A big smile crept across Shamarko Thomas’ face as he reminisced about that night in November last year.

Syracuse was at Rutgers Stadium in search of a win to clinch bowl eligibility. Ross Krautman delivered a victory, kicking the game-winning field goal with 1:07 left on the clock to beat the Scarlet Knights 13-10.

But it was more than just a win for the Orange. It was the win that had eluded the program for nearly a decade. And with Krautman’s field goal, Syracuse was headed to a bowl game for the first time since 2004.

‘It was a great thing, man,’ Thomas said with a grin. ‘First time being bowl eligible (in six years). We want that opportunity again.’

That opportunity could come again for the Orange with a win this weekend. Syracuse (5-3, 1-2 Big East) will travel to East Hartford, Conn., to battle Connecticut (3-5, 1-2 Big East) Saturday at noon with a shot at the all-important sixth win. If SU gets the win, it would be bowl eligible for the second straight year. Syracuse last appeared in back-to-back bowl games in 1998, when SU went to the Orange Bowl, and 1999, when it went to the Music City Bowl.

‘It was huge,’ defensive end Chandler Jones said of the win at Rutgers last year. ‘That was one of our main focuses and that was our big goal — to be bowl eligible and make it to a bowl game. But this year, our goal was to compete for a Big East championship, and that’s what we’re doing.’

Though bowl eligibility may not be the main goal for the Orange this year, it would be a step in the right direction if the team wants to compete for a conference title.

Last year, Syracuse had a chance to clinch bowl eligibility against Louisville one week before its game against Rutgers. But the Cardinals scored the game’s final two touchdowns to force SU to wait another week to accomplish its goal.

The Orange had a chance to clinch a postseason berth last week against Louisville once again. But it came out flat and never recovered in a 27-10 loss.

Jones said the players were disappointed with each other and themselves at the start of practice this week, but he felt confident the team would avoid that same type of performance against UConn.

‘It started Monday in practice,’ Jones said. ‘Coming out day in and day out and just having no mental errors and just be physical out there. That makes it easier on the coaches to come up with a good game plan. And hopefully we can execute this game and win.’

That game plan will revolve around shutting down Huskies redshirt freshman running back Lyle McCombs. Connecticut is a running team and McCombs ranks second in the Big East with 829 yards on the ground.

The goal for the Orange is to take away McCombs and force UConn to beat SU with its passing game behind quarterback Johnny McEntee.

‘I think whether you’re trying to force a team to throw the ball or force them to run the ball, if you can make an offense one-dimensional, it makes it a little bit easier to attack,’ SU head coach Doug Marrone said.

If Syracuse can make Connecticut a one-dimensional team, it could lead to a win and a celebration similar to the one at Rutgers a year ago.

When Marrone took over the program before the 2009 season, he told the team he wanted to win now. The players quickly bought in and showed progress with SU’s win in the Pinstripe Bowl last year.

And if the Orange can secure the win this weekend and become bowl eligible again, it could symbolize something more for Marrone and this program.

‘It shows that Syracuse football is rising,’ the safety Thomas said. ‘Through everything, all the stuff we’ve been through the last couple years, Syracuse is coming back.’

zjbrown@syr.edu

Published on November 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm