Eighteen years ago, it was a rivalry -- the annual meeting between the Penn State Nittany Lions and The Syracuse Orange.
Sixty-eight games the two teams played up to 1990. For 46 consecutive years they dueled alternating battle grounds between the 'Cuse and Happy Valley. For 24 of those games, Joe Paterno has stalked the sidelines for the Lions.
Paterno has fond memories of these games. Crammed into a tiny corridor in the bowels of the Carrier Dome, Paterno stood behind a wooden dais and reminisced, as he often does, of past opponents, coaches and old friends.
"Probably some of the greatest games we ever played, we played against Syracuse," Paterno said.
Not anymore. The 69th meeting was anything but a great game.It was a humiliating 55-13 blowout, a confirmation of sorts that rivalries grow old and stagnant. When that happens, they effectively die.
The Penn State/Syracuse rivalry is dead.But what did you expect? This matchup could have had all the makings of a classic rivalry game -- 18 years ago.
On Saturday, the pregame rituals of both teams seemed to acknowledge a rivalry still intact.
Both squads took the field at the same time. The Lion mascot led the colorguard for Penn State against Syracuse's flag-wavers in a pre-game duel of spirit. Penn State fans chanted "We Are..." and each time Syracuse's (very impressive) band drowned them out.
But that's as far as the competitive spirit went on 'Cuse's side. (See: Paul Cianciolo throws first touchdown pass of the season in the fourth quarter.)
From the first play, Penn State dominated.
There was never a question to whether Penn State would win that game. Never. Not even when Daryll Clark fumbled on the game's second play.
See, the main ingredient for a rivalry is passion, not just from fans, but from players and coaches. There weren't many passionate plays by guys wearing orange helmets on Saturday.
With the score 14-0, Syracuse players dragged their feet as they walked up and down the field, hung their heads each time Penn State scored, and didn't show much emotion in front of a home crowd. Maybe their 7-31 record under current head coach Greg Robinson contributes to that, but for a rivalry game, the Orange should have been more psyched.
The worst was at the very end. As the Cianciolo-led Penn State offense devoured the remaining five minutes, Penn State fans who had stuck around began another "We Are..." chant. Small kids in the bleachers with faces painted orange followed and cheered along.
It was the loudest the crowd was all day. (See: 'Cuse fans choose paper over plastic and then cut eyeholes in the bags and wear them to Orange games.)
Morose Syracuse players stood silently on their sideline, heads down. Some still had their helmets on, but they were pulled down low over their eyes. They had accepted their status as losers.
Rivalry? No. Not anymore. Penn State/Syracuse could be a rivalry again, but it will take a lot of work. A lot more games and a lot more passion from the 'Cuse fans in the stands and the Orange players on the field.
There is one shortcut, however, one incident that could shock life back into the Lion/Orange rivalry.
An upset.
There's always next year.
.
