Greetings from New York City! We are less than 2 days away from the 2012 edition of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl which kicks off at 3:15 on Saturday afternoon from Yankee Stadium.
Let’s take a look at what the Orangemen and Mountaineers have to offer.
Quarterbacks
- Geno Smith (WVU) – 4,004 YDS, 40 TD’s, 6 INT
- Ryan Nassib (SU) – 3,619 YDS, 24 TD’s, 9 INT
Advantage: WVU
Geno Smith was on the Heisman list for the first half of the season before five straight losses erased any hopes. He picked it back up against Oklahoma and should put up good numbers on Saturday.
Running Backs
- Tavon Austin, Andrew Buie, Shawne Alston (WVU) – 1,891 YDS, 17 TD’s
- Jerome Smith, Prince – Tyson Gulley (SU) – 1,697 YDS, 10 TD’s
Advantage: Draw
This actually should be Syracuse’s category except for the fact that Adonis Ameen – Moore, their goalline back(5 TD’s), is suspended for the game. Watch out for Austin in the backfield with this being his final game in the gold and blue. Don’t be surprised if he does a bit of everything in this game.
Wideouts
- Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, J.D. Woods (WVU) – 272 REC, 3,356 YDS, 39 TD’s
- Alec Lemon, Marcus Sales, Jarrod West (SU) – 175 REC, 2,497 YDS, 17 TD’s
Advantage: WVU
West Virginia has two first round NFL draft picks in Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin. I added Woods in the mix due to his nice play over the last couple weeks of the season. The speed of these three with the accuracy of Geno Smith should help create some nice fireworks on Sat.
Defense
Rushing D
- WVU – 1,710 YDS against, 143 YDS/G, 21 TD’s against
- SU – 1,778 YDS against, 148 YDS/G, 13 TD’s against
Advantage: Syracuse
Syracuse gives up the same amount of yards as the Mountaineers but they keep opposing runners out of the endzone. The Bearcats are tied for 16th in TD’s given up on the ground.
Passing D
- WVU – 3,925 YDS against, 327 YDS/G, 36 TD, 9 INT
- SU – 2,843 YDS against, 237 YDS/G, 21 TD, 9 INT
Advantage: Syracuse
Everyone knows the Mountaineers passing defense has been bad. They are a young group that will get better with time but this could be the key that can keep the Orange in the contest.
Special Teams
Punting: WVU – Syracuse gives up 5 more yards per punt return than the Mountaineers. There’s a chance Austin can break one for WVU.
Kicking: Syracuse – The Cuse have the 4th best Kickoff return defense in the nation only giving up 17 YDS per return. WVU is the direct opposite ranking 107th giving up 24 YDS per return.
Field Goals
- Tyler Bitancurt (WVU) – 11/18 FG, Long of 52, 62/64 XPT
- Ross Krautman (SU) – 13/21 FG, Long of 47, 39/39 XPT
Advantage: Syracuse
Bitancurt has a longer FG, but he missed two extra points, one being crucial in a 1 point loss to Oklahoma. Krautman was perfect in extra points.
The Mountaineers can’t afford to make mistakes in the game. Syracuse has had the Mountaineers number the last 2 years but Geno Smith and co. have a statement to make in their final game for WVU.
