2016 Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh football game

2016 Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh football game
Conference game
Syracuse Orange Pittsburgh Panthers (4–7) (7–4) 61 76 Head coach:  Dino Babers Head coach:  Pat Narduzzi
1 2 3 4 Total Syracuse 14 7 13 27 61 Pittsburgh 14 21 21 20 76
Date	November 26, 2016
Season	2016
Stadium	Heinz Field
Location	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referee	Jeff Heaser [1]
Attendance	34,049 [1]

The 2016 Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh football game was a regular-season college football game between the Syracuse Orange and the Pittsburgh Panthers, played on November 26, 2016, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game held the record ^[2] for the most combined points scored in an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) regulation game ^[a] with 137 total points, ^[3] breaking the previous record (136 points, set in a 2007 game played between Navy and North Texas) by a single point. ^[4] The record was broken on November 5, 2022 when the SMU Mustangs defeated the Houston Cougars 77–63 for a combined 140 points. ^[5]

Before the game

Syracuse

With first-year head coach Dino Babers in command, the Syracuse Orange entered their final game of 2016 with a record of 4–7, 2–5 in ACC play. ^[6] The Orange had experienced ups and downs throughout the 2016 season, with peaks including wins against seventeenth-ranked Virginia Tech and rival Boston College a week later. However, the lows of the season tended to outweigh the highs, as the Orange defense had allowed at least 20 points in all but two games, and the team had suffered blowout losses at the hands of nationally ranked Louisville (No. 13), Clemson (No. 3), and Florida State (No. 17). The aforementioned loss to Florida State was Syracuse's seventh of the season, which put a bowl game out of reach coming into their final game. ^[7]

Pittsburgh

Under second-year head coach Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh entered this game 7–4, 4–3 in ACC play, having clinched a bowl game berth the week prior. ^[8] The Panthers entered their final regular-season with a few very impressive wins on their schedule, namely an early-season win against eventual Big Ten champions Penn State and a road win against eventual national champions Clemson. These two victories proved to be the only two against ranked opponents, however, as they lost at home to No. 25 Virginia Tech on October 27. The Panthers offense had been doing its job throughout the 2016 season, scoring no less than 28 points in each of their previous 11 contests.

Rivalry series

Main article: Pittsburgh–Syracuse football rivalry

Coming into the game, the Pitt–Syracuse series stood 37–31 in favor of Pitt, with three ties; previously, the highest-scoring meeting in the series was a 45–28 Syracuse win in 1998, totaling 73 points. Pittsburgh had won the last three matchups; furthermore, Syracuse's last victory in Pittsburgh against the Panthers came in 2001, as their two victories in the series since then had come in Syracuse.

Game summary

Game information

Game Time	Weather
Kickoff: 12:31 p.m. EST End of Game: 4:14 p.m. EST Duration: 3 hours, 43 minutes	Temperature:38 °F (3 °C) Wind: W 13 mph Weather: Cloudy with showers
Game officials
J. Heaser (referee), M. Wilson (umpire), T. Lynch (linesman), D. Short (line judge) D. Bell (back judge), C. Clougherty (field judge), G. Hocker (side judge)
Sources: [1] [9]

