Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/160548
P R E G A M E R E P O R T P E N N 3 : 3 0 S TAT E P. M . , A U G . v s . S Y R A C U S E 3 1 A B C / E S P N 2 SYRACUSE FACTS COACH Scott Shafer (Baldwin-Wallace College, '90) COACH'S RECORD First season 2012 RECORD 8-5 (5-2 Big East) RECORD VS. PENN STATE The Nittany Lions lead the series, 42-23-5. There have been two neutral-site meetings, including the very first meeting between the teams in 1922, which took place at the Polo Grounds in New York and ended in a 0-0 tie. The Lions romped, 35-7, at the Meadowlands in 1979 in the other neutral-site game. CATCH HIM IF YOU CAN Smith was one of the stars of Syracuse's highpowered offense last season, finishing with 1,171 rushing yards. PREVIOUS MEETING Seventh-ranked Penn State defeated Syracuse, 28-7, at Beaver Stadium on Sept. 12, 2009. THE GOOD 700 CLUB The Orange are closing in on their 700th all-time victory. A win over Penn State would give them 699 victories, the 15th-highest total among Football Bowl Subdivision schools. THE BAD SKID ROW Syracuse hasn't had much luck against Penn State in recent decades. The Orange haven't defeated the Nittany Lions since a 24-10 victory in Beaver Stadium in 1988. THE UGLY OPEN-AND-SHUT CASE Nine times, the Orange have opened their season against a Big Ten opponent. Their record in those games: 1-7-1. DID YOU KNOW? While Bill O'Brien is a former defensive player who has built a reputation for offensive ingenuity as a coach, Shafer has followed the opposite path. He was a quarterback at Ohio and later BaldwinWallace but has coached on the defensive side of the ball throughout his career. Photo courtesy of Syracuse Sports Information Off and running Questions abound as PSU gets set to open its season vs. Syracuse TIM OWEN | OW E N. T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . C O M Call it the Mystery Bowl. As if the anticipation of a season opener weren't enough, both Penn State and Syracuse will refrain from naming their respective starting quarterbacks until Saturday's game begins. And the secret seems to have the two fan bases anticipating the starting QB unveilings almost as much as kickoff in MetLife Stadium, the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. A U G U S T 2 8 , 2 0 1 3 1 As has been widely reported, Bill O'Brien will decide between five-star freshman Christian Hackenberg and junior college transfer Tyler Ferguson, while Scott Shafer, Syracuse's first-year head coach, has narrowed his race down to dualthreat sophomore Terrel Hunt and Oklahoma transfer Drew Allen. But he and his staff swear the heat is dead even. "Every time I think one is edging out, the other comes out and has a good day," B L UE WHI T E ON L I N E. COM