The Orange's 2012 season was their last as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the year with an 8–5 record, and finished as conference co-champions, with a 5–2 record in Big East play. The Orange capped off their season with a win in the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl over long-time rival West Virginia.
Preseason
After the conclusion of the season, head coach Doug Marrone was mentioned by several sportswriters as a possible candidate for a head coaching job in the National Football League. On January 6, 2013, Marrone was introduced as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett departed for Buffalo as well, leaving a number of coaching positions open. On January 9, Syracuse announced the promotion of defensive coordinator Scott Shafer to head coach. Shortly thereafter, George McDonald was announced as the new offensive coordinator, and Chuck Bullough was announced as the new defensive coordinator.
Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game
All times are in Eastern time
[1]
Game summaries
Penn State
Syracuse vs. Penn State (New York's College Classic)
1
2
3
4
Total
• Nittany Lions
0
6
7
10
23
Orange
0
3
7
7
17
Date: August 31
Location: MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
Game start: 3:35 PM EDT
Elapsed time: 3:34
Game attendance: 61,202
Game weather: Cloudy
Referee: Mike Defee
Television network: ABC/ESPN2
Scoring summary
2
12:32
SU
Ross Krautman 32 yd field goal
SU 3–0
2
5:59
PSU
Sam Fickman 36 yd field goal
TIE 3–3
2
0:55
PSU
Sam Fickman 35 yd field goal
PSU 6–3
3
11:46
PSU
Allen Robinson 51 yd pass from Christian Hackenberg (Sam Fickman kick)
PSU 13–3
3
11:05
SU
Jerome Smith 10 yd run (Ross Krautman kick)
PSU 13–10
4
14:16
PSU
Sam Fickman 46 yd field goal
PSU 16–30
4
11:39
PSU
Geno Lewis 54 yd pass from Christian Hackenberg (Sam Fickman kick)
PSU 23–10
4
6:58
SU
Jerome Smith 1 yd run (Ross Krautman kick)
PSU 23–17
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
2009
Penn State, 28–7
Penn State Leads Series: 43–23–5
The Orange opened their season by traveling to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ to renew their rivalry with the Penn State Nittany Lions. This was the 71st all-time meeting between the two schools.
Neither offense could get much going in the first half, and the score stood 6–3 in favor of Penn State at the break. The second half proved to be better for the Lions, as quarterback Christian Hackenberg lead the team to a 23–10 lead early in the 4th quarter. A Jerome Smith touchdown late in the game cut the deficit to 23–17, but the potential Orange comeback fell short when quarterback Drew Allen threw his second interception of the game late in the 4th.
Northwestern
Syracuse at Northwestern
1
2
3
4
Total
Orange
0
7
6
14
27
• #20 Wildcats
10
24
0
14
48
Date: September 7th
Location: Ryan Field Evanston, IL
Game start: 5:01 PM CDT
Elapsed time: 3:25
Game attendance: 38,033
Game weather: 79 °F; Wind: E 6mph, Partly Cloudy
Referee: Tom McCreesh
Television network: Big Ten Network
Scoring summary
1
14:09
NU
Treyvon Green 8 yd pass from Kain Colter (Jeff Budzien kick)
NU 7–0
1
3:15
NU
Jeff Budzien 32 yd field goal
NU 10–0
2
12:38
NU
Dan Vitale 20 yd pass from Trevor Siemian (Jeff Budzien kick)
NU 17–0
2
9:21
NU
Jeff Budzien 21 yd field goal
NU 20–0
2
6:29
SU
Jerome Smith 3 yd run (Ross Krautman kick)
NU 20–7
2
2:38
NU
Kain Colter 16 yd run (Jeff Budzien kick)
NU 27–7
2
0:02
NU
C. Jones 5 yd pass from Trevor Siemian (Jeff Budzien kick)
NU 34–7
3
12:32
SU
Kendall Moore 16 yd pass from Drew Allen (Ross Krautman kick failed)
NU 34–13
4
14:48
NU
Tony Jones 47 yd pass from Trevor Siemian (Jeff Budzien kick)
NU 41–13
4
10:22
SU
Prince-Tyson Gulley 9 yd run (Ross Krautman kick)
NU 41–20
4
5:18
NU
Treyvon Green 28 yd run (Jeff Budzien kick)
NU 48–20
4
2:49
SU
Terrel Hunt 15 yd run (Ryan Norton kick)
NU 48–27
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
2012
Northwestern, 42–41
Series Tied: 5–5
For the second consecutive season, the Orange lost to the Northwestern Wildcats of the Big Ten Conference.
