Syracuse Defeats Villanova in Philadelphia

On Monday night the #17/20 Syracuse Orangemen basketball team overcame the #14/15 Villanova Wildcats, a trio of incompetent officials and both Corey's for a tremendous 69-64 Big East victory.

Rick Jackson, playing his final game in Philadelphia in a Syracuse uniform, led the Cuse with 18 points 5 rebounds and 4 blocks. His high school teammate Scoop Jardine had one of his better shooting performances in recent memory, going 7 of 11 from the field (2 of 3 from 3-point range) to finish with a team high 20 points. Scoop also committed 5 turnovers, however tried to overcome that mark with 6 assists.

In one of the worst officiating displays of the season, the Orangemen were whistled for two lane violations on back to back free throw misses by Isaiah Armwood. As if that wasn't bizarre enough, the seemingly most mild mannered player on the SU basketball team, Baye Moussa Keita, was called for a technical foul after merely looking confused by the official's shockingly overzealous call.

The Orangemen's first half lead went from seven points to just two points with just 9 seconds coming off the game clock.

Another scary moment came in the first half when C.J. Fair rolled his ankle about 6 minutes into the game. Fair was helped off the floor and went directly into the locker room. Fans feared he may have re-injured the same ankle which kept him out of three games in late December. Thankfully, Fair returned to the court less than four minutes later. He went on to play 30 minutes however he did not record a single rebound, the first time that's happened since January 8th in Seton Hall when he was limited to just 8 minutes of action.

In the second half, Scoop Jardine made some big plays down the stretch and a couple of successful trips to the foul line by Dion Waiters and Rick Jackson in the games final seconds sealed the victory for the Orangemen.

The win for Syracuse was their 6th win of the season over a ranked opponent. Only Texas has as many wins over ranked squads as the Cuse. It also guarantees the Orangemen a winning conference record this season as they improve to 10-6 in Big East play, 23-6 overall.

There are just two games remaining on Syracuse's schedule, a trip to Georgetown on Saturday followed by a full week of rest before hosting DePaul in the regular season finale. And then the fun begins. A trip down to New York City to play in the Big East tournament.

The top 8 teams in the Big East get a 1 game bye, and the top 4 teams receive a double-bye. A win against Georgetown on Saturday will go a long way towards helping Syracuse earn that double-bye.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse and Villanova: We Meet Again

It's rematch time. Back on January 22nd Syracuse, then ranked #3 in the nation and sporting an 18-1 record hosted then #7 Villanova who came into the Dome with a 16-2 overall record. Syracuse would suffer their 2nd straight loss that afternoon, falling 83-72 in front of 33,736 fans, including yours truly.

Fast forward to today, Syracuse is currently ranked #17/20 in the nation and Villanova is clinging to a #14/15 spot in the polls (note: the new rankings have yet to be released at the time of this publication). Nova is coming off a nail biting victory at Depaul on Saturday, where we saw the Wildcats and Blue Demons head to overtime before Villanova pulled out a 77-75 victory over the Big East doormat. The Wildcats are currently 21-6 on the year, 9-5 in Big East play.

Syracuse is coming off an equally frustrating win against another one of the weaker Big East opponents. The Orangemen survived going to overtime with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (who entered the Dome with a 4-9 Big East conference record) and emerged victorious 84-80 behind strong games by Kris Joseph, Rick Jackson and C.J. Fair.

The last time these two teams met James Southerland and Dion Waiters received extended minutes, minutes that we have seen go to C.J. Fair recently. And he has not disappointed. Fair scored 17 points and pulled down 8 rebounds against Rutgers on Saturday while playing 37 of a possible 45 minutes. Fair is averaging 12 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over his last four contests.

For the Wildcats, senior guard Corey Stokes has sat out the last three games with a big toe injury. Stokes is averaging 14.6 points per game and shoots 41.5% from behind the 3-point line. With Syracuse looking extremely vulnerable from 3-point range lately, it would be a tremendous loss for Nova to play without Stokes tonight at the Pavilion.

