Syracuse football: Orange headed to Pinstripe Bowl vs Minnesota

The Mark Coyle Bowl is underway

For the first time since 2018, the Syracuse Orange are going bowling. A 6-0 start to the season propelled the Orange to postseason play for only the second time under Dino Babers. Now Syracuse knows where it’s going and who it’s playing. The Orange are set to face off against the Minnesota Gophers in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The Pinstripe Bowl is set to kickoff from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Thursday, December 29 at 2:00 pm. The game is scheduled to air on ESPN. The Draftkings line will be updated when available.

Syracuse and Minnesota are no strangers to playing each other in the postseason. The two teams faced off in the Texas Bowl in 2013. That was the only bowl game of the Scott Shafer era. The Orange won off a Terrel Hunt rushing touchdown with 1:14 left in the 4th quarter to grab a 21-17 victory.

Minnesota finished the 2022 season with an 8-4 record. The Gophers were very streaky, starting the season with a four-game winning streak followed by a three-game losing streak. Minnesota then went on a three-game winning streak before trading a loss and win to end the season.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

The Gophers are led by first-team All-Big Ten running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who led the conference with 1,594 rushing yards. That total is good for fourth among FBS schools. On defense, the Gophers are buoyed by second-Team All-Big Ten safety Tyler Nubin, who is tied for third in the conference with four interceptions.

Syracuse and Minnesota have faced a common opponent this year in Purdue. The Orange defeated the Boilermakers 32-29 while the Gophers lost 20-10. Notably, Ibrahim missed that game with an ankle injury. That would be the only game he missed.

The Orange are set to play in the Pinstripe Bowl for the third time in program history, while the Gophers are headed to the Bronx for the first time. Syracuse has won its previous two Pinstripe Bowls over Kansas State and West Virginia. Notably, Orange running backs Delone Carter and Prince-Tyson Gulley won game MVP for those games, which bodes well for Sean Tucker.

Syracuse is headed for its 27th bowl game in program history. The Orange are 16-9-1 in bowls and are riding a four-game winning streak in bowls.