Penn State Tops Orange, 23-17

Saturday, August 31

East Rutherford, NJ

3:30 p.m.

Syracuse University

0-1

Penn State

1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

PSU

Syracuse

Jerome Smith recorded his first multi-touchdown game Saturday versus Penn State.

Photo by: Charles Wainwright

8/31/2013 4:02:00 PM | Football

Box Score

Final Stats | Photos | Syracuse Notes | Coach Shafer Quotes |
SU Student-Athlete Quotes | Penn State Quotes| Penn State Notes

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Syracuse started the Scott Shafer era with a 23-17 loss to Penn State on Saturday, Aug. 31 in the second New York's College Classic at MetLife Stadium. Junior captain Jerome Smith was responsible for both Orange touchdowns, scoring on runs of 10 yards and one yard in the second half. Smith finished the game with 16 carries for 73 yards.

Senior Drew Allen got the starting nod at quarterback for Syracuse (0-1) and threw for 189 yards on 16-of-37 passing. He was intercepted twice, including one on third down with 1:53 remaining that sealed the win for Penn State (1-0).

The Orange defense had an impressive day, forcing four Penn State turnovers (two fumbles and two interceptions). Linebacker Marquis Spruill and defensive end Robert Welsh each had sacks. Welsh also set up Smith's second touchdown, running back an interception 31 yards to the Penn State 1-yard line in the fourth quarter. Cameron Lynch led the team with a game-high 10 tackles.

As a unit, the Syracuse defense held the Nittany Lions to 1-for-16 (.063) on third down to help keep the Orange within striking distance.

The Orange opened the game's scoring when Ross Krautman kicked a 32-yard field goal on the first SU drive of the second quarter, giving the Orange a 3-0 advantage with 12:32 left in the first half.

Penn State responded with two Sam Ficken field goals in the final six minutes of the second quarter, a 36-yarder and a 35-yarder, to claim a 6-3 halftime advantage.

The Nittany Lions extended the margin to 13-3 on their first drive of the second half as quarterback Christian Hackenberg hit Allen Robinson for a 51-yard touchdown.

On the ensuing possession, George Morris II returned the kickoff 35 yards, and Allen hooked up with Jeremiah Kobena on a 55-yard pass, to get the Orange into scoring position. Smith finished the drive with a 10-yard run into the end zone. Krautman's PAT closed the gap to 13-10 with 11:05 left in the third quarter.

Syracuse had an opportunity to tie the game after corner Brandon Reddish stripped Robinson and returned the fumble 46 yards to the Penn State 27. The SU offense only managed one yard on three plays and Krautman's 43-yard field goal was wide so the score remained 13-10.

In the fourth quarter, Ficken hit a career-long 46-yard field goal to give the Nittany Lions a 16-10 advantage with 14:16 left to play. PSU's next drive ended with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Hackenberg to Eugene Lewis to make the score 23-10.

After Welsh's interception and run back, Smith pushed his way into the end zone for six points. Krautman's PAT trimmed the Nittany Lion lead to 23-17 with 6:58 left.

The Orange defense forced three-and-outs on Penn State's next two series to give Allen and the offense two more opportunities to tie the game or take the lead. The first SU drive ended in a punt. On the second, Penn State's Trevor Williams intercepted Allen with 1:53 on the clock to clinch the victory.

Hackenberg was 22-of-31 for 278 yards through the air in his first start for Penn State. In addition to his two touchdown passes, he was also intercepted twice. Robinson led Penn State with 133 receiving yards on seven catches, including one touchdown.

Broyld paced all Orange receivers with four catches for 46 yards.

Next week Syracuse heads to Evanston, Ill. to take on Northwestern Saturday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. (Big Ten Network). Check SUathletics.com for updates on the team throughout the week and watch exclusive videos including Coach Shafer's weekly preview on Monday and press conference on Thursday.

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