This is a tremendous game for the Big East standings as well as the seeding for the Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden. Syracuse has three games remaining and are currently in a log jam of teams jockeying for seeds 3 and 4 in the Big East. There are four Big East teams with 9 wins (Nova, Louisville, St. Johns and Syracuse) and three with 8 wins (Cincinnati, Connecticut and West Virginia). Throw in Notre Dame at 10-4 and Georgetown at 10-5 and the top tier of the Big East standings are still very much in reach for both Nova and Cuse, who have both struggled lately.

Be sure to check back in with The Cuse Connection following the game for complete recap and analysis from the game. Also be sure to follow us on twitter @CuseConnection for live, in game reaction and commentary throughout the course of the game. Tonight's game is at 7:00PM and will be broadcast live on ESPN.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Villanova Unleashes 3-Point Clinic on Syracuse

When Rick Jackson misses an uncontested monster slam in the first five minutes of a game, it can't be a good sign for the Syracuse Orangemen. Jackson was able to recover and score 16 points along with 15 rebounds, however the Cuse could not keep up the pace with which Villanova was knocking down 3-pointers. Nova made 11 of 24 3-point shots (8 in the first half) and knocked off the Syracuse Orangemen 83-72 in the Carrier Dome in front of a crowd of 33,736, the second largest on campus crowd in NCAA history.

While the officiating at times was extremely stressful, the loss should fall squarely on the shoulders of Scoop Jardine and Dion Waiters, two Philadelphia born Syracuse guards. Waiters shot 2 of 12 from the field (1 of 7 from 3) and Scoop Jardine was 1 for 8 from the floor (0-3 from beyond the arc). Jardine was only credited with two turnovers however he was the culprit in many more failed offensive drives. Jardine finished with just 2 points and 3 assists. Waiters had six points 5 assists and 2 steals for the Cuse, slightly better than Jardine's numbers but not enough to get it done.

Apparently Villanova had a very clear recollection from the devastating defeat in the Dome last season, because they came out shooting unconsciously from long distance, particularly Maalik Wayns, who scored 17 first half points on his way to a 21 point game. Both Coreys (Fisher and Stokes) finished with 16 points and Nova shot 22 of 24 (91.7%) from the foul line. Villanova came into the Carrier Dome like they had something to prove, something to avenge, and they left with a very important Big East victory.

Down 10 points with 4 minutes to play, Syracuse was able to narrow the deficit to a mere 4 points with 2:37 on the clock, however Villanova's foul shooting was the difference down the stretch.

Down 8 points with 3:07 left on the clock Rick Jackson got absolutely bear hugged by Maurice Sutton, but the officials must have been gazing at the large number of Syracuse fans in attendance because no foul was called. Seconds after Syracuse cut the lead to 4 points however, Kris Joseph was called for a foul for breathing heavily on a Nova player which sent them to the line for a 1-and-1.

Down six and gaining momentum, Syracuse appeared to force Nova into a 5-second violation on the inbound, however after six or seven seconds elapsed Nova's bench was granted a time out as the officials said Jay Wright was calling for it prior to the 5-second violation. Coming out of the time out Dion Waiters barely brushed against a Nova player and the Wildcats were back on the line for 2 more points. But as I said, we are not going to blame the officials for this loss. Just pointing out the obvious.

The loss brings Syracuse to a still extremely impressive 18-2 record overall, 5-2 in the Big East. Villanova grabs a leg up on the Orangemen with the win, improving to 17-2 record and a 5-1 Big East Record. Syracuse will move on and play Seton Hall on Tuesday at 7PM on the home of the Big East Network: SNY.

Not that this is at all related to the outcome of the game, but I'd be upset with myself if I didn't bring this up. It was unfortunate we all had to see the fan with the "Syracuse is Good" sign in the student section. You're paying a tremendous amount of money for a college education, certainly you have the capacity to come up with a more clever sign. It was neither ironic nor amusing.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Orangemen Look to get Back on Track against Villanova

After losing their first game of the season on Big Monday in Pittsburgh, the #3 Syracuse Orangemen look to rebound on Saturday in the Carrier Dome at 12 noon against the #7 Villanova Wildcats. Villanova is also coming off a loss on Monday, their second of the season, when Kemba Walker knocked down a mid-range runner at the buzzer to give #8 UCONN a 2-point victory in Storrs, CT.

