Orange and Wildcats on Big Ten Network

Syracuse (0-1) at Northwestern (1-0)
Date & Time	Saturday, Sept. 7 \| 6:00 p.m.
Location	Evanston, Ill. \| Ryan Field (47,130)
Television	Big Ten Network
Radio	Syracuse IMG Sports Network
Game Notes	Syracuse \| Northwestern
Live Audio	SUathletics.com
Live Stats	SUathletics.com
Social Media	Facebook \| @cuse
Twitter Hashtags	Tweet #orangenation Tweet #beatNorthwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Syracuse football team (0-1) will travel to Northwestern (1-0) for its second game of the season, taking on the Wildcats on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

GAME OVERVIEW

• Syracuse heads to Evanston, Ill. for its first true road game of the 2013 season Saturday, Sept. 7 at Northwestern. The trip marks Syracuse's sixth overall visit to Northwestern and its first since the 2008 season opener.

• Saturday night's game will be televised live nationally on the Big Ten Network. Matt Devlin (pxp), Glen Mason (analyst) and Lisa Byington (sidelines) have the call.

• The Orange is looking to avenge a 42-41 loss to the Wildcats in the 2012 season opener at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse rallied from a 35-13 deficit midway through the third quarter to take the lead before a Demetrius Fields TD catch with 44 seconds left lifted Northwestern to victory.

• Syracuse carries an 0-1 record into the game, having lost its first game under new head coach Scott Shafer, 23-17, to Penn State at MetLife Stadium. Northwestern went out west and defeated Cal, 44-30, in its first outing.

STARTING WITH THE BIG BOYS

• With Penn State and Northwestern on the schedule in the first two weeks, Syracuse is one of three teams in the nation to start the year against consecutive Big Ten foes. The others are Cincinnati (Purdue, Illinois) and Indiana State (Indiana, Purdue).

• Only twice previously has Syracuse begun a season against two Big Ten opponents (1971 and 2009). In 1971, head coach Ben Swartzwalder's bunch tied Wisconsin, 20-20, in the season opener and lost the next week at Northwestern, 12-6. In 2009, Doug Marrone opened his SU tenure with three straight Big Ten games (vs. Minnesota, at Penn State, and vs. Northwestern), losing the first two and then beating Northwestern.

IS SHAFER NEXT?

• Two of the previous 27 men to lead the Syracuse football program earned their first Orange head coaching victories against Big Ten teams. College Football Hall-of-Famer Dick MacPherson picked up his first Syracuse win on Sept. 26, 1981 with a 21-7 triumph against Indiana. MacPherson protégé, and Scott Shafer's former boss, Doug Marrone got his inaugural victory against Northwestern 37-34 on Sept. 19, 2009.

• Both MacPherson and Marrone achieved the feat at home in the Carrier Dome. Shafer would be the first to do it on the road.

THE NORTHWESTERN SERIES

• Syracuse has won five of the past seven meetings, including four in a row from 1979-84.

• The Wildcats beat the Orange the first three times the teams met (1940, 1948, 1971).

• The last two pairings have been decided by a total of four points. In 2009, Syracuse prevailed, 37-34. Northwestern won last year, 42-41.

• Ryan Lichtenstein's 41-yard field goal as time expired gave the Orange a three-point win in 2009 at the Carrier Dome. Mike Williams caught 11 passes for a series-high 209 yards, including two touchdowns, in the victory.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET

• Northwestern defeated Syracuse, 42-41, at the Carrier Dome on Sept. 1, 2012. The game was the season opener for both teams.

• Demetrius Fields caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Siemian with 44 seconds left for the winning points.

• NU held a 35-13 lead midway through the third quarter. SU tallied 28 straight points to take a 41-35 advantage prior to Fields' winning catch.

• Former Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib set school records for completions (45), attempts (66) and total offense (512 yards). His 45 completions tied the BIG EAST record set by Louisville's Brian Brohm and his 66 attempts was a new conference standard. Nassib also threw four TD passes.

• Orange WR Jeremiah Kobena sets career bests for receptions (4) and touchdowns (2) in the game.

• RB Venric Mark scored twice for Northwestern, including returning a punt 82 yards for a first-quarter touchdown. He led the Wildcats with 84 yards rushing.

A WIN AGAINST NORTHWESTERN WOULD …

• Be SU's 699th all-time victory, 15th-most among FBS schools.

• Be Scott Shafer's first career win as head coach.

• Even Syracuse's record at 3-3 against the Wildcats in games played in Evanston, Ill.

• Mark the Orange's first road win against a Big Ten foe since Sept. 16, 2006 at Illinois (31-21).

• Be Syracuse's third straight true road victory dating back to last season.

• Increase the team's record to 12-5 in night games since the start of the 2009 season.

Syracuse University Athletics

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