NEW YORK – When Syracuse tight end Beckett Wales caught a deflected pass from Ryan Nassib for a touchdown in the third quarter to put the Orange up 19-7, Charlie Cornbrooks rose from his bleacher seat in Section 238.

The play elicited a larger-than-normal reaction from Cornbrooks, who jumped on top of the bleacher and began to hug friends sitting next to him.

For Cornbrooks, a senior economics major, the touchdown signaled that SU was likely to win the game.

“It could’ve been intercepted, but instead, we went up two scores,” Cornbrooks said. “It was just such a fun moment, such a fun atmosphere.”

The rest of the game drew plenty more celebrations from Cornbrooks and the SU student section, which filled Sections 235 through 239 of Yankee Stadium for Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl matchup between Syracuse and West Virginia.

With the Orange pulling away in the third quarter and going on to a 38-14 victory, Cornbrooks and other students danced, shouted and enjoyed the memory of SU’s second bowl win in three seasons.

With the game being played in New York City, about four hours from Syracuse and close to many students who were home for Winter Break, student tickets sold out quickly to set the stage for the raucous student section on Saturday. Some nearby students made the day trip to Yankee Stadium, while others stayed with friends to make a weekend trip out of it.

Cornbrooks lives less than an hour from the city in nearby Wilton, Conn., and accommodated three friends for the weekend — two buddies from Syracuse and a friend, Sean Battisti, who spent a semester at WVU last year.

The SU-West Virginia rivalry made for good-natured trash talk during the game and throughout the weekend, Cornbrooks said.

“When Sean showed up at my house on Friday, everyone booed,” Cornbrooks said. “Even my parents. It was great.”

Although SU beat WVU the last two seasons, Battisti had a good feeling about the game due to quarterback Geno Smith and the Mountaineers’ potent passing attack. The morning of the game, Battisti boasted that West Virginia would score 80 points on the Orange defense.

But after the SU defense made a few early stops and began to gain momentum, Battisti fell silent. His SU friends started to chide him, and he suddenly found the game hard to watch.

“It was tough dealing with everyone who was messing with me,” Battisti said. “No way I ever thought we would get blown out. I guess that’s what I get for sitting in the Syracuse student section.”

With the game beginning shortly after 3:15 p.m. and lasting until about 7 p.m., the event was essentially a daylong excursion for those who attended. Some made it truly an all-day affair and arrived at Yankee Stadium hours ahead to tailgate. A parking garage adjacent to the stadium was filled with SU and WVU fans alike by noon.

Gatherings were mostly segregated by school, with tailgaters drinking beers and playing games like cornhole, but Syracuse fans were seen wandering over to West Virginia groups on occasion and vice versa.

Some students even decided to join the garage-based festivities even though they didn’t drive to the game. One of these students was senior finance and supply chain management major Ryan McKenna, who rode the train in from Connecticut with friends and arrived at Yankee Stadium shortly after 11 a.m., carrying a sign encouraging Nassib to have a big game.

“We got there early and wanted to just hang out,” McKenna said. “The best part of these games is almost the pregame experience. It’s like an outdoor party.”

For McKenna, another enjoyable part of the game was its outdoor venue. With SU playing its home games inside the Carrier Dome, students don’t usually get a chance to brave the outdoor elements for a game.

And the weather was in full force Saturday afternoon, with snow flurries and light winds making for a mild blizzard-like environment. With temperatures hovering at about 30 degrees, it wasn’t so cold as to be painful for most students. The snow added to the experience, McKenna said.

“I love when I get to go to NFL games outside in the winter, and you can’t get that vibe at the Dome,” he said. “With us blowing them out, it was just fun feeling the snow and dancing around with everyone.”

After the game, the SU team made its traditional march toward the band, which promptly cued up the Syracuse alma mater, as is custom, win or lose. Almost every student stayed, and many put their arms around one another, swaying to the music. For seniors, it was the final chance to enjoy the alma mater after a football game.

Students left Yankee Stadium with smiles on their faces, happy to witness a 24-point-Syracuse win firsthand.

And unlike many games in the past, no complaints could be heard.

“Before the game, I wasn’t even sure that it would be too fun,” said senior finance and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major Kellie Milne, who made the day trip from her home north of Albany. “But I’m so happy I went.”

Published on December 30, 2012 at 10:50 pm

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