1985 Syracuse Orangemen football team

1985 Syracuse Orangemen football
Cherry Bowl, L 18–35 vs. Maryland
ConferenceIndependent
Record7–5
Head coach
CaptainTim Green, Rudy Reed[1]
Home stadiumCarrier Dome
Seasons
← 1984
1986 →
1985 Major eastern college football independents records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Penn State $ 6 0 0 11 1 0
West Virginia 4 1 1 7 3 1
Syracuse 4 2 0 7 5 0
Boston College 3 3 0 4 8 0
Pittsburgh 2 3 1 5 5 1
Temple 1 5 0 4 7 0
Rutgers 0 6 0 2 8 1
Rankings from AP Poll
1985 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Penn State       11 1 0
No. 9 Miami (FL)       10 2 0
Army       9 3 0
No. 15 Florida State       9 3 0
West Virginia       7 3 1
Southern Miss       7 4 0
Syracuse       7 5 0
Virginia Tech       6 5 0
Pittsburgh       5 5 1
Cincinnati       5 6 0
Notre Dame       5 6 0
South Carolina       5 6 0
Southwestern Louisiana       4 7 0
Navy       4 7 0
Temple       4 7 0
Boston College       4 8 0
Memphis State       2 7 2
Rutgers       2 8 1
East Carolina       2 9 0
Louisville       2 9 0
Tulane       1 10 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1985 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University an independent during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fifth-year head coach Dick MacPherson, the Orangemen compiled a record of 7–5 and lost in the Cherry Bowl to Maryland. Syracuse played home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York.

Notable players included Tim Green, who earned unanimous All-American honors at defensive tackle and was a finalist for the Lombardi Award. Green was drafted 17th overall in the 1986 NFL draft, ending his career at Syracuse as the school's all-time leader in sacks with 45.5, a record that he still owns.[2]

Schedule

[edit]
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 14at Mississippi StateL 3–3026,832[3]
September 21Kent StateW 34–029,822
September 28at Virginia TechL 14–2433,400[4]
October 5Louisville
  • Carrier Dome
  • Syracuse, NY
W 48–026,922
October 19No. 6 Penn State
L 20–2450,021
October 26Temple
  • Carrier Dome
  • Syracuse, NY
W 29–1445,391
November 2at PittsburghW 12–025,500
November 9at NavyW 24–2025,049
November 16Boston College
  • Carrier Dome
  • Syracuse, NY (rivalry)
W 41–2145,790
November 23at RutgersW 31–1419,685
November 30West Virginia
L 10–1333,431[5]
December 21vs. No. 20 MarylandL 18–3551,858[6]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[7][1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b 2017 Syracuse football media guide. pg. 150
  2. ^ 2017 Syracuse football media guide. pg. 121.
  3. ^ "Mississippi St. routs SU, 30–3". Democrat and Chronicle. September 15, 1985. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Granted a second chance, Virginia Tech wins 24–14". The Courier-Journal. September 29, 1985. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Late drive cuts down Syracuse". Democrat and Chronicle. December 1, 1985. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Terps' Cherry Bowl fruitful". Detroit Free Press. December 22, 1985. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "1985 Syracuse Orange Schedule and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 24, 2018.