5 Things to Know: Syracuse at BC

‘Cuse concludes the regular season facing longtime Northeast rival Boston College. Here’s five things to watch on Saturday:

1. Old Foes

Boston College is Syracuse’s fifth most frequently played opponent. Saturday’s matchup will be the 56th in a series that dates back to 1924.

Pittsburgh (78 meetings) is Syracuse’s most frequent opponent, followed by Penn State, Colgate and West Virginia.

Both the Pitt and BC series will continue to be annual conference rivalries, even with the ACC’s new scheduling model beginning in 2023. The Eagles and Panthers are two of the Orange’s three annual opponents, along with Florida State, after the conference gets rid of divisions beginning next season. ‘Cuse also hosts Colgate next season as part of its non-conference slate, and previously announced a future home-and-home series with Penn State – continuing longstanding Northeast football traditions.

2. Mr. 3000

Running back Sean Tucker became the fourth player in program history to cross the 3,000-yard barrier for his career. He enters the regular season finale on Saturday with 3,057 rushing yards. He needs just 47 to pass Delone Carter for third on the program’s all-time list.

Joe Morris (4,299) holds the all-time record, followed by Walter Reyes (3,424), then Carter. Those three did so in four seasons, while Tucker (2020-22) is in just his third season of collegiate competition.

3. 1k Back-to-Back

Tucker needs just 21 yards on the ground Saturday to pass 1,000 yards on the season for the second year in a row. No player at Syracuse has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since Delone Carter (2009-10).

Tucker has also all but locked up leading the team in rushing for the third-consecutive season. He’s just the fifth player in the modern era of Syracuse football – and first in 30 years – to do so (David Walker, 1989-1992). Ernie Davis (1959-61), Joe Morris (1978-81) and Jaime Covington (1982-84) are the others players to accomplish the feat.

4. Dual Threat

Garrett Shrader notched his 21st rushing touchdown in the last two seasons on Saturday at Wake Forest. In less than two seasons played in the conference, he already has the 16th-most rushing touchdowns by an ACC quarterback.

5. Tucker Climbing Scoring List

Sean Tucker had a pair of rushing touchdowns on Saturday, moving him into a tie for seventh in program history in the category (25) with Joe Morris. He is now three behind Ernie Davis and Dee Brown for fifth in SU history and four behind James Mungro for…