Syracuse at FSU: Good Times, Bad Times

Despite becoming division foes and the series history between the two dating back more than 50 years, Florida State and Syracuse have met just 10 times on the field. The two will meet in Tallahassee on Saturday as the Seminoles look for their first home win and the Orange hope to get back over .500.

Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013 after previously being a member of the Big East. As an ACC Atlantic division rival, FSU has dominated the series, but Saturday’s meeting is expected to be very close.

As FSU and Syracuse get ready to do battle for the 11th time this weekend at Doak Campbell Stadium, we look at the goods times and the bad for the Seminoles throughout their history with the Orange:

All-Time Series: FSU leads 9-1.
Good Times: The first match-up of ranked teams in the series took place in the Carrier Dome on Oct. 7, 1989. It was domination from the start as No. 22 FSU slayed the 17th-ranked Orangemen, 41-10. The Seminoles took a 17-3 lead to the locker room behind touchdowns from Dexter Carter and Terry Anthony, but in the second half, it was the defense and special teams that provided the FSU scoring. Midway through the third quarter, Terrell Buckley caught a punt at around the FSU 30-yard-line and stood still as if he fair caught the ball. When Syracuse players pulled up, Buckley took off for a 69-yard return for a touchdown. LeRoy Butler added an 87-yard interception return for a score later in the quarter. It was one of two interceptions for Butler and one of three for FSU as a team. Shelton Thompson recorded two of the nine FSU sacks for a defense that forced five turnovers.

It was a top-10 match-up as No. 10 Syracuse visited top-ranked FSU on Oct. 5, 1991 — the first meeting in Tallahassee. Much like the meeting before, the Seminoles won with ease in a 46-14 win. Syracuse led 14-7 after one quarter, thanks largely to a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Qadry Ismail, but that was the time that Syracuse would score. Quarterback Casey Weldon finished with 347 yards passing and three touchdowns for FSU with the most notable being a 50-yard bomb for a score in which Shannon Baker made an incredible catch. Baker finished with 139 yards receiving while Amp Lee added 106 yards on the ground. Edgar Bennett finished with 166 yards total yards and two touchdowns for an offense that put up 642 yards. Linebacker Marvin Jones led the defense for FSU with nine tackles and two sacks. Cornerbacks Clifton Abraham and Terrell Buckley each recorded interceptions in the win.

Last season’s contest on Nov. 19 resulted in a 45-14 Florida State victory in the Carrier Dome, but it was also a history-making day for one Seminole. On a day in which he rushed for 225 yards and four touchdowns, running back Dalvin Cook became Florida State’s all-time leading rusher, surpassing legend Warrick Dunn. Quarterback Deondre Francois also passed for 315 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win as FSU racked up 654 yards of offense while holding Syracuse to just 233. Defensive ends Brian Burns, DeMarcus Walker and Josh Sweat combined for five of FSU’s eight sacks. Tarvarus McFadden and Ermon Lane each came away with interceptions.

Bad Times: The only loss for FSU in the series came in the first meeting on Nov. 12, 1966. The Seminoles have proceeded to win nine straight. In that meeting in Syracuse however, FSU had no answer for Syracuse’s Floyd Little, who rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns — all from 24 yards away. The Seminoles never led in the game and trailed by as many as 20 in the 37-21 loss. Future NFL Hall of Famer Larry Csonka added a touchdown for the Orangemen and Tony Kyasky returned a punt 44 yards for a score. The most productive offensive day for FSU came from Billy Cox, who finished with 100 yards receiving. The Seminoles managed just 27 yards on the ground and turned the ball over three times in the loss. Thurston Taylor, Larry Green and John Hurst scored touchdowns for Florida State.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson