#TBT: Orange Beats Pitt Behind Dominant Defense
10/19/2017 3:12:00 PM | Football
Thirty years ago, the Syracuse football team made history, finishing the regular season with an 11-0 record and earning an invitation to the Sugar Bowl where it tied Auburn. This fall, Cuse.com will celebrate the 30th anniversary of that historic team each week with a recap of each contest from the 1987 campaign.
In its eighth game of the regular season, Syracuse visited Pitt Stadium to face the Panthers. The date was Oct. 31Â and the Orange were ranked No. 8 in the nation heading into the game.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Orange scored on four of its six first-half possessions, building a 24-3 halftime lead, and went on to defeat Pittsburgh, 24-10. The Panthers scored the only points of the second half, but were held in check by a Syracuse defense that recorded a season-best seven sacks.
Quarterback Don McPherson threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score. Tight end Pat Kelly and Tommy Kane became the first Orange duo to catch 100 yards worth of passes in the same game. Kane finished with five receptions for 100 yards. Kelly had three catches for 105 yards.
Rob Burnett logged four of Syracuse's seven sacks. David Holmes locked the game up with a fourth-quarter interception and led the Orange with 15 tackles.
Craig Heyward scored Pitt's only touchdown and finished with a game-high 141 yards rushing.
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Rushing: Syracuse - Drummond 11-91, Johnston 13-53; Pitt - Heyward 24-141
Passing: Syracuse - McPherson 8-17-0-178, Drummond 1-1-0-39; Pitt - Genilla 7-9-0-80, Dickerson 8-20-1-76 Â
Receiving: Syracuse - Kane 5-100, Kelly 3-105; Pitt - Osborn 5-70
The 2017 Orange travel to Miami to take on the eighth-ranked Hurricanes on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff is 3:30Â p.m. on ESPN. Syracuse's next home game is Nov. 11 against Wake Forest. Tickets start at $30 and they are available online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B).Â
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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In its eighth game of the regular season, Syracuse visited Pitt Stadium to face the Panthers. The date was Oct. 31Â and the Orange were ranked No. 8 in the nation heading into the game.
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Orange scored on four of its six first-half possessions, building a 24-3 halftime lead, and went on to defeat Pittsburgh, 24-10. The Panthers scored the only points of the second half, but were held in check by a Syracuse defense that recorded a season-best seven sacks.
Quarterback Don McPherson threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a score. Tight end Pat Kelly and Tommy Kane became the first Orange duo to catch 100 yards worth of passes in the same game. Kane finished with five receptions for 100 yards. Kelly had three catches for 105 yards.
Rob Burnett logged four of Syracuse's seven sacks. David Holmes locked the game up with a fourth-quarter interception and led the Orange with 15 tackles.
Craig Heyward scored Pitt's only touchdown and finished with a game-high 141 yards rushing.
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| Â Score by Quarter | Â 1 | Â 2 | Â 3 | Â 4 | Â F |
| Â Syracuse | Â 10 | Â 14 | Â 0 | Â 0 | Â 24 |
| Â Pittsburgh | Â 0 | Â 3 | Â 7 | Â 0 | Â 10 |
| Â Scoring Summary | ||
| Â Team | Â Play | Â Score |
|  SU |  Vesling 36-yd field goal |  3-0 |
|  SU     |  McPherson 3-yd run (Vesling kick) |  10-0 |
| Â SU | Â Kelly 28-yd pass from McPherson (Vesling kick) | Â 17-0 |
|  PITT |  VanHorne 37-yd field goal |  17-3 |
| Â SU | Â Kane 10-yd pass from McPherson (Vesling kick) | Â 24-3 |
|  PITT |  Heyward 7-yd pass from Dickerson (VanHorne kick) |  24-10 |
| Â Team Stats | Â SU | Â PITT |
| Â First Downs | Â 18Â Â Â Â | Â 17 |
| Â Rushing Yardage | Â 224 | Â 145 |
| Â Passing Yardage | Â 217 | Â 156 |
| Â Total Offense | Â 441 | Â 301 |
| Â Passes | Â 9/18 | Â 15/29 |
| Â Passes Intercepted By | Â 1 | Â 0 |
| Â Punts/Avg. | Â 5/35.4 | Â 4/43.3 |
| Â Kickoff Returns | Â 2/39 | Â 5/120 |
| Â Fumbles/Lost | Â 1/1 | Â 2/1 |
| Â Penalties/Yards | Â 3/30 | Â 4/36 |
Rushing: Syracuse - Drummond 11-91, Johnston 13-53; Pitt - Heyward 24-141
Passing: Syracuse - McPherson 8-17-0-178, Drummond 1-1-0-39; Pitt - Genilla 7-9-0-80, Dickerson 8-20-1-76 Â
Receiving: Syracuse - Kane 5-100, Kelly 3-105; Pitt - Osborn 5-70
The 2017 Orange travel to Miami to take on the eighth-ranked Hurricanes on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff is 3:30Â p.m. on ESPN. Syracuse's next home game is Nov. 11 against Wake Forest. Tickets start at $30 and they are available online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B).Â
For complete coverage of Syracuse football, follow us on Twitter (@CuseFootball), Instagram (@CuseFootball) and like us on Facebook (Syracuse Football).
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