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Syracuse Football Team History

Syracuse Orangemen

Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Founded: 1870
Stadium: Carrier Dome
Capacity: 50,000
Colors: Orange
Coach: Dick MacPherson
Conference: Independent-

Select Year:

1889 <-- 1985 <- 1986 -> 1987 --> 2024

1986 Season Highlights

Dick MacPherson enters his 6th season as Head Coach at Syracuse.

1986 Season

Date	Opponent	Score
Sat., Sep. 6	vs. Mississippi State	17	24	L
Sat., Sep. 13	@ Army	28	33	L
Sat., Sep. 20	vs. Virginia Tech	17	26	L
Sat., Sep. 27	vs. Rutgers	10	16	L
Sat., Oct. 4	vs. Missouri	41	9	W
Sat., Oct. 18	@ Penn State	3	42	L
Sat., Oct. 25	@ Temple	27	24	W	@ Philadelphia, PA
Sat., Nov. 1	vs. Pittsburgh	24	20	W
Sat., Nov. 8	vs. Navy	31	22	W
Sat., Nov. 15	@ Boston College	9	27	L
Sat., Nov. 22	@ West Virginia	34	23	W

1986 Season Totals
Record	5-6
Points Scored	241
Scoring Average	21.9
Points Allowed	266
Defense Average	24.2
Opponents Record	65-56
Conference Record	0-0
Home Record	3-3
Away Record	2-3

1986 NCAA Final Rankings
Rank	Record	Source
was not ranked.

1986 Independent- Standings
	Season			Bowls	Conference
Team	W/L/T	PF	PA		W/L/T	PF	PA	Coach
Georgia Southern	13-2	619	382					Erk Russell
Penn State	12-0	340	133	Won 14-10				Joe Paterno
Virginia Tech	10-1-1	286	208	Won 25-24				Bill Dooley
Boston College	9-3	338	233	Won 27-24				Jack Bicknell, Sr.
Buffalo	9-2	264	182					Bill Dando
Akron	7-4	291	188					Gerry Faust
Florida State	7-4-1	393	218	Won 27-13				Bobby Bowden
Tulsa	7-4	293	186					Don Morton
Army	6-5	276	292					Jim Young
Central Florida	6-5	310	227					Gene McDowell
Louisiana	6-5	242	204					Nelson Stokley
Pittsburgh	6-4-1	253	209					Mike Gottfried
Rutgers	6-4-1	221	189					Dick Anderson
Southern Mississippi	6-5	198	252					Jim Carmody
Cincinnati	5-6	267	345					Dave Currey
James Madison	5-5-1	299	178					Joe Purzycki
Notre Dame	5-6	299	219					Lou Holtz
Syracuse	5-6	241	266					Dick MacPherson
Tulane	4-7	265	334					Mack Brown
West Virginia	4-7	210	286					Don Nehlen
Western Kentucky	4-6-1	228	258					Dave Roberts
East Carolina	3-8	187	364					Art Baker
Louisville	3-8	179	303					Howard Schnellenberger
Navy	3-8	238	306					Gary Tranquill
South Carolina	3-6-2	313	286					Joe Morrison
Liberty	1-9	150	229					Morgan Hout
Memphis	1-10	104	292					Charlie Bailey
Temple	0-11	308	271					Bruce Arians

1986 All American Awards
Player	Position	Class	Ht.	Wt.	Award	Team	Source
Coming Someday

1986 All Independent Conference Players
Player	Position	Class	Ht.	Wt.	Team	Source
Coming Someday

Some records may be incomplete.

Great Moments in College Football History

During the 1990s, Prairie View College put together an 80-game losing streak. One season, they were outscored each game by an average margin of 56 to 4.