Ticket sales at the Carrier Dome have nearly equaled last year's NCAA on campus attendance record, with over 33,000 tickets sold as of Wednesday afternoon. Last season's match up, which Syracuse won 95-77, had 34,616 orange-clad fans. At that time, Syracuse was ranked #4 and Villanova was ranked #7. This year Villanova comes to the Carrier Dome sporting a 16-2 overall record, 4-1 in the Big East.

There are a lot of familiar faces on this year's Wildcat squad, most notably the Coreys. Corey Fisher (6'1" 185 pounds) is leading Villanova in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game and Corey Stokes (6'5" 195 pounds) is right behind him with 15.8 points per contest. Against UCONN on Monday Fisher scored a season high 28 points and has been shooting 32.1% from behind the 3-point line on the year.

Corey Stokes, who was cited for public urination 2 days before the game in the Carrier Dome last year, has yet to be caught pissing outside this season and has shot 43.8% from beyond the arc on the year. Stokes struggled in the game against UCONN going 0 for 6 from the floor in 38 minutes and made just 4 of 14 shots the game before that against Maryland. Stokes has made just 16 of his last 42 shots over the past five games (38%).

Sophomore Maalik Wayns (6'2" 185 pounds) out of Philadelphia, PA is averaging 13.5 points and 5.3 assists per game for the Wildcats. Wayns posted a season high 22 points against Maryland on January 15th and is averaging 15.3 points over his last 7 games. Also a sophomore Mouphtaou Yarou (6'10" 250 pounds) is leading the Wildcats in rebounding with an average of 7.8 per game along with 8.7 points. Yarou scored a season high 18 points against Louisville on January 12th while shooting 8 of 12 from the field and pulling down 11 rebounds. As a team, the Wildcats average 39.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 29th best in the nation.

The Syracuse Orangemen (18-1, 5-1 Big East) are hoping to have leading scorer Kris Joseph back after he missed Monday's Pittsburgh game with a concussion. Word around campus is that Kris Joseph is feeling much, much better and Orangemen fans everywhere are hoping to see him in uniform and on the court for Saturday's marquee match up.

After showing signs of life against Cincinnati, Fab Melo relapsed into his old self on Monday against Pittsburgh. Melo played just 2 minutes, the first 2 minutes of the game, and missed his only field goal attempt while grabbing zero rebounds. Baye Moussa Keita didn't do any better, playing six minutes while not putting up a single statistic.

Tip off for the #3 Syracuse against #7 Villanova Wildcats will be at 12 o'clock and the game will be televised live on ESPN. For those fans who are unable to make the game, be sure to follow @CuseConnection on twitter to catch all the updates as we tweet live from Marshall St. starting on Friday night and then live from the Carrier Dome for the Big East showdown beginning early Saturday morning.

photo courtesy of syracuse.com

Syracuse v. Villanova: Bring Your A-Game

With ticket sales for Saturday's showdown between #3 Syracuse and #7 Villanova already past 33,000 fans, one has to wonder how we got here without the obligatory "Beat the Record" t-shirts and banners.

In years past when Syracuse set out to break attendance records there were always t-shirts, bumper stickers, towels, internet marketing campaigns and so on. This year Orangemen fans must have been forced to rely on word of mouth. The closest thing to a "Beat the Record" t-shirt is the "Beat Nova II" t-shirt that has been floating around the internets. As if this was only the second meeting in school history.

In fact, this is the 66th time the two schools have met on the hardwood, with Syracuse holding the edge, 35-30. While Syracuse University hasn't instructed us fans to break the on campus attendance record, with three days to go and less than 2,000 tickets to sell, it feels like it's inevitable.

