The Penn State–Syracuse football rivalry is an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

between the Penn State Nittany Lions and Syracuse Orange.

History

The rivalry started in 1922, when Syracuse fought Penn State to a 0–0 tie. But it was during the 1950s and 1960s that the rivalry intensified, as it enjoyed a competitive and often controversial string of contests. In 1953, after Lenny Moore intercepted a pass to seal a 20–14 Penn State victory, he was shoved out of bounds into the Syracuse bench. A Syracuse player jumped on Moore and a wild brawl started. Fans jumped out of the stands to join in. The fighting went on for several minutes before order was restored and Penn State took a knee to end the game. Syracuse football was led by

Ben Schwartzwalder Floyd Burdette Schwartzwalder (June 2, 1909 – April 28, 1993) was a Hall of Fame football coach at Syracuse University, where he trained future National Football League stars such as Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Ernie Davis, t ...

, and Penn State by

Rip Engle Charles A. "Rip" Engle (March 26, 1906 – March 7, 1983) was an American football player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the head football coach at Brown University from 1944 to 1949 and at Pennsylvania State University fro ...

, then

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...

. From 1950 to 1970, Syracuse won 11 games to Penn State's 10. Penn State leads the series 43–23–5. After Schwartzwalder retired in 1973, Syracuse floundered. Penn State won 16 straight from 1971 to

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

. Conference realignment and scheduling disagreements also dampened the intensity of the rivalry. Penn State fans and players increasingly turned their attention to the

with

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. In

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

, Coach Dick MacPherson finally led Syracuse to a resounding 48–21 victory over the Nittany Lions in the Dome. Syracuse won again the following year in Happy Valley but lost the last two games before the series was suspended in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

Rivalry resumed

In 2002, it was announced that the two teams would revive the rivalry by scheduling a home-and-home series in 2008 and 2009. After an almost twenty-year break in the series, the two programs played in Syracuse's Carrier Dome on September 13, 2008, with the

Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...

prevailing 55–13 over the

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

. The contest didn't generate a sellout crowd at the Carrier Dome. They met again the next year. Penn State won 28–7. After a 4-year break, in 2013 the two teams met again, this time at

MetLife Stadium MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. Opened in 2010 to replace Giants Stadium, it serves as the home for the New York Giants an ...

, in front of 61,202 fans; Penn State won 23–17. On May 4, 2022, the two schools announced a home-and home series in 2027 and 2028.

Game results

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penn State-Syracuse football rivalry College football rivalries in the United States Penn State Nittany Lions football Syracuse Orange football

History

Rivalry resumed

Game results

See also

References