FOOTBALL 1959 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS // 5 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS // 18 CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICANS SEASON OVERVIEW • Head coach Dino Babers and the Orange engineered a breakthrough season in 2018, as Syracuse fi nished with a 10-3 overall record and the No. 15 ranking in the fi nal Associated Press Top 25 and Amway Coaches polls. • The Orange started Babers' third season at the helm with four straight victories. A er consecu ve losses in the middle of the season, Syracuse surged to the fi nish line, winning six of its last seven, including a 34-18 triumph over West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl. • Among the highlights was Syracuse's perfect (6-0) record at the Carrier Dome, which included a SYRACUSE ORANGE 51-41 win over then-No. 22 NC State that propelled the Orange into the na onal polls. 2018 Record: 10-3 • The team featured a pair of All-Americans in redshirt freshman K Andre Szmyt and true Home: 6-0, Away: 3-2, Neutral: 1-1 freshman DB Andre Cisco, as well as 11 All-ACC performers. ACC Record: 6-2 Non-Conference: 4-1 GOING DOUBLE DIGITS Syracuse 10-Win Seasons Final National Ranking: • Syracuse's victory versus West Virginia in the No. 15 (AP), No. 15 (Coaches), No. 20 (CFP) Camping World Bowl secured the seventh 10-win Overall Final vs. AP Top 25: 2-2 season in the 129-year history of the program Year Record AP Rank Head Coach Last Game: W, 34-18 vs. West Virginia and the fi rst since the 2001 campaign. 1959 11-0 #1 Ben Schwartzwalder (Camping World Bowl) • Double-digit victory seasons are more common 1987 11-0-1 #4 Dick MacPherson for head coach Dino Babers, who has now won 1988 10-2 #13 Dick MacPherson HEAD COACH at least 10 games in three of his seven years as a 1991 10-2 #11 Paul Pasqualoni college football boss. 1992 10-2 #6 Paul Pasqualoni Dino Babers (Hawaii '84) 2001 10-3 #14 Paul Pasqualoni Career Record: 55-35 • The Orange's 2018 victory total snapped 2018 10-3 #15 Dino Babers Record at Syracuse: 18-19 the second-longest drought without a 10-win season among current ACC teams. Virginia has ALL-AMERICANS the longest drought at 29 seasons. The last me the Cavaliers won 10 games was in 1989 under George Welsh. 2018 FINAL RELEASE FINAL 2018 Andre Cisco, DB Walter Camp Second Team POLL POSITION Spor ng News Second Team Week-By-Week Ranking • Syracuse cracked the na onal polls for the fi rst Associated Press Third Team me in 17 years on Oct. 28 when it checked in at Athlon Sports Fourth Team AP Coaches CFP No. 22 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 24 Phil Steele Fourth Team Oct. 28 22 24 19 in the Amway Coaches rankings. Prior to those College Football News Honorable Men on Nov. 4 13 13 13 appearances, Syracuse hadn't been in either poll Nov. 11 12 12 12 since the 2001 season. In the Power Five, only Nov. 18 19 19 20 Andre Szmyt, K Indiana (1994) had a longer AP poll drought. Nov. 25 18 18 20 Unanimous All-American • In addi on, Syracuse made its fi rst-ever Dec. 2 17 17 20 (AFCA, SN, WC, AP, FWAA First Team) Jan. 8 (Final) 15 15 appearance in the College Football Playoff (CFP) ESPN First Team Top 25 on Oct. 30 and was ranked in every set of Sports Illustrated First Team CFP rankings during the 2018 season, closing the year at No. 20. USA Today First Team • Syracuse ascended to as high as No. 12 in all three polls the week of Nov. 11, the highest CBS Sports First Team ranking for the program since the 1998 season. Athlon Sports First Team • The Orange came in at No. 15 in both fi nal AP and Amway Coaches polls, released in January. Phil Steele First Team It was the 16th me since the poll's incep on in 1936 that the Orange appeared in the fi nal AP The Athle c First Team rankings, and the 11th me they fi nished in the top 15. College Football News Honorable Men on Pro Football Focus Honorable Men on 2018 SCHEDULE/RESULTS (10-3, 6-2 ACC) Date Opponent Result Attend WHAT'S INSIDE Aug. 31 at Western Michigan W, 55-42 20,628 Sept. 8 WAGNER W, 62-7 29,395 Team Notes..................... 1-3 Player Notes ............... 15-20 15 FLORIDA STATE * W, 30-7 37,457 Media Contacts ..................2 Stats ............................21-30 22 CONNECTICUT W, 51-21 36,632 Offense Notes .................3-5 Long Plays .........................31 29 at #3 Clemson * L, 23-27 80,122 Defense Notes ................ 