The only thing this game is missing is an official declaration of an "Orange Out." Which leads me to my next point: WEAR ORANGE TO THE GAME. If you are going to this game, or any game for that matter, be sure to wear Orange. You don't need the athletic department to tell you what color to wear do you?

Well, incase you do, take it from me. Leave your blues, your whites, and especially your grays in your closet (or drawer), take out your trusty orange colored clothing and be sure to represent the right way on Saturday.

Another difference from last year's game is that this game is at 12 noon while last year's game tipped off at a pre-game friendly 9:00PM. That's a nine hour difference. Last year's crowd was on its feet and on the sauce. There were "let's go orange" chants from start to finish. Crowd noise was at a level not heard since Carmelo Anthony put the Cuse on his back.

This year, Syracuse fans will have to go the extra mile. It's easy to pre-game your heart out for a 9PM start. True champions are made in the trenches though. Being a fan isn't all fun and games. Sometimes you have to sacrifice. For a Big East matchup like this, it's important that we as fans replicate the atmosphere last year that ran the Wildcats out of the Carrier Dome.

If that means waking up at 7AM so you can get your tailgate started by 8:30AM, then so be it. The Orangemen have had a history of slow starts at noon tip-offs, and Syracuse can not afford to have one Saturday. In all likelihood, there are going to be over 34,000 fans in the Dome, and it better sound like it!

We're not going to the Dome on Saturday to take a nap or eat a relaxing brunch. We are not going to the Carrier Dome and setting attendance records to merely say "we were there." Students are not sleeping outside the Dome for 5 days in freezing cold temperatures to be seen on TV (hopefully).

So when we do arrive to the Carrier Dome Saturday and find our seats just before tip off, remember we are there to cheer as loud as humanly possible. If you are going to the game to enjoy some peace and quiet, you've gone to the wrong place.

PINSTRIPE BOWL CHAMPIONS!!

It was an adventure just getting all of the Syracuse Orangemen athletes into New York City, but in the end it was all worth it. Doug Marrone, in just his second year as head coach of his alma mater, delivers the Syracuse University Orangemen their first Bowl game victory since 2001. Behind 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns by senior and game MVP Delone Carter and an unbelievable 172 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns by junior Marcus Sales, Syracuse knocked off the Kansas State Wildcats 36-34 in Yankee Stadium in front of 38,274 fans. Ironically, Syracuse's previous bowl win was also against the Kansas State Wildcats in the Insight.com Bowl.

On just the third play from scrimmage Daniel Thomas took a hand off 51 yards to the end-zone to put the Wildcats up 7-0 just nineteen seconds into the game. It appeared as if Syracuse wasn't fully prepared to start the game, which was peculiar since they won the coin toss and opted to defer possession until the second half.

After Syracuse's offense went three and out, Ryan Lichtenstein got his first chance to punt in place of Rob Long, who is recovering from surgery. Kansas State took the punt back to the house to seemingly give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead and an absolute tremendous edge in momentum. However, a block in the back foul was called on the return team and Kansas State took the ball on the 28 yard line with the score remaining 7-0. It was a tremendous moment in the game for the Orangemen.

Two possessions later for the Cuse, Doug Marrone opened up the playbook. After a 24 yard scamper by Delone Carter brought Syracuse to the 48 yard line, Marrone called for the flee flicker. Ryan Nassib unloaded an absolute bomb to Marcus Sales which was right on the money. Sales caught the pass in stride 52 yards down field for a huge touch down and momentum-changing score for Syracuse, tying the game at 7-7. The Orange fans in attendance were sent into absolute pandemonium at Yankee Stadium, and they would not settle down for the remainder of the game.

About eight minutes later in the 2nd quarter Ryan Nassib would hook up with Marcus Sales again, this time for 36 yard touchdown pass, giving the Orangemen their first lead of the ballgame, 14-7. Marcus Sales, who had 1 touchdown catch all season (the difference-maker in West Virginia), now had two touchdown catches in the Pinstripe Bowl, and he wasn't done yet.

