The good news for SU fans is the Orange football team still has one more chance to clinch bowl eligibility despite losing the last 4 straight games. The bad news for SU fans is that the team they're playing on Saturday also needs one more win to clinch a bowl game, and are just as hungry as Syracuse. Both the 5-6 Orange and 5-6 Pittsburgh Panthers have had disappointing seasons so far, but are gunning for a chance to extend their season with a victory at Heinz Field Saturday at noon.
SU running back Antwon Bailey told the Associated Press that it's like a playoff game,"If we win, we're in. If we lose, we're out. We got everything on the table."
The loser on Saturday will have a difficult off-season, an added burden as both teams are anticipating the details on when they can legally move to the ACC. That particular detail isn't on any of the players minds as they head to Pittsburgh. They just want to end the nightmare that's been going on since the Mountaineer victory.
"To start so strong, we were what? 5-2 at one point, and then to lose all these games straight," reflects linebacker Marquis Spruill, "that just doesn't sit well. This is a very important game for us."
The following is a full preview Courtesy SU Athletics.
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Two Eastern football rivals square off on Saturday (12:00 p.m., ESPN2) when Syracuse visits Pittsburgh for its regular-season finale. The Orange is trying to stop a four-game losing streak and become bowl eligible. Syracuse is 5-6 and needs to get to six wins to have an opportunity to compete in the postseason. Like the Orange, the Panthers are also 5-6 on the year and need a victory to have a shot at a bowl berth. Pittsburgh lost a 21-20 decision to archrival West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl on Nov. 25. The following day Syracuse was beaten, 30-13, at the Carrier Dome by Cincinnati.
Fans can listen to the game on Syracuse ISP Sports Network (TK-99.5 FM in Syracuse), Orange All Access. For game highlights, head coach Doug Marrone's postgame press conference and student-athlete interviews, sign on to Orange All Access following the game.
Orange Seeks Second Straight Bowl Bid
Should the Orange defeat the Panthers, Syracuse would be bowl eligible for the second year in a row. Last season, the Orange earned a berth in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium and defeated Kansas State, 36-34. The last time the Orange reached bowl games in consecutive years was 1998 (Orange Bowl vs. Florida) and 1999 (Music City Bowl vs. Kentucky).
Bailey Just Shy Of 1,000 Yards
Senior running back Antwon Bailey needs two rushing yards against the Panthers to reach 1,000 yards for the season. Should he get them, Bailey would become the 10th SU back to record a 1,000-yard rushing season and it would mark the 15th time an Orange ball carrier reached that plateau. Syracuse has boasted a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the last three seasons (Curtis Brinkley - 2008; Delone Carter - 2009, 2010). Bailey recorded his sixth 100-yard rushing game against Cincinnati with a career-high 135 yards, which ties for the most 100-yard games in the BIG EAST this season (Lyle McCombs, Connecticut).
Syracuse-Pittsburgh Series
Syracuse and Pittsburgh have played 66 times, making the Panthers one of the Orange's oldest and most frequent rivals. In its history, Syracuse has only faced Penn State more than the Panthers. In addition to Pittsburgh, SU has also played Colgate on 66 occasions. The Orange has played Pittsburgh 66 times, tied for the second-longest series in the history of the SU football program. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 33-30-3, and have won four straight in Pittsburgh. In the 66-game history of the series, Syracuse averages 19.7 points per game to Pittsburgh's 19.4 points per game.
Lemon Matches SU Single-Season Receiving Record
Receiver Alec Lemon made three catches against Cincinnati on Nov. 26 to ti e the Orange season record of 60 receptions shared by Kevin Johnson (1998) and Mike Williams (2007). Lemon is SU's leading receiver with 60 catches for 735 yards and six touchdowns in 2011. He's caught at least one pass every game this year and reached double digits twice earlier this season with 10 grabs against both Rhode Island and USF. Lemon's 735 receiving yards is the highest total for an SU receiver since Mike Williams recorded 837 yards receiving in 2007.
Red Zone Defense Improves
Since Doug Marrone took over the program and hired Scott Shafer as defensive coordinator, Syracuse has allowed its opponents to score 83.8 percent of the time in the red zone. However, Orange foes have only come away with touchdowns 53.8 percent of the time. This season, Syracuse has allowed just 19 TDs in 41 opponent forays into the red zone (.463). Those numbers are a dramatic improvement from the three years prior to Marrone and Shafer's arrival.
SU Third In The BIG EAST In Kickoff Returns
The Orange is third in the BIG EAST and 35th nationally in kickoff return average (23.0). Freshman Jeremiah Kobena is sixth in the BIG EAST in yards per return (22.6). Kobena has run back 43 kicks for 971 yards, including a career-best 79-yard return at Tulane on Oct. 8 that set up Syracuse's first touchdown. His 971 yards is third on the SU single-season record list and is second-highest total by a freshman in school history.
Against Tulane, Kobena ran back four kicks for 176 yards (44.0 avg.). His 176 return yards rank fifth on the SU single-game record list and are the second-most by any BIG EAST player in one game this season. Pittsburgh's Buddy Jackson had 178 yards against Utah.
Dorian Graham has served as a nice complement to Kobena. Graham has 11 returns for 279 yards (25.4 ypr),
including a 98-yard return for a touchdown against West Virginia, SU's first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2008.
