1997 Syracuse Orangemen football team

1997 Syracuse Orangemen football
Big East champion
Fiesta Bowl, L 18–35 vs. Kansas State
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 20
AP	No. 20
Record	9–4 (6–1 Big East)
Head coach	Paul Pasqualoni (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Kevin Rogers (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Norm Gerber (14th season)
Captain	Keith Downing, Donovin Darius, Rod Gadson, Brad Patkochis[1]
Home stadium	Carrier Dome

1997 Big East Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 21 Syracuse $		6	–	1					9	–	4
No. 23 Virginia Tech		5	–	2					7	–	5
Pittsburgh		4	–	3					6	–	6
West Virginia		4	–	3					7	–	5
Miami (FL)		3	–	4					5	–	6
Temple		3	–	4					3	–	8
Boston College		3	–	4					4	–	7
Rutgers		0	–	7					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University as a member of the Big East Conference during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Paul Pasqualoni, the Orangemen compiled an overall record of 9–4 with a mark of 6–1 in conference play, winning the Big East title. Syracuse was invited to the Fiesta Bowl, where the Orangemen lost to Kansas State. The team played home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 24	1:00 pm	No. 24 Wisconsin*	No. 17	Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ (Kickoff Classic)	ABC	W 34–0	51,185
August 30	12:00 pm	NC State*	No. 13	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY		L 31–32 ^OT	42,742	[2]
September 6	2:30 pm	at Oklahoma*		Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK	ABC	L 34–36	68,342
September 13	6:00 pm	at No. 22 Virginia Tech		Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	ESPN	L 3–31	50,137	[3]
September 20	6:00 pm	Tulane*		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	ESPN2	W 30–19	42,246	[4]
October 4	12:30 pm	East Carolina*		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY		W 56–0	44,054	[5]
October 9	8:00 pm	at Rutgers		Rutgers Stadium Piscataway, NJ		W 50–3	19,044
October 18	12:00 pm	Temple		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY		W 60–7	47,720
November 1	7:30 pm	No. 17 West Virginia		Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY (rivalry)	ESPN	W 40–10	49,273	[6]
November 8	3:30 pm	Boston College	No. 22	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY	CBS	W 20–13	49,153
November 15	12:00 pm	at Pittsburgh	No. 19	Pitt Stadium Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ESPN Plus	W 32–27	46,102
November 29	3:30 pm	at Miami (FL)	No. 16	Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL	CBS	W 33–13	25,147
December 31	7:00 pm	vs. No. 10 Kansas State*	No. 14	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	CBS	L 18–35	69,367
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[7][8]

Rankings

See also: 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	16	13	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	22	21	18	16	15	14	21
Coaches	16		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	25	24	19	19	17	16	15	14	20

Game summaries

Wisconsin (Kickoff Classic)

See also: 1997 Wisconsin Badgers football team

NC State

See also: 1997 NC State Wolfpack football team

At Oklahoma

See also: 1997 Oklahoma Sooners football team

At Virginia Tech

See also: 1997 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

Tulane

See also: 1997 Tulane Green Wave football team

East Carolina

See also: 1997 East Carolina Pirates football team

At Rutgers

See also: 1997 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Temple

See also: 1997 Temple Owls football team

West Virginia

See also: 1997 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

Boston College

See also: 1997 Boston College Eagles football team

At Pittsburgh

See also: 1997 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

At Miami (FL)

See also: 1997 Miami Hurricanes football team

Kansas State (Fiesta Bowl)

Main article: 1997 Fiesta Bowl (December)

See also: 1997 Kansas State Wildcats football team

Roster

1997 Syracuse Orangemen football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 12 Kevin Johnson Jr TE 89 Kaseem Sinceno Sr FB 44 Rob Konrad Jr QB 5 Donovan McNabb Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 33 Keith Bulluck So S 20 Donovin Darius Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Paul Pasqualoni Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. 2017 Syracuse football media guide pg. 151
2. "Syracuse unravels; N.C. State takes advantage". The State. August 31, 1997. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Hokies beat Orange to a pulp". The Roanoke Times. September 14, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Syracuse barely gets by Tulane". Star-Gazette. September 21, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Syracuse romps over E. Carolina". Star-Gazette. October 5, 1997. Retrieved March 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Syracuse overcomes mistakes, W. Virginia". The Journal News. November 2, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Kekis, John (August 24, 1997). "New look QB McNabb is at heart of Orange". Press and Sun-Bulletin. Associated Press. p. 66. Retrieved January 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
8. 1997 Football Schedule