Scoring summary

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP CUSE PITT 1 7:42 7 45 2:13 CUSE Zach Mahoney 2-yard touchdown run, Cole Murphy kick good 7 0 1 6:29 3 65 1:13 PITT Jester Weah 59-yard touchdown reception from Nathan Peterman, Chris Blewitt kick good 7 7 1 3:35 1 35 0:08 PITT James Conner 35-yard touchdown reception from Nathan Peterman, Chris Blewitt kick good 7 14 1 0:28 10 74 3:07 CUSE Dontae Strickland 5-yard touchdown run, Cole Murphy kick good 14 14 2 10:36 10 65 4:52 PITT George Aston 6-yard touchdown run, Chris Blewitt kick good 14 21 2 6:57 4 69 1:40 PITT James Conner 9-yard touchdown run, Chris Blewitt kick good 14 28 2 1:36 14 68 5:21 CUSE Amba Etta-Tawo 5-yard touchdown reception from Zack Mahoney, Cole Murphy kick good 21 28 2 0:10 8 64 1:26 PITT Nathan Peterman 13-yard touchdown run, Chris Blewitt kick good 21 35 3 11:37 PITT Interception returned 20 yards for touchdown by Dane Jackson, Chris Blewitt kick good 21 42 3 8:59 1 66 0:11 PITT Quadree Henderson 66-yard touchdown run, Chris Blewitt kick good 21 49 3 7:54 4 85 1:05 CUSE Moe Neal 42-yard touchdown run, Cole Murphy kick no good (blocked) 27 49 3 7:30 1 77 0:24 PITT Maurice Ffrench 77-yard touchdown run, Chris Blewitt kick good 27 56 3 1:53 6 45 2:03 CUSE Amba Etta-Tawo 12-yard touchdown reception from Zack Mahoney, Cole Murphy kick good 34 56 4 11:16 7 63 2:11 CUSE Zack Mahoney 19-yard touchdown run, Cole Murphy kick good 41 56 4 9:33 3 78 1:43 PITT Dontez Ford 79-yard touchdown reception from Nathan Peterman, Chris Blewitt kick good 41 63 4 7:21 7 65 2:12 CUSE Amba Etta-Tawo 7-yard touchdown reception from Zack Mahoney, Cole Murphy kick good 48 63 4 5:06 5 44 2:15 PITT Jester Weah 6-yard touchdown reception from Nathan Peterman, Chris Blewitt kick good 48 70 4 3:47 5 69 1:19 CUSE Amba Etta-Tawo 49-yard touchdown reception from Zack Mahoney, Cole Murphy kick good 55 70 4 3:15 2 43 0:32 PITT James Conner 1-yard touchdown run, Chris Blewitt kick no good 55 76 4 0:58 10 77 2:17 CUSE Amba Etta-Tawo 13-yard touchdown reception from Zack Mahoney, Cole Murphy kick no good 61 76 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 61 76

Game statistics

Team statistics Stat Syracuse Pittsburgh First Downs 38 20     Rushing 14 12     Passing 21 7     Penalty 3 1 Total Offense 668 644     Rushing 228 393     Passing 440 251 Rushing Att–TD (Avg.) 45–4 (5.1) 40–6 (9.8) Passing Comp/Att (TD–Int) 43/61 (5–1) 9/19 (4–1) Fumbles–Lost 0–0 1–1 Penalties–Yards 7–50 7–64 Punts–Yards 6–268 3–129     Avg per Punt 44.7 43 Time of Possession 35:42 24:18 3rd Down Conversions 9/20 7/11 4th Down Conversions 4/4 0/0 PATs–Attempts 7–9 10–11 Field Goals–Attempts (Long) 0–0 0–0

Game leaders Team Category Player Statistics Syracuse Passing Zack Mahoney 43/61, 440 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT Rushing Moe Neal 8 carries, 91 yards, 1 TD Receiving Amba Etta-Tawo 13 receptions, 178 yards, 5 TD Pittsburgh Passing Nathan Peterman 9/18, 251 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT Rushing James Conner 19 carries, 115 yards, 2 TD Receiving Jester Weah 4 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TD

Aftermath

This game was Syracuse's last of the season, as they finished the 2016 campaign with a 4–8 record. Pittsburgh improved to 8–4 and accepted an invitation to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Panthers were favored by five, ^[10] but lost to Northwestern, 31–24 ^[11] and finished their season with a record of 8–5.

See also

• 2007 Navy vs. North Texas football game, the previous record-holder for highest scoring NCAA Division I regulation football game, totaling 136 points.
• 2001 Arkansas vs. Ole Miss football game, the record-holder for longest NCAA Division I football game, one of five to reach at least seven overtimes.
• 2018 LSU vs. Texas A&M football game, the record-holder for highest-scoring game in FBS history, with 146 combined points. This game also reached seven overtimes.
• 2022 Houston vs. SMU football game, the current record holder for most points in an NCAA Division I regulation football game, with 140 points

Notes

1. A "regulation game" is one that does not go into overtime.

References

1. "Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh Box Score". cuse.com. Syracuse Orange football . Retrieved July 10, 2018.
2. "Syracuse gives up most points ever in game in Pitt's wild 76-61 victory". ESPN . Associated Press. November 26, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
3. "Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh - Game Summary - November 26, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN . November 26, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
4. "Navy vs. North Texas - Game Summary - November 10, 2007 - ESPN". ESPN . November 10, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
5. "Mordecai's 9 passing TDs send SMU past Houston 77-63". Toronto Star . Associated Press. November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
6. "2016 Syracuse Orange football schedule". fbschedules.com. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
7. "2016 Syracuse Orange Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
8. "2016 Pittsburgh Panthers football schedule". fbschedules.com. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
9. "Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh Box Score". pittsburghpanthers.com. Pittsburgh Panthers football . Retrieved July 11, 2018.
10. "College Bowl Game Odds". ESPN. December 7, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
11. "Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern - Game Summary - December 28, 2016". ESPN . December 28, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2018.