#TBT: Orange Cap Undefeated Season with Sugar Bowl Tie
11/23/2017 4:34:00 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. This fall, Cuse.com celebrated the 30th anniversary of that historic team each week with a recap of every contest from the 1987 campaign.
In its 12th game of the season, Syracuse traveled to New Orleans to face Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. The date was Jan. 1, 1988 and the Orange were ranked No. 4 in the nation heading into the game. A Orange victory and tie between No. 2 Miami and No. 1 Oklahoma who were playing in the Orange Bowl would have likely given Syracuse its second-ever national championship.
NEW ORLEANS – Having navigated the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1959, the Orange had hopes of bringing the program's second national championship title to Syracuse. But those dreams were dashed when Win Lyle connected on a 30-yard field goal with one second left to ensure a 16-16 deadlock between Syracuse and Auburn, the first tie in Sugar Bowl history.
Orange quarterback Don McPherson was 11-for-21 and passed for 140 yards and a touchdown to earn game MVP accolades. The Orange totaled 314 yards on offense, 174 rushing and 140 passing. Marc Drummond and Daryl Johnston led the team in rushing yards with 82 yards and 50 yards, respectively.
Tim Vesling converted field goals of 27, 32, and 38 yards, with the last one giving Syracuse its first lead of the game, 16-13, with 2:04 left to play. Behind the passing of Jeff Burger, the Tigers moved the ball to the Syracuse 13-yard line. With four seconds remaining, Auburn could have gone for the end zone, but head coach Pat Dye elected to send in Lyle for the tying kick.
''This game,'' said McPherson, ''will fester in my mind. When you've come as far as we have just to finish in a tie, that's tough to deal with. You're empty, numb. You can't be happy, you can't be sad.''
The Syracuse defense, playing without injured star Ted Gregory, held Auburn to 240 yards of offense. The Orange smothered the Southeastern Conference champions, allowing just 41 yards rushing.
Â
Â
 Â
Â
Rushing: Syracuse- Drummond 17-82, Johnston 14-50; AUB- Danley 13-42
Passing: Syracuse- McPherson 11-21-0-140; AUB- Burger 24-33-1-171
Receiving: Syracuse- Glover 6-91, Kane 2-30; AUB- Tillman 6-125, Danley 7-34
The 2017 Orange return to the Carrier Dome for the final game of the regular season against Boston College on Saturday, Nov. 25. Kickoff is the set for 12:20 p.m. on the ACC Network.
Tickets to watch the Orange and Eagles 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).
Â
In its 12th game of the season, Syracuse traveled to New Orleans to face Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. The date was Jan. 1, 1988 and the Orange were ranked No. 4 in the nation heading into the game. A Orange victory and tie between No. 2 Miami and No. 1 Oklahoma who were playing in the Orange Bowl would have likely given Syracuse its second-ever national championship.
NEW ORLEANS – Having navigated the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1959, the Orange had hopes of bringing the program's second national championship title to Syracuse. But those dreams were dashed when Win Lyle connected on a 30-yard field goal with one second left to ensure a 16-16 deadlock between Syracuse and Auburn, the first tie in Sugar Bowl history.
Orange quarterback Don McPherson was 11-for-21 and passed for 140 yards and a touchdown to earn game MVP accolades. The Orange totaled 314 yards on offense, 174 rushing and 140 passing. Marc Drummond and Daryl Johnston led the team in rushing yards with 82 yards and 50 yards, respectively.
Tim Vesling converted field goals of 27, 32, and 38 yards, with the last one giving Syracuse its first lead of the game, 16-13, with 2:04 left to play. Behind the passing of Jeff Burger, the Tigers moved the ball to the Syracuse 13-yard line. With four seconds remaining, Auburn could have gone for the end zone, but head coach Pat Dye elected to send in Lyle for the tying kick.
''This game,'' said McPherson, ''will fester in my mind. When you've come as far as we have just to finish in a tie, that's tough to deal with. You're empty, numb. You can't be happy, you can't be sad.''
The Syracuse defense, playing without injured star Ted Gregory, held Auburn to 240 yards of offense. The Orange smothered the Southeastern Conference champions, allowing just 41 yards rushing.
Â
| Â Score by Quarter | Â 1 | Â 2 | Â 3 | Â 4 | Â F |
| Â Syracuse | Â 0 | Â 7 | Â 3 | Â 6 | Â 16 |
| Â Auburn | Â 7 | Â 3 | Â 0 | Â 6 | Â 16 |
| Â Scoring Summary | ||
| Â Team | Â Play | Â Score |
| Â AUB | Â Tillman 17-yd pass from Burger (Lyle kick) | Â 0-7 |
| Â SU | Â Glover 12-yd pass from McPherson (Vesling kick) | Â 7-7 |
| Â AUB | Â Lyle 40-yd field goal | Â 7-10 |
|  SU |  Vesling 27-yd field goal |  10-10 |
| Â AUB | Â Lyle 41-yd field goal | Â 10-13 |
|  SU |  Vesling 32-yd field goal |  13-13 |
|  SU  |  Vesling 31-yd field goal |  16-13 |
| Â AUB | Â Lyle 30-yd field goal | Â 16-16 |
| Â Team Stats | Â SU | Â AUB |
| Â First Downs | Â 23 | Â 14 |
| Â Rushing Yardage | Â 174 | Â 41 |
| Â Passing Yardage | Â 140 | Â 229 |
| Â Total Offense | Â 314 | Â 270 |
| Â Passes | Â 11/21 | Â 25/34 |
| Â Passes Intercepted By | Â 0 | Â 1 |
| Â Punts/Avg. | Â 5/35.6 | Â 6/44.8 |
| Â Kickoff Returns | Â 4/64 | Â 5/105 |
| Â Fumbles/Lost | Â 2/0 | Â 1/0 |
| Â Penalties/Yards | Â 2/20 | Â 5/43 |
Rushing: Syracuse- Drummond 17-82, Johnston 14-50; AUB- Danley 13-42
Passing: Syracuse- McPherson 11-21-0-140; AUB- Burger 24-33-1-171
Receiving: Syracuse- Glover 6-91, Kane 2-30; AUB- Tillman 6-125, Danley 7-34
The 2017 Orange return to the Carrier Dome for the final game of the regular season against Boston College on Saturday, Nov. 25. Kickoff is the set for 12:20 p.m. on the ACC Network.
Tickets to watch the Orange and Eagles 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).
Â
Sunday, April 12
Saturday, April 11
Saturday, April 11
Saturday, April 11
