The 2013 Syracuse Orange football team represented Syracuse University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange were led by first year head coach Scott Shafer and played their home games at the Carrier Dome. The season marks their first as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, after their final season in the Big East Conference in 2012. They finished the season 7–6, 4–4 in ACC play to finish in a tie for third place in the Atlantic Division. They were invited to the Texas Bowl where they defeated Minnesota.
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.
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
See also: 2013 Penn State Nittany Lions football team
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)
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]
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.
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.