2012 Pinstripe Bowl

MVP	Prince-Tyson Gulley

The 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game held on December 29, 2012 at Yankee Stadium in the New York City borough of The Bronx in the United States. The third edition of the Pinstripe Bowl began at 3:15 p.m. EST and aired on ESPN. It featured the Big East Conference co-champion Syracuse Orange against the West Virginia Mountaineers from the Big 12 Conference and was the final game of the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams. Both the Orange and the Mountaineers advanced to the game after accomplishing 7–5 records in the regular season.

The Orange and the Mountaineers had a notable continuous rivalry from 1955 until 2011. This included the years in the Big East Conference, which was established in 1979. The winner of the game was awarded the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy from its establishment in 1993. That trophy was not on the line in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Teams

This was the sixtieth meeting between these two teams. Syracuse leads the all-time record 33–27. The last time they played was in 2011.

Syracuse

See also: 2012 Syracuse Orange football team

With a 5–2 conference record the Orange became one of four Big East co-champions along with the Louisville Cardinals, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and Cincinnati Bearcats.

This was the Orange's second Pinstripe Bowl; in the inaugural 2010 game they had defeated the Kansas State Wildcats by a score of 36–34 after a controversial excessive celebration call led to the Wildcats missing what would have been the game-tying two-point conversion. It was also the Orange's final game as a member of the Big East before they joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013.

West Virginia

See also: 2012 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

The Mountaineers' first season as a member of the Big 12 started out smoothly, cruising to a 5–0 start and a #4 ranking. However, the Mountaineers would later receive a serious reality check in the form of a five-game losing streak. However, after winning their final two games of the season over the Iowa State Cyclones and Kansas Jayhawks, the Mountaineers would rebound to a 4–5 conference record.

This was the Mountaineers' first appearance in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Referee: Jay Strickerz (Pac-12 Conference)

Game summary

Box score

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
West Virginia	0	7	7	0	14
Syracuse	3	9	23	3	38

at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York

• Date: December 29, 2012
• Game time: 3:15 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Snow
• Recap

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WVU SYR 1 5:21 14 72 5:08 SYR 25-yard field goal by Ross Krautman 0 3 2 7:59 - - - SYR Geno Smith sacked by Cameron Lynch in end zone for a safety 0 5 2 6:07 6 65 1:52 SYR Prince-Tyson Gulley 33-yard touchdown run, Ross Krautman kick good 0 12 2 3:38 6 69 2:29 WVU Stedman Bailey 32-yard touchdown reception from Geno Smith, Tyler Bitancurt kick good 7 12 3 10:43 10 80 4:17 SYR Beckett Wales 10-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Nassib, Ross Krautman kick good 7 19 3 6:52 1 67 0:13 SYR Prince-Tyson Gulley 67-yard touchdown run, Ross Krautman kick good 7 26 3 5:41 4 63 1:11 WVU Stedman Bailey 29-yard touchdown reception from Geno Smith, Tyler Bitancurt kick good 14 26 3 2:52 9 70 2:49 SYR Prince-Tyson Gulley 9-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Nassib, Ross Krautman kick good 14 33 3 1:08 - - - SYR Geno Smith penalized for intentional grounding in end zone for a safety 14 35 4 11:57 10 32 4:11 SYR 36-yard field goal by Ross Krautman 14 38 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 38

Statistics

Statistics	WVU	SYR
First Downs	15	28
Total Yards	304	507
Rushes-Yards	30–103	65–369
Passing yards (net)	201	138
Cmp-Att-TD-INT	19–28–2–0	12–24–2–1
Penalties-Yards	11–116	5–57
Time of Possession	23:37	35:48

Notes

• Syracuse converted the first safety in Pinstripe Bowl history.
• Syracuse and West Virginia had previously met annually since 1955 when West Virginia was a member of the Big East. The two teams played for the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy. The victory gave Syracuse an all-time series lead of 33–27.
• Game was played in heavy snowfall.

External links

• Box score at ESPN