Syracuse Football: Throwback to 1987 when Orange defeated Missouri

We open the vault to the Orange’s special 1987 season, when Syracuse football took on the Missouri Tigers and eyed a 5-0 start to that campaign.

On October 3rd, 1987, the Syracuse football team took on the Missouri Tigers, as the Orange were looking to go 5-0 after getting a 35-21 win against Virginia Tech the previous week.

This Orange team was being led by head coach Dick MacPherson and quarterback Don McPherson, who was having a season to remember up to this point.

PAST

The Orange would get a dominating win over the Missouri Tigers in a 24-13 win in Missouri. They would force five turnovers and would finish with five sacks on Tigers starting quarterback John Stollenwerck. The combination of Don McPherson and Rob Moore would connect on a 71-yard touchdown pass and Robert Drummond would score a one-yard rushing touchdown to secure the win for the Orange.

This win would add to the Syracuse football season as they would go 11-0-1 on the season, with the only tie coming in the 1987 Sugar Bowl when they would tie with the Auburn Tigers, 16-16. McPherson would finish second in the Heisman voting and would be selected in the 6th round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

FUTURE

The 2022 Syracuse football team is currently sitting at 5-0 for the first time in 35 years. This team is being led by head coach Dino Babers, quarterback Garrett Shrader, and running back Sean Tucker. The Orange would defeat the Louisville Cardinals, Connecticut Huskies, Purdue Boilermakers, Virginia Cavaliers, and Wager Seahawks.

The Orange is currently on the brink of a bowl game, with the next few games going up against three ranked teams (#14 NC State, #5 Clemson, and #15 Wake Forest). As they continue their ACC schedule for the remainder of the season, many Orange fans are wondering the same question. Can Syracuse football pull off the upsets and make it to a bowl game this year?

We will have to wait and see, as the Orange continue their schedule against #14 NC State at home on October 15th at 3:30 pm eastern time at the JMA Wireless Dome.