#TBT: Syracuse Defeats Defending Champs

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 sixth game of the regular season, Syracuse took on defending national champion Penn State at home. The date was Oct. 17 and the contest was played at the Carrier Dome.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse ended a 17-year drought against Penn State, recording a 48-21 victory against the defending national champions. The Orange raced out to a 41-0 advantage and never looked back against the Nittany Lions.

"I am just thrilled with the victory," head coach Dick MacPherson said after the win. "Our guys were ready. We executed very, very well. We really performed."

Syracuse scored on the first play from scrimmage when quarterback Don McPherson hit wide receiver Rob Moore for an 80-yard touchdown. It marked the longest Orange pass play since Bill Hurley connected with Don Magee for an 80-yard score at Pittsburgh on Oct. 17, 1977.

"The seven points they scored to open the game were an omen of things to come," Penn State head coach Joe Paterno stated. "It was an indication of what they can do."

McPherson completed 15-of-20 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for two scores. It was the second 300-yard passing performance by a Syracuse signal-caller in program history.

In total, the Orange recorded 515 yards on offense. The 48 points scored was the most against Penn State since UCLA tallied 49 points versus the Nittany Lions during the 1966 season.

The Syracuse defense, led by nose tackle Ted Gregory, held Penn State to only 273 yards on offense, 80 of which came on a Gary Brown touchdown run. The Orange forced four turnovers on the day and had three sacks, as well.

Score by Quarter	1	2	3	4	F
Syracuse	13	14	14	7	48
Penn State	0	0	7	14	21

Scoring Summary
Team	Play	Score
SU	Moore 80-yd pass from McPherson (Vesling kick)	7-0
SU	Vesling 37-yd field goal	10-0
SU	Vesling 35-yd field goal	13-0
SU	Kane 29-yd pass from McPherson (Vesling kick)	20-0
SU	McPherson 6-yd run (Vesling kick)	27-0
SU	Kane 27-yd pass from McPherson (Vesling kick)	34-0
SU	McPherson 20-yd run (Vesling kick)	41-0
PSU	Brown 80-yd run (Etze kick)	41-7
PSU	Schonewolf recovered blocked punt (Etze kick)	41-14
PSU	Roundtree 59-yd pass from Bill (Etze kick)	41-21
SU	Owens 1-yd run (Vesling kick)	48-21

Team Stats	SU	PSU
First Downs	23	11
Rushing Yardage	174	149
Passing Yardage	341	124
Total Offense	515	273
Passes	17/26	8/23
Passes Intercepted By	3	0
Punts/Avg.	5/38.6	6/43.2
Kickoff Returns	1/27	7/147
Fumbles/Lost	4/1	1/1
Penalties/Yards	8/44	1/15

RUSHING: Syracuse - Drummond 11-61, Owens 11-46. Penn State - Brown 5-94, Thomas 14-42.
PASSING: Syracuse - McPherson 15-20-0-336. Penn State - Knizer 4-13-1-24, Bill 4-10-2-100.
RECEIVING: Syracuse - Kane 6-163, Kelly 3-36, Owens 3-32. Penn State - Timpson 3-40, Roundtree 2-72.

The Orange are back home to host Pittsburgh on Saturday, Oct. 7. Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. on RSN. Tickets start at $35 and they are available online (Cuse.com/tickets), by phone (888-DOME-TIX) and at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B).

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