Kansas State would score on a 10-yard rush by Daniel Thomas with 1:51 to go in the first half to knot the score at 14-14. The score, the second of the game for Daniel Thomas, set the stage for the most exciting half of football Syracuse has played all season.

The second half would be an absolute shoot out. Syracuse took the opening kickoff of the second half and pounded the ball on the ground seven straight times against the 4th worst rushing defense in the country. Delone Carter rushed 47 yards on the drive, and Antwon Bailey chipped in a 13-yard carry to help bring the Orangemen down to the KState 7 yard line. Carter bounced into the end-zone on a 7 yard run to give Syracuse a 21-14 lead.

Kansas State responded to tie the score at 21 on their next drive, a 10-yard touchdown pass to Chris Harper, who had a terrific day in the Pinstripe bowl. He made numerous difficult catches, many of them drive extenders, to finish the day with 56 yards on 5 catches and 1 touchdown.

Delone Carter would find the end-zone again with just 2:11 left in the 3rd quarter. It was a balanced drive, featuring 37 passing yards by Nassib to three different receivers and 35 rushing yards by Delone Carter, including a 15 yard touchdown run to give the Orangemen the lead again, 27-21. With the fourth quarter looming, there was a bad snap on the extra point which Charley Loeb (filling in for Rob Long) barely got down. Ross Krautman did the unthinkable, and missed his first extra point of the season, leaving the Orangemen up just 6 points.

Kansas State answered the drive with a trick play of their own. Daniel Thomas took a direct snap and found his quarterback Carson Coffman down field for a 29 yard completion down to the Syracuse 16 yard line. The Wildcats would go for it on 4th down twice, including the final play of the drive, a 1 yard touchdown run for Daniel Thomas, his third of the ballgame. They would not miss their extra point try, and now KState was up 28-27 with 11:03 left on the game-clock.

In true shootout fashion, 3:08 later Ryan Nassib again threw an absolute bomb up into the Bronx sky. Running free was Marcus Sales, and the two hooked up for their third touchdown on the night, Sales' fourth on the year. This one to the tune of a 44 yard touchdown blast to put the Orangemen back up top 33-28. Syracuse would miss the two point conversion, and their lead would remain just five points.

Kansas State's ensuing drive would be the first time an offense was held without a touchdown in the second half. The Wildcats had been pushing the envelope all night on 4th down, and this drive would be no different. After a quick drive which began at their own 43 yard line, Coffman hit Aubrey Quarles for a 41 yard gain to the Syracuse 16 yard line. The Orangemen defense finally held, and the Wildcats lined up for a field goal try, down 5 points, with 5:09 left to play.

Syracuse, who was not fazed by the lineup, did not all out attempt to block the ball, and instead stayed home protecting the tackle box. Freshman linebacker Marquis Spruill was the first snuff out the fake, and the Wildcat's futile effort to fake field-goal run into the end-zone was thwarted, as the Orangemen clung to their 5 point lead.

On the very next play, Delone Carter exploded out of the gates for a 60 yard gain down to the KState 26 yard line. The rush set up a 39 yard Ross Krautman field goal, who has been money all season long, and pushed Syracuse's lead to 8 points with 3:13 on the clock. 36-28 Orangemen.

What happened next will be remembered by Wildcat fans in Kansas for as long as the victory will be remembered in Syracuse. With 1:24 on the game-clock and Kansas State driving, Coffman found Adrian Hilburn for a 30 yard touchdown pass to put the Wildcats down just 36-34 with a two-point conversion looming. Hilburn, who clearly has some military appreciation, opted to take the time to salute the crowd, and immediately two officials threw the yellow flag for excessive celebration. Fifteen yard penalty which will be added to the 2-point try. Instead of attempting the 2-pointer from the 3-yard line the Wildcats were lining up at the 18-yard line.

The two point conversion failed as did Kansas State's onside kick attempt, which was touched by a KState player before the ball went 10-yards, and Syracuse retained possession. A couple kneel downs later and with 00:00 showing on the game-clock, the Syracuse Orangemen were 2010 Pinstripe Bowl Champions!

