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Syracuse is back in a bowl game for the first time since 2018, facing 8-4 Minnesota, in the Orange’s third appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. SU has had a somewhat turbulent last few weeks, with offensive coordinator Robert Anae and defensive coordinator Tony White both leaving for other jobs and Dino Babers promoting two assistants for Thursday’s game. Syracuse also lost several players to the transfer portal and four players declared for the NFL draft.
Minnesota, meanwhile, is playing in a bowl game for the fourth time under sixth-year head coach P.J. Fleck. The Golden Gophers are led by running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who finished fourth nationally in rushing yards this season. Minnesota also ranked second in the Big Ten in points allowed per game (13.3).
Here’s what our beat writers expect will happen when Syracuse and Minnesota line up in Thursday’s Pinstripe Bowl:
Alex Cirino (8-4)
Making due
Minnesota 27, Syracuse 10
As there have been the past few seasons, Syracuse has undergone some serious roster turnover this offseason and this time, it’s set to cost it a win in its first bowl game in four years. Losing Sean Tucker is going to be hard enough for an offense that struggled to score a touchdown in two of its five losses this season. But the sudden departures of its offensive and defensive coordinators, Anae and White, mean the two men that transformed the Orange into a once ranked team will miss out on the Pinstripe Bowl.
Even without the injuries and the departures, Syracuse would be in an uphill battle against a Minnesota team with the 11th best rushing offense and 15th best rushing defense in the country. Offensively, its run game is led by Ibrahim, who averaged 144.9 yards per game during the regular season. It’ll be interesting to see what version of Garrett Shrader we get on Thursday to lead a major offensive outburst, but regardless it will be tough for the Orange to pull off what would be a big upset over Minnesota.
Connor Smith (9-3)
The new-look ‘Cuse
Syracuse 24, Minnesota 16
This is a tough one to pick the Orange in — they’ve lost both of their coordinators and their best player in Tucker, along with several players to the transfer portal, including two starting defensive backs. But Minnesota’s starting quarterback situation isn’t ideal and the Golden Gophers had the worst pass rush in the Big Ten this season. Shrader will have plenty of time to throw (even with Matthew Bergeron not playing) and that should mean a lot of easy pitch-and-catch between him and Oronde Gadsden II.
Minnesota does have a really good running back in Ibrahim — who interim defensive coordinator Nick Monroe said is the best back Syracuse will face this season in a schedule that was littered with great ones — and that will likely mean the Golden Gophers will control possession. But with SU’s linebacking corps likely as healthy as we’ve seen them in months, I think the Orange will do just enough to hold Minnesota’s offense to field goals and not touchdowns.
Overall, this game will give us a good look into what the 2023 Syracuse squad will look like. Jason Beck will be calling the offense for the first time and Tucker, Bergeron and Garrett Williams won’t be on the field. The team will belong, primarily, to Shrader and Gadsden. What LeQuint Allen and other youngsters bring to the table could be the difference in this game and how successful the Orange are next season.
Anthony Alandt (8-4)
Empty gift box
Minnesota 31, Syracuse 21
Syracuse struggled against the run throughout the season, at times making even the worst running backs in the Atlantic Coast Conference look productive. Luckily for Minnesota, Ibrahim is looking to cap off his prolific career with the Gophers by barreling down on one last opponent. Without Tanner Morgan, Athan Kaliakmanis, someone who offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said is still learning the decision-making of college football, will make his third straight start for Minnesota.
The blueprint of running the ball against the Orange is there and the Gophers will execute without much backlash from an SU defense depleted by the transfer portal. While Syracuse’s offense will likely put up some solid points, its defense won’t stay off the field long enough for the Orange to string together successful drives and enough to win the game. Ultimately, Syracuse will fall to 7-6, a successful season given the outlook at the beginning of the year, but with clear areas of weakness to work on before 2023.
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