Chris Clark 41 yd pass from Terrel Hunt (Ryan Norton kick)
SU 37–0
3
9:46
SU
Ryan Norton 32 yd field goal
SU 40–0
3
6:56
SU
Jarrod West 65 yd pass from Terrel Hunt (Ryan Norton kick)
SU 47–0
3
4:31
SU
Chris Clark 4 yd pass from Drew Allen (Ryan Norton kick)
SU 54–0
Syracuse Leads Series: 1–0
The Orange hosted Wagner in their home opener at the Carrier Dome in the first ever meeting between the two universities.
Syracuse's offense put on a dominating performance and rolled to a 54–0 win, their first of the season.
Tulane
Tulane at Syracuse
1
2
3
4
Total
Green Wave
10
7
0
0
17
• Orange
21
21
7
3
52
Date: September 21
Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
Game start: 12:30 PM EDT
Elapsed time: 3:29
Game attendance: 36,128
Referee: Steve Barth
Television network: ACCRSN
Scoring summary
{{{Time}}}
{{{Team}}}
{{{Event}}}
{{{Score}}}
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
2011
Syracuse, 37–34
Syracuse Leads Series: 7–1
Tulane visits the Carrier Dome for the first time since the 1999 season. This is the second meeting in three years between the two teams.
Clemson
Clemson at Syracuse
1
2
3
4
Total
• #3 Tigers
21
14
7
7
49
Orange
0
7
7
0
14
Date: October 5
Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
Game start: 3:36 EST EDT
Elapsed time: 3:24
Game attendance: 48,961
Referee: Pat Garvey
Television network: ABC/ESPN2
Scoring summary
{{{Time}}}
{{{Team}}}
{{{Event}}}
{{{Score}}}
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
1996
Syracuse, 41–0
Syracuse is Tied in Series: 1–1
The Orange's first conference game as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference was a matchup against the 3rd ranked Clemson Tigers. This was the second all-time meeting between Clemson and Syracuse, with the first ending in a 41–0 victory for the Orange in the 1996 Gator Bowl.
Clemson evened the overall series with a 49–14 victory behind a career night by Tajh Boyd who went 20 for 27 for 455 yards and 5 touchdowns.[2]
NC State
Syracuse at NC State
1
2
3
4
Total
• Orange
0
7
3
14
24
Wolfpack
0
7
0
3
10
Date: October 12
Location: Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC
Game start: 3:30 PM EDT
Elapsed time: 3:20
Game attendance: 56,639
Game weather: 69 °F; Wind: NNW 6mph, Overcast
Referee: Ron Cherry
Television network: ACCRSN
Scoring summary
2
11:11
SU
Jerome Smith 1 yd run (Ryan Norton kick)
SU 7–0
2
1:15
NCST
D. Grinnage 21 yd pass from P. Thomas (N. Sade kick)
TIE 7–7
3
4:13
SU
Ryan Norton 19 yd field goal
SU 10–7
4
10:12
NCST
N. Sade 27 yd field goal
TIE 10–10
4
6:13
SU
Prince-Tyson Gulley 18 yd run (Team kick failed)
SU 16–10
4
2:39
SU
Terrel Hunt 8 yd run (Ryan Norton rush)
SU 24–10
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
1998
NC State, 38–17
NC State Leads Series: 6–1
Syracuse traveled to Raleigh, NC for a game against the NC State Wolfpack.
