarter. Thomas scored untouched on the next play to extend the Orange advantage to 27-0 following Olindo Mare's extra point.
Two more McNabb touchdown passes, including a 56-yard strike to Harrison, put the finishing touches on the victory.
Thomas led all ground gainers with a game-high 71 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns.
Donovin Darius paced the Orange defense with 10 tackles, followed by Nate Hemsley who finished with nine stops.
RUSHING: Syracuse – Thomas 14-71, Downing 6-37, Jones 10-25, Konrad 6-24, R. Johnson 1-6, McNabb 8-5, Morris 1-4, Sparks 2-2, Harrison 1-1, TEAM 1-(-17). Clemson – Priester 15-36, Smith 6-30, Greene 8-16, Solomon 4-8, Downs 1-0.
PASSING: Syracuse – McNabb 13-23-309-1. Clemson – Greene 9-19-63-2, Solomon 2-4-6-0, Wyatt 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING: Syracuse – Harrison 7-173, Wilson 2-70, Sinceno 2-47, Maddox 1-18, Williams 1-1. Clemson – Wyatt 3-21, Priester 2-16, Crooks 2-10, Smith 2-(-4), Horne 1-15, Woods 1-11.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Led by game MVP Donovan McNabb and star wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Syracuse rolled to a 41-0 shutout of Clemson at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The Orange's margin of victory marked the largest in Gator Bowl history.
McNabb accounted for four touchdowns against the Tigers to cap a stellar freshman campaign. He completed 13 passes in the contest for 309 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a score. Harrison was on the receiving end of two of McNabb's TD passes and set Syracuse bowl game records with seven receptions for 173 yards.
The Orange defense was equally impressive. Syracuse held the Tigers to 12 first downs and 159 total yards on 58 plays (2.7 yards per play). Defensive back Kevin Abrams intercepted Clemson starting quarterback Nealon Greene twice, and the Orange secondary did not allow a pass play longer than 15 yards.
Syracuse bolted out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. Malcom Thomas capped a six-play scoring drive less than two minutes into the contest with a 1-yard touchdown run. McNabb scored on a 5-yard run later in the quarter, and hooked up with Harrison on a 38-yard scoring pass with eight seconds remaining in the stanza.
The Orange continued its dominance in the second half. McNabb found Sir Mawn Wilson for a 57-yard gain down to the Clemson 2-yard line in the early part of the third quarter. Thomas scored untouched on the next play to extend the Orange advantage to 27-0 following Olindo Mare's extra point.
Two more McNabb touchdown passes, including a 56-yard strike to Harrison, put the finishing touches on the victory.
Thomas led all ground gainers with a game-high 71 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns.
Donovin Darius paced the Orange defense with 10 tackles, followed by Nate Hemsley who finished with nine stops.
| Score By Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
| Syracuse | 20 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 41 |
| Clemson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scoring Summary | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
| SU | Thomas 1-yard run (Mare kick) | 7-0 |
| SU | McNabb 5-yard run (kick blocked) | 13-0 |
| SU | Harrison 38-yard pass from McNabb (Mare kick) | 20-0 |
| SU | Thomas 2-yard run (Mare kick) | 27-0 |
| SU | Harrison 56-yard pass from McNabb (Mare kick) | 34-0 |
| SU | Sinceno 15-yard pass from McNabb (Mare kick) | 41-0 |
| Team Stats | SU | CLEM |
| First Downs | 21 | 12 |
| Rushing Yardage | 158 | 90 |
| Passing Yardage | 309 | 69 |
| Total Offense | 467 | 159 |
| Passes | 13-23 | 11-24 |
| Passes Intercepted By | 2 | 1 |
| Punts-Avg. | 4-43.5 | 6-49.3 |
| Punt Returns | 4-24 | 1-4 |
| Kickoff Returns | 1-33 | 5-101 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Penalties-Yards | 7-65 | 1-16 |
RUSHING: Syracuse – Thomas 14-71, Downing 6-37, Jones 10-25, Konrad 6-24, R. Johnson 1-6, McNabb 8-5, Morris 1-4, Sparks 2-2, Harrison 1-1, TEAM 1-(-17). Clemson – Priester 15-36, Smith 6-30, Greene 8-16, Solomon 4-8, Downs 1-0.
PASSING: Syracuse – McNabb 13-23-309-1. Clemson – Greene 9-19-63-2, Solomon 2-4-6-0, Wyatt 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING: Syracuse – Harrison 7-173, Wilson 2-70, Sinceno 2-47, Maddox 1-18, Williams 1-1. Clemson – Wyatt 3-21, Priester 2-16, Crooks 2-10, Smith 2-(-4), Horne 1-15, Woods 1-11.
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