Many KState fans will cite the excessive celebration penalty for years to come. As Syracuse fans

that's really not our concern. It's not a given that the Wildcats punch in the two-point conversion from the 3-yard line, and had KState kicked the field goal with 5 minutes on the clock to cut Syracuse's 5 point lead to 2, they would have won the game on that late touchdown rather than attempting a 2-point conversion to tie it.

After giving up a 51 yard touchdown run on the third play from scrimmage to Kansas State star running back Daniel Thomas, Syracuse's defense put the clamps on the big back. Although he did scamper for two more touchdowns to give him 3 total on the day, he was held to just 90 total yards in the game. That's a mere 39 yards on 21 carries the rest of the game after his first carry of the game, which comes out to 1.8 yards per attempt. A tremendous job by Syracuse's rushing defense.

Doug Marrone, the kid from the Bronx. The kid who's grandfather was an usher at the true Yankee Stadium for 20 years. The kid who went to Syracuse University, and then to the NFL, and then returned as head coach at his school's darkest hour. Doug Marrone has taken the first step towards national respectability, and after five years of humiliation at the hands of Greg Robinson, Syracuse Orangemen football fans can kick-back, put their feet up, and bask in the warmth of an 8-5 season and a 2010 New Era Pinstripe Bowl Championship.

PINSTRIPE BOWL PREVIEW!!

Way back on December 2nd it was announced that the Syracuse Orangemen were accepting an invitation to play in the inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York City. The news sent Orange Nation into a frenzy, as fans scrambled to purchase tickets, talk trash to their friends, and make travel plans to the big city.

Along the way, 20" of snow fell in Manhattan and brought much of the city to a stand still. Airports were shut down and literally thousands of flights were cancelled. Trains stopped running. Subways were frozen. Buses were stuck in tremendous snow drifts.

While 20" of snow in Syracuse, NY is a walk in the park, in New York City, people panic. The Syracuse University football team was schedule to arrive in the Big Apple on Sunday night. Unfortunately, that's when the storm was at its peak, and many players were stuck in airports around the country. Only twenty or so athletes were in Manhattan as of Monday morning.

Senior Mike Holmes took off from Jacksonville, Fl. en route to NYC when his flight had to land in Charlotte, NC due to the winter storm in New York. Holmes and an SU graduate assistant then rented a car and drove 12-hours to New York City, arriving around 5:00AM monday morning.

Delone Carter's , Syracuse's senior running back, flight from Akron, OH to New York was cancelled and he was told that he may not be able to fly out until Tuesday. So, on Monday, Carter boarded a bus at 12 noon, and arrived in NYC 2:30AM on Tuesday. Just a 12.5 hour bus ride!

Kansas State's football team, on the other hand, flew to NYC as a group and arrived at their hotel as a team and on time. They did not have to deal with the hassle of getting everyone to one location from all across the country during the worst snow storm of the season as the Orangemen did.

Turning our focus to the game, Syracuse fans are going to be witnessing their first bowl game since the 2004 season. That year Syracuse finished 6-5 in their last season under Paul Pasqualoni, and went to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Let's just say Syracuse did not win that game.

Syracuse has faced the Kansas State Wildcats twice in team history, both times in post-season bowl games. The first meeting was the 1997 Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. K-State took that game 35-18, however Syracuse would take the 2nd match up in 2001 at the Insight.com Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. Syracuse defeated the Wildcats 26-3 on that fateful day, which means that the 2010 New Era Pinstripe Bowl will be the rubber match.

Kansas State's biggest weapon is Daniel Thomas, a 6'2" 228 pound running back out of HIlliard, Florida. The senior rushed for 1,495 yards this season and 16 touchdowns, breaking the 100 yard plateau seven times in twelve games, and rushing for over 200 yards twice. In the final game of the regular season, Thomas rushed for 269 yards and 2 TDs on the road against North Texas. For Syracuse's 39th best rushing defense in the nation (that is playing without starters Max Suter and Andrew Lewis), stopping Daniel Thomas will be a difficult but necessary challenge to be victorious on this day.

