Syracuse defeats Minnesota 21-17 to win the Texas Bowl¬†and win the Orange’s third bowl game in four years.¬†While the prestige of the three games (two Pinstripe Bowls and a Texas Bowl) might not be that high, getting wins is certainly a positive for the program.
For a team that started the season 0-2 with losses to Penn State and Northwestern, this is not exactly expected. This is also a very favorable outcome for Syracuse because had Terrel Hunt not thrown the touchdown to Josh Parris with six seconds left against BC, this game would not have even happened.
Syracuse played the same type of football it had all season. The defense was strong, and finished the season without allowing a rusher to rush for 100-plus yards. Jerome Smith started things off with a touchdown and finished with 74 yards on the ground.
Like he did against BC, Hunt helped out his own cause with two touchdowns of his own. He had 74 yards rushing and spread the ball to different receivers. He was terrific throughout, and truly showed what type of maturation he’s gone through since the beginning of the season.
This win is not only good for Scott Shafer’s resume, but it says something about the program. It continues to excel in bowl games. This is huge for recruiting. Syracuse had the opportunity to play in Texas, which is a great state to find the country’s top recruits. With the exposure, Syracuse has the opportunity to be attractive to the nation’s top high school football players in states other than New York. Props to the entire SU program for finding a way to get to the postseason and take advantage of it.
Posted by: Austin Pollack