Georgia Tech
Syracuse at Georgia Tech
1
2
3
4
Total
Orange
0
0
0
0
0
• Yellow Jackets
14
14
21
7
56
Date: October 19
Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta, GA
Game start: 12:30 PM EDT
Elapsed time: 3:05
Game attendance: 45,704
Game weather: 65° F; Wind: SW 7mph, Overcast
Referee: J. Magallanes
Television network: ACCN
Scoring summary
{{{Time}}}
{{{Team}}}
{{{Event}}}
{{{Score}}}
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
2004
Georgia Tech, 51–14
Georgia Tech Leads Series: 2–0
Syracuse looked to avenge a 51–14 drubbing at the hands of Georgia Tech in their last meeting, which was the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl.
Wake Forest
Wake Forest at Syracuse
1
2
3
4
Total
Demon Deacons
0
0
0
0
0
• Orange
0
0
13
0
13
Date: November 2
Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
Game start: 12:30 PM EDT
Elapsed time: 3:33
Game attendance: 38,550
Referee: Walt Davenport
Television network: ACCRSN
Scoring summary
{{{Time}}}
{{{Team}}}
{{{Event}}}
{{{Score}}}
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
2011
Syracuse, 36–29 OT
Series Tied: 1–1
The last meeting between the two schools occurred in the 2011 season, with the Orange winning in a thrilling overtime affair.
Maryland
Syracuse at Maryland
1
2
3
4
Total
• Orange
7
3
3
7
20
Terrapins
0
0
3
0
3
Date: November 9
Location: Byrd Stadium College Park, MD
Game start: 3:30 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:10
Game attendance: 37,213
Game weather: 57° F; Wind: SSW 11mph, Clear
Referee: Brad Allen
Television network: ACCRSN
Scoring summary
{{{Time}}}
{{{Team}}}
{{{Event}}}
{{{Score}}}
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
1994
Syracuse, 21–16
Syracuse Leads Series: 18–14–2
This was the only conference matchup between these two teams, as the Terrapins will be joining the Big Ten Conference for the 2014 season.
Florida State
Syracuse at Florida State
1
2
3
4
Total
Orange
0
0
0
3
3
• Seminoles
28
10
21
0
59
Date: November 16
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL
Game start: 3:30 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:11
Game attendance: 74,491
Game weather: 74° F; Wind: SSE 5mph, Mostly cloudy
Referee: Jeff Flanigan
Television network: ABC/ESPN2
Scoring summary
{{{Time}}}
{{{Team}}}
{{{Event}}}
{{{Score}}}
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
2005
Florida State, 38–14
Florida State Leads Series: 5–1
The Orange made their last road trip of the season to take on the Florida State Seminoles. This was their first game as conference opponents.
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh at Syracuse
1
2
3
4
Total
• Panthers
0
10
7
0
17
Orange
6
3
7
0
16
Date: November 23
Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
Game start: 12:30 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:28
Game attendance: 35,317
Referee: Brad Allen
Television network: ACCN
Scoring summary
{{{Time}}}
{{{Team}}}
{{{Event}}}
{{{Score}}}
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
2012
Syracuse, 14–13
Pittsburgh Leads Series: 34–31–3
The Orange hosted familiar rival Pittsburgh in their first meeting as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. This matchup was designated as a protected inter-division crossover game that will be played annually.
Boston College
Boston College at Syracuse (rivalry)
1
2
3
4
Total
Eagles
7
7
7
10
31
• Orange
0
21
3
10
34
Date: November 30
Location: Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY
Game start: 3:30 PM EST
Elapsed time: 3:35
Game attendance: 37,406
Referee: David Epperley
Television network: ACCRSN
Scoring summary
{{{Time}}}
{{{Team}}}
{{{Event}}}
{{{Score}}}
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
2010
Boston College, 16–7
Syracuse Leads Series: 28–18
Formerly Big East Conference rivals, Syracuse and Boston College played their first game as conference opponents to close out the regular season. The 2013 edition was a must-win for the Orange in order to be bowl-eligible.
References
^"2013 Football Schedule". Syracuse Athletics. Retrieved August 21, 2013.[permanent dead link]
^"Clemson Tigers vs Syracuse Orange – Box Score". ESPN. October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2013.