At the quarterback spot Carson Coffman, a senior out of Peculiar, MO (6'3" 211 pounds) will be taking the majority of the snaps. This season Coffman's completed 154 of 240 (64.2%) passing attempts for 1,832 yards and 12 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. Coffman's best game of the season came back on September 11th when he threw for 280 yards and 3 touchdowns against Missouri State. Coffman also ran for a season high 45 yards against Nebraska back on October 7th.

Also playing quarterback is sophomore Collin Klein, who is expected to see action in the Pinstripe Bowl. While Klein (6'5" 233 pounds) out of Loveland, Colorado has only thrown 1 touchdown pass this season and 138 yards on 18 passing attempts, he is the 2nd leading rusher on the team behind Daniel Thomas. Klein has rushed for 430 yards on 75 attempts, for six touchdowns. Rutgers used the wildcat formation effectively against the Orangemen, something you can bet K-State's coaches are aware of.

On the receiving end, Aubrey Quarles (5'11" 202 pounds) is leading the Wildcats with 47 catches for 685 yards and five touchdowns. Chris Harper (6'1" 234 pounds) has 20 catches for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns. Daniel Thomas has the 3rd most receptions on the team (26) for 163 yards. The Orangemen have the 6th best passing defense in the nation, only allowing 157.58 yards per game this season. With the Wildcat's limited passing attack, attention must be paid to the ground game.

For the Orangemen on offense, Ryan Nassib will be leading the team out of the huddle. Nassib has thrown for 2,095 yards on 189 of 337 passing attempts. He has thrown for 16 touchdowns and 8 interceptions this season, and has a quarterback rating of 119.2. Kansas State boasts the 48th ranked passing defense in the nation, so there's a chance Nassib will be able to exploit their secondary for some big chunks of yardage as the Wildcats allow 212.25 yards per game on average through the air.

Syracuse's receiving group, which was banged up at the end of the season and thus much less ineffective, has had the benefit of having the past month off to rest and recover. Van Chew has pulled down 41 catches for 611 yards and 5 touchdowns to lead the Orangemen this season. Second is Alec Lemon who has 30 catches for 377 yards and 4 scores.

Marcus Sales emerged as a great pass catching option. After not factoring in the offense at all for the first 9 games of the season, Sales has lead the team in receiving yardage the final three games of the season. Sales finished the regular season with 21 catches for 242 yards and 1 score.

Nick Provo, tight end, has also been a reliable target for Ryan Nassib, grabbing 32 catches for 356 yards and 1 touchdown. Antwon Bailey has been another trusty target for Ryan Nassib, grabbing 32 catches of his own for 277 yards and 3 scores out of the backfield.

On the ground, its all Delone Carter all day. Carter has rushed for 1,035 yards on 204 carries, his second consecutive 1,000 yard season, and 7 touchdowns. Carter left the final regular season game against Louisville with an undisclosed injury, however he is expected to be 100% come game time. Delone Carter has 2,906 yards in his Syracuse career, ranking him 4th All-Time and just 28 yards behind #3 leading rusher Larry Csonka.

Complimenting Carter is Antown Bailey. Bailey has rushed for 504 yards on 107 carries and 2 touchdowns to go along with his 32 catches for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns. That gives Bailey 781 all-purpose yards and 6 total touchdowns in 2010. Kansas State's rushing defense ranks 117th in the nation, and that is no typo. They give up 229.1 yards per game on average on the ground, and are quite literally the 4th worst rushing defense in the FBS. Hopefully Carter and Bailey are ready to feast on them, as Syracuse loves to pound the running game and play smash-mouth football.

Kickoff for the Pinstripe Bowl is at 3:20PM on Thursday at Yankee Stadium, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN. Be sure to follow @CuseConnection on twitter, as we will be tweeting live all day from our Manhattan Pre-Game party and will be at Yankee Stadium for kickoff. Be sure to check back with The Cuse Connection for post game recap and analysis!