# 2013 Syracuse Orange football team

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 marked 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.

## Previous season

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.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 3:30 pm | vs. Penn State* | MetLife StadiumEast Rutherford, NJ (rivalry) | ABC/ESPN2 | L 17–23 | 61,202 |
| September 7 | 6:00 pm | at No. 20 Northwestern* | Ryan FieldEvanston, IL | BTN | L 27–48 | 38,033 |
| September 14 | 4:00 pm | Wagner* | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ESPN3 | W 54–0 | 33,299 |
| September 21 | 12:30 pm | Tulane* | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ACCN | W 52–17 | 36,128 |
| October 5 | 3:30 pm | No. 4 Clemson | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ABC/ESPN2 | L 14–49 | 48,961 |
| October 12 | 3:30 pm | at NC State | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | ACCRSN | W 24–10 | 56,639 |
| October 19 | 12:30 pm | at Georgia Tech | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA | ACCN | L 0–56 | 45,704 |
| November 2 | 12:30 pm | Wake Forest | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY | ACCRSN | W 13–0 | 38,550 |
| November 9 | 3:30 pm | at Maryland | Byrd StadiumCollege Park, MD | ACCRSN | W 20–3 | 37,213 |
| November 16 | 3:30 pm | at No. 2 Florida State | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL | ABC/ESPN2 | L 3–59 | 74,491 |
| November 23 | 12:30 pm | Pittsburgh | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY (rivalry) | ACCN | L 16–17 | 35,317 |
| November 30 | 3:30 pm | Boston College | Carrier DomeSyracuse, NY (rivalry) | ACCRSN | W 34–31 | 37,406 |
| December 27 | 6:00 pm | vs. Minnesota* | Reliant StadiumHouston, TX (Texas Bowl) | ESPN | W 21–17 | 32,327 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Penn State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Nittany Lions | 0 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 |
| Orange | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Orange | 0 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 27 |
| • #20 Wildcats | 10 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 48 |
| 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.

### Wagner

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Orange | 9 | 28 | 17 | 0 | 54 |
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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Green Wave | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| • Orange | 21 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 52 |
| 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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • #3 Tigers | 21 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 49 |
| Orange | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| 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.

### NC State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Orange | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
| Wolfpack | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Orange | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Yellow Jackets | 14 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 56 |
| 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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Demon Deacons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Orange | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| 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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Orange | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
| Terrapins | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Orange | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| • Seminoles | 28 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 59 |
| 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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Panthers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Orange | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
| 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

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| • Orange | 0 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 34 |
| 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.