5-6 Starting Lineups ................32 Oct. 6 at Pittsburgh * L, 37-44 (OT) 37,100 Special Teams Notes ...........7 Scoring Drives .............33-34 20 NORTH CAROLINA * W, 40-37 (2OT) 35,210 Miscellaneous Notes ...... 8-9 Conversions/TOP ..............35 27 #22 NC STATE * W, 51-41 40,769 Carrier Dome ......................8 Red-Zone Stats .................36 Nov. 3 at Wake Forest * W, 41-24 26,136 Team Awards ......................8 Superlatives ......................37 9 LOUISVILLE * W, 54-23 42,797 Overtime History ................8 Game Summaries ....... 38-42 17 vs. #3 Notre Dame ! L, 3-36 48,104 Orange in the NFL ..............9 The Last Time ............. 43-45 24 at Boston College * W, 42-21 34,959 ACC Standings/Polls ..........10 Dec. 28 vs. #15 West Virginia ^ W, 34-18 41,125 HC Dino Babers........... 11-12 Assistant Coaches/Staff ....13 Home games in BOLD CAPS • All times Eastern Roster/Pronunciations ......14 * Indicates ACC game • ! - Yankee Stadium (Bronx, N.Y.) • ^ - Camping World Bowl (Orlando, Fla.) ORANGE IS THE NEW FAST 1 2018 SYRACUSE FOOTBALL PARTYING LIKES IT'S 2001 MEDIA CONTACTS Cost Comparison • "For the fi rst me since 2001 … " was a familiar refrain throughout the season. The 2018 campaign was the fi rst SYRACUSE ATHLETIC Item 2001 2018 me since that banner year the Orange achieved the COMMUNICATIONS New house $136,150 $289,952 following: won at least 10 games, fi nished the year ranked Gallon of gas $1.46 $2.18 1301 East Colvin Street, Syracuse, NY 13244 in the na onal polls, had a unanimous All-American, went U.S. stamp 34 cents 49 cents Offi ce: 315-443-2608 | Web: Cuse.com unbeaten at home, won at least six conference games, and Loaf of bread $1.82 $2.50 had a player a end the ESPN College Football Awards show. Assistant Director Source: ThePeopleHistory.com Mike Morrison (Football SID) 2018 2001 Email: [email protected] Overall Record: 10-3 10-3 Cell: (315) 952-4809 Conference Record: 6-2 6-1 Home Record: 6-0 6-0 Final Na onal Ranking (AP): 15 14 Unanimous All-Americans: K Andre Szmyt DE Dwight Freeney Assistant Director ESPN Awards A endees: K Andre Szmyt DE Dwight Freeney, FB Kyle Johnson Tyler Cady (Secondary Contact) E-Mail: [email protected] TURNING THINGS AROUND Cell: (315) 941-6569 Win Improvement (2017 to 2018) • Syracuse more than doubled its win total from a season ago, which was one of the biggest turnarounds in the FBS Rk. School 2017 2018 Improv. during the 2018 season. 1. Ga. Southern 2-10 10-3 +8 • Georgia Southern, who also won 10 games but had just 2. Cincinna 4-8 11-2 +7 Assistant two wins in 2017, led the na on with an increase of eight 3. Syracuse 4-8 10-3 +6 Oliver Grigg (Secondary Contact) more victories than it had a season ago. Florida 4-7 10-3 +6 Email: [email protected] • Syracuse, Florida and Baylor were the only Power-Five Baylor 1-11 7-6 +6 programs to win six more games than they did in 2017. • During the Orange's 129-season footbal history, the only Most Games Improved (2017 to 2018) similar one turnarounds occurred from 1889 to 1890 and from 1986 to 1987. A er losing at Rochester 36-0 in the only Rk. School 2017 2018 Improv. 1. Ga. Southern 2-10 10-3 +7.5 Execu ve Sr. Associate AD/ game of their 1889 inaugural season, the Orange rebounded 2. Cincinna 4-8 11-2 +6.5 Communica ons to post a 7-4 record for head coach Bobby Winston in 1890. 3. Syracuse 4-8 10-3 +5.5 Sue Edson During Syracuse's magical 1987 season, Syracuse was 11-0-1 Baylor 1-11 7-6 +5.5 Email: [email protected] and led the NCAA in games improved (6) following a 5-6 campaign in 1986. To determine games improved, add the Cell: (315) 952-4787 diff erence in wins between the two seasons to the diff erence in losses, then divide by two. DOME-INATION ACC COMMUNICATIONS • Syracuse's 54-23 win over Louisville on Nov. 9 capped a 4512 Weybridge Lane, Greensboro, NC 27407 perfect (6-0) home season for the Orange. It's the fourth me since the Carrier Dome was constructed in Offi ce: 336-854-8787 | Web: theACC.com 1980 that the team went unbeaten at home. • The three previous unbeaten Dome seasons (all 6-0) were in 1987, 1988 and 2001. Amy Yakola, Chief of External Aff airs • Syracuse is 145-90-2 all- me in the Carrier Dome, including a 12-7 mark in the building under head coach Kevin Best, Sr. Assoc. Commissioner (Football) Dino Babers. Email: [email protected] • During 2018, the Orange outscored their opponents at home, 288-139. They averaged 220.8 yards rushing Brian Morrison, Commissioner compared to 121.8 for their foes, and racked up 526.3 total yards per game to the opposi on's 396.2.